# serbian highflyers not flying high



## stuart

hi my serbian highflyers are not flying high and not for very long

i was flying them with other breeds but now have flown them just with serbians for a few times and still they are not flying high

what can i do should i change there diet(of chook pelets?)


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## Skyeking

Hi Stuart,

Sorry to hear about your birds.

What else are you giving your serbian highflyers, and are you doing/giving them anything different then your other birds? What kind of nutrition/prevention program do you have for them?


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## Grim

Sometimes if birds have respiratory issues they will not fly like they should. How are they being kept?

Also is it possible they could be a show type as opposed to a performing type? Where did you get them?


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## outcold00

How old are the birds? If the birds got used flying low with your other breed it will be hard to break them from the habit.


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## jbangelfish

*It takes quite a while*



stuart said:


> hi my serbian highflyers are not flying high and not for very long
> 
> i was flying them with other breeds but now have flown them just with serbians for a few times and still they are not flying high
> 
> what can i do should i change there diet(of chook pelets?)


To condition birds for high flying for long periods of time, takes a fairly long time for them to get strong enough. If they are flown with other high fliers or just their own kind and flown every day, they should begin to fly longer and higher over time. Some birds may never do this but it should be bred into them to do so and most will over time and with proper conditioning. They are physically unable to do this without working up to it just like an athlete who is trying to run faster, longer etc. It takes time.

I'm not a big fan of pellet feeds for pigeons but if you are unable to get whole grains you may have to feed it. There are certainly plenty of people around the world who do feed pellets. What is the protein content of your feed?

Bill


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## stuart

hi thanks for the info they are young ones and i have one older one and its flying longer and high than the others i havent been flying them very much but have been all week and noticed a slight improvement in the older bird since moday(its thursday over here)and i have been giving them a differnt diet to so it must be working a little ill keep training and they should be good in a few months



stuart


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## NetRider

If its young birds its all about training, feed them well, never keep them hungry that will make them think of food only and they will not enjoy the flying.

you can fly your young birds several times a day, and keep flying them every day to build up the muscles, and soon they will start increasing their time on the wing. Once you notice that some birds do better than the others, try splitting them into groups and let those who fly well fly together, that way the others wont pull them down. This will create a difference in their flight time of course, but once the best group is flying well, you can slowly add more birds to this group, and this will hopefully make these new birds follow the others up. 


When it comes to high fliers its all about making the birds seek the sky, a high flier who fly low will be tempted to land, and it will also make the other birds follow it down. Make sure the birds dont have full crops when you let them out, that will make them heavier, and they will fly less. You can use the food to control the flight.


As far as I remember Serbian high fliers fly in kits or groups, so if you have some birds who fly really well and very high, try flying a few youngsters with these, I am sure they will follow them up.


Flying other breeds with your high fliers is not a good idea. I used to let my homers out along with my pakistani high fliers, but that would just stress the high fliers as the homers kept a higher speed, and they would waste all their energy following them around rather than training for the light wing strokes.


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## stuart

ok kool
thanks

i have 2 good one that fly well so ill fly these to by them selfs


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## kaftar

When it comes to flying high flyers Diet is a major factor and of coure the weather condition. If your birds are around 2 months and older they should start flying higher than before but, you must not change their diet throughout the whole flying season and you must give them a day to rest after a few days of flying otherwise you will burn their muscles. White millet would be a perfect diet for highflyers and if you are in a hot climate add a little bit of rice and you should be good to go.


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## SmithFamilyLoft

stuart said:


> hi my serbian highflyers are not flying high and not for very long
> 
> i was flying them with other breeds but now have flown them just with serbians for a few times and still they are not flying high
> 
> what can i do should i change there diet(of chook pelets?)



I have no idea of the various qualities of a "Serbian" Highflier....my original stock orginated from Bosnia, and I have crossed in various pigeons since my orginal foundation stock was acquired in 2003. 

What exactly they are, are now referred to as Smith High Flier's, and people from around the country now enjoy them. I typically do not train them anymore beyond the first few training tosses that I give my racing teams. 

