andy Burgess's Content - Page 275

"not myself who was in the Novice position this time yet Jim McGuire , Walter,s near neighbour and new club mate". this will be part 1 of a two part session. i have wondered how a new start could do so well from the off-set. i know other members are also very interested , so will let Walter tell us in his own words ,,,,,,,,,,, BY Walterboswell59// NOVICE Yes Andy, James had a fantastic season as he had never even kept a pigeon as a boy so I was starting with a blank slate. His daughter Karen chapped on my door last year at the end of May and said her dad was retiring through ill health from the entertainment scene (he is a drummer and singer and did the rounds in the pubs and clubs) but now has a heart problem and some kind of thrombosis in his legs and has stents in both. Anyway Karen said the family were getting worried about him sitting in the house all day and wanted to get him into a hobby he could do from the house and that would keep him on the move. When they asked him what interested him, he said as a boy he lived next door to a pigeon fancier and the guy used to pay him 50p to clean out his loft and he always wanted a loft of his own but his mother would not let him. Just a wee loft with six pigeons would do Karen told me and they had already ordered a loft which would be here in a few weeks. Thatâ€™s how it started and I told Karen I would be glad to help in anyway I could and invited her and her dad to come over on the Saturday and see the birds coming home from the race. Saturday came and Jim and Karen came over, the first bird came and hit the board and I saw Jim's eyes light up. Brilliant he said, that's what I want. Ok I said, I'll breed you some latebreds and see if some of the guys in the club will breed you some which they did. I then taught him how to handle a pigeon, then how to catch a pigeon as he did not have a clue but was keen to learn. I won the race that week which he thought was great! I told him to come over anytime he liked that he was welcome anytime. He came over six times that year and every time he was over, I won the race. This is great he said! I laughed and said, aye its great when you win. It's taken me years to get to this level and lots of hard work. What do I need to do he said, I'll do what ever you say and true to his word he has to the letter which worried me a wee bit. I don't mind telling you because I had told him if he was prepared to do what I told him and put the work in he would win maybe not with his latebreds but deff with his young birds the following season and that his aim was to get some latebreds to play with and some good stock birds so as to breed as many youngsters as was comfortable with in his loft. I told him to save Â£300 and I'd speak to Michael Massarella for him and get 10 performance Bushaerts as they were a good all round pigeon as long distance racing and pigeons is a whole new ball game and a new start can get sickened off trying to build a team while still learning the game. Plenty time to get into distance racing later with a few seasons under his belt. Anyway, the loft came and to my horror it was a big garden shed with the overlap planks and no floor. Karen's boyfriend was doing the building so I did not want to interfere and was glad when Jim asked me what I thought he should do to make it a pigeon loft. Sending it back crossed my mind but the deal was done and I did not want to sound cheeky as i could see he was just pleased to have a loft. Needs a bit of work but we can fix it I said. First, get plywood for the floor, rip off the side halfway up and put chicken wire right across the full length and I've an old wooden sputnik over the road. We will fit that on then put a perspex overlap over the wire so the rain will not blow in then we will get perches in and a bale of easy bed on the floor. The loft is apex and only 6' 6" in the middle and only 5' 6" at the eves and Jim's a big guy, but thatâ€™s what we had to work with. The good thing was it was 8' wide and 14' long. We drilled holes all along the back wall and had the roof sitting up one inch all round as I had told him the importance of the air flow in a loft and that it must be 100% dry. I called Louella and the youngsters were on their way. The new perches came the morning the birds were due and Jim and I and the guy got them on the wall. As the birds arrived I gave him a drinker and a feeder and we started taking the yb out the boxes, 10 in all, 5 cocks 5 hens, thanks to Michael. I had told Louella not to vaccinate them as I'd explained to Jim the problems you can have with birds that are vaccinated in beside birds that are not and that we would jag them all at the same time when he had got the rest of the latebreds he was being given. Jim asked when would he let the Louella birds out and I said never, they are your stock birds. Next year you fill the loft with youngsters off them, at least six off each pair then if you want to let them out itâ€™s up to you. Would you let them out if they were yours he asked. No I would not because I know prisoners are a pest but you can get wiped in one toss and if that happens you can produce another yb team off them and also some of them are a bit strong you could let them out and lose them you can let out the yb I give you and the ones others are breeding you. We will make a small section and your Louella birds will be kept in there till next year till you get another loft for racing. This shed will do for young birds and your latebreds this year till you learn a bit about them. Jim's wife Netty said another loft thought you wanted a garden shed with six doos Jim and I started laughing. Jim said if the man says I need another loft, I need another loft. How much is that going to cost me Mr Boswell? Just what you can afford Netty I said. He also needs baskets and a clock which I can give him. Jim said no I want ets same as yours. See what you have started Mr Boswell! Every time you come over here it costs me a fortune and she laughed. Oh, and he also needs to join the club I said. As I went out the gate smartish, yer teas great I said lol. See you in the morning and we will get the loft sectioned off. That done, he ended up with about 18 