marsh man Posted June 9, 2019 Report Share Posted June 9, 2019 Yesterday we had a fair bit of rain with a strong wind , a miserable day for some but for a pigeon shooter it was an ideal combination to knock a bit of Winter Barley about, so it didn't come a surprise when we went out today and saw several patches that have gone down , the first thing I noticed was pigeons sitting on telegraph wires , not many as it have only been less than a day and it will take a few days before they will start dropping in . With a Yellow weather warning for heavy rain around these parts tomorrow and again on Tuesday there will certainly be more going down , so keep your eyes peeled and I don't think it will be to long before the first reports come in about shooting over barley . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted June 9, 2019 Report Share Posted June 9, 2019 I was thinking exactly the same when I saw the forecast this evening. Having shot a lot of pigeons on laid barley over the years, I know for certain that gas guns and flags etc will do very little to deter pigeons and crows/rooks once they get a taste for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konnie Posted June 9, 2019 Report Share Posted June 9, 2019 Got some laid barley here already nothing has found it yet, could be a lot more by end of the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted June 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2019 10 minutes ago, aga man said: I was thinking exactly the same when I saw the forecast this evening. Having shot a lot of pigeons on laid barley over the years, I know for certain that gas guns and flags etc will do very little to deter pigeons and crows/rooks once they get a taste for it. From a farmers point of view it is nigh on impossible to keep pigeons off with the amount grown in the area , also it never ceases to amaze me how many can drop into a small patch and I have had many nice bits of sport by walking down the tramlines towards a small patch where I have seen a few drop in and have a couple of going away shots when they jump up , if your eye is in you can get get a nice little bag and the dog get some nice retrieves , although some people are not to keen in letting there dog anywhere near barley , touch wood I have never had any problems . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clodhopper Posted June 9, 2019 Report Share Posted June 9, 2019 This morning I saw the first bit of laid Barley this year. Not in my permission, I checked mine but it was still upright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getthegat Posted June 9, 2019 Report Share Posted June 9, 2019 I have laid areas on two of my perms as well, though it will need a good couple of weeks of sun before it is ripe enough to be attractive to birds. Not good for the farmers, but brings an air of excitement for us pigeon shooters 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted June 9, 2019 Report Share Posted June 9, 2019 havnt seen any birds gritting yet.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peejay Posted June 9, 2019 Report Share Posted June 9, 2019 with this weeks forecast there should be a bit about by Friday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted June 10, 2019 Report Share Posted June 10, 2019 hello, looks like fields have started turning to in the vale and the rain might flatten some areas, all we have to do is convince our selves we have tried to scare off any hungry pesty pigeons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shotguneddy Posted June 10, 2019 Report Share Posted June 10, 2019 (edited) I'm from vale area and theres a lot of barley around here this year its all starting lay now but still not seeing much feeding on it but a few starting to fly over now and then, the next 2-3 weeks it will hopefully be worth ago as I haven't been out now for 9 weeks been building scarecrows, not Edited June 10, 2019 by Shotguneddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getthegat Posted June 16, 2019 Report Share Posted June 16, 2019 On 09/06/2019 at 21:50, ditchman said: havnt seen any birds gritting yet.... What's the significance of gritting? I've seen some near me on areas of grit and quite na few on the wires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted June 16, 2019 Report Share Posted June 16, 2019 4 hours ago, getthegat said: What's the significance of gritting? I've seen some near me on areas of grit and quite na few on the wires. The pigeons need the grit to help digest the barley grains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getthegat Posted June 16, 2019 Report Share Posted June 16, 2019 I knew it was for digestion, so do they grit more when eating grain or only then, I thought birds did it all the time. Always learning 😃 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted June 16, 2019 Report Share Posted June 16, 2019 Difficult for them to find grit amongst laid cereals, as they normally do when feeding on drillings etc, hence seeing them on roadsides etc and yes they need more grit when eating lots of grain to help the gizzard do its thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konnie Posted June 17, 2019 Report Share Posted June 17, 2019 Walking the dogs this morning saw first signs of pigeons gritting on the side of the roads and farm tracks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenBhoy Posted June 27, 2019 Report Share Posted June 27, 2019 Huge mixed flocks pigeon & blacks on laid barley today on our farm, flocks of 200+ Too bad I wont get chance until Tuesday next week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted June 28, 2019 Report Share Posted June 28, 2019 (edited) On 10/06/2019 at 17:09, oldypigeonpopper said: hello, looks like fields have started turning to in the vale and the rain might flatten some areas, all we have to do is convince our selves we have tried to scare off any hungry pesty pigeons hello, spoke to soon, looks like on many fields the pigeon and blackies are back in good numbers, sunday looks a good day for around the Vale, not to hot and breezy, i checked a field out yesterday thats just going milky and a very good number shown interest, good luck to anyone out the weekend, cheers Edited June 28, 2019 by oldypigeonpopper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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