# Ash Red Bar?



## cbx1013 (Aug 12, 2009)

All:

I lost my 3rd YB of the year tonight, on a toss about 1/2 mile from my home. Another of my Ash Red bars... I lost all 3 of these birds on less than 3 mile training tosses... I know, once you lose these younger, inexperienced flyers, the older, more experienced birds are less likely to go missing...

What I'm wondering is if color is a factor? Are the Ash Reds more likely to attract the hawks, like some people speculatre about the whites? Do they seem to have less homing instinct? More independent?

Or am I just frustrated because I really like them, and seem to lose every one I've bred? I'm down to one YB left- he's ready to start trap training, and his father, one of my breeders.

Oh well, I know I'm going to lose some if they're going to be flown... Just venting a little, I guess. Hopefully, the lost one will make it back tomorrow.

Don


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## cotdt (Apr 26, 2010)

That's odd, how old were the birds that got lost?


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

How old are these young birds Have they been routing. Any color that stands out and the hwk goes after is what a hawk can get. There are plenty of good ash red bars. Often called mealy bar. That have and do race GOOD. Are these ytoung out of the same pair or different pairs.


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## birdkeeper (Jun 24, 2009)

im sad to hear about your ybs that are missing or lost. when i lost some of my ybs i was sad but its part of the hobby and it is something we can not control. let's hope that your last one will be able to get a chance to get old and is able to be toss long distance. were you planning to race or is it just for pleasure? are you planning to breed some more?


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

If you are releasing them at relatively same time every day, then a change of time might help. Releasing on same schedules makes it easy prey for the hawks which are observant.


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## cbx1013 (Aug 12, 2009)

All:

Thanks... Good things to think about. The first two were older, 6 to 7 months. They had been loft flying for several weeks, and had done a couple of 1-2 mi. tosses. I lost both of them (the red and a blue check) on the next 3 mi. toss. I assumed a hawk or something, as the group of 8 birds had been scattered.

The bird last night was 11 weeks old. They had been loft flying for a couple of weeks, and I've just started releasing them around my neighborhood. I fly my birds at random times, just because of work and activities... Never thought about hawks patterning them. I'll have to pay attention to that.

I don't race, it's just for fun. I don't want to breed any more this year. Not until I get my new loft built. I don't want the birds too crowded. All 3 of my reds are from the same pair, a red cock and a blue bar hen. They all have heavily feathered feet, too. Neat looking birds, one of the reasons why it pains me to lose them.

Thanks for the thoughts, might still make it home!

Don


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## blongboy (Nov 10, 2009)

the one you like the most is always the one you lose....that why i like all of them the same now


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## cbx1013 (Aug 12, 2009)

I just went outside... Guess who was sitting on top of the loft?!

Boy, now I feel foolish.

Stoopid birds...

Don


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

cbx1013 said:


> I just went outside... Guess who was sitting on top of the loft?!
> 
> Boy, now I feel foolish.
> 
> ...


Ohh man, that would have been a very happy and relieving sight for you 

Enjoy


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## birdkeeper (Jun 24, 2009)

i guess they were teasing you to see how much you will miss them...lol
im glad they're home


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## Matt Bell (May 5, 2010)

Are they homers? The heavily feathered feet isn't generally a trait of a homer or of birds that are meant to be flown. You may be having such problems because you have fancy pigeons that aren't really meant to be flown.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Matt Bell said:


> Are they homers? The heavily feathered feet isn't generally a trait of a homer or of birds that are meant to be flown. You may be having such problems because you have fancy pigeons that aren't really meant to be flown.


that is what I was thinking.. hummm

11 weeks old is a bit young IMO to be road training if you do not have to for racing.... glad he made it back.. he sounds pretty smart to me. can you post a pic of these featherd feet.


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## cbx1013 (Aug 12, 2009)

spirit wings said:


> that is what I was thinking.. hummm
> 
> 11 weeks old is a bit young IMO to be road training if you do not have to for racing.... glad he made it back.. he sounds pretty smart to me. can you post a pic of these featherd feet.


SW:

here's a pic of the one that's still missing, presumed gone.










Here's a baby pic of the one that was missing this week, but made it back... I don't have a more recent picture, but I can take one tomorrow.










I loft flew this group of YB's today, just for some exercise. A circle around the house and they were off like a shot. Gone for almost an hour. I was just getting worried, when flap-flap-flap, all of them were back.

Tell me more about "fancy" vs "homer." I'm intrigued...

Don


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## cbx1013 (Aug 12, 2009)

*Parents*

Here's the parents of the birds in question:










They both have some feathering down to their feet, but they throw more feathering on the feet of their young... particularly on the red progeny. Plus, I think both of the red kids were/are hens, whereas in the parents, the cock is the red. I don't understand the genetics of the colors, but I'd be interested if anybody knows...

Don


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## Matt Bell (May 5, 2010)

They do look like homers, and I have seen some homers with leg feathering but fancy pigeons are more likely to have that. Fancy pigeons is just a generic term for show birds. You have fantails, pouters, trumpeters, jacobins, and the list goes on and on of different breeds of show pigeons. Most of them can't fly around the block if their life depended on it thats why I put leg feathers + getting lost = fancy pigeons together but that doesn't seem to be the case. As far as the colors go we would need a bit more information in order to give accurate insight, but there are a few threads in the genetics section about sex linked colorings and such which would answer those questions for you.

Just quick on the genetics though, looking at the picture the cock bird is carrying red and blue (you can see the blue flecking in his tail and flight feathers), the hen is obviously blue. Hens carry only one color. In pigeons red is dominant over blue. So...all this means is that any hen you get out of the pair will be red, but you can also get red cocks, and red cock you get will have the blue flecking in his wings as well as he will inherit the blue from the hen and the red from the cock. Now, you can also get all blue hens and cocks from this pair since the cock bird is split for red and blue. Unfortunately there is no easy way to sex them.


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

Some lines of race bird will from time to time throw birds like this. And probably goes back many years. Even read an article from a person from the netherlands about there old line Of what he called feather legged birds and how well they flew. You can repair each bird to clean legged birds and reduce the feathers. be sure even if you do not race to test the birds out at least 75 miles. And keep your records .


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## cbx1013 (Aug 12, 2009)

re lee said:


> You can repair each bird to clean legged birds and reduce the feathers. be sure even if you do not race to test the birds out at least 75 miles.


I have to admit that the first time I read this, I thought "repair" as in "fix." I thought you were telling me to shave their legs!

The feathering doesn't bother me- I think it's kind of cool. As a side note: I checked my youngest Red bird, and I was wrong... It doesn't have the feathering on its toes. It will be interesting to see if it's a cock or a hen.

Don


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

cbx1013 said:


> I have to admit that the first time I read this, I thought "repair" as in "fix." I thought you were telling me to shave their legs!
> 
> The feathering doesn't bother me- I think it's kind of cool. As a side note: I checked my youngest Red bird, and I was wrong... It doesn't have the feathering on its toes. It will be interesting to see if it's a cock or a hen.
> 
> Don


Yes should of said It better But it was meant as remate the birds to clean legged birds pairing the but different But this way you can tell your birds from there legs. Doesnt effect how they fly. Many years ago some of the birds used in developing rqce birds and crosses over the years birds had feathers on there feet.


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