Rpra One Loft 2020 Updates .

we have never had more than 30 ybs to start with and usually closer to 20 this year 12 ....will still start them at 12 miles ,once they make good time from there usually after a couple of tosses we go to 24 miles and thats as far as we go ...probably 8-10 tosses max before first race

oldstrain wrote:

come on oz lets be having the info please theres a good

shouldn't pass on rumours etc O/S But the word is a man of world repute/knowledge here good at telling everyone, when/how & why they should follow his wisdom as such, has Rota Virus in his loft to start the season off. Now not that I would ever say it type of thing but I know a few blokes in a local sense, that would say it just couldn't happen to a nicer bloke all things considered. & take care.

MISTY wrote:

Cannot get my head round this 5 mile business , just exactly what is it supposed to do, other than give the raptors a free meal??????.

Not doing too good, wonder why ?????.

Would be better just letting them have open loft, less likely to lose to raptors and fly far more than five miles and  be far fitter than spending most of the time in the loft.

I could of course be wrong but just cannot understand it myself.


Regards.

     

Same here with the head thing etc Misty Total & utter bollocks/rubbish from my perspective I'm . Forgetting the no toss brigade/group like your self if a pigeon cannot be tossed first off around the 10/20 mile mark for the average type flyer, some thing is wrong on the home front some how I would maybe suggest . & take care.

i wonder if 4 - 5 miles is the usual method each year, ive never really took much notice in the past ......or is it because of the lock down rule ?

(i know its lifted now, but might not have been when they first started )

they were able to go wherever they wanted david as training commenced after first lot of restrictions were lifted ,he is a good loft manager have no doubt about that he knows his stuff a top man to always speaks and is polite ,thats why i am surprised ...maybe he is waiting for a section to catch up before he can let loose with some real training ,it all seems a bit odd ,maybe a few sections have issues ...you never know eh

MONDAY UPDATE
July 6th, 2020
Good Evening

Managed to get a trainer in this morning from the six mile point and liberated in 3 batches , one of the batches really struggled split up when i arrived back there was approx 200 missing but were around 80 now but they are still working in so its been a tough day on us all but were going to get this with the numbers that we are training.

If the weather is suitable tomorrow will be training again in the morning but giving any very late ones from today a rest.

I will update again tomorrow evening with the latest.

We hope to go live the end of next week with benzing live.

Jeremy..

TUESDAY
July 7th, 2020
Good Evening

The weather stopped training this morning we did load the birds but then it closed in with cloud cover and drizzle.

Tomorrow and Thursday does not look that good weather wise either Friday is looking good but were take it day by day.

From the 80 birds that was missing last night around 60 dug deep and worked in today i think they got chased and the fresh wnw wind made them go wide and over shoot the lofts these would of certainly learnt where home is.

I will update on Thursday evening with the latest.

Jeremy..

FRIDAY UPDATE
July 10th, 2020
Good Evening

Sorry i did not update last night i got delayed and did not arrive back home until late last night.

As expected we could not train again until today as the weather has just been against us mid week , they went to the 7 mile point today again released in batches and again some went for a wander round but working in again.

Sunday i hope to go to the 9 mile point then Monday to the 12 mile point and they will hopefully we will have three trainers at the 12 mile point which then were move onto the 16 mile point and so on until 3 times at the 40 mile point which the they will be ready for Hot Spot One at 70 miles which hopefully will be the first week of August.

Towards the end of next week the Benzing live will be on from the 12 mile point but dont forget the birds will still be going up in batches.

Will Update on Monday evening with the latest so have a great weekend all.

Jeremy..

David wrote:

FRIDAY UPDATE
July 10th, 2020
Good Evening

Sorry i did not update last night i got delayed and did not arrive back home until late last night.

As expected we could not train again until today as the weather has just been against us mid week , they went to the 7 mile point today again released in batches and again some went for a wander round but working in again.

Sunday i hope to go to the 9 mile point then Monday to the 12 mile point and they will hopefully we will have three trainers at the 12 mile point which then were move onto the 16 mile point and so on until 3 times at the 40 mile point which the they will be ready for Hot Spot One at 70 miles which hopefully will be the first week of August.

Towards the end of next week the Benzing live will be on from the 12 mile point but dont forget the birds will still be going up in batches.

Will Update on Monday evening with the latest so have a great weekend all.

Jeremy..

Looking at that training program etc David for me     is like pulling teeth, with a bit of string as such I'm & a door knob      . & take care.

There is no wonder many pigeons go astray, just what good does a 7 or 9 mile training toss do other than a chance to lose entries for several possible reasons ?.

Pigeons must be sick of going in the paniers and doing so a waste of time.

Can see neither sense nor reason in it.

Regards.

On further consideration of the last report I find it completely beyond belief.

These entries are supposed to be the best.

A dumb pigeon will return from 100 miles.

You do not get pigeons fit from 7 and 9 mile tosses.

I put young pigeons into the first races with NO Training.

A pigeon just needs to be fit, it knows where it lives.

Beyond my understanding.

As far as I am concerned a lot of work resulting in unnecessary losses.

Regards.

misty, would you say that, if young birds are going off ranging they dont need to have a any / much training ...? maybe only basket training ...?

reason i ask is ive always found it hard to get time to train young birds, and thats part of the reason i havnt raced for years....

whats your thoughts on ranging/ exercising around home and training .

David, for the vast part of the time I kept our feathered friends ( 75 years) I very rarely trained a pigeon, the main thing though is I always had open loft, the pigeons were up and down all day long, flying from the ground to the loft gives more exercise than flapping back from a few miles.

They often took off and flew for the shear joy of it and at times for hours.

Can see that it may be different if one only exercises them a couple of times a day.

In which case I would maybe have trained them at least 40 miles.

