Wiley

Your Dutch friend Darren wouldn't be pulling your leg, but feeding 4 times a day sounds like a lot of hard work especially if your a working man like myself. We can make racing pigeons so hard, and feeding twice a day for the distance myself seems adequate, however if you have all day to potter about around the lofts to feed 4 times by all means give it a try, your friend may have let you into a big secret. Peanuts, safflower and sunflower pips, are very and in my opinion the most important feed you can use on build up to a race. My own birds would have at least 6 peanuts per day, and sunflower hearts they would receive mixed into the grains. One of the best distance fanciers I know uses safflower as a trapping mix so in fact the birds would get a good dose of safflower morning and night

Sprint racing, I like to use jealousy, distance I like to give a pigeon it's first baby of it's life or first baby of the year

Tony well talk when I pop round some time next week mate if that's alright

No good this week 65 slowly climbing remember I was bottom at one point

I've known a few convoyers and feed merchants who supply or supplied our vehicles and they basically said it was an all rounder mixture that was supplied

Thank you currently on the iPhone so cannot get the site up as requires flash but will have a look when on the laptop

The birds start to get into a morning routine, I work nights so most stuff done around the lofts are in the mornings. Half the team are just going down on eggs now, no artificial lighting is used however I still expect all to be laid out in 14 days. The other half will be paired 17 days before the first race, which is usually the weekend closest to 14th April, with the intention of the birds sitting 5 days prior to the race. No pigeons will ever sit more then 10 days and none will rear, they will rear the first young birds later in the year. After sitting they then are on widowhood. The birds currently have only just really started to go out and have been locked in since September they are only giving me 15 minutes however theyre time in the air will increase as will there fitness. Once they have been flying for 4 weeks I will then be paying attention on the weather and consider training the birds on good days, when the temp is ten degrees minim and there is no east in the wind. However before any training takes place I will get them tested by a vet.

Lot 7 looks a stormer Paul all the best with the sale

What a tail wind forecast :lol:

As I've said before I spend a lot a lot of time, concentrating on feed, and it is one of my main subjects that I love to discuss, as I am always on the search to improve my knowledge, and to try and improve and go further then the previous season. Consequently I have been having conversations as of late with many distance men, and a similarity seems to cropping up by some which has intrigued me, and would like to share it with you guys to gather your opinions. This is not what every fancier I spoke to nor will I mention who does this and who does what. However it involves the build up of pigeons with mixtures quiet similar in protein carbs and fats for a period of 14 days, to which they constantly add fats in form of peanuts or sunflower hearts. However 2 days prior to the race the birds no longer receive this equal mixture, but then go onto a mix of diat, with the opinion that the birds would eat extremely well in the crates taking mainly the maize Ect more, due to the fact they have been deprived of it. Would be good to hear anyone's opinion and whether or not they had tried something similar?

Thanks Alex, I don't know any where down here that stocks Natural grains, I will have to have a look at the said mixture when I go to one of the shows this year. Darren, I will keep use upto date, like I said it will in my opinion take a bit of tweaking regarding measurements as it is so easily digestible, I feel I will have to up the quantity. I will be making a full bag up, and start using this ASAP on one section, and notice any differences in exercise, pre season.

None at all Tony, all maize comes from the maize bag

Tony 1/3rds is popcorn maize. I must add the two commercial mixtures mixed together where not widowhood mixtures at all. And the third bag is popcorn maize

Andy, Hope I can answer your questions without giving the breakdown. Many widowhood mixes as far as I am aware contain peas of various kinds this does not have any. I feel it will be better due to it's extremely high fat content and it's high carb content. Believe me I have been searching for a mix similar to this to no avail, my mix contains the following to which I do not personally know a mix to have such a variety of grains a choice of what the birds want is always a good thing ; Popcorn maize,White Dari, paddy rice, safflower, red Dari, peeled oats, peeled barley, buckwheat, mung bean, peeled oats, hemp, French White wheat, linseed, groats, black rape, brown rice, and tares I would have to ask what mixture would you say it look siimilar to?

Darren, the maples I get come from a farm, in which the odd tic beans are mixed amongst them, so which I stated 100% maples wasn't in fact true now thinking about it probably 90% maples 10% tic beans. But they are very clean and the grain is good quality otherwise it wouldn't be offered to the birds. When I feed the birds this maples and tic beans mix, they get this as much as they want to they no longer eat any then this feed will be removed, however every time it is offered to them the hooper will be full. Monday evening is when things start to become tweaked, they no longer get what I call a full stomach and the food then becomes measured but all feeding is done in the hopper never in the box. They only thing the birds receive in there box is any treat seeds usually a 3 finger pinch, which is present already in there boxes, before the doors are opened, this has always coated in aniseed oil, the birds crave it, and as we race to open doors encourages the cock or hen to trap straight to her box as they know a reward is waiting for them. Regarding a build up, a few years ago this was common practice not for us but for many, however we feel there is no need to build the birds up unless the birds are getting up the road abit basically anything over 230 miles. Upto this distance we feed a measure but because we feed it in the hopper we can not assure each pigeon is getting a certain measure. However the reason we do feed on the hopper is for our birds to be communal, I've done feeding cocks in a box, racing cocks boxed and we find them too aggressive in the baskets and we prefere nowadays to send the birds calm. However I thought has been going on my head to feed a section in the boxes and only introduce a hopper feed on a Friday day of basketing to maybe cause a form of motivation but my minds playing with that idea at the moment. This mix will only be used on one section to compare any differences

All I'm prepared to say at the moment is it's a combination of two different mixture from two different feed manufactures mixed with popcorn maize, all at equal parts. I think it would also suit young bird and hens racing Feed all the time, but I can only put it to the test. The problem I will find with it I feel is how easily digestible it is, because of it's digestion rate, will make it hard to gauge on how much each bird should receive.

Gentleman I have been playing or experimenting with feed god knows since when, I've recently conducted a mixture I am tempted to race on this season for sprinting only. It is very rich in carbohydrates and fats, however low in protein and very easily digestible. I am interested in your opinions on how it looks and would you feed it for the sprints? I am a big believer in protein should be used on return from racing, maples 100% will be offered to the birds on return and 3 feeds afterwards for repairing the muscles and recovery and then onto the mixture below, opinions would be accepted good or bad, however I feel it offers a wide range and choice of grains

Above is a photo of my good blue cock, who this year is 6 years old, he is a Lefebre Dhaenen x Marcelis x Lemputeen, he himself is a 3 times 2nd federation winner, plus many many more prizes in club and federation, each time he was 2nd fed, he was also 2nd club, always the bridesmaid. His father was a 2nd federation winner and his mother topped the federation and also had a whole stack of fed, club and combine cards, and his grandsire is my Greedy Guts cock who himself topped the federation numerous times. I took the decision this year to take this cock out of racing and put him into stock as he bred me two very consistent hens last season. I have a real soft spot for this pigeon as well as he is a character around the loft I relish the prospect of getting some cocks out of him to race

Best of luck with them

When you pair up son, it will change

I don't mean to cause a'FENCE' but can't see anything

It used to be ommon practice when racing natural young birds ect, but seems every year we pair up earlier and earlier

Starting to get the birds in a routine with regular exercise with the hope in starting to train in 4 weeks time

The simple things work wonders although by next weekend that will be gone and an aviary will be taking it's place ;-)

Your right, I find if they are successful kept pure then they will be crossed with the Taskers