latebreds. I was over everyday for Nettyâ€™s tea and sausage on roll and keep an eye on Jim. I told him to put the latebreds in a basket and sit them on a table in front of the loft so they can get a good look at the front and roof of the shack, I mean shed. This he did for a week a few hours each day and when returning them to the loft put them in through the sputnik taking away the fear of dropping in when not in the basket. They were put in the sputnik to see out and about and I told him to check their crops for a few days to make sure they were all eating and let them eat as much as they wanted then lift the rest each night. After a week to ten days, I told him to open the sputnik but to only give them half a feed the night before. This he did and broke them all and after a few days they started to batch. I had bred some latebreds too so we let them out together. I then told him it was now time to teach them he was the boss and the way to do that is the feed tin. I'd say itâ€™s the biggest mistake most fanciers make over feeding. Fat birds don't want to fly and don't win races. A good mixture, a spot of conditioner and clean water add a wee bit barley to the mix if youâ€™re not sure your giving them enough and correct the amount till there is just a few grains of barley left in the tray and you have it. After six weeks the latebreds were flying 3 and 4 hours a day going away one direction and coming back half hour later in another direction. 2 or 3 weeks of this and we were ready to train them. It was now the last week in October and the forecast was good for the next few days but more important the visibility was good from a short distance. Cold or rain does no harm but they must be able to see where they are and where they are going. I normally start mine with the first toss 20 miles as long as they have been ranging the way I've said but because Jim was crapping himself, we only went 13 miles and I'd told him only a light feed early the day before or they would not trap. Sat for 15 mins then up they went. Jim was shaking, hope they get home he said as we came over the top of a hill. I said, look what can you see, the county buildings, correct 18 stories high. Our lofts are 1 mile behind that and if our birds can't see that their better staying away. We were home about 10 mins when the birds came. Mine all trapped, Jim's kept flying for another half hour. If that was a race you were beat I said. He was still shaking the tin. Why will they not come down and yours did? Because you gave yours to much feeding yesterday I said. Lesson learned and he never did it again. After four tosses from 13 miles, we moved them up to 20 miles and had six from there but we started get hit by Percy so moved to 25 miles. Had two or three from there then started to get hit. By now it was late November and we had about 16 tosses and dropped a couple due to Percy strikes so I told Jim that would do them for now. Let them moult and we will start them again last week in January. Another 16 tosses up to 30 miles and into the training van for 7 tosses up with other birds. The night of basketing for the first race was on us and Jim was down to 13 of his latebreds. How many will I send he said. All of them every week. Our fed has 6 races all under 180 miles, perfect for latebreds and great education. Then you stop them and keep them till next year. Jim said I hope Iâ€™m not last! Everyone gets their turn at last but don't worry, you won't be. You just want them all home and a ticket is a bonus. That would be great Jim said and have I really got a chance, your not just saying that. No way I said, you have put the work in and if the birds are any good, no reason why you should not be in shake up. You don't have many but what you have are well schooled, not over fed and you know they are healthy and fit. The race came. a bird hit my loft and straight in. I walked to the loft and looked in to see what bird it was, I turned round and Jim was at my back. Iâ€™ve got one. Iâ€™ve got one! Well done I said, Iâ€™ve got one too. Time are you in and when I told him he said ah s** t, you beat me by 7 seconds. Sorry pal I said, we both laughed and he was still shaking lol. You might not be far away I said as I did not see another bird for 5 or 6 minutes. When we went to the club, I was first, Jim was second. He was over the moon and so was I for him. He went to six races with his latebreds and was left with 9 and was 2nd 3rd 4th and 4th from the six he sent too. He now truly had the bug and was keen as mustard. You will be on a level footing with the young birds I told him. Do you think I have a chance of a first? That would be great to win a race in my first year! If you put in the same time and work with the yb you will win and we will make sure you have a team not a dozen, 50 rings and make sure you fill them all. Jim asked me if I won a lot with young birds. I get my turn I said but its all distance birds I have now and the only way I should win with them is if the sprint guys donâ€™t have their young birds ready. Mine are always ready so I can sneak one in now and again but your birds will knock the s** t out of mine because you have sprinters in your team and Iâ€™ll make sure you have them ready. In Part 2 Iâ€™ll tell you what treatment they got and how his youngsters were trained and raced to win the young birds average and knock the s** t out of me lol. Feel free to ask or comment. Now guys, hope itâ€™s of interest to some and itâ€™s better than pigeon politics any day. I need tea after that night. Just to add, our birds were trained on the old route down the centre I told Jim that we donâ€™t train youngsters from the east even though our fed program was down the east side. We are in the west so we need our youngsters to learn to fight for a line on the top side or we are beat. By learning them bad habits, youngsters trained from the east always come out the east when racing. Thatâ€™s ok for old birds but we want our young birds homing on the line of flight as much as possible. The same with our latebreds, train on the line of flight and let them find there own breaking point and itâ€™s in there head for life but thatâ€™s jmo. THE FIFER (ADMIN) http://fiferpigeons....lueyonder.co.uk