Count up!

I have counted up the birds in the loft and we currently have 33 in the 1st team who are starting to range (disappeared for 3 hours the other day.) They are flying the skies out and are really looking the business. I am very pleased with this team. I have 35 in the 2nd team and they have been out twice around the loft. They are fairly strong so they will be grouping in the next couple of times out I would imagine.
I have had a bit of young bird sickness in the loft again this year and I think the 2nd team are going to go down with it very soon. 1 being sick on the perch and looking hunched up. This is part and parcel of modern day pigeon racing though and very quickly dealt with when you know how to treat and the signs to look out for. I am fairly certain we will have them back to full health in the next week or so. They will then go out daily and once flying for an 1hr and 30 mins we will look to begin training. I am planning on the middle of June to begin training although the 1st team could go now and I am sure they would come very nicely. I will basket train the 1st team this week so they are aware of the basket and confident and settled once in there. I have just 4 young birds left in the stock loft and these will be another 7 to 10 days for these to be weaned off. So in total I will have 72 young birds to begin training with if all come through this bout of young bird sickness. I am more than pleased they have developed it now rather than in the middle of the training or racing. Its out of the way then and once dealt with we can really give them some work and hopefully have a great season.