Time For A Change.

[Delboy]

Yb racing is getting harder and the pigeon fraternity is not prepared to do anything about it so i've been thinking of how to change the disastrous yb racing we have been having in recent years and I'm sure this idea would help. We should race our ybs 6 races ( 3 x 60 miles, 3 x 100 miles )from the end of September - the first or second week in November. This sounds a bit radical but here are my reasons, 1.You wouldn't need to darken your ybs as natural ybs would've almost completed the moult in time for the start of racing. 2. No stress, no yb sickness to worry about during the season because these viruses are usually all finished by the start of August. 3. Global warming has changed the seasons and the last 3 years have saw fantastic weather in the months of October and November. 4.Hawk attacks are almost unheard of in these months. I cant see a downside to this idea and I think its a goer. Please don't come back with the seasons long enough or I go on holiday etc etc. I'm trying to sort a serious problem in the pigeon sport here.

Edited August 20, 2019 by Delboy

[mill house]

Common sense gid post I wid go war it things have got Tae change as you say

[Delboy]

Ive just had a couple of phone calls backing this idea. Both these guys are prominent national flyers and have timed high up in this years Snfc races with latebreds trained in October/November. They know its the way forward. Only downside is the lack of daylight for the normal hour workers to train their ybs but this can be overcome by training them at the weekends or earlier in the season when there is more daylight.

[greenbar]

Sounds good,but will it happen,

[Delboy]

Sounds good,but will it happen,

 

Batter in and get it done m8, i'll be putting it to my fed and im sure they'll be interested.

[b.massey]

Sounds a better plan

[grdkeith]

Too late in the year for me,not sure weather in November up here suitable and half the fancy still would not be ready jmo

[Adee1888]

Great idea I’m for it all the way something has to change now coz the sports on its knees and we have only ourselves to blame

[Delboy]

Too late in the year for me,not sure weather in November up here suitable and half the fancy still would not be ready jmo

 

Xmas races have been sometimes -2 degrees with full returns, start thinking outside the box lads.

[daviedoo22]

Best of luck with your proposal Derek. If you get it through and YB racing improves think many will follow suit. There is still many in the sport that dismiss the peregrine falcon as the main culprit for the disasters the feds are having. As you said with climate change it is possible.

[geordie1234]

Its either this for me or pull it way forward any will do because right now we are literally throwing our ybs in shark infested waters

[Delboy]

If folk want to continue racing their ybs on the traditional months then that is fine but wouldn't it be great to have an alternative ie. Darkness ybs for the normal summer program and natural ybs for the winter season.

[Joe tyre]

Something has to change as wee are just putting our young birds through torture and running the gauntlet wae BOPs and ourselves through torture sending them it's with a sad heart that ourselves are giving the sport up but I wish all fellow fanciers all the best for the future and hope things change soon for the good of the sport and ourselfs all the very best of luck

[Kyleakin Lofts]

I have been looking at a very similar programme, but also with an early programme running in tandem. The early programme combines midweek training with YB / Any Age Races.

 

This should cover and give the best of both worlds. Those who breed early should not have to worry about darkness since they would be racing during May / June. The October races would not need darkness simply because of the time of year.

 

I raced YB's for the first time last year with mixed results, but noticed no difference when racing this year when compared to my normal late-bred breeding programme.

[grdkeith]

I have been looking at a very similar programme, but also with an early programme running in tandem. The early programme combines midweek training with YB / Any Age Races.

 

This should cover and give the best of both worlds. Those who breed early should not have to worry about darkness since they would be racing during May / June. The October races would not need darkness simply because of the time of year.

 

I raced YB's for the first time last year with mixed results, but noticed no difference when racing this year when compared to my normal late-bred breeding programme.

 

 

Andy

I struggle with latebreds and have tried many times with many methods over forty years and if I assume i had 15 every year then the total over that time would be 600 and very few have made the grade.

When you say you noticed no difference did your raced ybs perform well as yearlings and your latebreds match them or did they all perform less well than you had hoped ?

[clockman]

I have been looking at a very similar programme, but also with an early programme running in tandem. The early programme combines midweek training with YB / Any Age Races.

 

This should cover and give the best of both worlds. Those who breed early should not have to worry about darkness since they would be racing during May / June. The October races would not need darkness simply because of the time of year.

 

I raced YB's for the first time last year with mixed results, but noticed no difference when racing this year when compared to my normal late-bred breeding programme.

 

What club do you race in,

[Andrew suckle]

What club do you race in,

Wit club do u race in ???????

[Delboy]

Almost 800 views and very few have commented. Whats your thoughts?

[Roland]

Common sense gid post I wid go war it things have got Tae change as you say

 

Sadly common sense has never took hold in this so - called sport.

Nor has being fain to the birds we supposedly love.

[Kyleakin Lofts]

Andy

I struggle with latebreds and have tried many times with many methods over forty years and if I assume i had 15 every year then the total over that time would be 600 and very few have made the grade.

When you say you noticed no difference did your raced ybs perform well as yearlings and your latebreds match them or did they all perform less well than you had hoped ?

