is this a dieing sport?

[madas26]

just out of intrest,ive set my loft up about 5months ago,and all i seem to hear off pigeon men is that,the sport wont be about in 10years etc

also ive seen a thread about why kids are not interested etc,

 

im 29 yrs old since ive set my loft up,not 1 pigeon man has offered to help me out?

with info,birds etc

 

in my opion its the grumpy old men of the sport that are killing it,when i used to race as a lad,if i beat the club regulars they got really funny about it.

 

not getting at anyone on this forum,i just think if pigeon men/women were more helpful towards the younger generation,it might encourage them to start up

 

its a good job theres a forum hehee

 

 

[westburylofts]

 

We started up last year and found that as you said not many offers of help.

 

But i must say i did not know about site's like this one, and have found that if we ask for help or advice, you would get plenty of offer's.

 

GREAT SITE OR WHAT.

 

RAY

[Guest]

Not the sport thats dieing off its all those grumpy old men.  ;D

 

10 years time things'll be a lot different - there'll be a whole new generation of grumpy old men ... now there's a thought !!!!!!!!     ;D   ;D

[westy]

i am new to the sport aswell i found lots of help and got things of pepole to start up perches, baskets,nestbowls,pigeons ect. i think if  pepole with big lofts and time to go round to schools and tell them about them and bring a few pigeons with them to show them how nice they are and how good the sport is.

martin

[Guest shadow]

I have done the rounds of school trips for several years and the children show a lot of interest at the time but very few actually progress into keeping pigeons.  Ihave had children visit my loft but not many are impressed with the thought of cleaning out and having to do it every day of the year. You find the majority that keep pets like rabbits or hamsters after the first few weeks it's mam or dad that finsh up looking after them the kids have got bored and lost interest. I personally subsidised a young lad all last year paying his subs etc but he has now  resigned from the club as he is now working and would have to pay his own way and he has other birds on his mind. I think the sport needs to look at people on early retirement etc and try to attract them.The sport at club level will die if clubs keep breaking up and getting smaller, in the next 10 years I can see some big changes coming and not all good ones

 

quality not quantity

[jimmy white]

i agree with shadow, but would say that any young lad or lass that has kept pigeons, do tend to go for the other birds, when their about that age. but i beleive the seed is planted, and at sometime of his or her life they will keep pigeons again., but certainly agree with the rest of his post .    

[THE FIFER]

madas26, all old men are not grumpy, there are lots of good ones, and plenty grumpy young ones as well, if all the old men were leaving the sport there would be nothing left, i think u were out of line blaming the old men in the sport. i do not know where u come from but any new fancier coming into the sport will get help if asked for, and that includes from the old men.

[Guest]

That goes for gumpy old women too Fifer

 

[madas26]

my experience so far,there fore its only my opinon

 

anyone older than me is oldman...lol

[Guest slugmonkey]

I am grumpy but I think thats part of my charm   LOL

 I  try to tell everyone about my birds I often host nonfanciers for breakfast on race days I like to have them over on basketing day and tell them this bird or that is going to win or hold the bird up and say he likes them and is going to win tomorrow for them or ask what bird they like and then tell them how that bird has done and if he will win tomorrow ( like I know ) you need to be an ambassador and show people what you do most people that like me like my birds and when I show them what I do I know they understand where I am!! I am asked all the time how my birds are or are they winning, let people see how they are and you will find most like animals, if you show someone a baby bird ( after they have feathers before they fly ) and they dont think thats cool then there is something wrong with them!!!

[westy]

i agree fifer and Hyacinth have had lots of advice of old pepole they are the best for hints and tips they have had the more expiriance than others.

[Guest]

Humble opinion, think you're being a bit hard on ol' madas  ;D

 

Age is a very relative thing, no doubt Westy would think 26 was old ... I certainly thought 26 was old when I reached it.  ;D

 

And 'grumpy' is maybe something more to do with the people who keep pigeons, rather than age. Gez posted elsewhere he was sick of pigeon people moaning, so much so he was about to pack it all in ... guilty of a wee moan there yerself Gez.   ;D

 

Once upon a time thought I was turning out like Victor  (would you f* believe it!) Meldrew so much so I allow myself only one moan a week now.  ;D

 

Saving that for later ...........

 

 

 

[Guest]

I am 32 years old and two of the oldest members in my club gave me the best start in this sport 4 years ago. One now sadly died this year at 94 and the other is like my grandad - who i normally see or chat to on phone even in closed season 3 or 4 times a week.

 

They helped me with great stock to start with and loads of advice with how to race them. One was even winning the youngbird averages my very first season, and my season was going not so well. With his advice I turned it around and beat him into second for the averages in my first season. What a start!!!!!

 

Even this year we have toyed with systems , feeding and all sorts culminating in me being highest prize winner in the club winning 22 trophies, fed averages and the averages with the combine aswell.

Have been 2nd national, 9th national twice and 12th national this year all with their guidance - and a lot of work on my part obviously.

 

These two have been my best friends in the sport to date, apart from one youngster of course - but all the other so called non grumpy youngsters , how many do you think are even talking to me now after this dream season????????

