race teams

just wondering how many y/b's have gone into race team, and how many o/b have been kept, here I have 20cocks only 8 young cocks made it through, out of 20 hens 13 are young birds and going to carry 5 old hens to race in early bicc races.

Not a big team today, redrog, but quality will beat inferior quantity.

However, years ago many fanciers had small teams of old birds many winning when nearly reaching double figures in age.

Too many inferior unhealthy pigeons around today along with all the other problems.

Will be interesting to see how things go, hope well.

Only kept a few old birds , maybe 6 .the rest ybs to give them a chance and a lot of new ones to try. Stopped my 3 year olds now .stock now as done have done fantastically well for us

Very accurate Misty. When 24 was a mob flyer lol.
Interestingly enough, in the sixty's a 150.000 nigh fancier sent far less birds each week than what the 20 odd thousand send today!
Nigh all the fanciers flew the whole programme.
Had a natural rotation system. Berwick for Lerwick etc.
My dad had about 12 old birds to fly.
Not many ever trained their birds at all.
Youngsters were split into the First and second-rounders. First to races  65 miles second  96 miles. First rounders. next two week the same race points, for the second-rounders.
These youngsters flew the whole programme up Berwick 250 miles. Later we went Elgin or Perth.
I sent - for instance in late September 3 youngster bred in June which 2 flew Thurso 479 miles... In atrocious weather. homing and winning next day … this was in the now-defunct Midland Nr championships. The third came back Boxing day.
 Later member wanted to stop at Morpeth 200 miles. TheN even less! Mostly in them days if not on the day were on loft first thing in the morning. Home by Wednesday sent that weekend again! AND often won or high up.
Now, today, pigeons are bred to lose or cover losses. Mollycoddled. Culls bought for a high price and pedigrees, breeding culls and filling lofts because they MIGHT have a throwback to one-up the line- if ever, or even correct! … if indeed was any good. Bought from Names and spouted fibs in money-making chores. Very often from birds never raced but kept to for sale! Paper pedigrees preferred to proven flyers because … can one really believe it! Sad but so very real. Many breed a 100 or so and finish up with 13 and think that's good in today's climate!

I seldom sent as y/b's. Straight in the basket first time, for their' first race of  200-250 miles.
Years ago most fancier sent straight to the races. Never trained. Likewise me/ dad and nigh all the club members.

Not racing OB's this year. Gave most of them away. Never worried about numbers.
The few I did keep were the best of the best here. Stock loft now, but as all other stock birds here they have raced very well. Will love it when I open up the loft! Spring. When it comes. If I race YB's will be about 20. Minimal training. No licence as of today. Did not take test. Fortunately have another person who will fly a round for me. Same club. Should be showing up with bands next week or so. Curious how the white red crosses perform.

halcanada wrote:

Not racing OB's this year. Gave most of them away. Never worried about numbers.
The few I did keep were the best of the best here. Stock loft now, but as all other stock birds here they have raced very well. Will love it when I open up the loft! Spring. When it comes. If I race YB's will be about 20. Minimal training. No licence as of today. Did not take test. Fortunately have another person who will fly a round for me. Same club. Should be showing up with bands next week or so. Curious how the white red crosses perform.

Disappointed some what you have handed in your license type of thing Hal Some thing not taken lightly I suspect by you there I suspect. Also closed my stock loft side down in November here & all fly free now with what's left etc. End of the day     rather enjoyable as such     as has cut my work load in half type of thing.

Knackered. Will drive when needed. Chance of being stopped out here is minimal.
Right eye is blurry, right arm due to dislocated shoulder it is hard to turn the wheel.
Power steering notwithstanding. Do not want to endanger anyone. Enough crazies out there. Wife drives quite well. One car now instead of the usual two. We all adapt.

we added 5 young cocks to the team so have 12 cocks to race this year as opposed to 8 last year...we have 8 young hens to race to if we want to but am thinking sticking with just cocks as it worked well last yr and would rather do one thing right as opposed to 2 things cocked half barrel... and besides ,this one man band has to set aside some family time

So starting mob flying are we oldstrain ?.

Not a one man band either, one man and a young adviser more like it.

Regards.

MISTY wrote:

So starting mob flying are we oldstrain ?.

Not a one man band either, one man and a young adviser more like it.

Regards.

lost alot of interest over the last few months has the little adviser but no doubt when things get going again the interest will return ...he is looking forward to presentation night though we have a good gathering with music and buffet usually a very good turn out with about 80/100 people attending ...will get some pics when the time comes early febuary,atb

Look forward to seeing pics.

Alfie at the age when the young start exploring many things not available when we were young, that is why we have problems with getting the young involved and maintaining the interest.

Cannot see Alfie losing interest entirely.

Regards.

One thing I feel anyone can prove, is looking at what bred what the their performances.
I'd wager you will be surplice how the vast majority came from 1-4 birds.
Obviously mating the performance Top Hen to the Top cock mostly doesn't produce the results one would expect. the elements traits you want mostly, will most likely be the strong hold of both and a lot - needed- elements are just there with not many other desired elements/ traits.

We have 12 old cocks and around 14 young cocks this year all so around 30 hens to race this year