Message Pages

News and Updates

May-17-2024

HAND INVENTORY UPDATE

Good Evening!

Tuesday, I was able to complete the hand inventory of all the birds here at the loft along with pulling the 9th flight on all the birds, except the very youngest. The ones that were not ready to be pulled had theirs cut and will be pulled in about a month along with their 10th. Overall, the birds felt great. I was very pleased with how they are coming along. I did pull 3 birds out that were thinner than the rest and I will see how they respond to some TLC. I did notice more puffy eyes/eye colds this year than I have noticed in the past. I think this years weather, along with extended time in shipping has contributed to some respiratory distress.

With all that said, I did not see any snotty noses or canker in any of the birds. I did start the birds on Vita King Respiratory Powder to help and as it is the usual time of year they get their first respiratory treatment. Wednesday the birds stayed in and enjoyed a nice bath. Today I gave them open loft in the morning and will do the same for the next few days. I will not run the clock since I will not be pushing all the birds out of the loft and inventory wouldn't be accurate.

The last group is trap training and should be able to be out flying with the other early next week. Live clocking should resume at the same time.

Take Care

Lucas

Lucas Cramer

503-510-2661

CrookedRiverChallenge.com

Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac and Ropa B

May-14-2024

GOOD EVENING!

Good Evening Breeders!

The weather has been beautiful. The birds and I have been enjoying the warm sunny days. Birds are continuing to do well and fly more and more each day. Just a reminder that the acceptance period for all birds has passed.

Tomorrow I will be doing a hand scan to check all chips, health, and pulling the 9th flight. There is still one more group of birds to trap train and settle next week. It will be a very busy day for me tomorrow, but it will be nice to handle all the birds and see how they are coming along.

Thank you all for the support this year and sending some super birds!

Take Care

Lucas

Lucas Cramer

503-510-2661

CrookedRiverChallenge.com

Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac and Ropa B

May-05-2024

GOOD MORNING!

Good Morning!

It is a chilly 38 degrees this morning with rain here at the loft again and snow covering the surrounding hilltops. It has been a wet and cold start to May. The birds and I are looking forward to a warm up and dry out by the end of the week. Temperatures could be as high as 80 which would be a nice change for all of us.

I will allow replacements to be sent out tomorrow for those that need to do so. As a reminder, I do not do credits or refunds on perch fees.

Birds are staying in again today due to the weather, so please look at the last loft fly to see any missing birds. The last two weeks of birds are not on inventory as of yet. The hawks were terrible the other day when I settled the last group, so there were birds everywhere with birds coming back late yesterday and one this morning. The good news is that the birds are flying more and more each time they are out.

I am starting to see some signs of a virus going through the main loft. I had to pull 4 birds out last week for being underweight and just doing poorly. This is pretty normal from what I have seen in past years with this many birds. Birds are currently getting a mix of cilantro, garlic, and lemon in the water to help mitigate transfer and maintain immunity. I have tried antibiotics in the past when dealing with these issues, with no success. I have had good success in using 1 bunch of cilantro, 2 cloves of garlic, and juice of half of a lemon blended to 5 gallons of water (changed at least twice daily). The change in the weather should also help. Cold and wet is never a good combination for bird health.

Overall, the majority of birds are doing well. They continue to molt heavy and have good appetites during this cold weather. They are excited to get out of the loft when allowed and enjoy their time out exploring.

Thank you all for sending birds this year!

Lucas

Lucas Cramer

503-510-2661

CrookedRiverChallenge.com

Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac and Ropa B

Apr-29-2024

LAST WEEK TO SHIP!

Good Evening Breeders!

This week is the last week to ship all birds. Please take a look at today's loft fly for any missing birds. Today's inventory includes all birds, except for the birds received last week.

I will not accept birds after May 5th.

Birds are doing well. I am getting more and more of them willing to get up and fly. The weather has been conducive to getting them out most days. Birds continue to receive Primalac or Ropa B in their water daily, along with Kastle YB developer on the feed a couple times a week. Night time temperatures are still chilly, so appetites are great.

Birds enjoyed a bath this afternoon after most of them were back in the loft. I will start locking them out of the loft for longer amounts of time soon, but for right now I want the younger groups to get settled to the loft.

Feel free to reach out with any questions. Have a great week!

Lucas

Lucas Cramer

503-510-2661

CrookedRiverChallenge.com

Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac and Ropa B

Apr-22-2024

2 WEEKS LEFT TO SHIP

Good Evening!

There are two weeks left to ship all birds..including replacements. The last day to ship pigeons will be April 30th. Please keep an eye on loft fly inventories and if you see a missing bird please let me know. We are getting very close to the end of acceptance and I want everyone to be able to replace any bird if necessary. For those that have paid for a full team of 6 birds, make sure to take advantage of the 7th free perch.

