Homing Pigeon Notes.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 256, 16 September 1902, Page 3

Homing Pigeon Notes.

[by blue chequer ]

As the birds are now sitting, the less pottering about among them tbe better, but they should be given water twice daily. Clean out all refuse regularly, let birds have exercise in the morning and again in the evening before going r.n the nest for the night Young fanciers will probably need a word of advice as to how to treat the. young ones. In the first place, all birds must be rung with the season’* ring, as otherwise they will not be eligible to compete in Derby races ; the rings can be obtained from the Club's secretary at a cost of sixpence per pair. They should be placed on the bird’s leg when from five to seven or eight, days old. The fancier should have “ bob’’ wires attached to his loft, so as to get the young birds used to them as soop as possible. Out very young fancier should call on someone who has them in use and see for himself how to fix them up. When about three mouths old he can take his young birds out and let them in through the “bobs” one after another, by taking them out of tho box and holding them close to the wires. After doing this a few times he can let them out for a flv around before breakfast, when they will generally come bark promptly, knowing that food awaits them inside. When they have got thoroughly used to this they can be taken away for the first toss, which should not bo more than 500 yards. Always toss on an empty crop early in

the rooming ; they will then homo ,J rCkly. Tnic --xt. t .s-> should be on i.iv. f■ 1 low ll j<i ,y. a ’Oiit a th'ii tw >, five, ri i rij'ii nd es, giving a day s spell bet\M-n tlv- tiv 'llll eighc miles. YuU can toss ihem > vv.c • at the t-inhl ml- -Hive ; then Kh. e r -ep,irately, allowing tiv-• minutwr inlet va. ; iff:teaches '-a h bin! to home inde,»cn..ently. It is a goo 1 plan to mss them f.o . dilTirent po nt-, both norm and s into, on ’he first short teases, end if th• fie instruei i ns are c inied out, even up lo the tive mile -i.-ige. the b r t- will bt then lit to in; sent iu'the Ciub’s hamper t-r their first ily. Do n.it be sur.ris cl if your birds tftitc a considerable time to home from the first tosses. Sometimes even well-bred birds will make off in thy opposite, direction, and the young fancier con eludes that they are lost, bat they generally turn up in an hour or two. 1 have known birds to tdm two hours t • do their first toss of one mile, and yet a few days att-r they did fifteen miles in twenty minutes. Of course I am men tioning all this for our boy fanciers, bm I will now give a few particulars which may be of use to full fudged brethren. Distance*—tine year "id, about ‘2OO mdcs ; two years, 300 nines; ihree y’ears, about 100 miles ; four years and upwards, 50l> miles.

Cocks and h-ns are not usually trained in the same h-.mper. Birds should be trained to within tin mi'es of race point, and then given a Week’s spell before the race. Plenty of chaff mliouM be put in the bottom of the hamp.n, as dirt adhering to their feet han heaps th m con dderably ; it is also liable to get attached to the ends of tiieir flights and tads when c-oedtd together. This is an important point. It may n t be generally kn iwn that every owner can register his birds under “The Doming Pigeons Protec ion Act, 1898-” The best time to register is just after the breeling season has closed, as you can then register all ihe birds for the small sum of one shilling. Forms are obtainable at the post office. Clause 2of the Act reads as follows :—“ Any person who' shall intentionally or negligently shoot, kill, disable, en-uiare, or otherwise injure any homing pigeon shall be guilty of an offence, and shall be liable on e eviction to a pen >Py not exceeding £10.” Clause 3 provides that any person who intentionally or negligently kills, maims, or in any way injures any homing pigeon whilst in transit .by railway, coach, or otherwise from its home to a point from which it is intended to be despatched as a bearer of a message or being trained, shall be guilty of an offence, and shall be liable on conviction to a penalty not exceeding £2O. There is also another clause which provides that the person who kills or maims any bird has lo pay the value of the bird to the owner, and he has to place his birds at the disposal of the Government should they bo required to carry messages at any time. It will thus be seen that these little “feathered chaps ” are very important, and the careless official who dumps them down in the van with a lot of luggige on t"p of them till they are nearly smothered (as I have frequcnllv seen them) is liable to sulPr for his oar de-unices.