training distance

how far do you train or how far do you think ybs need to be trained we usually go 25 mile but is it really necessary or would plenty of chucks at half the distance suffice ...what are members thoughts/views

when I raced ybs in 2014 season I only took mine to Pontefract race course, which is approx. 12 - 15 to me, I took them every day and in the first race I would have took the first 5 positions, but they wouldn't trap, they sat on the loft just looking at me........ , our club sec lives a stones throw away and him and another members witnessed them arrive.

this was only from 56 miles though and after they failed to trap I altered my feeding which I shouldn't have done, and it took them weeks before they were up with the first birds again.

we try to take ours 30mls 4 times a week weather permitting for young and old birds as we fly natural with old birds and young

That is a 'depends' question. If they are flying and roaming, fewer tosses are needed. Many have different schedules. Some train hard, others not with basically same results.

halcanada wrote:

That is a 'depends' question. If they are flying and roaming, fewer tosses are needed. Many have different schedules. Some train hard, others not with basically same results.

True Hal Simple equation from my perspective    . If you wish to spend money hours & pigeons that need flogging down the road etc to get a result, buy the same. If on the other hand you wish to take an easier avenue buy the same . Now !!! figure this one out as which boat I belong too. Certain blokes here are already down the road tossing etc with our first race being the 2nd week in June & I still have babies in the nest that haven't gone over to the race loft yet.

with y/birds no farther than 12ml because i cannot afford to go any farther

my main problem training myself is cats, obviously the pigeons get home before me and there`s no one there to call them in, so they are prey to cats.......

tether that beast outside the loft

oldstrain wrote:

how far do you train or how far do you think ybs need to be trained we usually go 25 mile but is it really necessary or would plenty of chucks at half the distance suffice ...what are members thoughts/views

When I raced before I was in partnership with my real partner - we are now married and are going to race as Mr & Mrs.

Anyway, YB training:-

In our first year, we won the club's Young Bird Trophy. We won every race bar 2 in the whole young bird calendar.

In our second year of racing young birds - we won Everything and every race, sometimes taking the first 4 places.

We topped the Fed in the Young Bird Championship race from Picauville. There were ONLY three birds back in race time and we had Two of them. We had our names and pictures on the front page of both of the pigeon comics!

We used to train twice a week by car (our car) and maybe once a week with the club for the first couple of weeks. Starting off at 8 miles from the loft then working up to around 20 to 25 miles. Then we did ALL our own training, week in and week out. After than, when the race distances got a bit greater, we started training by car in early morning liberating around 09:30 or late afternoon around 18:00, gradually increasing the distances of the training tosses.

In our Fed most of the birds went directly up the River Severn towards Gloucester. We had to get our birds to break early and not follow the birds up the Severn but to find their own lines. The problem being, if our birds followed the rest up the Severn and then had to peel off to Stroud, they would be wasting time.

I don't believe in only training up to 20/25 miles. I think it is important to train at much greater distances. I also think that it is important where you liberate your birds on training tosses.

At the end of the day, there are only two types of pigeons, leaders and followers. If you want to win and win again, your birds have to be leaders so they need to know as early as possible where they are going. And that might not be in the direction that most of the birds are going.

I remember quite clearly that, sometimes, we would have two or three birds home minutes before anybody else in the club had birds, which to me means that they were leaders and therefore knew the fastest way home.

So, in a nutshell, I believe the following:-

1. Training up to and possibly beyond 60 miles from the loft gives you the edge, and

2. The direction that you train from is probably more important.

As for how many times a week, it really depends on the type of birds you have. If you have a slower maturing type of bird, then you need to take things a bit easier. I think two or three times in the car or with the club is perfectly OK, as long as they are flying well around the loft and disappearing several times during their training time. I don't believe in flagging the birds unless they are particularly lazy.

Feeding is very important with young birds as they are not very motivated by their loft yet or the person who is looking after them, and of course by their very nature not so keen on the opposite sex until you get to the longer races. You have to feed for the amount of exercise the birds are doing whether that is around the loft or on training tosses. Too much corn will inhibit their desire to come into the loft, and not enough corn will stunt their growth, it is all a matter of balance.

Also, there is a question about what time of da to train. I have trained from almost first light in the morning to when it is starting to get dusk at night. I sincerely believe it is good to give your birds training flights at different times of the day. What we need to try and do is to emulate the times of when we would expect them to be liberated in a race.

I find the whole subject of training - young birds in particular - very interesting.

However, there are big questions regarding training:-

1. Do you have the time?

2. Do you have the money to pay for the fuel?

3. Should you be training YOUR birds with other people's birds, for instance other club members' birds?

Again, I believe it is pretty essential to give your birds experience of flying, training, and breaking if necessary from other birds. As we know, pigeons will club together but I believe one of the secrets to doing very well with all ages of pigeons is getting them think for themselves and, if necessary, breaking from the bunch as early as possible. Again, we are talking about leaders and not the kind of bird that just follows the pack.

When our club/Fed was getting ready to fly the birds across the channel, most of the members would still train their birds on a line as if they were coming from Plymouth or Exeter. I worked out that this direction was completely wrong so I started training our birds on a line from Poole in Dorset because I believed that our birds would come across the channel and hit the English coastline around the Isle of Wight area. Therefore it was pointless to train birds from Exeter or Plymouth because they wouldn't be going anywhere near those places.

