[Trillium]

Kind of takes 'the medium is the message' to a whole new level.  

[chicksforkicks]

  very snazzy. might get one for the chooks

[Trillium]

Whereabouts in LA are you, chicks? I was in New Orleans a few years back. Would have enjoyed it loads more if not for the severe humidity and frequent rain. My truck driving son was trying to get out of NO just as Katrina hit. Took him 7 hours to do 50 miles due to the traffic, wind and lack of gas for cars. Thankfully rigs come loaded with 2 mega diesel tanks.

[chicksforkicks]

baton rouge, where katrina only caused mild flooding. nothing big.

[Trillium]

You were fortunate missing the flooding.
3 years ago my son, who raises racing pigeons, found a stranger in his coop. We checked the leg tag online and discovered that the bird was registered to a guy in Lafayette, LA. He was surprised that his bird had gotten so off track, mostly because he wasn't even sure where Canada was.    In the end he said don't send it back, just kill it. 'Don't want no bird that goes the wrong way'.    And we did because we didn't want any birds with no sense of direction either. I could picture this bird eventually reaching Baffin Island (in the Arctic)

[muntjac]

can i just add to ur post trill ..... that guy was a jerk .they lose way due to weather conditions and hunger , my sisters ex races birds up in yorkshire and he gets strays in and returns them to the owner regardless and they wont just wander off willy nilly. i have shot the odd one by mistake when flighting woodies . rather than kill em offer it to a youngster who is starting off  ,he can breed his own birds using that same ring  and get proof tat the bird has been transfered to his flock . i find em in the barns on the estate  ( we trap ferals ) and hand em onto a mate here who keeps em and he has had a few birds " rehomed ", when you think that a bird can be worth £100.000 its just a small investment in the time taken to get it given away for a young kid to make to be able to keep em ,

[Shazzer]

whats it all about/

[muntjac]

racing pigeons  

[betty]

Kudos to you Mont.  I wouldn't kill a bird with potential, however I do have a Red Tailed Hawk that I'm aimin' to shoot.

[Trillium]

We're well aware of their value, Munty, and if you don't really have the money, which my son didn't at the time, (nor I) we couldn't afford to feed a lot of extra mouths. As it was my son tried to give away or even sell for 2 quid extra birds he didn't want (not up to racing standards) but we couldn't find a single taker and we tried for ages. No kids or other racing fans were interested and we tried numerous clubs. So, unlike chickens which will at least give you eggs for their feed, we had to do some in. The rest are freeloading for a while longer.  No point in releasing them as they're unable to fend for themselves and just return expecting to be fed.

While it's true that lost birds can get sick or hungry, at some point they should be able to get back on track. To wander from Louisiana on the Gulf of mexico to Canada is a bird that will never get it right.

[muntjac]

wow ,tahts some detour lolo mind they do taste ok