Stopping yearlings

[wings]

Hi everyone, i have been racing pigeons now for 2 years, last year i lost all my yearlings because (i think i pushed them to hard) this year i have kept all my birds racing inland and had some good results. Next year i intend to send only the 2 year olds over the water. and keep the yearlings inland again. What does the experianced racing men and woman think about this. do you think this is a good idea or not.

[just ask me]

yeah mate u seem to have a good  head on your shoulders main thing in this sport is patenice after a few years u will learn what u can push them depending on the distance id keep them inland untill the three just my opion it will depend on the day too if u think its going to be a easier race then normall i.e wind on the back u can chance a two year old but my advice keep them till three

 

in saying all that the two big races i won were accross the water with yearlings so what do u say to that its a hard one but i have lost 1 or 2 good ones pushing them too far sorry sometimes i try to answer a thread and will give u more to think about  

[wings]

Thanks for replying, do you think that waiting until they are that bit older is better for them, especilay for the experiance they get racing inland. i was told by a guy to race my young birds and yearlings as much as possible and to send them to every race as far as they go. took his advice last year and lost the lot all he said was that the birds were no good.

 

you certainly have answered the question, for me though i will have to give your last paragraph a lot of thought, maybe watch the weather closely.

 

Thanks again

[Guest]

A good policy wings, one i used to good success, winning every channel race i entered one season. May still loose a few over water though, but if they cant do it as 2 yr olds then don't worry about them. Have had yearlings do well but have tended not to repeat it and like just ask me said have lost a few while trying.

 

YBs only need 3 races max, had yearlings top fed first race of season raced this way a YBs.

[just ask me]

may i ask what are u hopeing to achive in the sport is it long distace your goal or is too have a odd go at it it would help to answer your question

[wings]

My 1st goal is to get a team together so as to race each week and have decent returns, I would in time like to race pigeons at long distance. Though i do realise that that it will take a few years to get a team together. i've been in the prizes 5 times this year so realy happy with that. the problem is some of the advice i have been given hasn't helped, thoug all theinformation i have recieved from this sight has been good solid advice.

[wings]

A good policy wings, one i used to good success, winning every channel race i entered one season. May still loose a few over water though, but if they cant do it as 2 yr olds then don't worry about them. Have had yearlings do well but have tended not to repeat it and like just ask me said have lost a few while trying.

 

YBs only need 3 races max, had yearlings top fed first race of season raced this way a YBs.

 

My yearling this year only had 1 race last year as YB and have done well this year all though i have lost a few but in the last 2 races i have had 100% returns so may be there is something to be said for holding them back.

[Roland]

Well y/b's regularly cross the channel. had y/b's clock in near 500 miles in a special one off. In Canada as I have posted preciously 400 miles back to back, or three weeks on the trot! 'Prince' Jackson had great sucess with yearlings doing the 1000 miles!

Chappie in Ireland his the big distance races with yearlings!

But who am I or they to advise you?

[just ask me]

yeah mate probally the best way to go only advice i can give u is take ure time and if ure racing widowhood take it easy on the cocks as youngers and race the sh** out of the hens this is what i do and i only keep in the stock loft that what pigeons are left in the youngbird loft and results of my old cocks u can take out too much out of birdswhen they are youngers  i only give birds that i know will have a change to perform as old birds 3  to 5 races ull know this as they will be brothers half brothers and so on in your old bird loft racing hoe this helps a little

[just ask me]

well he did ask what pll think and for there advice that all we can do here we all have our different methods whos to say who is right u can pick up any video or book by top fanicers and all there methdods will be different that that why i said its down to understanding the pigeons that u own and what they can achive most famillys of pigeons need that extra year or two to mature im sure most distance ladies or men would agree on that one

[chrissyboy]

There are many roads to rome , every year is different , good pigeons and a good system makes all the difference , its getting the good pigeons and keeping them the way racing is today .In our federation we lost most of our birds at under 200miles, yearlings and old birds and then you think the worst is over and then you get hammered every other week if you keep going to the end of the programme, so to succeed at the distance you probable have to put them away till June and then hammer them in training , fresh pigeons that have had the experience on another day

[Guest IB]

I think you need to make up your mind what races matter to you. If its long distance then you are talking about over 500 miles. You then need to think about building a team of pigeons for these races and at what age you intend to test them at the distance. Some say 2yo, others 3yo., I think it's maybe down to family that decides the age they mature. But maybe building that team involves setting stages / standards / miles for them to reach each year until they reach that age, so that you have mature and experienced pigeons for these races?

 

But it doesn't always seem to work out.   On the experience bit, last year I tried to put my YBs through the Fed race programme (to 187 miles). This year I tried to put my yearlings to the coast (399 miles). Last year, the moult stopped one YB and he only got to 82 miles; yet he was one of two that did the coast as a yearling, while another which flew the YB programme failed at 330 miles, and yet another which was unraced as a YB got to 250 miles no bother? So maybe its many roads lead to Rome.  :-/  But I'm sure that I now have yearlings which will make reliable 2 yo's next year, some of which might go the distance.  Next bit is to figure out how to work them as 2 yo's.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

I think the problem here is that new starts see/hear of such and such winning a nat with a yearling and think they can do the same its allways posible but they have the numbers to send thease yearlings on if you are building a team best stop them at the 300ml stage till you can afford to loose them they are only a yearling for a year they are old birds for the rest of there lives if you keep trying to win the later races with yearlings it will take you a long/long time to build a team you can depend on

[carlsberg]

in the past few seasons i raced my yearlings up to the 2nd channel race at 367 mls but this year i have only raced them to the coast 182 mls on the south road and i have 4 yearlings that i am racing to perth 241 mls on the north road , when i restarted in 03 i had a few youngbirds left and in 04 i sent 4 yearlings to saintes 512 mls all 4 made it home although 2 not in race time these 4 birds have been my best birds at the distance so far

[Guest shadow]

I think the problem here is that new starts see/hear of such and such winning a nat with a yearling and think they can do the same its allways posible but they have the numbers to send thease yearlings on if you are building a team best stop them at the 300ml stage till you can afford to loose them they are only a yearling for a year they are old birds for the rest of there lives if you keep trying to win the later races with yearlings it will take you a long/long time to build a team you can depend on

 

well said I agree

 

 

[carlsberg]

in the past few seasons i raced my yearlings up to the 2nd channel race at 367 mls but this year i have only raced them to the coast 182 mls on the south road and i have 4 yearlings that i am racing to perth 241 mls on the north road , when i restarted in 03 i had a few youngbirds left and in 04 i sent 4 yearlings to saintes 512 mls all 4 made it home although 2 not in race time these 4 birds have been my best birds at the distance so far

 

just to mention that 2 of these birds were 1st and 2nd club 16th and 30th fed from saintes as 2 year olds

[wings]

Thank you all for the sound advice, it i very much appreciated.

 

Wings

[Guest]

I was always of the thought that i knew i had 2,3, and 4 yr olds that i could win with, then why  possibly throw away yearlings? I admit i was never a great racer of yearlings and if i could of sent them 500 miles every year and won they i would of, but most of the time i never even got them when i sent, and even the ones that did some went out as 2 yr olds. I only kept 12 pairs BTW.

 

Anyone who is of the opinion that sending Ybs 500 miles (and yearlings maybe even further) makes them better birds is very definately mistaken!