Betterbee has never made a mistake w/ me and they always tell you it will ship in 3 days, but I get it in two usually.
Me too. Ain't it great the get 2-3 day service clear across the USA?
Brian- a new forum member on this site inherited rollers from a local guy. He never kept pigeons before but he is now hooked. His prob are peregrine falcons. There are a handful of mated pairs that nest on the bridges between Philadelphia and new jersey. Seems the rolling acts a a prey trigger and they are killing his birds at an alarming rate. It is a like a buffet for them!
Yeah, the tumbling does that, the hawk thinks its attacking an injured bird.
The best thing I can say is to leave the birds cooped up for a month or more so that the hawks shift to a different hunting ground. During the lockup period have him use a vocal or whistle call everytime he feeds his birds--they will soon associate the call with feeding. On feeding--use a standard size tuna fish can full of food for every 5-6 birds. 10-12 birds = 2 tuna cans of feed.
Then have him let the birds out only for short periods (hour or less) and call them back to the loft. Use bobs (traps) so the birds can't go back out once their in the loft. Fly them hungry, feed when you call them in.
The pigeons are a very desirable meal for hawks & falcons.
I one a Coopers hawk chase my pigeons right into the loft and killed all but the pair in the upper most nest box that were setting on eggs. The hawk couldn't get back out because of the bobs that only allow one way traffic. I had my brother take the hawk up to the high Cascades and let it go--it hasn't been back since but others have moved into the hunting grounds vacated by the relocated hawk.
Brian-is there a book you can recommend about keeping pigeons? or should i just hit up the library next time i'm in town?
Yes, Google: Seigel & Son, Jedds Pigeon Supply, or New England Pigeon Supply. All have a book section then pick out the most complete book for the bred(s) you like--Racing, Squab, Performance Rollers/tumblers, Show, Fancy, of combination. If you can't decide between specific books let me know and I'll give you my preference between the books you're interested in.