Pigeon wings won't stay locked

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Compton30
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Pigeon wings won't stay locked

Post by Compton30 » Sat Jul 14, 2018 6:42 pm

I'm coming to you all because I've now lost 5 of the 15 pigeons I recently bought because I'm not locking the wings correctly and I'm not sure why. As soon as my pup gets near the bird they start fighting the lock and soon they're loose and gone forever. I am following what I watched George Hickox do and just dont know I'm screwing it up, as it seems a straight forward process. Any help would be appreciated.

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SwitchGrassWPG
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Re: Pigeon wings won't stay locked

Post by SwitchGrassWPG » Mon Jul 16, 2018 5:09 am

If locking isn't working, just pull flight feathers from one wing.
Only thing worse than a bad dog is no dog at all...

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averageguy
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Re: Pigeon wings won't stay locked

Post by averageguy » Mon Jul 16, 2018 6:51 am

This solves your problem. A pup can easily jump in and catch it however, but that is no different than a locked wing bird.

https://www.gundogsupply.com/-3706-.htm ... gJMb_D_BwE

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DonF
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Re: Pigeon wings won't stay locked

Post by DonF » Mon Jul 16, 2018 12:52 pm

averageguy wrote:This solves your problem. A pup can easily jump in and catch it however, but that is no different than a locked wing bird.

https://www.gundogsupply.com/-3706-.htm ... gJMb_D_BwE
Did some photo's a while back for a guy that had some bags similar to that. Looked around for them and couldn't find them. Just ordered three!
I pity the man that has never been loved by a dog!

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DonF
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Re: Pigeon wings won't stay locked

Post by DonF » Mon Jul 16, 2018 12:57 pm

Compton30 wrote:I'm coming to you all because I've now lost 5 of the 15 pigeons I recently bought because I'm not locking the wings correctly and I'm not sure why. As soon as my pup gets near the bird they start fighting the lock and soon they're loose and gone forever. I am following what I watched George Hickox do and just dont know I'm screwing it up, as it seems a straight forward process. Any help would be appreciated.
Have you got your birds settled in your own loft if you do there's not much reason to lock wings, especially for puppy's. Dizzy the birds and throw them in some good cover. Bring the pup around and most likely the pigeon won't let the pup catch it and it will go back into your loft to re-use that evening! It's been years since I've locked wings on anything. Tell you a little secrete about a bird with locked wings, if your using a pup or a dog not steady yet, the pup or dog IS going to catch the bird. That will be what your training. Sure you want to do that?
I pity the man that has never been loved by a dog!

Compton30
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Re: Pigeon wings won't stay locked

Post by Compton30 » Mon Jul 16, 2018 8:41 pm

DonF wrote:
Compton30 wrote:I'm coming to you all because I've now lost 5 of the 15 pigeons I recently bought because I'm not locking the wings correctly and I'm not sure why. As soon as my pup gets near the bird they start fighting the lock and soon they're loose and gone forever. I am following what I watched George Hickox do and just dont know I'm screwing it up, as it seems a straight forward process. Any help would be appreciated.
Have you got your birds settled in your own loft if you do there's not much reason to lock wings, especially for puppy's. Dizzy the birds and throw them in some good cover. Bring the pup around and most likely the pigeon won't let the pup catch it and it will go back into your loft to re-use that evening! It's been years since I've locked wings on anything. Tell you a little secrete about a bird with locked wings, if your using a pup or a dog not steady yet, the pup or dog IS going to catch the bird. That will be what your training. Sure you want to do that?
I haven't gotten the birds settled into my loft yet, I got them far later than I wanted and they will just return to where they were caught from for now. Next season this will not be a problem.

You're absolutely right that he hasn't been able to catch any of the pigeons with wings that weren't locked. Lot of fight in those birds.

As for letting him catch them, I'm only following exactly what the Hickox Program is telling me to do. The program says once the dog will pick up a lock wing (my pup did this the first time I actually got the wings locked successfully with duct tape) move to a clip wing. Once the dog will pick up a clip wing, then a dizzied bird he can't catch, then drills start to work to get him steady to flush where he doesn't catch another bird.

This is my first bird dog, and I don't know much, which is why I bought a DVD. I appreciate your feedback, I just wanted to explain why I was doing what I am doing. I honestly don't wanna sound like some know it all rookie who thinks he knows better than someone with more experience.

Compton30
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Re: Pigeon wings won't stay locked

Post by Compton30 » Mon Jul 16, 2018 8:44 pm

averageguy wrote:This solves your problem. A pup can easily jump in and catch it however, but that is no different than a locked wing bird.

https://www.gundogsupply.com/-3706-.htm ... gJMb_D_BwE
Great idea. Thank you!

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DonF
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Re: Pigeon wings won't stay locked

Post by DonF » Thu Jul 19, 2018 8:31 am

You caught your pigeon's. Must mean they are ferals. Set a bunch aside in a loft and get them paired up. Get some baby's in nest's and let the parent's come and go as they please. Baby's in the nest's will pull them back in. Also after a month or so in a new loft feral will settle pretty good and you can just start releasing them thrugh the re-entry on their own. Your gonna lose some but other's will stay. Can't express the importance of building your base rather than using up what you have. I got my pigeons started over in the valley over 30 yrs ago. Moved over here with them and have never had to buy of catch a single bird since. In fact I sell off quite a few and if I didn't I'd have to shoot a bunch to keep from being over run.

Got my homer's as young adult birds not to far from here. Locked them up and got a couple nest's out of them and they hng around. But even if they didn't, their young one made the bulk of my birds. Started with three pair and still have one hen. Don't know if the other five went back or became hawk bait, doesn't matter. had to sell off 70 of them this spring and back up to over 40 now! Read a saying the Jew's had about saving money many years ago; don't eat your baby's! Refereed to saving money rather than spending it all!
I pity the man that has never been loved by a dog!

Compton30
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Re: Pigeon wings won't stay locked

Post by Compton30 » Fri Jul 20, 2018 3:04 pm

Great tips, Don. I'll apply them.

One of the pigeons has returned and lingers around the loft so I'm gonna try and net him when it gets dark tonight

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DonF
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Re: Pigeon wings won't stay locked

Post by DonF » Mon Jul 23, 2018 9:07 am

Compton30 wrote:Great tips, Don. I'll apply them.

One of the pigeons has returned and lingers around the loft so I'm gonna try and net him when it gets dark tonight
Tie up the re-entry bobs and sprinkle some feed on the landing platform. It'll probably go in on its own. Let it fly on it's own after that for awhile with the bobs up. It will learn to go back in. after a few days drop a bob, it will start learning it can push the bobs aside. Few more days, skip one bob and drop the next. Don't put those bobs down until the bird is out of the loft.
I pity the man that has never been loved by a dog!

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