The birds enjoyed another beautiful day out today. The weather has been nice, mid 60s and sunny during the day, but still chilly at night. It has been a cool spring for us and looks like it will continue through the end of the month. There are over 1000 birds here at the loft with many more prepaid.

Birds are looking great and getting used to my routine. I have had jury duty March and April, so there are some days I don't get the birds out until a bit later in the day....it has been a very busy spring so far. Small groups of birds continue to get up off the loft and do some circling. No real routing yet, but should start happening soon with some of the early birds. Seems like every time the birds are out, some raptor likes to make an appearance but the birds seem to be figuring them out. The red tailed hawks are usually quite helpful in getting some of the lazy birds off the loft and into the air without panicking them.

I appreciate all the support this year! I am looking forward to getting all the birds here, settled and into one group.

Take Care

Lucas

Lucas Cramer

503-510-2661

CrookedRiverChallenge.com

Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac and Ropa B

Apr-14-2024

GOOD EVENING!

Good Evening!

Today has been raining off and on all day, so the birds stayed in the loft. Everything is starting to turn green, frogs have woken up, and the spring flowers are starting to bloom. It is finally starting to feel like spring has arrived.

Birds are continuing to do well. There are over 900 birds here at the loft with more than 600 going out to loft fly on good weather days at the moment. Birds are molting heavy and enjoying their baths a couple times a week. I continue to feed heavy and trapping continues to be slow. There are a bunch of birds getting up and flying well. The red tailed hawks keep them on their toes. I want the birds to think of the loft as a safe place, so they are not being locked out for very long at this point.

There are 3 weeks left to ship pigeons. April 30th is the last day to ship all pigeons to this year's race, including replacements. For those that have paid for 6 perch fees be sure to take advantage of the 7 free perch.

Thank you all for shipping on Mondays and Tuesdays!

I hope this finds everyone well! I appreciate the support.

Take Care

Lucas

Lucas Cramer

503-510-2661

CrookedRiverChallenge.com

Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac and Ropa B

Apr-03-2024

GOOD AFTERNOON!

Good Afternoon!

Birds enjoyed a cloudy and chilly 42 degree loft fly this morning. Yesterday was a beautiful 80 degrees, which the birds and I both enjoyed. Birds did get to go out and fly yesterday, but I did not run the clock due to having to check echips on the next group of birds that moved over to the loft. Tomorrow is cold/snowy/wet, so birds will be staying in....next week looks like it should warm back up into the 60s.

Overall, the birds are continuing to do well. Settling continues to go well with minimal losses off the loft. The resident red tailed hawks like to fly by every now and again to see if any youngsters will panic and go to ground. Several small groups are getting up and flying well and high. Birds are excited to get out of the loft each morning and fly/flap around on the roof. Appetites are great especially with the cold temperatures. Many of the birds are molting heavy, so I do not restrict food during this time..hence some of the late trapping that happens on loft flights.

Shipping continues to be slow ranging from 2-4 days...seems to be the new norm for us. Birds seem to be taking it all in stride. The only birds that seem to have issues with these delays are birds that are way overpacked in their shipping boxes.

*If you plan on shipping birds in the later part of April, please make sure you pre pay your perch fees. I will fill up again this year.

Thank you all for keeping an eye on loft fly inventories and letting me know if you see any of your birds missing. Definitely helps me out!

Please reach out with any questions.

Take Care

Lucas

Lucas Cramer

503-510-2661

CrookedRiverChallenge.com

Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac and Ropa B

Mar-26-2024

GOOD EVENING!

Good Evening!

Birds are continuing to take everything in stride here at the loft. The weather has been a bit sporadic with winds, rain, and sunshine. Temperatures have cooled back down into the 50s for highs and 30s for lows. The first two weeks of birds (white and red group) are enjoying their time out of the loft. They are learning a lot and are figuring out which birds of prey they need to be wary of and which they can ignore. A few small groups are starting to get up and do a few loops around the loft.

Overall, the birds are doing well. Appetites are good and the birds are excited to get out of the loft and stretch their wings. Please keep an eye on clocking and let me know if you see any of your birds missing. I know I have stated this before, but it helps me immensely during intake since I can't run a lost/missing report each day. The more eyes on these loft fly inventories the better.

There are currently 567 birds here at the loft in the first 4 weeks of intake...with another 6 weeks to go, it looks like we will be plenty full again this year. Thank you all for the continued support!

