budgie

Alex Lanarkshire Fed went down this route 2008 and got clobbered buy the time they came to the Coast Race.Two weeks before the Young Bird Racing they changed back to the East Route and low and behold this year they have voted down the Centre again./???Some believe The East Route was giving some fanciers advantage but in reality they will still win.They should look at their Stock,get better pigeons,keep them healthy and get off their fat AR-ES and try harder.All the best in 2012 which ever route they go down.:animatedpigeons:and before some say it was prevailing East winds that caused the problems the same good fanciers were still winning.

With under 5 hours to go may i wish Everyone on PigeonBasics a happy and succesfull 2012 and i hope all your dreams come true.

Where do i find information on the subject.

Well done Dave what a cracking Hen.Is she finished racing or is she going back.

Firstly get a dry loft.Dont over populate.Use preventive vaccinations.Get quality pigeons and keep searching for better racing stock.Lastly dont be scared to loose pigeons there are no secrets just good pigeons kept in good condition win races and go to a well -established loft in your area with team performances and an abundance of winning genes within the pedigree.Dont buy Aged Stock birds that some are off loading if they were breeding winners they would not be for sale.

To stay competitive , and Win a National Race.

As i mentioned earlier we have brought in from J.Donaldson,B.Kinear and John McNeil from Broxburn.My next introductions will be The Brian Denny Pigeons all going well.

By family and by elimating the 98%.Distance pigeons have to be bred for the job and have a pedigree full of winning genes.

Guid pigeons come in all shapes and sizes.Its what you cannot see that counts and the only way to find out is by the Basket.

Since our move to the current address we have never retired any to stock.Next year we have 4 pigeons going for their Silver Award within the SNFC which it has to win 3 times from across the Channel.Regarding age i think they are finished at 5/6 years of age and by that time if they have not left anything why put them in the Stock Loft.

Distance pigeons have a slower Heart Beat.We like to race them with almost a full wing and the 2nd flight just bursting through.When they go by their 4 flight our pigeons are finished for the season.

Our feeding regime almost stays the same no breakdown or portions.Get into a system of medical,feed,Good Pigeons,Care and stick to it.

On return from a race the are given Total Disinfection followed by Multivitamins for one day.Our preferance for breeding is Winners to Winners and only from Fed & National Performance Gene winning Pigeons.If they win at club level and dont take a position they are not bred from.

For the Sprint/Middle distance we use mostly Vandenabeele,s from Myrtle Lofts with some new introductions this year from GWP MaCaloney of Coatbridge.For Channel racing our family has been build around pigeons from Andra Deans Bothwell Grizzle family crossed with pigeons i have purchased from Jim Cullen.Over the last couple of years we have purchased pigeons at the SNFC sale from J.Donaldson,B.Kinnear and J.McNeil all of which are from Sect winners and in the top 4 in the Open from the gold cup race.When introducing pigeons they have to come from mutiple winning pigeons and well-established lofts.

It takes forever and eventully after elimintion of the 98% it goes back to familys of distance pigeons with performance and abundance in top winning genes.

We do have hens laying but it does not effect their racing performances.Once re-paired all is forgotton.Our best racing hen who is going for her Silver Award this year in the SNFC can lay around 5/6 pair of eggs in one season.

Old birds are exercised twice a day.Morning 5/6am Cocks 6/7am hens Eveing 5/6pm Cocks 6/7pm Hens.The youngster are let out at lunchtime and all must fly freely for around 1 hour or they are also disposed of.This is of great importance if you want to sustain and keep a healthy team of quality pigeons.

They are raced on the round about up to 4 weeks prior to their selected race and sent either driving or on eggs.Some of our best positions come from 2/3 year old hens who have never hatched or fed a youngster in their life.

2 weeks prior to the Big Races they can have between 6/10 training tosses.Common sense prevails and we dont break pigeons down.Our feeding regime stays almost the same all year round using Versalaga Best All Round,Red Band and as much Crushed Peanuts as they can eat.

As 2 year-olds the (National Family) would not start until 1st Sat in May then fly 78mls.125mls,147mls,182 mls,225mls then 267 mls before coming of the roundabout system around the 1st/2nd week in June.By this time they are switched on and only need 6/10 tosses from around 40/50 mls.

They get every race with the exception of the Money Spinners (9 in total) to the coast which is around 380mls with a select few going across the Channel to Ypres.If they cannot do the coast as yearlings the familys that we have will never fly the Channel as Old Birds.

Its a must that the young bird team are brought along steadily and race the full programme.Any that show fatigue are disposed off and any that dont do 1hour when exercising round the loft are also disposed off.

Good Quality feeding with 25% crushed peanuts added which we buy from the local shop and are for Human Consuption only with a little Linseed added.If the feather quality does not feel like velvet after the moult they are disposed of regardless of what they are bred from.

Youngsters are weaned at around 28 days and go straight onto the Darkness System until 23rd June.They race the full race programme with some going to the Young Bird National.Coming of the darkness i can have as many as 20 pair down on eggs within a fortnight and it does them no harm on later years.