early liberation

we liberated at coventry 6.05  ....84 miles to me should be another fast race in the 1700 i would think certainly high 1600 ...all the best to those racing today

Hope no one is caught out having a Sunday sleep in oldstrain.

Best of luck.

Regards.

all home 11/11 but much later than expected ...had 3 drop together but not really racing ,gliding doing a few laps before trapping so dont fancy my chances ...work to do

All back oldstrain, cannot grumble at this time of year.

You never know how the others have done till the bell tolls.

Regards.

'we go at Dawn' was a good adages once for a National Liberator. None of the crap and fiddle of 'Holding them up at Coasts' fiddles.


I believe, and always have that we should have birds back in their home and loft come evenings - Where possible.

our club was held over today .......

Daz wrote:

'we go at Dawn' was a good adages once for a National Liberator. None of the crap and fiddle of 'Holding them up at Coasts' fiddles.


I believe, and always have that we should have birds back in their home and loft come evenings - Where possible.  

We always go at dawn down here etc Daz when we get into the long ones as such. Often thought it was one of the reasons that the Jan Arden types were a bit of a flop here when first bought in to race & later. Just couldn't handle our style of racing on average & being manly young birds for our distance type races. & take care.

Yes Knackered. Always taught by the #Good fanciers' here that the birds have to suit your System. Those that don't like it won't stay. Found that to be 100% True.
Andy - a very good local flyer in the Nationals bred me a round of youngster. Like his my had a open loft, Deep litter and much the same. His also trained pretty often / heavy.
None were here for their 3rd year... yet excelled for Andy.
A very good friend of mine, and a exceptional fancier, winning Nationals both North and South, bought in from Belgium direct from a very good flyer. Didn't achieve piddle pip. Was talking to another of same ilk on a visit to his home. Said he was getting shot of them!
His mate asked if he could try them. - like most good birds are got by good fanciers swapped etc. etc. while sell the culls to make up the money -( So one has to have a good repour and friendship with a fancier you can trust I believe)
Any way they excelled for his mate.
I acquired birds from friends. Had 5 or so from different lofts. So I never had close related birds. I didn't train them at all in later years. They went straight into a race - 150 - n200 mile even.
After a short while only birds capable that could do that, were breeding in the loft!
Just like back in the earlier years up to the 70's etc.
Andy said I asked too much of his pigeons! Maybe so, maybe not. But then I wasn't able to do as he did, and besides I wanted birds that could and did.

agree daz get um up eh ...if it fair let um up ,i said it would be a very early lib and one of our members said no it will be to cold ...ffs near mid june and its too cold fer birds some want perfection from a liberation eh anyway it seems all members had a few birds away and some more than others so it seems getting a full return was a good thing as all were in the loft first to last in 30 mins not quite 5 mins like week before but hey its still early and target races start in 3 weeks time so well happy with the team at present we were 8th 9th 10th club this week ...116 miles next week and 165 week after so things will get interesting soon enough and have much more time on my hands over the next few weeks also the hens are coming out this week as they were in egg last week ,we have 6 hens primarily for the scottish races ...hope other members faired well this weekend and enjoyed their racing atb

Fed here had the first race point up at 6.30. 2nd point, shorter hour later. So far two clubs have reported. London club. About 12 lofts, many birds. Winner doing over 1400 mpm. All close. Was in that club years ago. Cleaned up on a 800 mile race. Tough one. They did not tell me I had won a trophy till a year later. Sore losers some of them.

halcanada81 wrote:

Fed here had  the first race point up at 6.30. 2nd point, shorter hour later. So far two clubs have reported. London club. About 12 lofts, many birds. Winner doing over 1400 mpm. All close. Was in that club years ago. Cleaned up on a 800 mile race.  Tough one. They did not tell me I had won a trophy till a year later. Sore losers some of them.

Just had the little fat bloke on the phone here Hal & he was seeing red I'm as the local Vet is up to his old tricks down here   again & the season hasn't even started as such. 2 teams wasn't enough for the poor bloke in his pursuit of a result, come race day as now has a new boy on the bloke calls himself Walker Grizzles etc. Be interesting to see how many grizzles he actually races come up with on race day type of thing. End of the story average man would put 30/40 birds in a race on average here & he requires now 3 teams of 50 in the hope of just dropping one out of the sky apparently.
*****

Two things here Oldstrain. A. the flak that they got in past... scared to release unless perfect. but then the reality still hasn't come home to them - no pun intended, that it will never be perfect! Good to great some times.

Also the very fact they don't give our feathered any merit of their substance and abilities.

Yes there are, have been poor race day, obviously. And will be disasters and bad days in future no doubt. But this molly coddle shambles ism and always will be to the detriment of our birds... and sadly to the fancier!

Now, that Barnsley lib for example.
Was twice, in about 10 years past when One side of the MI in Sheffield returns were great. Across the road, Rochdale they were very poor!
However the simple reason was thought to be that Rochdale side had heavy down pours, where as Sheffield etc. was dead opposite. Now it is very hard to control that once the birds are up. Or even before liberation.

I also do take on board the thankless task and abuse the 'Race Controllers have often had. Yes many time deplorable.