They say the proof is in the pudding and the fact that we topped the Fed from Picauville and had two of only three birds clocked in race time proves that my theory and training was correct.

I hope this helps.

Phil

blueskylofts wrote:

oldstrain wrote:

how far do you train or how far do you think ybs need to be trained we usually go 25 mile but is it really necessary or would plenty of chucks at half the distance suffice ...what are members thoughts/views

When I raced before I was in partnership with my real partner - we are now married and are going to race as Mr & Mrs.

Anyway, YB training:-

In our first year, we won the club's Young Bird Trophy. We won every race bar 2 in the whole young bird calendar.

In our second year of racing young birds - we won Everything and every race, sometimes taking the first 4 places.

We topped the Fed in the Young Bird Championship race from Picauville.  There were ONLY three birds back in race time and we had Two of them.  We had our names and pictures on the front page of both of the pigeon comics!

We used to train twice a week by car (our car) and maybe once a week with the club for the first couple of weeks.  Starting off at 8 miles from the loft then working up to around 20 to 25 miles.  Then we did ALL our own training, week in and week out.  After than, when the race distances got a bit greater, we started training by car in early morning liberating around 09:30 or late afternoon around 18:00, gradually increasing the distances of the training tosses.

In our Fed most of the birds went directly up the River Severn towards Gloucester.  We had to get our birds to break early and not follow the birds up the Severn but to find their own lines.  The problem being, if our birds followed the rest up the Severn and then had to peel off to Stroud, they would be wasting time.

I don't believe in only training up to 20/25 miles.  I think it is important to train at much greater distances.  I also think that it is important where you liberate your birds on training tosses.

At the end of the day, there are only two types of pigeons, leaders and followers.  If you want to win and win again, your birds have to be leaders so they need to know as early as possible where they are going.  And that might not be in the direction that most of the birds are going.

I remember quite clearly that, sometimes, we would have two or three birds home minutes before anybody else in the club had birds, which to me means that they were leaders and therefore knew the fastest way home.

So, in a nutshell, I believe the following:-

1. Training up to and possibly beyond 60 miles from the loft gives you the edge, and

2. The direction that you train from is probably more important.

As for how many times a week, it really depends on the type of birds you have.  If you have a slower maturing type of bird, then you need to take things a bit easier.  I think two or three times in the car or with the club is perfectly OK, as long as they are flying well around the loft and disappearing several times during their training time.  I don't believe in flagging the birds unless they are particularly lazy.

Feeding is very important with young birds as they are not very motivated by their loft yet or the person who is looking after them, and of course by their very nature not so keen on the opposite sex until you get to the longer races.  You have to feed for the amount of exercise the birds are doing whether that is around the loft or on training tosses.  Too much corn will inhibit their desire to come into the loft, and not enough corn will stunt their growth, it is all a matter of balance.

Also, there is a question about what time of da to train.  I have trained from almost first light in the morning to when it is starting to get dusk at night.  I sincerely believe it is good to give your birds training flights at different times of the day.  What we need to try and do is to emulate the times of when we would expect them to be liberated in a race.

I find the whole subject of training - young birds in particular - very interesting.

However, there are big questions regarding training:-

1. Do you have the time?

2. Do you have the money to pay for the fuel?

3. Should you be training YOUR birds with other people's birds, for instance other club members' birds?

Again, I believe it is pretty essential to give your birds experience of flying, training, and breaking if necessary from other birds.  As we know, pigeons will club together but I believe one of the secrets to doing very well with all ages of pigeons is getting them think for themselves and, if necessary, breaking from the bunch as early as possible.  Again, we are talking about leaders and not the kind of bird that just follows the pack.

When our club/Fed was getting ready to fly the birds across the channel, most of the members would still train their birds on a line as if they were coming from Plymouth or Exeter.  I worked out that this direction was completely wrong so I started training our birds on a line from Poole in Dorset because I believed that our birds would come across the channel and hit the English coastline around the Isle of Wight area.  Therefore it was pointless to train birds from Exeter or Plymouth because they wouldn't be going anywhere near those places.

They say the proof is in the pudding and the fact that we topped the Fed from Picauville and had two of only three birds clocked in race time proves that my theory and training was correct.

I hope this helps.

Phil

Interesting post Dr Phil Thank's. Ones man's way one could say & a credit to you for your effort in posting it here.

great read blue sky lofts

good post that phil I to believe the channel birds hit the poole /Portland area in channel races unless their is a very strong east or west wind

oldstrain wrote:

tether that beast outside the loft

you cant say that about my mrs Darren....................

yes, good post phil...some interesting points and info.

David wrote:

oldstrain wrote:

tether that beast outside the loft

you cant say that about my mrs Darren....................  

David wrote:

oldstrain wrote:

tether that beast outside the loft

you cant say that about my mrs Darren....................  

pmsl

do members still train their cocks if flying widowhood, once racing has started...?

I have a friend who races widow cocks nowt else he never trains once season has started be interesting to hear the replies