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Hello all,
I have a couple of youngsters cracking their 4th and 5th flight ,these birds stopped exercising around the loft so upon observation of these birds this is what it was ....

Question)= please can the forum members advise me if it would still be ok to continue training these birds if even to 15 mile ??also is it gospel that the 8th 9th 10th flights should prohibit the fancier racing them..

Thanks all..

DAVE

Interesting question look forward to reading the response.

I've raced/trained y/birds until the 8th is a third of the way up BUT didn't send any that were bald around the head/ears, that had lost the cover flights on their wings or 6th-7th-8th flight just pushing through. Heavy training will slow the moult down as will racing them sitting eggs.

interesting
mine on 8th 9th and 10th now but still exercising for over 1 and a half hours ranging aswell let the cocks out for exercise tonight at 5 pm think it was about 6.40 pm they came back

Hi Tony c.
Did not know that heavy training would slow them down ..you did not mention those blood quills that appear and look sore just as  the sheath breaks ?
Would you train then ?? I must say that my young ones are well apart from these quills bursting ,they just sit on the loft until the rest trap and then go in ..

A local fancier says it,s down to my feeding when the quills delay in letting the feather break through cleanly .Do you think this right??..

He does say also he races right up to the 9th flight as long as the time is just before the tenth one is falling ..

Thank you for your kind replys

DAVID

The pigeon will let you know if its ok to be trained, if its reluctant to fly leave it at home. You can also notice a pigeon flicking its wings when/if a flight is just bursting through and its finding it sore.
I've never seen one blood quill in my pigeons, can you put a photo on here showing one of these blood quills (just to make sure were talking about the same thing). If you feel their feed could be something to do with it you could try adding a tablespoon of linseed to every 20oz of feed you give them, add 10% depurative to their feed and feed until they start leaving the barley.

Personally, when they throw No8 primary, they are stopped racing (and training) as far as I am concerned.

Agree if the bird doesn't want to fly, then there is no point trying to train or race it. The bird is telling you its not comfortable on the wing just now, reason might not be plain, a couple of days on (when the flight bursts maybe) and it may be different?

Think the blood quill might be a sign that the bird has taken a knock?

Think the blood quill might be a sign that the bird has taken a knock?
if you can get your hands on the old hand book THE MANAGEMENT OF RACING PIGEONS  chapter 5 goes into more detail concerning blood quills and is well worth a read

A VERY GOOD POST.

The wing moult indicates when the big body moult is coming.This 8th flight stuff doesnt add up for me as the big moult is almost finished at this time. I know guys that have timed top 10 open in yb National on their 9th flight.Heres a contradiction to the above posts.

C'mon you Guys! It all depends on what your stables have been set for. There is nobody, and I mean NOBODY that could race  young birds in a competitive area,  without being on some sort of  anti-natural method. Winners are definately LorD. Thank God. LOL.

Quoted from Delboy

The wing moult indicates when the big body moult is coming.This 8th flight stuff doesnt add up for me as the big moult is almost finished at this time. I know guys that have timed top 10 open in yb National on their 9th flight.Heres a contradiction to the above posts.

When I started back again, I asked advice from a clubmate on racing youngsters well advanced in the wing moult. I was told that they can be raced until they are on their last 2. Based on that I sent a YB that had thrown both No8's and got him back well after the racing had finished. Nos 7 were both stunted, as were Nos 8, as were 4 of his tail feathers, and none of them were the same length. Didn't know about pulling feathers in those days, and because I would be embarrassed handing over a pigeon in that state at marking, I didn't race him as a yearling and instead let him moult out, only to lose him early on in the season as a 2 yo.

Based on that experience, and that in the main, my birds are less keen to fly when on 8,9 or 10, I watch No7's progress and try to judge when No8 is likely to drop, and if I have any doubt, the bird doesn't go.  

Quoted from Delboy

The wing moult indicates when the big body moult is coming.This 8th flight stuff doesnt add up for me as the big moult is almost finished at this time. I know guys that have timed top 10 open in yb National on their 9th flight.Heres a contradiction to the above posts.

I have continued to watch my birds' moult as before. Selected 10 birds for yesterday's (Saturday 23rd August) Ripon race, 157 miles to me. I have raced one with No8 showing around 1/4 up, and he was my 2nd pigeon home, rest are on No7 maximum and I had 9/10 within 45 minutes. Most of my previous race returns have been 100%.

No10 arrived tonight, the only thing that I can find 'wrong' with him was that he was sent with both No7s  -3/4- up; and has arrived back minus both No8s, possibly having dropped them in the basket.

That accords with my previous experience, dropping No8 onwards basically grounds the bird, and the flight takes ages to show and grow, so the bird misses too many races to be restarted on the road. I'll keep my current 'No8' going as racing is over in 2 weeks and he is now on eggs, which should retard moult enough to see him through to the last race I think.