Cloudy day training

[Ronnie]

I'm led to beleive that pigeons can navigate using different methods, the sun being only one.

If thats the case why do we only liberate on sunny days and why does everyone keep telling me not to train on cloudy and overcast days or if i do wait for a break in the clouds?I can understand if its raining i can even understand not training if its really windy but not cloudy and overcast .It could be just what people do around my way any thoughts please.

 

[stevebelbin]

Ive trained mine in most weathers and they have made it home in most weather conditions. The times they have struggled seems to be when it looks like being thundery, and there seems to be a static feel to the air. Ive let them go in fog and they beat me back. Ive let them go in sunshine that turned to heavy rain on the way home and they still beat me. The only time I wouldnt train in "not perfect" conditions is when Im first starting there training, be it old birds at the beginning of the year or YBs at the start of their training. Ive started my biking training in not so perfect conditions for me and it does knock my confidence a bit, so I feel it will do the same for the birds  ;D ;D ;D

[Ronnie]

Thanks steve.I agree with you on the first couple of training toss'es just to build there confidence.

[Guest slugmonkey]

I have experienced the worst losses on clear calm days I like a few clouds I train on bad days I like it overcast and I like a headwind the only time I dont train is during driving rain and in fog I have trained in the snow I give my birds open loft a lot and they wont stay in the loft on these type days so I figure it dosent hurt them I dont do anything crazy but I don't think that 30 miles in intermittent showers does them any harm

[me]

once they are fit and raring to go they will come home in the dark especially from a regular tossing point but be careful till your happy with the way they are coming and of course don't take any risks at all in the last week before they go to "the big race"

[madmaxlofts]

i train in most weather its nowt compared to when we race

they let them go then the weather changes for the worst

[Guest TAMMY_1]

TRAIN OLD BIRDS IN ANYTHING BUT FOG, DIFFERENT MATTER WITH YOUNG BIRDS, AM VERY CAREFUL WITH THEM AT THE START BUT ONCE THEY ARE COMING GOOD THEY ALSO GET TRAINED IN INCLEMENT WEATHER

[ALF]

HAVE TOSSED THE BIRDS IN A THUNDERSTORM BEFORE FROM ABOUT 15 MLS AND THEY BEAT ME HOME!!!!!!

[Guest TAMMY_1]

HAVE TOSSED THE BIRDS IN A THUNDERSTORM BEFORE FROM ABOUT 15 MLS AND THEY BEAT ME HOME!!!!!!

 

THAT MUST BE A FIRST FOR YOU THEN, GETTING THEM HOME ;D ;D

[Tony C]

My oldbirds that I intend to send to the sprint races get trained on fine days with no east in the wind, no matter what time of the year

[BLUESTORM]

Hi, I look out  for east winds early in the season, not to fussed about cloud, for old birds, But young birds ideal conditions for me would be, not to hot little cloud and slight breeze, time wise early in the morning or after 2.30 in the afternoon.  

[Guest]

I've learned a bit from my early training mistakes and the losses they caused : dropped 5 out of 6 young birds in east coast sea fog, and dropped half of my OBs before OB racing even began, training them in March in clear skies and brilliant sunshine ... but the temperature only 9C max.

 

Bit down the middle of the previous posts, I prefer to train in reasonable weather sunshine & broken cloud and variable winds (i.e. train in different wind directions and strengths) and a minimum visibility of around 5 miles. Prefer to leave their meeting different weather conditions to actual raceday, the weather can be very different in places only a few miles apart so they'll experience that soon enough.

 

 

[Beanz]

What do you do if you have not trained in east winds and then on Saturday the wind turns east, they won't hold them back because its an east wind ?

[westy]

Ive trained mine in most weathers and they have made it home in most weather conditions. The times they have struggled seems to be when it looks like being thundery, and there seems to be a static feel to the air. Ive let them go in fog and they beat me back. Ive let them go in sunshine that turned to heavy rain on the way home and they still beat me. The only time I wouldnt train in "not perfect" conditions is when Im first starting there training, be it old birds at the beginning of the year or YBs at the start of their training. Ive started my biking training in not so perfect conditions for me and it does knock my confidence a bit, so I feel it will do the same for the birds  ;D ;D ;D

 

same as me mate people think to much about the weather and when there in a race it migth be that weather and they have not flown in it before.

[Shogun]

I train, like most of the fanciers here, in any weather. Over here we fly in unpredictable weather conditions. Very often birds will experience heat and heavy rains on the same lap. Like last Sunday's race. Some birds went home exhausted and puffing from the heat. While others came home drenched from heavy rains. Either they took separate routes or the weather drastically changed.

