BCBrian

That "special" thing that makes you think you might have a "good one" - before you fly. Having been in competition rollers for most of my life, I've always found it interesting to listen to different flyers "favorite thing" when they were looking over young birds prior to them developing. It seems every fancier has something that they say they "just like" do to the impression, that such features seem to bode well for a bird becoming a "good 'un". I'm not saying I believe in any of them, but I enjoy hearing which physical features people seem to really favour. One fellow I know figured that in his loft the ones with a touch of bronze in their wing bar seemed to be better than the average when they developed. Another, I know favored over-sexed cock birds, and another said his "low perch" henny cocks" were the ones that, more often than they should have, turned out to be superior specimens. In rollers, I hated the over-sexed cocks, finding them nothing but trouble, and often found that feature associated with non-kitting - these birds all sat on the top perches. On the other hand, I loved the cocks that were so henny as to be almost impossible to sex in the kit pens. But, now I'm in the process of learning about racing homers. Anyone out there want to share a physical feature in your own birds that, more often than not, seems to have some a better than average chance of being correlated to high finishes in the races? Geneticists tell us about "linkages" - so any of these observations could, in theory actually exist. Whether they are "actual" or just "percieved" - they are still fun to share and listen to.

When reading European based books and articles many of them advise feeding a "depurative" mix when the birds get home from a race. I see many adds for such mixes that are already pre-mixed as such. Out here in the wilds of British Columbia, most of the fanciers I know just buy their grain in bulk from the farmers - and then mix, according to need. My question is this. What is a "depurative mix"? What is it supposed to do? How does it do that? What are the properties of grains that are "depurative" - and why? How does one make such a mix, and how does one use it? Thanks.

I've experimented with a great many management systems over the last 35 years. The finest I've found, without a doubt, is the one I started using last year. With this method I use a deep (four to six inches) bed of hay (not straw) on the floors. The thick topping of hay acts to dry the droppings, as it doesn't really compress much, and the dry powdered dropping sift their way down through the many layers until they accumulate as a dry powder underneath the layer of hay. It is not dusty (except when I rake through it - to remove clumps under perches) and it smells great - and the birds love using it for nesting too. I did this after reading about a medical Dr. who was on the verge of giving up his birds due to his allergies to them. This method, he said made it possible to keep them again. The reason hay is specified (rather than the older oft-mentioned straw) is because it isn't hollow, doesn't compress, and actually forms a layered matrix through which the dropping fall though and while doing so, dry totally.The layers act keep the dust down underneath the grass. I clean the hay out totally once a year, while wearing a mask, after the moult is finished. If you aren't totally happy with your present way of doing things - you might want to give this method a try. I'm glad I did.

I'll be flying with the Okanagan Racing Pigeon federation, from just outside the city of Vernon - I live out towards Lumby. Our shortest races start at the town of 100 Mile House, in the Cariboo - our longest is to Meziadin Junction. Our series is a 12 race, old bird schedule, that culminates with a 950 Kilometer race to Meziadin Junction, north of the Alaska border. The old-bird race series starts with a 250Km race, then a 350Km, then a 400Km, a 500Km, a second 350Km, a 700Km, another 350Km,an 800Km, then a second 250Km, an 850Km, a third 250Km and finally, the 950 Km race. Then the young birds start, after a free weekend, and fly a five race series, a 250Km race, another 250Km, a 350 Km, a 400Km, and finally a 500Km race. It's a good course, losses are minimal (my good friend Chester Lompart, kept 30 out of 33 last year) and the times tend to be pretty fast (in the 1200 to 1400) range - for the longer races.The birds basically fly straight south-east over the rolling Cariboo Plateau - home to the Okanagan valley. I can't wait for the season to begin - but this year, all I'll be able to compete in is the young-bird races, of course.

Hello All! I'm new to this website and I'm glad I found it. I've competed with competition flyers (performing rollers) since the first formal competitions started in 1969. Five years ago I moved to a new location which has made roller flying difficult (do to it's surrounding topography) and I looked at many different options. Finally with the encouragement of a number of fine fanciers in BC's interior - I've decided to do what roller flyers call "Going over to the dark side" - and I've decided to get into racing homers. My first question is this. My altitude is about 1785 feet above sea level. A 6000 foot mountain range lies at an oblique angle to what would be the most direct path home, (flying from the north-west) from all of our differing race routes. My loft is about 10 miles from the mountain top - which can be reached by a road - it's a popular ski hill, called Silver Star, and you can see the mountain top from my loft. My plan was this. Perhaps my first training toss from the base of the mountain - about 5 miles away. After a few of those - do a few releases from the top of the ski hill. Then (using logging roads) work my way down the back side incrementally - so the birds learn the most direct route - over this range - rather than going past the range - and then swinging 90 degrees and coming down a valley from straight west. I'd like to see if I can train them to avoid the dogleg. Old flyers (none of whom are located "behind" the hill) say it might be a good plan - but they doubt the birds will fly over the range - but instead think they'll go around it. My thoughts are, that if they progressively learn the route over it (without learning about the dogleg) that they might just go over it. I'm going to try my theory out regardless - but I'd sure welcome any thoughts from people who may have tried to get birds to fly more direct routes over hills - rather than having birds take much less direct routes around them. I welcome your opinions. Thanks...