UFCVM
3 posts
Sep 05, 2009
9:53 AM
|
Just thought I share a story. Have or had 5 youngsters about 12 weeks old and 2 six weeks old and have been working with them doing portable kit stuff. I have picked this once location that we have been to three times and not consecutively. I am at the stage of letting them on top of the kit box and then after sometime trapping them in. They are reliable in that aspect. BTW I live in North Central Florida and cant seem to get away from the woods, so I do my best. They have had a maximum of maybe 3-4 mins fly time. I am not pushing them to get up, they just do small short flights around the kit box. So, yesterday I bring them to our "spot" and let them out for no more then 10 mins a coop chases them up. He didnt get any at that time. I couldnt get two of them to land as they were wanting to stray beyond the tree line. They flew back over the kit box once, but couldnt get there attention to drop them, and so they went beyond the tree line again and didnt come back. So, I thought going portable would save me some hassle of losing birds. But I probably wont be able to get away from the BOP( the birds have mostly just been sitting on the box, very little fly time). Maybe Ill try a huge parking lot, where there's less woods. Any ideas?
|
katyroller
526 posts
Sep 05, 2009
10:03 AM
|
I think you solved your problem. The parking lot sounds like a good idea plus you should have a better view. At any rate I think you have to get away from the trees!
Tracey
|
PR_rollers
GOLD MEMBER
3363 posts
Sep 05, 2009
10:10 AM
|
I'm with Katyroller parking lot bigggg space....
----------
Ralph.
Life comes down to the choices you make, and then living with the results.
|
UFCVM
4 posts
Sep 05, 2009
10:38 AM
|
Im just worried about cars/people, distractions, that might come with a parking lot and other things that might get in the way, because they are still not the greatest flyers, still learning to train to the box, etc. I guess I need to at least try
|
UFCVM
5 posts
Sep 05, 2009
10:43 AM
|
Can I get some input on youngster training with timeframes of just how long it takes for trapping, getting up to fly, kitting, rolling. I know it depends on the family. I just want a ball park so I am not trying to push things. They have the trapping down, I am just not sure how long I should wait for them to get up on their own vs. helping them get up. Again, they've been out 3 times. Give it a few weeks?
|
PR_rollers
GOLD MEMBER
3364 posts
Sep 05, 2009
11:05 AM
|
It certaintly depends on the family of birds you flying .I have a family that was born to fly first day out to the sky they went up by the third day I had them kitting 5th day flying 25 minutes kitting trapping well..
give them a week or two if they are 8 weeks of age on their own after that you might try to help take them a few steps away from portable kitbox let them fly to it hungry too.I never train portable so you might need longer time I don't know about that so I can't really say,but just concentrate on kitting and trapping on command first and the rolling will come in when the gene's kick in backflip tail riding what have you.just have patience and you be alright..another thing you right about the cars and people might get them nervous so try to go on a sunday when store close early if you can but then again early hours are best when releasing young birds so they have enough time to find home before it gets dark..good luck ,sorry can"t be much of help ..never flew portable.. ----------
Ralph.
Life comes down to the choices you make, and then living with the results.
|
steve49
227 posts
Sep 05, 2009
11:13 AM
|
i flew portable some years ago, but i always stayed clear of trees or buildings which might prevent the birds from seeing the port loft. training is the same for a permanent loft, and i wouldn't flag them at all. my two kits both flew only 5 minutes or so at first. within a week, they'll be flying double that, and steadily increasing as they mature. both kits now fly up to an hour, depending on whether its very hot or not. portable is a fun way to fly rollers, and since my original location was not good for flying, it was a no brainer. good luck
----------
Steve in Blue Point, NY
|
wafer kits
116 posts
Sep 05, 2009
9:16 PM
|
You should start portable training when the squeeks are 4 or 5 weeks old. When they reach 6 or 7 weeks they are strong enough to fly but easily get confused by strange surroundings. Fly them in open spaces. School parking lots are often very large and empty much of the time. After they get 2 or 3 months flying under their belts, you can even fly them in super-market parking lots. Don't chase them up until they are well acclimated to their loft. Good luck..Al
|
PR_rollers
GOLD MEMBER
3369 posts
Sep 06, 2009
5:22 AM
|
Now there is a man I was going to mention but didn't think he was around Al how you doing?
----------UFCVM Al flys portable almost all his life he can tell you how to play this game..
Ralph.