 

So it will entirely depend on where you are racing. I start training 45 day youngsters in any weather condition. Lost a few, but those would have no chance in the race conditions here anyway.

 

Goodluck in your training and the races.

[Guest REDFOXKRAUTHS]

ive let go in fog,thunder storms, and rain and always get 'em home!

[Guest shadow]

ive let go in fog,thunder storms, and rain and always get 'em home!

You must have been very lucky you can soon have a disaster  traing birds like that especially youngsters

 

 

[Guest TAMMY_1]

WOULD NEVER DREAM OF LETTING ANY BIRDS GO IN FOG, AND WOULD NOT LET YOUNG BIRDS GO IN A THUNDERSTORM EITHER

[pigeonscout]

Messenger  pigeons in the 2nd world war where trained to fly at night in the dark. The where trained in corn filed's in the middle of the night. The corn fields where to learn them to get height as soon as they left the basket. If they did not then no harm came to them as they just hit the corn and could then be pick up. The lofts where lit up home end the.

Birds can get above the fog on flight home but if the fog is at the home end then you are asking for trouble.

Thunder over a team of young birds even when flying out round the loft can spell disaster.

Strong head winds make the birds fly low and they have a greater chance of hitting wires. I think a nice head wind not to strong is the best for training and racing.

[Guest]

Messenger  pigeons in the 2nd world war where trained to fly at night in the dark. The where trained in corn filed's in the middle of the night. The corn fields where to learn them to get height as soon as they left the basket. If they did not then no harm came to them as they just hit the corn and could then be pick up. The lofts where lit up home end .

 

Cut your post down to show bit I'm picking up on.

 

Reading the 'great messengers of war' thread, thought: look at what these birds came thro and how were they trained up to do it?

 

Seems they were 'ordinary' pigeons and 'ordinary' pigeon fanciers in extraordinary circumstances. Wonder if today we've maybe lost something since those days?

 

 

[jimmy white]

        

Birds can get above the fog on flight home but if the fog is at the home end then you are asking for trouble.

Thunder over a team of young birds even when flying out round the loft can spell disaster.

Strong head winds make the birds fly low and they have a greater chance of hitting wires. I think a nice head wind not to strong is the best for training and racing.

 

agree with this entirely,, an instance, drove to carter bar [high hill] pea souper all the way , but on arriving at the top of the hill , pure blue sky [and the most oddest veiw, just a blanket of low lying mist] birds back no prob,

would be exceptionaly carefull with ybs, prefer a slight wind , pigeons seem to prefer this also.

too strong a wind is courting for accidents [low flying,hedge hopping]

[pigeonscout]

The fanciers in those days must have had birds with great homing ability to do what they did without a car to train. How many birds would we have left in our lofts at the end of an old bird program if they had not been trained by car as young birds?

[jupiter_19630]

From some of the posts on here it sounds like many members are trying to lose their birds rather than train them.

From my point of view training serves two purposes. Firstly teaching them the shortest route home, and secondly maintaining their fitnesss levels.

Chucking your birds out in a thunderstorm or fog acheives neither of these.

 

My birds exercise around the loft in all weathers except fog or snow. If they take off and cant see the loft because its covered in snow your asking for trouble.

 

As for forced training they stay at home if its gale force winds, thunderstorms, heavy rain or very cloudy. After all the intention is to train them not punish them.

 

[stevebelbin]

From some of the posts on here it sounds like many members are trying to lose their birds rather than train them.

From my point of view training serves two purposes. Firstly teaching them the shortest route home, and secondly maintaining their fitnesss levels.

Chucking your birds out in a thunderstorm or fog acheives neither of these.

 

My birds exercise around the loft in all weathers except fog or snow. If they take off and cant see the loft because its covered in snow your asking for trouble.

 

As for forced training they stay at home if its gale force winds, thunderstorms, heavy rain or very cloudy. After all the intention is to train them not punish them.

 

 

The only problem with training on only perfect days, is the birds become soft. Once you basket them for a race they are the control of the convoyer, who doesnt always get it right!!

[jupiter_19630]

lol, I never said that I only train on perfect days. If I did that then I doubt that I would get much training in.

I just don't believe in chucking them up in totally unsuitable weather.

I agree that convoyers do not always get it right as far as the weather but I doubt that a convoyer would deliberately liberate into thick fog or gale force winds.

If he did I don't reckon the fed would soon start looking for a new convoyer.