On the odd occasion I trained North it was from Redcar the first North Road Race point.

The distance does not matter regarding returns, it is how fit the pigeon is, I have jumped pigeons from North straight over the water South with no problems.

If the pigeon is fit enough and capable distance does not matter.

Regards.

If you can get them raging for a couple of hours, feeding out, then I would just give them a decent 40 or 50 mile trainer.

The ones you drop that are not either attacked or hit wires etc; would be the less able regarding racing.

Regards.

MISTY wrote:

If you can get them raging for a couple of hours, feeding out, then I would just give them a decent 40 or 50 mile trainer.

The ones you drop that are not either attacked or hit wires etc; would be the less able regarding racing.

Regards.  

Me! If so, then by Wednesday, they would have been in the loft resting. Not wasting vital 'Lasting' energy scoring nothing soaring around skies.

Beyond beleif! However, the majority of fanciers who enter probably want it done that way. Like Daz and Misty, I was laughed at for not training. YB's 2 25 mliers then raced. OB's no. Yet won a 600 miler and numerous other positions.
Years ago was there not a race from Rome? Some Scotish fancier flew some 1000 miles also.
If the majority who ship want it done the way it is done now then it will remain that way. Anyway, hard to lose at short distances but more raptor opportunities.

we give 7/8 tosses before the first race 2 from 12 miles usually then 5 or 6 from 24 then into first race ,we start training this friday they already been basket trained all 12 ybs cant understand all these short tosses with the rpra

must admit I tend to give plenty tosses up to 10 miles, these YB had 15 tosses up to 10 miles up to now just my way i guess but I can't afford the fuel or have the time to go belting 40 or 50 miles down the motorway training then going to work for 10 hrs. Pigeons have to fit my lifestyle not the other way around

barnie wrote:

must admit I tend to give plenty tosses up to 10 miles, these YB had 15 tosses up to 10 miles up to now  just my way i guess but I can't afford the fuel or have the time to go belting 40 or 50 miles down the motorway training then going to work for 10 hrs. Pigeons have to fit my lifestyle not the other way around

Your pigeons your way etc Barnie Budget restraint's always must be considered I suggest & ones life style as such. Seen more petrol burnt up down here tossing pigeons, that what the final cheque at the end of the year ever covered for the average/hopeful type flyer. That being said thou your way is not my way & neither is Misty's I'm as I sit in the middle I suspect with how I used to do things . Now do this, or do that means little I suggest, if your birds are not ranging & healthy & have that sparkle in ones eye come race day. & take care.

Each to his own barnie, if it works for you no else's business.

For myself I cannot see how a 10 mile flight can do anything other than a flop back home, a pigeon can see 10 miles if high enough in the sky and should be back home in a few minutes.

An hour flying round the loft if the pigeons are healthy and fit would incur far more than ten miles.

A pigeon does not need to be shown the way home in stages, I have jumped them into the first race many times with no problems.


Changed from North to South one week apart no problem, when flying both North and South roads.

The piper pays and calls the tune no one else's business.

Just hope it works out well for you barnie.

MANY ROADS TO ROME.

Regards.

With regards to a pigeons eye sight.

A pigeon can see 26 miles.

So if it is liberated 52 miles away it will be able to see a familiar sight it could see from it's home loft.

Head for that and progressively see more familiar features.

No need for a pigeon to be lost from 52 miles then ???? other than foul play.

Regards.

in the past ive taken my ybs around 5 miles, and always thought that once they are up in the sky, circling around they would probably be able to see home ........thats why they would sometimes take 2 days to make it home, they`ve gone ranging from the liberation point ........

MISTY wrote:

Each to his own barnie, if it works for you no else's business.

For myself I cannot see how a 10 mile flight can do anything other than a flop back home, a pigeon can see 10 miles if high enough in the sky and should be back home in a few minutes.

An hour flying round the loft if the pigeons are healthy and fit would incur far more  than ten miles.

A pigeon does not need to be shown the way home in stages, I have jumped them into the first race many times with no problems.


Changed from North to South one week apart no problem, when flying both North and South roads.

The piper pays and calls the tune no one else's business.

Just hope it works out well for you barnie.

MANY ROADS TO ROME.

Regards.


 

You carn't do that etc Misty North & then south as such . Thou on 2nd thoughts, I know many locals here     that would unit toss from the south on a Saturday from 50/60 miles & then on the Sunday go 50/60 miles north to get their birds thinking in the right direction. End of the day one could roll up with 200 odd birds each time if that was your desire & it would cost you 30 bucks maximum for the weekends pleasure in the tossing department.   & take care.

Can assure you Knackered it can be done.

Just one instance.

One season I concentrated on the North with Lerwick in mind (which I won) the South Road had a hammering and come a water race there was not enough members with pigeons capable to send and so they were going to cancel it (club wise one member short) so I said I would send two so they could have a race.

The two had flown several races North, I timed both. 300 odd miles.

Regards.

David wrote:

in the past ive taken my ybs around 5 miles, and always thought that once they are up in the sky, circling around they would probably be able to see home ........thats why they would sometimes take 2 days to make it home, they`ve gone ranging from the liberation point ........

That is why you should not train from a few miles it does not test the pigeon nor make it fit if it were to go straight back to the loft, so they do their own thing.

Take them 50 miles and they will not play around, send them straight to the first race if they are fit and they get the idea straight away.

Of the thousands of fanciers over the years there will be thousands using entirely different methods directly opposite to others and all have reasonable results.

My idea has always been to make the pigeons as happy as possible in their loft, keep them healthy, always have a variety of food available ( bet a wood pigeon nor any other bird eats exactly the same thing and the same amount any day of it's life) yet they perform feats beyond our pigeons capabilities in many instances.

Variety is the slice of life ( believe me there is a moral involved).

Regards.