Life comes down to the choices you make, and then living with the results.
|
UFCVM
15 posts
Sep 06, 2009
5:24 AM
|
Wafer Kits: you are right about the 5-6 weeks, i have two and they stuck to the kitbox with a lot less experience then the older ones. But granted I did start the 3 months olds when they were 5 weeks old, but stopped for about a month and a half.
My area is the worst, Every parking lot either has a fair amount of surrounding woods or there are trees flooding the parking lots as "decor" or something. So I went this morning to a home depot, which had trees scattered throughout the parking lot, and a coop was sitting up on the light pole right in the middle. Im thinking probably not that place( and its the biggest where I am at). All the schools around here are recessed back in the woods. SO its a crapshoot. I am determined though.
Last Edited by on Sep 06, 2009 5:33 AM
|
Windjammer Loft
923 posts
Sep 06, 2009
8:10 AM
|
UFCVM.... I didn't hear you mention anything about useing "Dropers". Most of the articles and videos that I have read or watched use "Droppers". Maybe give them a try and see if you get any better results with having yours birds come down to trap.
Fly High and Roll On
Paul
|
UFCVM
19 posts
Sep 06, 2009
9:43 AM
|
Yeah, I have an Indian fantail for that purpose. But my portable kit is super tiny, so I cant fit much. What I did was tried to use the birds that landed, I chucked one up a few times. but the two in the air were focused on something else. Thats what I meant by I couldnt get their attention. But i plan to use one more aggressively i suppose. thanks for the tip
Last Edited by on Sep 06, 2009 9:44 AM
|
Windjammer Loft
927 posts
Sep 06, 2009
10:00 AM
|
UFCVM.. I can really sympathise with you on this problem.... maybe it would be more helpfull to work with the birds alittle more as far as trap training and your feeding regimen. Keep them alittle more hungury then normal for all this specific training.. Good luck
Fly High and Roll On
Paul
|
UFCVM
20 posts
Sep 06, 2009
10:51 AM
|
Yeah I agree. But I assume if the hawk didnt come by to scare them up and chase em that I wouldnt have a problem to get them to land. I was trying to take baby steps and still just work with them being out, and then trapping in after some time. And especially in a place where the only land mark is a small box. I cant blame them or myself for not having a fool proof system or be absolutely trained. But I do keep them hungry. Cause they try to fly to me for food when out, and I interact with them minimally in a social manner.
|
wafer kits
117 posts
Sep 06, 2009
10:55 AM
|
UFCM.....Schoolyards are not the only solution.....Ball-fields and church lots usually have parking lots that are not filled up all the time. Some farms have multiple entrances to their fields. Supermarkets have much open space in their parking lots....you are only limited by your imagination. The squeeks you locked down had not had enough time to really acclimate themselves. Droppers are fine but I never use them. Teach your birds to come in at the sound of a whistle or some other signal.
Howdy, Ralph! I've been following your posts. Al
|
UFCVM
22 posts
Sep 06, 2009
11:07 AM
|
Well I just had a revelation. Try this one. A top a 4 story parking garage? Provided no one is there. But on campus theres plenty of those, and sunday I doubt many are parked up there. ( only problem is I couldnt do that everyday most likely) But, i definately have been looking. And there are other places out there, but always surrounded by wood.
So as far as whistle signal, I put food in the kit box, and shake the can. and I think visually they see it and trap in and eat. But Im not so sure if I was to just shake a can that they would trap in hopes of there being food. How do u do it with your birds, regardless of food present or not, do they trap in solely on the whistle/signal?
Last Edited by on Sep 06, 2009 11:08 AM
|
UFCVM
24 posts
Sep 06, 2009
11:33 AM
|
this is what I am working with.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlsqRpLekNQ
this is the area that I was trying to fly in. no more then three times there, and got the locals on me.