 

When I started I only had a garden hut, so no room to breed until the season was through a bit, thus the reason for starting with latebreds. That combined with research mainly on here and taking the chat from the likes of Robert Reid regarding BOP and training of their youngsters, so it was a conscious decision as well as through necessity. At that time I raced North in the Valley Club, again having been advised of less losses and therefore more encouraging for the kids. My latebreds had to race Fraserburgh, 165 miles to me, unless there were feathering problems or injuries. I could start with 18 and end with 12. The following year they had to race Thurso and you will appreciate that although measured 200 miles they would have to fly around 250 to 280 miles and this was a completely different situation. I admire the lads and lassies from Orkney, Wick and Thurso since they have to race this route even with their YB's. One mistake is the end for the pigeons since once down the wrong valley they rarely ever get back out. Tough terrain up there. Usually only one or two made it from there and just starting they went to stock since my other pigeons were "paper pigeons", pedigree only, but no proof they could do it.

I then attempted South and my season turned to disaster. Rush of blood deciding everything would go to Otterburn and the wrong pigeons returned. Some of those destined for the South managed to return, but we were too far down the road and they had to go North. My North pigeons had to go South since I had made the decision to race that way as well. Turned out not too bad a season. Those going South went every second week, but every other second week they went North for a short tone up race. I managed Peterborough around 280 miles having 3/3 yearlings return in the Caledonian Combine race and 1/2 OB's return the following week from the same racepoint, but in a joint lib with Lanarkshire as well as the Caledonian Combine. I possibly should have pushed the returning OB to the first Inland National, but I didn't have the confidence. All four went to stock. It has taken around three or four years before I decided to try South again. Last year I raced YB's for the first time. Those raced North didn't do well at all whereas those raced South with the West of Scotland Club done OK, admittedly not going very far, around 80 miles in their four or five races. This has confirmed to me that the BOP problem is the main deterrent for racing YB's. This year was possibly my worst season, but again through circumstance. I have taken my eye off the ball because of taking on another administrative position. My Spring prep was delayed and just finished in June. The pigeons didn't receive my normal attention nor training. Those that I have left, having raced South only with Barrhead Club, are evenly split between the raced YB's and the untrained Latebreds. They haven't raced far, only Wetherby, 180 miles. I never race well, usually last every week, but normally my returns are very good.

I hope to race North and South next year, if the arrangements for my South Fed are made the way we have spoken about. I hope to fare better since a lot of the Admin should be in order by that time, if I am kept in the position. This should give me more time to prepare and hopefully improve results from this year. Apart from the eleven survivors, the rest will be latebreds, my first round being bred mid to late June, due to the aforementioned circumstances.

i don't really think I would make a good barometer for anyone else's decisions in this matter, but in my very limited experience, breeding late and handling very carefully the following year, gives an opportunity for success in future years.

I think all pigeon racing is a lottery though, entirely due to the BOP situation. This is our main problem and where our main attention should be focused. There are many solutions out there, but we must recognise that nature plays a part. Nature dictates that the young of any species are fledging when food is bountiful. For BOP, Peregrines in particular, pigeon is head of the menu. We have to stop filling the larder. Race our early YB's earlier while they are sitting and our late YB's later when their young have fledged and hopefully not as many survived, but even then they will have been moved out of the territory by their parents and the attacks will be by singles and pairs instead of the whole family.

If we keep doing the same we will keep getting the same. Nature will adapt to our changes, but at a slower rate that what we can change it back.

I think we should also starve out routes. Where possible we should all race the same programme for a number of years, then at the same time make a switch to the other coast. If we all race East the peregrine in the west will remain, but possibly not fare as well, some even migrating East in search of food, then the switch to the West should have the same effect in the East. I know it is not possible for all Feds to follow this, but after a point they could.

[grdkeith]

Being devils advocate here but most years once we get past the first three or four races and the remaining birds are more experienced and the poorly trained,sick and incapable pigeons are long gone we seem to get better racing and returns when there must be the same large amount of peregrines still in the sky.

Back to Derek's original post,November racing means going to race points even after the clocks have gone back and up here the sparrowhawks are back on the go by then

[Bobby4]

If we could all agree to what you have started Derek to fly later in the season would be a dream to starve these fkrs a.don't see the point in half of us racing ybs when they the perrigrine is raring their ybs late July august .they would go elsewhere for food farms etc .an farmers don't f.ck about if they'r stock is getting slaughtered.iam seriously thinking off not racing ybs if it doesn't change hope it goes ahead.

[Bobby4]

Being devils advocate here but most years once we get past the first three or four races and the remaining birds are more experienced and the poorly trained,sick and incapable pigeons are long gone we seem to get better racing and returns when there must be the same large amount of peregrines still in the sky.

Back to Derek's original post,November racing means going to race points even after the clocks have gone back and up here the sparrowhawks are back on the go by then

Sparrowhawks are a backyard problem not even in the same league as what a perrigrine does

[grdkeith]

Sparrowhawks are a backyard problem not even in the same league as what a perrigrine does

 

aye but sparrowhawk kills more round my loft than the local peregrines do and most don't have their birds out in November because of them

[Joe tyre]

I've lost as much birds to sparrowhawk's as I have perigans so end of day there all the same the bast...s and things have to change that's the 1st thing that has to happen and back to original post it's definitely worth trying as doing nothing then wee are rearing more BOPs by feeding them it's that simple in my oppinion