Birds continue to receive Kastle Young Bird Developer on arrival and a few times a week, along with Primalac and/or Ropa B in the water. These products seem to really help the birds build immunity to all the different strains of disease that come from so many different lofts around the country.

Thank you all! Have a great week and always feel free to reach out with any questions.

Lucas

Lucas Cramer

503-510-2661

CrookedRiverChallenge.com

Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac and Ropa B

Mar-19-2024

GOOD EVENING!

Good Evening Breeders!

The weather has been beautiful the last few days. Sunny and temperatures in the high 60s low 70s....it has been glorious. The birds and myself are loving it. Looks like we will have a few more days of this before it cools down again and rains at the end of the week.

I have been very busy with the birds. I had over 180 birds arrive last week and they all seem to be settling in well. The first group of birds (white group) got go out on their first loft fly on Saturday and they were very excited to get out and stretch their wings. I love watching these youngsters start to fly...very nerve wracking but exciting for all involved. They are building confidence fast and had the chance to go out again yesterday and today. They will go out every good weather day possible. Red group has moved over to the trapping sections and should be joining the white group in a few days.

Please keep an eye on inventories now that the birds are getting to go out and fly. I don't have an easy way of keeping track of missing birds while settling. The way I run missing reports only works with wincompanion once all the birds are here and in one group. If you see something missing or have a question please shoot me a message. Birds usually will be out on loft flights about two weeks after arrival.

Thank you all for not overcrowding your boxes and shipping on Monday and Tuesday. All boxes arrived by Friday last week.

I hope this finds everyone well! Have a great week.

Lucas

Lucas Cramer

503-510-2661

CrookedRiverChallenge.com

Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac and Ropa B

Mar-11-2024

GOOD MONDAY MORNING!

Good Morning Breeders!

Almost 50 degrees today! Slowly warming up, should be hitting 60 and sunny by Friday. Birds and I are looking forward to some sunny warm weather. Last week I had 110 birds arrive here at the loft and they are all settled into quarantine...except for a couple that are struggling due to overcrowding and delayed shipping. Birds tend to do just fine with delays in shipping, as long as they have enough space in the shipping box.

This is a good reminder to not overcrowd your boxes...USPS is struggling this year to get birds here in 2 days. Please ship Monday and Tuesday only.

First weeks birds are enjoying the main loft and spend the majority of their day out in the aviaries. The first group will be trap training this week, so I will post those on wincompanion as they happen. First group should be able to have their first loft fly by the end of the week, as long as the weather allows. Birds are continuing to receive Kastle YB developer on the feed most days and Primalac or Ropa B in the water.

Thank you to everyone that have sent birds already and to those that are planning to do so!

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out.

Take Care

Lucas

Lucas Cramer

503-510-2661

CrookedRiverChallenge.com

Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac and Ropa B

[1]2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next »

