Ronnie

It really depends if you are after a race team or team to breed from.If you have stock birds race the full programme providing the birds are in good condition.If you want to breed of em next year then it may be wise to stop a few pairs half way through .Just my opinion i was in the same boat last year .I lost my stock birds when i moved house and have raced all my yearlings this year i will finish with maybe 3 pair worth breeding from providing the ones i sent to lessay get home tomorrow.My youngbird team is down to 20 after today i started racing with 25 .I did win today and took 3rd and 4th last week but to be hohnest i would forgo the race positions on these early races and rather have the birds home.

Never had rhe RP but i find the BHW is full of people writing about themselves and promoting there own pigeons instead of doing write up's and results.Also i notice a lot of results dont seem to get published until a certain fancier is in the cards or that just me being cynical? I do like the adverts in the back and allways go there first though lol.

Taylors choice in crewe is a two bird race .Jones brothers took first and seond and the single nom they walked away with 1240 pounds. Normal club race is about 6 pound for first prize.Specialist clubs pay more but most money is made up on pools if people pool the birds that is

Now as a beginner where do i begin. Ok my first young bird season i had 40 youngsters finished with 5 at the end of the racing season my second season had 40 youngsters finished with 30 at the end of the racing season this season ive bred 30 i'm on 25 at the beginning of the racing season. Most of my losses came BEFORE racing even started .And Most of my losses where second round younsters the last two years(the first year they were all bought or gift birds also on a side note i dont have any of the first seasons bird left at all now i lost the last two from tarbes due to inexperiance on my behalf).Now the only thing i blame is myself the first season my birds where fat and over fed and in poor condition due to inexperience on my behalf. Last years youngsters where fed all the could eat once a day for half an hour till the first race then put on 1 1/2 hounces of young bird mix(i think it was bamfords) mixed with 50% barley. Not only did the birds come well i could have taken a few first if i couldve trapped them but thats a different story(maybe to much food on friday).I also moved house and missed two races them broke my birds and raced the last two races and took two fed cards. Now make from this what you will but i put the majority of young bird losses down to to MUCH feed. I agree with Vic about the basket training ive not basket trained the this year or last yet the first year i basket trained .Also this year i havnt dipped a single young bird. And allthough i havnt won a 500 miler yet i did get the only bird on the day from Niort last weekend with a yearling thats 480 mile to me does that count?

Well done paulo shows quality not quantity is what counts.

I'm with the south west cheshire fed Dave i think they may have been up with the classic birds. 3 birds on the night is a good result

i clocked a yearling from niort at 18:50 only bird on the night in the club.480 miles to me

Niort with the oldun's Got this and lessay next week and thats me old bird season done.Youngun's was at Cheltenham four missing out of 12 sent but they sat on roof for 5 mins so i think i'm outa the card's.

gave mine a light feed this morning but just went in now and they felt empty so ive just given them another light feed.Lol probably just shot meself in the foot but getting them home is the main priority at the moment .I hope to compete well with youngsters but first two race's should be treated as training in my opinion .

Any back yet Peter?

Mine just dont speak to me.

The mecca of pigeon racing in my eyes well done everyone who even had the guts to enter maybe another two year and i will be sending .

surely this needs to be taken to an emergency meeting or something as all you guys are doing is airing your dirty washing in public now i dont know who did what when or how but reading through this thread something drastic needs to be done.I'm just glad i dont fly into scotland as being a relatively new starter i think this would be so dissheartening .I fly the NFC and am now starting to think well if its happened there it can happen anywhere even if nothing has happened.Please Guy's get this sorted out as soon as possible one way or the other i dont think you guy's realise the damage you are doing to the sport with all this arguing in public. I know most of you will probably have a dig at me now but to be hohnest i couldnt care less either way.

what size van would be needed to collect it?.

from my own experiance theres nothing like entering your own bird in a race and watching it come home from a race even if your last man which i have been numerous times.Its even better when its one you have bred yourself and even better when its one you bred yourself and it comes from the channel race.

I hope this works out well .if the prices can be kept down this must be the preferred way for the birds to travel. Good luck guy's lets hope its not a smash or everyone will blame the chunnel.

Cant knock it when the birds pay for themselves well done mate.

Sorry its 370 miles not 400. But the same tactics will still be used

Two in the middlewich two bird from messac 370 miles to me and the club is up with em as well .Hopefully if all go's to plan the middlewich birds will come first ,its hard to choose two birds when there all going the same place .

This is my first proper year with old bird racing.Ive done quite well in the club but the national is what its all about for me. I also got 11th in the middlewich two bird open the other week.So its getting better just hope i can keep improving for the future.Ive just picked the 3 birds for tarbes in next week's national and if all go's to plan they will be chasing for egg's.Not sure if this is an ideal situation for that sort of distand about 650miles to me but hopefully they will respond to it ok. Also i started the season with 16 racing cocks and 12 racing hens after a disasterous first race i layed the hens off bar one and have raced the rest of the season with 10 cocks.To say i was naive at the beginning of the season was an understatement i lost 6 cocks the first race .

well i will be sending this week 400 + miles and they will be repaired tomorrow for basketing thursday.I will then leave them paired and race either the cock or hen the following two week's sitting and if all go's to plan the following two weeks the cocks will be sent again on chip outs. This is my first proper year racing so dunno if its good idea or bad just what i am going to try.

Does the colour affect the taste?

Slap a load of vaseline over it .That will do the trick

Oh well for a while there i was tenth on the earlybird section L in the national i was 29th section at the last look.Provisional results that is still a personal best for me . Bring on TARBES.

i use garlic in drinkers once a week and occasionaly in the bath water and as of yet ive never had a problem with lice or mites. An old fancier at the club told me fit birds wont have lice or mites dunno if its true or not but mine only have them if they stop out but like i said that could be the garlic.