Last Edited by on Sep 06, 2009 11:41 AM
|
wafer kits
118 posts
Sep 06, 2009
12:13 PM
|
I don't know why the locals would bother you but the field is certainly large enough. Although I am flying from a cage much like the wire settling cage you hve on top, it is inside a pick-up truck so as not to attract predators. I think you should close in their living quarters a little so they are not always visible. A whistle is not absolutely necessary but it can be heard a long ways off. The food and feeling safe is what brings them in. You are starting to think about possibilities already. Good for you! Once you get them honed in, you can fly them in among other parked cars with only a small space around you. Al
|
UFCVM
25 posts
Sep 06, 2009
12:42 PM
|
Well, the hawks are a dime a dozen around here. It was a friend and I with our black lab in the field maybe 20 feet from the cage and the hawks still got curious enough to swoop in. And it was pretty hot. Im trying to let them take off on their own if they want for now. But without the raptors helping would be nice. I have a truck, but it has a hard top over the bed, I could take it off and use that. Good tip. But the parking garage seems like a good idea, cause its already high in the air ( over the trees). As long as I dont get peregrines, I should be better
|
UFCVM
26 posts
Sep 06, 2009
2:19 PM
|
Heres an uplifting story. I went back to the location that I lost the two birds(two days ago), I was there for no more than a minute and one bird came out of the trees I suppose and zoomed right onto the kitbox. So how bout that for honing in.....
|
wafer kits
119 posts
Sep 06, 2009
4:49 PM
|
That happens many times over in your portable career. If you have to leave a few there for some reason, they will almost always still be there a day or 2 later. Even if you don't see them; fly your kit again and they will attract the missing ones back. Al
|
Windjammer Loft
930 posts
Sep 07, 2009
8:13 AM
|
UFCVM...as for the trap training... I use a "clicker" used in dog taining. I start when the eggs are laid. I always use a clicker when I feed all my birds. As the egg developes, they hear the sound of the cliker from the very beginning of life. I click...and shake the feed canfor about 5 minutes at every feeding. It becomes automatic that when they hear those 2 sounds it's time to "EAT". They trap relatively fast. Once they are all in I give them about 5-10 minutes to settle in and then I feed them. And they always want to eat. So I have no problems on getting them to come down. Hope this explains alittle better.
----------
Fly High and Roll On
Paul
|
Scott
2533 posts
Sep 07, 2009
8:25 AM
|
If a bird comes back to a portable is it due to great homing instinct or a complete lack of homing instinct ?
----------
Scott Campbell
"It is about testicle fortitude !! "
|
Windjammer Loft
932 posts
Sep 07, 2009
8:36 AM
|
Hey Scott... Iam alittle confused with your post... Would you explain it further???
----------
Fly High and Roll On
Paul
Last Edited by on Sep 07, 2009 8:37 AM
|
wafer kits
120 posts
Sep 07, 2009
9:36 AM
|
Scott;
I believe homing instinct plays somewhat of a role because the bird can see for miles around him at a great height. However,I occasionally lose a bird or 2 that has been chased off by a predator before he has had a chance to imprint surrounding landmarks on his mind. This is a rare occurence. Al
|
UFCVM
31 posts
Sep 07, 2009
9:48 AM
|
I believe it may not be homing instinct, but good honing instinct( and staying put in the area most familiar). Because I keep them in a permanent Kitbox( 5X3X3) at the house, and when I fly them, put them in the portable crate. So in reality if they had good homing instinct, I would have seen the birds back at the house which was a mile down the road. But they know the "portable crate" as I raised them in it when very young. I actually hand fed that particular bird for a few weeks, and before they lost the squeek were really tame. So Im going with honing ability is perhaps good(recognize and flying to a particular structure in any geographical location).
----------
Kevin
~Portable Flyer: Backyard flyer that flys in someone else's backyard.
Last Edited by on Sep 07, 2009 9:50 AM
|
wafer kits
121 posts
Sep 07, 2009
10:08 AM
|
If you transfer the birds from a stationary loft to a portable and fly them 1 mile away, they will go home. That's why you should take them 5 or 10 miles down the road,..If you fly them in one spot in a park and next time move the box 100 feet away some of them will land where you flew them before, even though they can see their box.
|
UFCVM
33 posts
Sep 07, 2009
10:15 AM
|
But will they go home if they have never been out of the stationary? Because if so, I should have gotten the two I lost back at the house. But the one stayed in that field til I came back with the portable. ANd the other is still MIA. Well I might be off to the parking garage to see if that works any better.
----------
Kevin
~Portable Flyer: Backyard flyer that flys in someone else's backyard.
|
wafer kits
122 posts
Sep 07, 2009
10:32 AM
|
Kevin;
Even if kept in a stationary loft, the birds can imprint on objects around them such as a water tower ot high hill etc. There is always a chance of losing one for a variety of reasons. The one in the field would have come home eventually if it was only a mile away. Good luck with your new flying place. Al
|