	News and Updates
	May-17-2024
HAND INVENTORY UPDATE Good Evening! Tuesday, I was able to complete the hand inventory of all the birds here at the loft along with pulling the 9th flight on all the birds, except the very youngest. The ones that were not ready to be pulled had theirs cut and will be pulled in about a month along with their 10th. Overall, the birds felt great. I was very pleased with how they are coming along. I did pull 3 birds out that were thinner than the rest and I will see how they respond to some TLC. I did notice more puffy eyes/eye colds this year than I have noticed in the past. I think this years weather, along with extended time in shipping has contributed to some respiratory distress. With all that said, I did not see any snotty noses or canker in any of the birds. I did start the birds on Vita King Respiratory Powder to help and as it is the usual time of year they get their first respiratory treatment. Wednesday the birds stayed in and enjoyed a nice bath. Today I gave them open loft in the morning and will do the same for the next few days. I will not run the clock since I will not be pushing all the birds out of the loft and inventory wouldn't be accurate. The last group is trap training and should be able to be out flying with the other early next week. Live clocking should resume at the same time. Take Care Lucas -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac *and Ropa B*
	May-14-2024
GOOD EVENING! Good Evening Breeders! The weather has been beautiful. The birds and I have been enjoying the warm sunny days. Birds are continuing to do well and fly more and more each day. Just a reminder that the acceptance period for all birds has passed. Tomorrow I will be doing a hand scan to check all chips, health, and pulling the 9th flight. There is still one more group of birds to trap train and settle next week. It will be a very busy day for me tomorrow, but it will be nice to handle all the birds and see how they are coming along. Thank you all for the support this year and sending some super birds! Take Care Lucas -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac *and Ropa B*
	May-05-2024
GOOD MORNING! Good Morning! It is a chilly 38 degrees this morning with rain here at the loft again and snow covering the surrounding hilltops. It has been a wet and cold start to May. The birds and I are looking forward to a warm up and dry out by the end of the week. Temperatures could be as high as 80 which would be a nice change for all of us. I will allow replacements to be sent out tomorrow for those that need to do so. As a reminder, I do not do credits or refunds on perch fees. Birds are staying in again today due to the weather, so please look at the last loft fly to see any missing birds. The last two weeks of birds are not on inventory as of yet. The hawks were terrible the other day when I settled the last group, so there were birds everywhere with birds coming back late yesterday and one this morning. The good news is that the birds are flying more and more each time they are out. I am starting to see some signs of a virus going through the main loft. I had to pull 4 birds out last week for being underweight and just doing poorly. This is pretty normal from what I have seen in past years with this many birds. Birds are currently getting a mix of cilantro, garlic, and lemon in the water to help mitigate transfer and maintain immunity. I have tried antibiotics in the past when dealing with these issues, with no success. I have had good success in using 1 bunch of cilantro, 2 cloves of garlic, and juice of half of a lemon blended to 5 gallons of water (changed at least twice daily). The change in the weather should also help. Cold and wet is never a good combination for bird health. Overall, the majority of birds are doing well. They continue to molt heavy and have good appetites during this cold weather. They are excited to get out of the loft when allowed and enjoy their time out exploring. Thank you all for sending birds this year! Lucas -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac *and Ropa B*
	Apr-29-2024
LAST WEEK TO SHIP! Good Evening Breeders! This week is the last week to ship all birds. Please take a look at today's loft fly for any missing birds. Today's inventory includes all birds, except for the birds received last week. I will not accept birds after May 5th. Birds are doing well. I am getting more and more of them willing to get up and fly. The weather has been conducive to getting them out most days. Birds continue to receive Primalac or Ropa B in their water daily, along with Kastle YB developer on the feed a couple times a week. Night time temperatures are still chilly, so appetites are great. Birds enjoyed a bath this afternoon after most of them were back in the loft. I will start locking them out of the loft for longer amounts of time soon, but for right now I want the younger groups to get settled to the loft. Feel free to reach out with any questions. Have a great week! Lucas -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac *and Ropa B*
	Apr-22-2024
2 WEEKS LEFT TO SHIP Good Evening! There are two weeks left to ship all birds..including replacements. The last day to ship pigeons will be April 30th. Please keep an eye on loft fly inventories and if you see a missing bird please let me know. We are getting very close to the end of acceptance and I want everyone to be able to replace any bird if necessary. For those that have paid for a full team of 6 birds, make sure to take advantage of the 7th free perch. The birds enjoyed another beautiful day out today. The weather has been nice, mid 60s and sunny during the day, but still chilly at night. It has been a cool spring for us and looks like it will continue through the end of the month. There are over 1000 birds here at the loft with many more prepaid. Birds are looking great and getting used to my routine. I have had jury duty March and April, so there are some days I don't get the birds out until a bit later in the day....it has been a very busy spring so far. Small groups of birds continue to get up off the loft and do some circling. No real routing yet, but should start happening soon with some of the early birds. Seems like every time the birds are out, some raptor likes to make an appearance but the birds seem to be figuring them out. The red tailed hawks are usually quite helpful in getting some of the lazy birds off the loft and into the air without panicking them. I appreciate all the support this year! I am looking forward to getting all the birds here, settled and into one group. Take Care Lucas -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac *and Ropa B*
	Apr-14-2024