I have not been selecting them for the fourteen + hour loft flights they originally would do....I selected them to please both my eye, and what I needed them to do with my race team. I'm not as concerned about the length of time they stay in the air, I am looking for quality time. 

I suspect your issues may be as a result of your feeding. What and how much you are feeding.


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## becege

*Serbian Highfliers*

I too would like some advice about training Serbian Highfliers. I was given a pair by some Bosnians and have raised 6 to date. The youngest two are 30 days old. The older ones are molting. They older 4 are trained to trap in but when I let them out they just stay on the coop and have not flown around and gotten oriented. I have not flagged them up yet but am tempted to do so. I do not want to fly them with my Flying Oriental Rollers. I am amazed how docile and tame these yougsters are. They fly and land on our heads and shoulders and demand our constant attention whether in the coop or outside it. I guess my question is should I go ahead and flag them up once they are done with the molt. I only plan to raise 8 birds. The last pair of eggs should be hatching today.


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## outcold00

Fly them! Thats what they were breed to do.


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## BojanMihailovic

*Serbian highflyers not flying high*

Originally Posted by stuart 
hi my serbian high flyers are not flying high and not for very long

i was flying them with other breeds but now have flown them just with serbians for a few times and still they are not flying high

what can i do should i change there diet(of chook pelets?)
Hi,
lots of new new guys that I meet in this country do not know what is, and how to recognized Serbian High-Flyers, and 'mixix' of good knows what whit them.
Best way to familiarized with breed is to visit breeders from Serbia, (2nd and 3rd generation of breeders) in this country.
Many guys that I meet from Bosnia or else are crossing them with other birds for 'looks' and than calling them 'Pure' Serbian High-Flyers.
Genetics are not ease to master and mistake are common.
They are some 'markings' that Serbian High-Flyers have specific to them and them only.
Knowing what to look for is best to learn by handling 'right' bird to begin with.
So start right, and to learn sooner rather than letter, is difference between enjoying and straggling.
Good flying.
Bojan Mihailovic


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## highflyers

*Adding a rice into their feeding during the hot weather/climate*



kaftar said:


> When it comes to flying high flyers Diet is a major factor and of coure the weather condition. If your birds are around 2 months and older they should start flying higher than before but, you must not change their diet throughout the whole flying season and you must give them a day to rest after a few days of flying otherwise you will burn their muscles. White millet would be a perfect diet for highflyers and if you are in a hot climate add a little bit of rice and you should be good to go.


Hi Kaftar, I have a question about the rice. You know the one we use in the kitchen for cooking white rice ok to add in to pigeon mixture or is it has to be brown rice? Thnx. Tom.


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## Revolution Lofts

Well a friend of mine who also has highflyers told me to feed my pigeons chick peas that had been soaked in water, so that they're soft. Its very good. Gives them a lot of energy and now some of my pigeons fly for 8-9 hours. And also, use a straw, dip one end of the straw in a cup of water. put a finger on the other side and take it out. So there is water inside the straw. And then hold a pigeon, you might need someone else to do that, and pour the water on their beak so they can drink. Do about 5-8 straws so that they are not thirsty. Then let them go. I feed and water my pigeons before letting them fly and they fly for very long. You might have to cut the chick peas in half since they get too big, and then you'll have to feed the pigeons by hand, yes its hard, but just open their beak and drop it in. Be sure to give enough water though. And also, the more you let them out to fly, the more they will. Exact same thing happened with my rollers.


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## kaftar

highflyers said:


> Hi Kaftar, I have a question about the rice. You know the one we use in the kitchen for cooking white rice ok to add in to pigeon mixture or is it has to be brown rice? Thnx. Tom.


Hi Tom,

I use the regular white rice they sell at the store and its usualy not that expensive $0.55c per pound but, make sure you measure what you feed them and try to keep the same amount throughout the whole season and try to control your birds diet. During the flying season (march to sep) i only feed them milet and about 15% rice and only feed my bird late in afternoon after they land until the next day and usualy give them a day of rest after 3 days of flying but, if your birds are realy young you dont want them to go to high up because they may get lost and never come back if so add a little bit of millo and that gets them heavy a bit so they dont fly to high up.


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