TheSaddler

My sprinters only have 9 races per year! It's not going to become 8! They'll have a rest next week anyway! Youve gotta be in it to win it!

Excellent post Jack

1486 from exeter - Birds came well - Had shocker in the worcester fed - below 1400 - Birds all over the place from Kingsdown - Some experienced birds very late. 100% returns in both clubs for me - I have not got a clue how I managed that! Not a good day race today - 100% cloud cover..

Twice a day for me in every loft - stock, y'b's and old birds - Not for the pigeons though - For me, I hate to see anything looking a mess!

Mike - Whats the cheapest or best product to use? Is COXOID from Harkers any good? Or do you prefer something else

Jimmy - When you go to the doctors with a chest infection what does he give you? antibiotics? Does he test you? Do you take them? If so why? Do you recover quicker with or without the antibiotics? Does this weaken your immunity? If so why have doctors not stopped prescribing antibiotics? I agree partly with what your saying (a sick bird will never be a good bird) but you have to acknowledge that every bird will be sick at some point - Whether there are visible outward signs is a different matter - I've not seen canker since the early eighties but trust me my birds have had high counts! There is a place for using certain medications.

I don't care too much about the name of an organisation. Far too many people get hung up the name - Afterall it's only a name. I also dont take too much notice of who's won! I look at the people just that little bit down the sheet who race to a disadvantaged position and who send low birdage - the winners of national races (although having the highest velocities) are not always the best birds/fanciers. I dont think we need to change anything - In my opinion competition is healthy. Just my opinion though..

Mike, Winners in the 1550's for the Worcester Fed by me - Split times though and plenty behind me. All birds home on the day for me. Doing 1535 from Taunton - 3rd/4th Club - Look behind on the fed here too.. There always next week...

Fair comments Mike - If had Friday off next week I'd have sent to the MCC - Should be a good race- weather permitting. I left some pigeons in the loft this week in case they hit a sticky race - Luckily it was ok. Last year we had one really bad race (the one with all the rain) and that knocked my pigeons right off form. I agree with what you're saying - Its better to be safe than sorry - Especially with a big race just around the corner.. I'm doin 2hrs 2 today - 103.671 miles - Same hen for the last four weeks - Off to the club now - Fingers Crossed..

I've had nearly all my Worcester Fed birds back Mike (2 missing) - Big gaps though!

The guys I was thinking of are mentioned in here:- http://www.pipay.be/artikelsnew/differentwriters/moenseng.htm What do you reckon of our new manager Mike - Bizarre Aint it!

Using antibiotics weekly will lead to problems - The pigeons will develop a resistance to it and when you do get real problems - Your up a creek without a paddle..

Some may laugh at my suggestion - but feed them 50/50 widowhood/breeding mix sun to wed - then 100% widow mix thurs and Fri morning.. This is how i feed my cocks.. The high protein breeding mix will get the weight back - Also you may want to try something to boost the digestive system on a sun/mon - therefore getting them to eat more -- There's plenty of cheap/natural products on the market that will do this.

Its hard to explain - Corky is probably the best term - The muscles need to be supple but hard - You have to handle a winning pigeon and then one thats out of condition to see what I mean. It only comes with experience. I spent ten years verifying winning pigeons as a young lad to understand why my pigeons where being beaten. The winning pigeons had this feeling - There's no excess fat and they just bulge in the hand. The muscle just pushes each side of the keel.... I cant put it in words, you just know when you pick the bird up... Can anyone explain how a fit pigeon handles - I always find it easier to pass someone a pigeon and say it should be like this.... This is the drawback of the internet..

Mike, Moens birds are flying well into the black country - I know quite a few well known names are having success with them - And I know a few more bought them over the winter months. I have no idea what lines they bought though.

Worcester Fed at Wincanton and Bromsgrove Fed at Wellington

For cocks - You can see when they are exercising - They fly in straight lines and then split into all different directions - For me this lets me know the team is ready. Individually - Each pigeon has its own charecteristics - My best hen hovers forwards and backwards between perches - This lets me know shes keyed up. The comment about the droppings is also critical - they must be perfect. I use the colour of the skin as my main guide - but as you can see from other threads this is just a personal opinion and not all agree. Handling the bird they should feel hard/corky and the feathers should be silky.

Train them hard but not too much racing!

All birds have pink skin irrespective of feather colour

For my nom birds I always look for pink flesh and a blood bubble in the keel bone. Can someone explain why this happens? Or what it is? I find it occurs after using some form of iron product - For example Iron Tonic or Johnsons Pigeon Tonic - What are peoples opinion on this? I've also seen these bubbles explode and create a dark colour in the skin - In my experience these birds are then off form. Does anyone have a scientific explanation for these bubbles? Note not all my winners have it! I'd say 60% do!

Dave, Its mainly the cocks - The hens are very keen - Cause they are very jealous of the other hens. The best traps I have are when I have a cock and hen together - The hens go straight in and the cocks follow!

It took me 20 years to learn not to train old birds. For me it's cheaper, easier and better to watch the birds exercise around home. Young birds are different - (I think) - Because I cant perform half as good when I exercise these around the loft.

I had the same problem - I travel back to my mom and days house twice a day to manage my birds. Been doing it for five years now. It doesn't please the mrs but my results have even got better - I think I give the birds more peace and quiet this way.

Mike, Chris Nichol would do a good job again for walsall - He'd create a well oranised big side... I'd even beg Ray Graydon to return - We need to get rid of Bonser first though! Megson would be my choice but i dont know if he'd come to bescot to manage glamour clashes against Accrington Stanley! At least he'd bring some discipline. Regarding the cocks not trapping - I think i'm going to leave things as they are, hopefully as the yearlings get used of the widowhood system they'll start to get more motivation. Once where a few races in I'll try a few motivation tricks and see if that improves thing. (cheers for that one greengrass) The posts regarding habits as young birds are valid - My yb's go through a trap (off a landing board - The widowers go through an open door - This may be the reason - I'll have to change the way I train my young birds. Cheers to everyone for there advice.

Frank - there in form (i've won three of the four races i've entered) but I missed topping the fed by 10 seconds last week. Two came together and the played up... I've seen other people get cocks to rocket through open doors - And I wanted to know how to acheive this? Is it motivation that does it?