GOOD EVENING! Good Evening! Today has been raining off and on all day, so the birds stayed in the loft. Everything is starting to turn green, frogs have woken up, and the spring flowers are starting to bloom. It is finally starting to feel like spring has arrived. Birds are continuing to do well. There are over 900 birds here at the loft with more than 600 going out to loft fly on good weather days at the moment. Birds are molting heavy and enjoying their baths a couple times a week. I continue to feed heavy and trapping continues to be slow. There are a bunch of birds getting up and flying well. The red tailed hawks keep them on their toes. I want the birds to think of the loft as a safe place, so they are not being locked out for very long at this point. There are 3 weeks left to ship pigeons. April 30th is the last day to ship all pigeons to this year's race, including replacements. For those that have paid for 6 perch fees be sure to take advantage of the 7 free perch. Thank you all for shipping on Mondays and Tuesdays! I hope this finds everyone well! I appreciate the support. Take Care Lucas -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac *and Ropa B*
	Apr-03-2024
GOOD AFTERNOON! Good Afternoon! Birds enjoyed a cloudy and chilly 42 degree loft fly this morning. Yesterday was a beautiful 80 degrees, which the birds and I both enjoyed. Birds did get to go out and fly yesterday, but I did not run the clock due to having to check echips on the next group of birds that moved over to the loft. Tomorrow is cold/snowy/wet, so birds will be staying in....next week looks like it should warm back up into the 60s. Overall, the birds are continuing to do well. Settling continues to go well with minimal losses off the loft. The resident red tailed hawks like to fly by every now and again to see if any youngsters will panic and go to ground. Several small groups are getting up and flying well and high. Birds are excited to get out of the loft each morning and fly/flap around on the roof. Appetites are great especially with the cold temperatures. Many of the birds are molting heavy, so I do not restrict food during this time..hence some of the late trapping that happens on loft flights. Shipping continues to be slow ranging from 2-4 days...seems to be the new norm for us. Birds seem to be taking it all in stride. The only birds that seem to have issues with these delays are birds that are way overpacked in their shipping boxes. If you plan on shipping birds in the later part of April, please make sure you pre pay your perch fees. I will fill up again this year. Thank you all for keeping an eye on loft fly inventories and letting me know if you see any of your birds missing. Definitely helps me out! Please reach out with any questions. Take Care Lucas -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac* *and Ropa B*
	Mar-26-2024
GOOD EVENING! Good Evening! Birds are continuing to take everything in stride here at the loft. The weather has been a bit sporadic with winds, rain, and sunshine. Temperatures have cooled back down into the 50s for highs and 30s for lows. The first two weeks of birds (white and red group) are enjoying their time out of the loft. They are learning a lot and are figuring out which birds of prey they need to be wary of and which they can ignore. A few small groups are starting to get up and do a few loops around the loft. Overall, the birds are doing well. Appetites are good and the birds are excited to get out of the loft and stretch their wings. Please keep an eye on clocking and let me know if you see any of your birds missing. I know I have stated this before, but it helps me immensely during intake since I can't run a lost/missing report each day. The more eyes on these loft fly inventories the better. There are currently 567 birds here at the loft in the first 4 weeks of intake...with another 6 weeks to go, it looks like we will be plenty full again this year. Thank you all for the continued support! Birds continue to receive Kastle Young Bird Developer on arrival and a few times a week, along with Primalac and/or Ropa B in the water. These products seem to really help the birds build immunity to all the different strains of disease that come from so many different lofts around the country. Thank you all! Have a great week and always feel free to reach out with any questions. Lucas -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac *and Ropa B*
	Mar-19-2024
GOOD EVENING! Good Evening Breeders! The weather has been beautiful the last few days. Sunny and temperatures in the high 60s low 70s....it has been glorious. The birds and myself are loving it. Looks like we will have a few more days of this before it cools down again and rains at the end of the week. I have been very busy with the birds. I had over 180 birds arrive last week and they all seem to be settling in well. The first group of birds (white group) got go out on their first loft fly on Saturday and they were very excited to get out and stretch their wings. I love watching these youngsters start to fly...very nerve wracking but exciting for all involved. They are building confidence fast and had the chance to go out again yesterday and today. They will go out every good weather day possible. Red group has moved over to the trapping sections and should be joining the white group in a few days. Please keep an eye on inventories now that the birds are getting to go out and fly. I don't have an easy way of keeping track of missing birds while settling. The way I run missing reports only works with wincompanion once all the birds are here and in one group. If you see something missing or have a question please shoot me a message. Birds usually will be out on loft flights about two weeks after arrival. Thank you all for not overcrowding your boxes and shipping on Monday and Tuesday. All boxes arrived by Friday last week. I hope this finds everyone well! Have a great week. Lucas -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac *and Ropa B*
	Mar-11-2024
GOOD MONDAY MORNING! Good Morning Breeders! Almost 50 degrees today! Slowly warming up, should be hitting 60 and sunny by Friday. Birds and I are looking forward to some sunny warm weather. Last week I had 110 birds arrive here at the loft and they are all settled into quarantine...except for a couple that are struggling due to overcrowding and delayed shipping. Birds tend to do just fine with delays in shipping, as long as they have enough space in the shipping box. This is a good reminder to not overcrowd your boxes...USPS is struggling this year to get birds here in 2 days. Please ship Monday and Tuesday only. First weeks birds are enjoying the main loft and spend the majority of their day out in the aviaries. The first group will be trap training this week, so I will post those on wincompanion as they happen. First group should be able to have their first loft fly by the end of the week, as long as the weather allows. Birds are continuing to receive Kastle YB developer on the feed most days and Primalac or Ropa B in the water. Thank you to everyone that have sent birds already and to those that are planning to do so! If you have any questions please feel free to reach out. Take Care Lucas -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac *and Ropa B*
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