Good Morning! <=2017

Post by **Home Grown Poultry** » Mon Apr 04, 2016 11:35 am

Im watching the show war time farm online, welll Lizzie is. this episode has a lot of really cool info on the war time carrier pigeons. it is soooo cool! those little birds carrying very important information had received more medals than any other war time animals. really neat!

98% made it home, the farmers who trained the birds were of course not allowed to read the message had to get it to the required person immediately.

wild pigeons were deamed a pest and were required to be shot, no limits and all free protein for you and your family in a time when meat was rationed. but they would stretch 1 pigeon out into a meal for 4, cook the pigeon, make broth with the carcus, mix it into gelatin and then make a gelatin salad with the pigeon meat and some vegetables. really neat!

ross · Post by **ross** » Mon Apr 04, 2016 11:52 am

Yep courageous a little buggers ...

Post by **Home Grown Poultry** » Mon Apr 04, 2016 12:06 pm

Nice Ross! yup a lot would be mortally wounded during flight but still made it home and got the message through.

SandyM · Post by **SandyM** » Mon Apr 04, 2016 12:30 pm

Thanks Norma, I will switch over to the red light.

ross · Post by **ross** » Mon Apr 04, 2016 12:32 pm

Pic of local breeder / showerBill Albers with a plaque kinda , he takes to shows etc on Canadian pigeon involvement .

Post by **Home Grown Poultry** » Mon Apr 04, 2016 12:50 pm

thats really cool Ross!

Bayvistafarm · Post by **Bayvistafarm** » Mon Apr 04, 2016 2:20 pm

I'm beginning to hate pigeons.... alot. They are simply over-running the barn. Dirty things. I knock their nests down at every opportunity. There are pigeons downstairs, which I can reach. And pigeons upstairs, in the barn rafters, which of course, I cannot.

I can't believe that one breed of pigeons became extinct. I have to admit... they are one of the smartest creatures on the planet. I used to feed my free-ranging hens, who have the roam of the barn, outside, whereever they want.... and water them, from bowls left on the barn floor. I NEVER saw pigeons eating out of those bowls... and was wondering what in the world was going thru the feed so fast... until I did.

I moved the bowls back into the horse barn, around a corner into a standing stall. Feed for those chickens has been there before, but I was kind of keeping THEM out of the horse barn, because one hen has discovered that the dry catfood is on top of the cabinet there, and she full feeds out of the cats dish.

Anyhow, its back in the horsebarn... and I have moved the cats dish into the old farrowing barn, and blocked the chickens from there. So.... now, the pigeons have figured out where that food is. So... I keep the sliding door shut, but they were coming thru a gap in the other door, so I hung a feed bag down, where it meets a 3/4 inch plywood (as a door). They know how to fly/push thru that feed bag. So, I put a bale of straw under the plywood, and theres no hope in hell they can get thru that door way now. So... I did chores, and came back out into the main barn.... to see a pigeon ON THE FLOOR... looking at the crack in the sliding door. They know there are 3 cats upstairs... but man, they are nervy. And very very smart. They fly up and out of either the horse barn when I show up, or off the floor, and sit way up on the beam.... waiting in a row. Grrrrr.

Post by **Home Grown Poultry** » Mon Apr 04, 2016 2:40 pm

Pellet gun? I have a 22 cal from tsc, not sure if it will go through the tin though? I always like an excuse to use it... brb. LOL

ross · Post by **ross** » Mon Apr 04, 2016 2:45 pm

Yep free feed is biggest /only attractant To bad you didn't know of someone to come in & shot um . Pellet rifles /scoped make good a job 850- 1000fps or better & shotguns 6-7 1/2 shot size for flying outside on the wing . Contact a nearby on the webb responsible shooting club or go to a family run gun shop & talk to them . A lot a guys like to keep up their skills in off season . Even training young retriever dogs . Just got to look for them . I've been out this past wknd to 2 beef / grain farms with some & one guy came down from Torontario & more waiting for good weather . Had 12 shooters show interest in 3 day ad in OOD forum on webb . Luck

Post by **Home Grown Poultry** » Mon Apr 04, 2016 2:53 pm

no it didnt go through the tin although it left a dent but I was only 5 feet away. its 495 fps, cheap scoop but does the job. as Ross said I love improving my marksmanship with it. a lot of fun!