out of interest

[lawrie]

just out of interest, how much does a good pair of sprinters cost. i do prefer the distance birds.

[Guest anto]

just out of interest, how much does a good pair of sprinters cost. i do prefer the distance birds.

 

what ever the buyer is willing to pay 4 them its a buyers market at the moment

[owen101]

a good bird may cost you as little as a gift bird or even in excess of 500 to 600 pound

 

i dont believe that money is everything

as i am a young one

i make do with what i have

 

as a cheap bird may be better than a really dear bird

in my opinion

[lawrie]

i think the same, cheap or free birds do you a better turn. some birds are over rated.

[owen101]

i also believe that you pay larger sums for birs from well known people or studs

i much prefer a quiet but successful back garden loft

[Guest anto]

i think the same, cheap or free birds do you a better turn. some birds are over rated.

 

your very right lads gift birds come up trumphs most of the time

[owen101]

yes anto most of the time

but a bit part of the quality of pigeons is in the loft management

and how they are trained

 

well thats what i believe

[lawrie]

maybe they appreciate the chance you gave them

[Guest bakes]

what ever the seller is willing to let them go at and the buyer is willing to pay for them  300 to 500 and more for a top pair of birds but even then you still not going to be 100% you be breeding the goods the old saying pay your money take your chances then its up to the basket to disside if there any good.

[owen101]

with only starting with a few late breds

people in the club i joined said what am i hoping for

i said to have a few left

and matter of face i have all but 2 left

 

and from a few training tosses with the club i would of been 3rd x 2 5th x 4 8thx2

what gave me great pleasure and well needed experience

[lawrie]

people do pay alot for the top birds, but like you said bakes, not always producing the best young

[Guest bakes]

people do pay alot for the top birds, but like you said bakes, not always producing the best young

 

a mate of mine paid fortunes on two pairs of birds didnt breed anythink worth while he was gifted 6 yb's from a mate they washed the floors again the birds he bought goes to show you dont need to pay hundreds out on birds go to a well known local flyer that has done what you wont to achieve at the distances you interested in his birds have proved they are capable of doing what you wont them to try and get a group of ybs from him train them well feed them well keep them healthy and they wont be fair of each week.

[Guest anto]

yes anto most of the time

but a bit part of the quality of pigeons is in the loft management

and how they are trained

 

well thats what i believe

 

thats very true owen this game is all about hard work this has came up so many times before percentage what you think it is 80 fancier 20 birds if you havent got very good birds and 100 percent comment your wasting your time you cant make

a bad bird good but you can make a good bird a champion

[sox]

its like buying a pair of training shoes exactly same pair of shoes one with nike on they buy the nikes its all in the name

[marmite]

best birds ive ever had have come from gift birds ohh and a pair i bought in a clearance sale cost me £ 20 quid for the pr lol

[lawrie]

i have promised never to pay more than £30 a bird. folk who pay £££ are off their nut!

[rick]

my wife paid 20 quid for a pair of ybs for my anniversarry 3 yrs ago.. lost the hen but the cock breed me prize winners every year since not bad for a tenner

[Guest Owen]

I am sure that, sometimes, the people who buy expensive birds are just showing off. Most of them like to tell you how much they paid. I would not go as far as to say that paying a lot of money is always bragging but an awful lot of it is, for sure.

I am like my nams sake Owen 101, I will get pleasure from creating a family of birds that will win races and suite me.

My other pleasure is to enter a small number of birds, say 6, and win against the mob flyers. I love it and they hate it.

[Guest ROCKYandRAMBO]

i wouldnt say they are showing off or are nuts lol i brought one for a 1000 in sept now i dont go out drinking down the pub or to the football like my mates i just like to spend my money on my pigeons which is a hobby . one of my mates does match fishing and thinks nothing of buying a new pole for 700 pounds another mate loves his car and just had stainless steel excaust fitted which cost him nealy a 1000 and i have my pigeons which is where i spend my money where is the harm in that ? i also agree that some of the best birds you get are cheap or free my two best birds cost me 15 pounds each the best money i have ever spent lol

[Guest Owen]

Rockie and Rambo

I did say that my remarks were about some people and not all. And what you say is definately right. But you have to admit that there are an awful lot of showoffs out there as well.

I have a son who spends money on his off-road vehicle in bucket fulls. And I know one or two golfers who can shift the cash pretty quickly.

The wonderful thing about racing pigeons is that you can achieve success without spending fortunes to buy them. One of the best flyers I have ever known was given his birds. He had reported a stray to a man somewhere in England who happened to be packing up. The Englishman sent birds down here to Wales in a basket. Mostly reds as I recall. These birds proved to be fantastic.

And, I have to say it, I have spent good money on total rubbish in the past. That's the other thing about racing pigeons, all that glitters is definately not gold.

I hope I am back in your good graces after my explanation.   

[Guest ROCKYandRAMBO]

was never in my bad books lol just saying why i spend so much but unlike some people if mine turns out a dud and doesnt breed he will end up in the bin and not sold on

[holmsidelofts]

In my opinion its not about the cost its about the origin, the integrity of the fancier you are buying them off and what that bird or its family have done.

 

The first factor for me is the fancier himself, do i know him or her, if not i will do research on them, what have they done racing, where are they situated ( just because they win lots dont always mean much if they are on line of flight and have perfect loft position, I would rather go to someone who doesnt win as much but are in a worse location.). The other thing is i want to know exactly how many breeding pairs he has and how many of these pairs are breeding winners ( most of the time you will find only a couple of the breeders are constantly producing winners, Leave these fanciers alone as you will more than likely get birds out of the ones that are not winning, i've seen this so many times).

 

What i would look at also is how far are the birds you are buying are from the actual winners. one of things you see all the time in the BHW is birds for sale and the owners spout sires, grandsires, great grandsires results but you do see anything for what the bird you are buying has done, I would go for proven racers over birds bred for stock, you see it all the time on pedigrees where you see sires and dams that were bred for stock, and sometimes its the grandparents and great grandparents that were the winners. The further away from the actual winners the less chance you have of reproducing that winning line. remember this if the bird you are buying has non proven parents and its the grandparents that have won, by the time you rear from it you are another generation away again. so your youngsters would be great grandsons / daughters of the original winning birds.

 

So to me its not about money its about a lot of factors, If all the factors i look for was right and the bird i wanted was a £1000 i would have no issue paying that. Its all in the research you do and dont be fooled into buying a bird based upon an name just because its a particular strain means nothing.

 

Thats just my views.

 

Jas.

[lawrie]

i agree that theres nothing wrong  in spending money on birds, however much they are. but expensive birds arent always the best.

each to their own.

[pigeonscout]

You can buy a cheap bird that can go on to win races and bred you a loft full of winners but once it has done this it will no longer be cheap to buy. Some fanciers like to take the short cut and pay more for the good bird.

[pigeonscout]

A good racing bird does not always make a good stock bird I wish it was that simple.

The best breding hen I ever owned was never in a basket and the best racing cock I ever owned never bred a winner and both of these birds where nest mates.