Anyone started training their old birds yet?

As you all know, we didn't manage to get any of our birds into any races last year and, of course, we have no other birds that can race, apart from the ones we bred ourselves in 2016.

Therefore, we started training our yearlings a little earlier than I would have normally done.

Have members started training their old birds yet?

I would be very interested to know what members do regarding training older birds/birds that have had experience of races and the race basket.

I know some fanciers just give their old birds a couple of tosses two or three weeks before racing starts, and others don't believe in training old birds,etc.

Let us know what you feel about training old birds.

Another question, do you train your old birds once the racing season has started? I have a friend in Holland who races very well and he believes that a little training between races is more beneficial than a few training tosses before the season starts. What do you guys think?

Phil

mine are just going out after breeding etc....had to float some eggs under them so they only been going out this week their doing about 30 mins but a good 30 mins going right up and having a go and no panting on landing so look well in health to ...when they get up near the hour mark they will get 3 tosses and into first race ...like you phil I am building a new team so not in any hurry to throw them away and will be happy to get them to 250-300 miles at the yearling stage of which we have 12 atb

I've started I've had 3 x 20 miles and I'm ready for 30 miles today and rest of week

Had 2x10 milers to wake them up ,had a 20 miler sunday and the peregrine has had a swipe still 1 away. All part and parcel nowadays I suppose.

5 at 5mile, 4 at 17 mile and will stay at 17 till nxt week

Those pesky hawks!

We had a something very unfriendly attack our young birds this morning when they were out for their morning fly. One y/b still missing.

I am wondering if it might be better to keep the darkness birds in until they have got through their moult a bit more.

Does anyone know if hawks attack in the morning or afternoon more often.

Phil

Gave my cocks 2 x 20 mile tosses last week and 1 today, for a livener, they are driving to nest so I'm not sure if they will need another.
My first race is this weekend.
Haven't taken the hens yet, as some of the yearling hens were light from pumping youngens, I weaned all my youngens this weekend.

Did not race young birds last year. They were trained 25 miles a few times. I will start training them soon. 20 then a few 25's. As long as they are loft flying good and ranging not worried about training too much. There first race will be 155 miles. But not until May 6 so lots of time.

blueskylofts wrote:

Those pesky hawks!

We had a something very unfriendly attack our young birds this morning when they were out for their morning fly.  One y/b still missing.

I am wondering if it might be better to keep the darkness birds in until they have got through their moult a bit more.

Does anyone know if hawks attack in the morning or afternoon more often.

Phil

Do hawks attack more in morning or afternoon more.? This I find interesting,
I work early so dont get a chance to train early but know guys who do train before work and they get hit, not all the time but sometimes. They then train after work and get hit, not all the time but sometimes. I train mid afternoon when I get home from work and rarely get hit as many times as them. This brings me to a few trains of thought.
Predators like shark hunt early morning and evening. Hawks wake first light and look for food to warm and set them up for the day. Evening they look for food to keep them warm through the night.
Iam a small team flyer so let my birds go in 6 to 10 at a time. This to a hawk may look like a kit of street pigeons where a big kit of 30 to 50 is a big target and the odds are he will get a tasty race pigeon not a tough old streeter.
These are just my thoughts and have had faults picked in them but it makes sense to me.
P.S in my earlier post when I got hit I trained early morning being the weekend.

Ours are well trained now,just about ready for first race saturday

peel bros wrote:

Ours are well trained now,just about ready for first race saturday

Best of luck Ray and anyone else that starts racing this weekend.

Phil

took my 14 hens this morning usual 17mile trip, had 3 missing for 40mins, now this is the weird part they were all 2014 birds, all sisters who have scored well for me. turned up later no injuries, gratefull but unsure were they went. pigeons eh?

I've had same training today from 30 miles every bird come back in ones
Had them same place as yesterday and all come as team today
I had my first hen back after four hours

My loveliness took our 4 hens, 26 miles, this afternoon - (or the metric equivalent - 42.50 kilometres).

Same place as last time - Sunday, two days ago.

They all came back together in 50 minutes - that is 30 miles per hour (I think) with a slight head wind.

Not sure if that is good or bad - seems very slow to me - What do you think?

I like to see them doing an average of 45 MPH or thereabouts - that is 1320 yards per minute.

Phil

It may seem slow but who knows what's happened on there way home. Be happy to get them back you have something to work with then. Thats the way I think of it.

phil411 wrote:

I've had same training today from 30 miles every bird come back in ones
Had them same place as yesterday and all come as team today
I had my first hen back after four hours

Sight seeing tour I suspect Phil 411 "that Ok Phil" & all part of the learning curve from my perspective. Now if they just didn't turn up after the 4 hour trick that can be a rat sh*te scenerio sadly .

blueskylofts wrote:

My loveliness took our 4 hens, 26 miles, this afternoon - (or the metric equivalent - 42.50 kilometres).

Same place as last time - Sunday, two days ago.

They all came back together in 50 minutes - that is 30 miles per hour (I think) with a slight head wind.

Not sure if that is good or bad - seems very slow to me - What do you think?

I like to see them doing an average of 45 MPH or thereabouts - that is 1320 yards per minute.

Phil

45 MPH "head wind" Mine do 60 MPH into a gale down here .
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cowandchicken wrote:

blueskylofts wrote:

Those pesky hawks!

We had a something very unfriendly attack our young birds this morning when they were out for their morning fly.  One y/b still missing.

I am wondering if it might be better to keep the darkness birds in until they have got through their moult a bit more.

Does anyone know if hawks attack in the morning or afternoon more often.

Phil

Do hawks attack more in morning or afternoon more.? This I find interesting,
I work early so dont get a chance to train early but know guys who do train before work and they get hit, not all the time but sometimes. They then train after work and get hit, not all the time but sometimes. I train mid afternoon when I get home from work and rarely get hit as many times as them. This brings me to a few trains of thought.
Predators like shark hunt early morning and evening. Hawks wake first light and look for food to warm and set them up for the day. Evening they look for food to keep them warm through the night.
Iam a small team flyer so let my birds go in 6 to 10 at a time. This to a hawk may look like a kit of street pigeons where a big kit of 30 to 50 is a big target and the odds are he will get a tasty race pigeon not a tough old streeter.
These are just my thoughts and have had faults picked in them but it makes sense to me.
P.S in my earlier post when I got hit I trained early morning being the weekend.

Early/late For me, hawks work to a pattern etc depending on ones area as such. Learn the pattern depending on the season of the year & use it to your advantage, if possible I would suggest    .
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