Daz wrote:

Two things here Oldstrain. A. the flak that they got in past... scared to release unless perfect. but then the reality still hasn't come home to them - no pun intended, that it will never be perfect! Good to great some times.

Also the very fact they don't give our feathered any merit of their substance and abilities.

Yes there are, have been poor race day, obviously. And will be disasters and bad days in future no doubt. But this molly coddle shambles ism and always will be to the detriment of our birds... and sadly to the fancier!

Now, that Barnsley lib for example.
Was twice, in about 10 years past when One side of the MI in Sheffield returns were great. Across the road, Rochdale they were very poor!
However the simple reason was thought to be that Rochdale side had heavy down pours, where as Sheffield etc. was dead opposite. Now it is very hard to control that once the birds are up. Or even before liberation.

I also do take on board the thankless task and abuse the 'Race Controllers have often had. Yes many time deplorable.

Go back in time etc Daz & many of those that had to make the hard decisions of when to liberate, flew by their seat of there pants & instint type of thing to a degree I would suggest as they didn't have all the modern day information that is available now for those saying when to go on race day as such. Now, being one of those here with my head on the chopping bloke in the past you just knew you were never going to please everyone & especially those that had bad returns on race days, even thou many may have had good returns on the day at the time on average. & take care.

Was a time, when the Oil Riggs being built in Scotland etc. that they paid the R.A.F. for a update and constant weather forecast. Simply because they were working with very expensive objects. Any bad weather spate could cost 000's and endanger life eve,
The would simple say what time would be doing what. Within a few minutes!

Now a fed- and others I believe - took up the same options.

Now long story short, club members said it was only right that the Oil companies paid for such! After all the R.A.F. Took Tax payers money! O.k. etc.

It was pretty good too as I recall.

But the problem arose when a small charge was to be paid by the pigeon clubs! I think, as I recall of hand, per member was be tween 25p - 50p. definitely never above 50p!

'What! What blooming cheek, we are being Charge twice! Once as r tax payers, and then this extra'!

I think about £20 per club.
Why, other tax payers throughout the country could say 'We also pay taxes. We don't fly pigeons! Why should we subsidise them'!
Both had a point I guess.
After much aggie bargee, the R.A.F sticking to their point - which was right as far as I was concerned. Indeed why should none members of a pigeon club be sponsored for free etc.

So it came to pass that it was no longer done!
Then 'Private concerns' did do a 'Forecast etc. Cost more lol.

The fact is that our feathered friends have the ability to return in ANY weather conditions if allowed to do so from birth.

Had them return in fog and snow storm in different situations at times.

It is a fact that fanciers have molly coddled them over the years that they have lost the will to fly in other than good conditions.

Only train in GOOD weather etc;

Just come and hear the ones living on the cliffs leaving on a foggy morning to go several miles for food and then returning in the evening etc;

Afraid our feathered friends have been progressively ruined both in ability and health.

Regards.

we have changed race day so we basket sat for a sunday race ,should be a headwind 116 miles from ilkeston

Well oldstrain, that will do them good - if need be - for the next week … after a decent rest.

yes its the first real race after 2 tail enders from 60 and 85 miles next week we start to get interesting though 165 miles we are hoping to get them up to thornton in scotland later in the programme so dont want to burn them out early season as we only have 11 cocks to race ,we have 4 on natural all yearlings aimed for this race and the yearling classic a few weeks before that ,we also 7 widowers 2,3,4 year olds aimed at hexham and aycliffe amalgamation races with the derby fed and the welsh north rd these are new races as birdage is getting less and less ,last week saw 700 birds liberated but in the amalgamation its about 2000 thornton is a amalgamation race to and a lerwick club classic race

Our first one was a head wind and probably the same this week if they go

peel bros wrote:

Our first one was a head wind and probably the same this week if they go

Just curious here etc Ray Being a head wind on the day what actual velocity were the best birds doing etc .

oldstrain wrote:

yes its the first real race after 2 tail enders from 60 and 85 miles next week we start to get interesting though 165 miles we are hoping to get them up to thornton in scotland later in the programme so dont want to burn them out early season as we only have 11 cocks to race ,we have 4 on natural all yearlings aimed for this race and the yearling classic a few weeks before that ,we also 7 widowers 2,3,4 year olds aimed at hexham and aycliffe amalgamation races with the derby fed and the welsh north rd these are new races as birdage is getting less and less ,last week saw 700 birds liberated but in the amalgamation its about 2000 thornton is a amalgamation race to and a lerwick club classic race

Hard to burn good young birds out etc I suggest O/S tough as nails I've found if allowed to be that way as such.

I get the impression, oldstrain, you fly from a 'Mixed Bag' regards systems.

  Good to see plans for the birds in place. Mind, a quiver of arrows is one thing. But often a alternative has to come about from happenings unforeseen.
plan 2 - 3 even  for seldom, if ever in our sport goes to plan eh!

Last weeks Fed winner. 1430 mpm. 4 clubs About 35 members flew. Birdage about 800.

well for me today looks the better day to race but we changed to sunday ah well cant always get it perfect eh ,should be an early lib tomorrow with rain moving in mid morning se wind

we go tomorrow, 20hens to hereford, 20 cocks to bath