Training regime

What are members thoughts on training young birds, their feed, and rest ?
Should one push them, or should one take it easy, and the issue of burning out the birds reserves.

i would wait while the ybs are ranging for about an hour and have been doing this for a while as they are taking in all the landmarks around where you live....then i think its time to train them.

i personaly dont train my younbirds until they come off dark which is the longest day of the year ,bourges race ,even if they are flying for an hour or so dont train until a month before racing,

i agree ian, i dont think its wise to start them too soon as when you start to train ybs they seem to stop ranging...maybe wrong but mine seemed to even tho they only had a few just to give them some idea.

I myself think the main thing with young birds is to school them well on good days and not to push them when they are still growing but always give plenty of food as they are only young for one season

I have known fanciers only train young birds the year they are born and race them as yealings and they have won and won well but they have been school well and not had the stuffing knock out of them

don, how much corn do you feed ybs...i give them one and a quarter oz, bearing in mind i havent raced them is this too much or not enough?

David

I think that is o.k until you start racing them and as soon as they start playing about and not doing what you want them to do for you cut the amount of food down until you have a balance

When you call the young birds they do not mess about but are not starving also when you feed them the next morning check to see if they have digested there feed if not leave in the loft as this can make the birds sick and the last thing you want is the team not well

yes don, this had been a problem for me with the 08 ybs, getting the balance right so that they will come in or not and if they will fly for a reasonable time or not....plus when i bought corn many times they never had the same corn and it seemed to effect how they flew in excercise....

ive been told that ybs need to be well schooled and well trained, but like you say niel it may be a fine line in over doing it......but they need good food and rest i would think.

the trick is like you say not to over do it dont burn them out before you start racing i reckon about three tosses a week at about 30 mile should do it

Im convinced the 30 mile tossing, in all directions on different days would do the trick.
Not burning them, let their mind working a lot, also nice exersise
Tossing them 30 mile 3 times in the line of race before racing.

yes i agree niel but i have only trained in line of flight

You could still swing direction from short tossing?

yes dead right

ive heard of fanciers training on the line of flight only...to get them used to breaking away at the right point, also heard that some train either side of the line incase they stray of course and they know where they are....dont know if its right.

If you sprint then the wind direction plays a big part but if you have a bad race and your pigeons get pulled of line then they are lost

If you can train in different directions this makes them use there brains and not rely on follow the leader

Every top pigeon does not need the next pigeon to take him home they know what they are doing

do you mean different directions all round or just off the line ?

Just of the line of fight

Just 5 miles left and right of the line of flight

so is that just so that if they get slightly off course they know where they are ?

Yes David make the pigeons use what is between there two eyes

Many years ago trained on a line of flight and if the wind was in a different dirction they would be coming all day

i remember when we raced before, if they came straight down the middle in front of the loft it was a good one....but if they came from the side or the back it was no good.

if they came from the back had they gone past ?