HOMING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 18 August 1909, Page 58

HOMING NOTES.

Bt Mausta Mbalt.

(Continued from last week.)

There are one or two dispositions of a bird I don't like, and on© or two I do like.

Generally speaking, birds of both 6exes will do well and are in excellent form when sitting on e.ggs from eight to 12 days. For, as a rule, a pigeon has as much love for i+s eggs as for young. However, one must bear in mind that the danger of the "sitting" 'disposition is that the moult proceeds apace.

The keen fancier watches the moult of his Turds with the greatest anxiety The object should be to send a pigeon to a re«&- with a full wing of 10 long- primaries. I have seen birds sent to races of 400 and 500 miles with eighr long primaries and a quarter. Poor beggars.

A bird properly handled will hold Its next flight until the other is almost, if not qnite, full grown.

It is said that feeding exhausts a pigeon. I have not found feeding a single youngstei exhaust nx own birds very much. Frequently by allowing birds to feed a youngster at this period of the year you can just sufficiently retard the moult to have your bird for the long race with almost, if no) quite, a full wing. If a bird has moulted four flights, the fourth not being quite re^rown, and the fifth has been thrown, I don't like its condition for a trying race. Wifh mo the question of sitting, the question of feeding a vounp«ter, and all questions relative to a bird's disposition for a long race, depend in no small measure on the moult.

I have found some cocks in splenrli'l form sitting from four to five days, and with a youngster about 20 days to feed.

In this condition the bird is cool and collected. If very fit yon will ccc him stand . in front of his nesfc box and blow his crop, roaring loudly, the sheen round the neok sparkling like diamonds

I like to see a bird in this condition, and with plenty of life in him 1 . Wafcofa your birds on ihe wing-. If you see the cock joyously flapping- his wing 6 and wobbling with his crop when he flies, you can generally depend upon that bird being fit and well The less birds are handled to judge their condition the better. Hot hands soil the feathers; toiled feathers hold the rain, and i£ a pigeon that has been handled a lot meets wet -weather, down he will go, as he gets loaded.

I don't believe any man can judge the condition of a pipeon for flying by th© mere firmness of its flesh I "have known some exceptional pigeons e-zenimglj quite

flabby, and yet they have performed marvellously. For a long-distance Tace I don't like cocks stale on eggs. That :s: s to say, some days overdue 'o hatch. I have lost some real good pignons sent to races in this condition, and therefore don't risk it now. The better plan is to take away the eggs about eight or ten days before the day for basketing for the race. Take the hen out of the loft and put her back about 24 hours before the day to leave, or another course to adopt is to give the pair a youngster six dayg old about eigiht or ten days before they are due to hatdh. Then, again, it is a question of the individual pigeon. What will suit some will not suit others.

Hens due to chip the day of the race, or a day or so before, wiill oftem work extremely well. I don't mind this disposition in a hen, but owing to the cock being a heavier pigeon and his crop larger for some reason, it is dangerous in the case of most cooks.

The driving cock or tlhe driven hen should never be sent to a long race ; it is tne worst possible condition.

If they have a youngster in the nest, and you have a kind hen, do your best to get Them to take to a dummy eg>g, at least four or five, daye before, the basketing 1 . Even then, although you may send the cock, aB he will have cooled down, you must not send the hen 1 , as -she will lay her eggs two or three days after, notwithstanding having taken to the dummies. Cooks sent away just after th< hen has laid the first egg, providing they have stood over it themselves and cooled down from the driving, are* sometimes in good fettle, but the driving cook never safe to be sent.

No matter how much you may fancy your chance witih some, particular hen, if there" is the slightest risk of her laying an egg in the baskets, take my advice and keep her at home.

A hen, providing the moult Is all right, sitting 12 or 14- days, is usually in> superb condition and very keen.

On the other hand, I have known hen 3 work exceptionally well covering a youngster eight or nine days old. But there is always danger, co far as the hen is concerned, so soon as they leave off covering the youngster and begin to call or fly out together.

'Here, again, it is a case of a fancder knowing the individual. Some birds hold their eggs longer than others. «»-To stand a chance with pigeons in races over 300 miles, there must be no doubt about a pigeon's health or condition. Only the fittest pigeons can keep going 10 or \2 hours on the wing without a break. My candid advice to young fanciers is to leavo T the long races seriously alone until they have a nice stock of birds that h-av-e flown, the 200 and 300 miles staged.

Go slow, play the game, no matter how tempting it maj be to have a go for the big evetats ; . look or for a year or twt>. Pigeon-racing is a game that wants plenty of patience, but I have always found the safest game to play has been to divide the forces and • keep something in reserve for the future.

Training ihas commenced. in real earnest. Numbers of baskets, boxes, etc, are to be eeen on the railway station every fine morning.

One fancier has already had a 6mall smash from Palmerston, with some untrained youngsters.