Exercising adult taklas

[M Sheikh]

Hi
Kurt how you doing hope you are doin alright

I need some advise on exercising my adult taklas in the winter season
I have try to follow your training method with my floor tumbler ( urfa) babies

I have manage to fly them up to 4 hours ( age 4 months and 6 moths old)
and obviously they have inherited the extreme tumbling genes from their father very well.

Now the sad thing is I have few hawks in my area and I have lost 1 the the young to them

I just wanted to know that is what is the minimal level exercise do they require to keep them fit
And maintain their long flight ability.

I was thinking of let them out once a week or once in every 2 week even better
But I'm worried that what if they become out of shape and lazy.

Because they are still young birds and they do need their exercise

I would appreciate if could help me with some good advise

Coz I really love them and i don't want anything bad happened to them that's way I have got rid off my other breeds
So that I can spend more time with taklas

Thanks

[Kurt Gürsu]

Hi Sheikh,
I am glad to hear you are having success with the birds.

Unfortunatelly, the hawks are part of this as much as the pigeons.
We have similar issues here also.
Most of the people stop flying their birds during the hawk season,
which changes from region to region.
Our season is from October 15th to April 15th.

I would suggest the same to you.
If the birds are hitting 4 hrs of flight I don't think you have a thing to worry.
Now at the beginning of the next flight season (once the hawks are gone) you will have to push them
a little bit but it won't be like what you went through with them this time around.
They will quickly shed their winter fat and get in shape.
This time again depends on the bloodline you have in your hands.
Some birds take just a few days and some several weeks.
Then again there are bloodlines which could easily become stuck again.

On the other hand if you think the hawk traffic is light enough to fly them once a week or every other week, go for it.
The thing to remember is the hawks are extremely smart and if they end up getting a bird from your loft, they will be around.
Sooner or later they will figure your flight patterns.
So, it helps to be random if you are going to continue flying.

Good luck up there.

[M Sheikh]

Thankyou kurt I deeply appreciate for the advise

It's been about 6 weeks now since my birds was attacked by hawk
After that I have seen them high above the sky once or twice but they didn't bother to attack my birds

I think it's because I have thousands of feral pigeons in my area all the time of the year so there is no shortage of prey.

and the attack before that was about another 6/8 weeks ago
So I guess it's not that bad.

I think I would go for the risky option of flying them, but less frequently in the winter season

One otherthing I wanted to ask you is my taklas go really high like highflyers that I need to use binoculars to watch them (without binoculars they're like tiny spec in the sky ) they fly for hours that high and tumbles ( double and triples) as well
Very frequently.

After couple of hours high flight then they come down and start charging the loft and claiming up clapping and tumble (double and triples ) then do a circle around the loft, they repeat this over and over again for hours
Then come down and through the trapdoor.

I know the father ( the floor tumbler ) does fit the description of an urfa
But the mother I think is an Ankara I'm only saying this because the babies are flying high and tumbles as well

I have tried to describe their behaviour so can you tell me what breeds are they
because I'm worried that they have a fault in the bloodline that is why they tumbles while flying so high

Can you clarify this for me please

Once again thanks for all of your advice as I have benefited the most
Without your advices I still would've flying taklas for 10/15 minutes a day and probably would have gave up by now

[Kurt Gürsu]

my taklas go really high like highflyers that I need to use binoculars to watch them (without binoculars they're like tiny spec in the sky ) they fly for hours that high and tumbles ( double and triples) as well
Very frequently.

After couple of hours high flight then they come down and start charging the loft and claiming up clapping and tumble (double and triples ) then do a circle around the loft, they repeat this over and over again for hours
Then come down and through the trapdoor.

Hi Sheikh,
I am pretty sure you are flying the birds in a kit from your description.
If so, seperate them fr flight.
As soon as you see a young bird do a combination or two it is time to fly them alone.

If this is not done, some Takla bloodlines will behave like highfliers.
That is probably why they are hitting 4 hours range also.
If they are flown alone, they will show you their real performance, which should be a lot better then what you are seeing right now.
Sounds like you already like their performance and with a change from kit to single flight you might be much more impressed with the birds in your hands.
If they are flown alone, they should start flying lower, perform much more frequently and each performance should improve in quality, strength and distance a great deal.

About 20 years ago I flew my young birds in a kit because of a bet with a Russian roller fancier around here.
Got the same deal you have in your hands right now.

Good luck

[M Sheikh]

I normally fly 2 birds at a time no more then that
But from now on I'll fly just 1 bird at a time
And see what they do.

[Kurt Gürsu]

Also, if you can have a few birds grazing on the ground while the bird is flying it would be good.
Keep me posted please.
I am very interested in how the birds develop.
Thank you

[M Sheikh]

Ok I will let you know
once I get some good weather here ill start flying them one at a time

[M Sheikh]

I'm flying them alone but they are only flying for about 45 minutes while they are flying they are flying low and going around the loft and then charge towards to the loft seems like its going land ( by spreading the legs and bending the neck looking down) but then start clapping the wing then tumble 2/3 time and climbing up like a helicopter.

Once he has done the clapping, tumbling and climbing for few time then he would go round the loft and do something again and again but the thing is they would do the same thing if I let 2/3 of them out at the same time once they have finish flying high for about 2/3 hours and when they are down below they would fly around 90 minutes above the loft and do all the performance that I've mention earlier.

One otherthing I've noticed ( I use binoculars to watch them) that when they are really high they tumble while flying

also do clapping , ( if the day is quite then I can hear them) climbing and tumbling they would stay on one spot for minute or two and repeat this couple of time then move on while they are moving they would just tumble after 10/15 meters but not clapping and climbing.

They would only clap , climb and tumble once they've decide to stay on one spot it's like a sort of dance competition among them

[Khalid]

Hi Sheikh,
I must say this is just what i have expected.
They decrease the leght of flight.On the other hand they perform more than couple flight i guess...
Continue fly them solo they will increase the lenght of flight and number of taklas and clapping distance. When they adjusted to fly solo they will start fly higher,i hope.

[Khalid]

Merhaba Sheikh,
Are there any updates about birds.
How is training going. Hope they have increased their performance.
Although,I don't know how the weather in Manchester...

[M Sheikh]

Yeah
It did fly more then 90 minutes and perform very good as well
I only flew one of them and pairing up the remaining 4

But unfortunately the one was flying it dident came in he was just sitting on the roof
And that was the last time I saw him. ( it's about 4 days ago )

He was the first Takla baby I really miss him, he was one of my favourite

That is the thing I don't like about keeping pigeons you do all the hard work
To rise them up and train them

One day their just gone for good ( so sad )

[Khalid]

Sorry about your bird.
4 days is a long time but i must quote from Taking On Tyson:
"as long as his hart pumps up, he will come"
I lost many in this season. But, breeding continues and young birds replace previous generation.
Hope pairing and breeding goes well and you fly pretty young ones in next season.

[M Sheikh]

Thank you for your concern brother khalid

I think he's not going to return anymore it's been 4 days now
The weather here is really could ( -2/-3 c) everyday and snowing as well everything looks white in Manchester

Even I don't recognise some of the roads and streets sometime when I'm driving
Forget about a pigeon he won't find he's way home

I guess it is a part of the game and I have to accept it that ill never see him again and move on

There is good news as well he's parents ( the floor tumble urfa ) has hatched a baby I guess it's a replacement