 

Just my view on things - dont mean to upset anyone.

[THE FIFER]

ANYWAY ITS COMING UP TO THE FESTIVE TIME, SO MADAS26 AND ALL MERRY XMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR,

[THEMAN]

When I first started I was promised the world, dont worry about birds we will give you birds, we will lend you crates, the club has spare clocks for begginers that you can buy if you want after one year, everyone will help you....Fast forward 1.5 months(loft building time)  Loft still empty. If not for one flyer that gave me some young birds and late hatches I would not have had a team to fly.  Number of birds from the gentleman that promised the world...0.  Help that I received from the "Good ol boys club"  nil.  If not for this site and others like it could have been bad especially for the pigeons.  So I learned on my own with very minimal help from a few flyers.  Fast forward to 2 weeks before first race, can I borrow the clock now?  Oh you can order one from jedds he usually has some.

This was pretty upsetting, the previous issues I dealt with. The clock however, I was depending on.  So instead of saving up the $800.00 dollars over a few months prior to the season I now had to fork it out on two weeks notice.  Pretty upset by this time.  Season started and finally had all I needed pretty much by either making it myself( crates, feeders, perches, trap, loft) or by buying it (waterer, clock, advice).  I even mangaged to make the first page and beat some of the "Geezers".  Now I don't want to paint such a gloomy picture of our club, because there were and are some flyers that finally came around and warmed up to me however, there is definately a "Clique" in the club.  All I read online was that the old flyers will be more than happy to help the new flyers.....It just was not my exprience, and have since voiced it at our meetings.  Maybe things will change or as the previous post stated they may just "die" out.

[Guest]

Sorry to hear of your experience, Theman.  

 

I can confirm that it is very difficult to get started nowadays, costs are way thro' the roof for basic essentials and any offer of help for a new start is very welcome. I have been able to borrow a second clock from club members when needed.

 

I can also confirm that there HAS been a big change, but over a very long period of time - 40 years. Back yonder some fanciers wouldn't tell you anything, or give you a bird, for fear of you beating them. And if you did beat them, many a torn face would tell you 'it was because it was a blow home' or because 'it was the same good pigeon'. Don't recall many congratulating a winner... and that was at grass-roots club level.  

 

When I started up again, I was given gift pigeons from fanciers who didn't know me or who I didn't know very well. And the gifted birds were from their best.. I now hear people being congratulated every week, as soon as the race result is posted... and there's good natured 'banter' at receiving yet another thrashing.

 

And of course, we now have the internet and forums such as this one where we have access to more 'worldly' views, members are more than willing to help, and usually good natured with it. So times and people are changing, in my opinion, for the better...

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

The Man

 

Are you a Menber of the American Racing Pigeon Union, if so please contact me privately about the Help a Beginner Programme.

 

We have access to good birds and clocks on load for new starters

[madas26]

im all set up,just got my loft number ......now lets hope theres a club nearby for me to join.....hehee

 

im emailed secretary but heard nothing times ticking ......

[Guest]

Where are you The Man

 

May I suggest that you e-mails Karen Clifton @ augrow@aol.com and she will be able to give you the list of the clubs in your State

[THE FIFER]

well put bruno, i think there is help in most areas, and if u are keen to get in the sport u will get it, i have seen a lot of new fanciers getting help but do not last long and really just making people think before they give,

[THEMAN]

I'm in California Hyacinth.

[Guest]

The Man and i had a very nice telephone conversation this evening and I am signing him up for The Help a Beginner programme.

 

I would like to say thanks to all the folks on this list who have given this American Beginner some good advice, I should really tell all the people on The Help a Beginner Programme to sign up on this forum, as I find all contributors more than willing to share their experience and knowledge with newbies in our great sport

[Guest]

its a totally different story for me.....

 

when i came into the sport i found loads of help and advice people were giving me birds left right and centre offering to help setting up my loft perches and much more and the people helping were from 35 up until about 75, however i have noticed that when other people like new comers do better than the normall winners they are a bit funny also. but apart from that everyone was great and some of my best ever pigens were ones that i got bred for me of people out of thier generosity.

[Guest marvin]

SINCE A FOUR YEAR BREAK FROM THE BIRDS I WAS THRILLED AT THE RESPONSE OF SOME OF MY FORMER PIGEON FRIENDS.NOT ONLY WITH GIFT PIGEONS FROM THEM SELVES BUT ALSO ASKING ABOUT FOR ME,IT SEEMS TO SOME OF YOU OUT THERE NOTHING IS TO MUCH TROUBLE IT REMINDS ME THAT IM STILL IN THE RIGHT SPORT

[Guest Doostalker]

My own personal experience when I started back 10 years ago was that I had lots of people offering birds and advice. People went out of their way to help me start up properly.  

 

Some didn't and were in the "grumpy old men" category, and if I had listened to them I would have never started up. But they were in the very very small minority. Having previously been in the sport in my youth and early 20's helped a lot. If I remember the same gom types were about then too!!! :

 

Medical fact is that as we get older we age differently by which sex we are......women as they get older become more confused; men become more grumpy. So if you meet some confused grumpy old man, he might be going through a change!