PIGEON NESTS
by Jim Emerton
For nesting racers and breeders, I like cosy little niches where the birds are secure and contented in command of their territory. In my querky old loft were little shady spots and corners for the breeding colony. I reject regimentation and order in favour of natural, instinctual behaviour, and some of my racers nested at my feet on ancient deep litter in which mealworms thrived! I prefer the birds when they fly in and out with nesting material gathered in from the wild. This can be supported by the gathering of twigs, dried wild herbaceous plant stalks and wheat straw. Tobacco stalks are expensive and not as good. The lining of nests should be soft, and I like papier mache bowls like dandy nests, and not clay which tend to crack eggs. With a surgical light, you can check for egg fertility after a few days and reject clear eggs. I treated the family breeders as an egg factory, with the sole objective of producing progeny, as producers have a relatively short life. Right from the egg the keynote for Barcelona flying is FREEDOM.
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Elimar - February 2014
