INFERIOR HOMING ABILITY

[Guest Owen]

Well, I decided years ago that I could'nt be bothered with all the messing about with so called, "Long Distance Racing". It occurs to me that it is cruel and pointless. Cruel because most of the birds end up starving somewhere with no chance of ever getting back home. OK the winners are definately to be admired. The few that are capable of doing it. It is pointless because these birds rarely last for long and if they don't get lost this year it will be next. A guy in this area had a pigeon that won from Lerwick on three occasions. This was Nationals. The bird was outstanding. Guess what. He sent him for the fourth time. Liberation took place in terrible weather and most of the birds were swept out to sea, this cock included. I would have had that owner horse whipped together with the people responsible for liberating the birds. What really happened was that the owner was very upset at loosing the bird and after a short time gave up pigeons. I need someone to explain to me what right we have to treat dumb animals and birds this way? They did'nt choose the kind of life we have imposed on them. Did they?

[pjc]

I beleive its all down to the constitution and make up of the bird. Within the same family of birds you will get some that are better at different distances.

When did you last see a muscle bound marathon runner and when did you last see a skinny bag of bones winning 100meters?

[hotrod]

Well, I decided years ago that I could'nt be bothered with all the messing about with so called, "Long Distance Racing". It occurs to me that it is cruel and pointless. Cruel because most of the birds end up starving somewhere with no chance of ever getting back home. OK the winners are definately to be admired. The few that are capable of doing it. It is pointless because these birds rarely last for long and if they don't get lost this year it will be next. A guy in this area had a pigeon that won from Lerwick on three occasions. This was Nationals. The bird was outstanding. Guess what. He sent him for the fourth time. Liberation took place in terrible weather and most of the birds were swept out to sea, this cock included. I would have had that owner horse whipped together with the people responsible for liberating the birds. What really happened was that the owner was very upset at loosing the bird and after a short time gave up pigeons. I need someone to explain to me what right we have to treat dumb animals and birds this way? They did'nt choose the kind of life we have imposed on them. Did they?

i think your in the wrong sport mate, you can lose birds in sprint races going over the top and never finding home , there is always going to be mistakes made by race controllers , i for one would not like their job. but back to your post , try keepin white rabbits or something.

 

[Guest Owen]

hotrod,

I have sometimes thought that I am in the wrong company. And I remember once thinking that I am in the wrong sport. It was only the once and it was only a fleeting thought. When I was at primary school I was badly bullied for a while. Eventually, I learnt the hard way how to deal with bullies. And because I lived in a farming community I often saw cruelty being doled out to animals and birds. Again I learnt how to deal with the type who have no idea of what is the right and proper way to treat creatures who have no protection against their actions. Later, I boxed as a teenager and while I was in the regular army. And I played rugby to a fairly high standard in the army and later in civilian life. During my army service I served with 3 Para and saw active service. So as you can see I can dish it out with the best of them. And it is because I have had the ability to dominate others I have chosen not to do so. I have chosen not to be cruel and bully anybody or any thing that is weaker than me. I accept that mistakes are made by both man and beast but every effort must and should be made not to get things right. This includes decisions to liberate pigeons and to ask them to do what they probably can not do. All I ask is that fairness and common sense is used to make these decisions. I don't fancy keeping white rabbits or any other colour.  

[hotrod]

owen fine but pigeon racing is pigeon racing mate ,  i have said to very good flyers in the past that a pigeons life will almost certainly end in failure, thats pigeons , if we didnt lose them  , like years ago , then at the end of each year the bad one's would be culled to make room for the new batch of birds being bred .AND  yes your spot on that everthing should be done by race controlers to make the right decissions to liberate birds, be it weather or possible clashing with other birds , ie , north road /southroad etc.(only kiddin about white rabbits. )ps i was once bullied too got kicked or punched everyday as i passed the catholic school to go to my school( non dinominational ) the same guy evryday for months and months , then one day i smashed his face in with a half brick problem solved , never been bullied since , and dont like anyone who is a bully, and would love to meet them in a dark allyway and correct them.

[walterbmasson]

 

 

 

  mickb just ask me not forgetting blaz i have never raced sprint birds in my life always being content with distance racing but this last 2 years i have been toying with the feeding and i have found it defentely inproved the speed adding hemp and aniseed up to the 300 miles and was keeping up with sprinters  once you put your mind to something give it your best shot dont give up  now the muscle  sprint the muscel will be harder but distance birds will have very soft and bulging at the sides touch it with with your fingers it will move in like a sponge thats the muscle you need for 600 to 700 miles for 450 to 500 miles you will get away with harder muscel but that same pigeon wont fly 600miles as it burns up much quicker

[just ask me]

 

 

  mickb just ask me not forgetting blaz i have never raced sprint birds in my life always being content with distance racing but this last 2 years i have been toying with the feeding and i have found it defentely inproved the speed adding hemp and aniseed up to the 300 miles and was keeping up with sprinters  once you put your mind to something give it your best shot dont give up  now the muscle  sprint the muscel will be harder but distance birds will have very soft and bulging at the sides touch it with with your fingers it will move in like a sponge thats the muscle you need for 600 to 700 miles for 450 to 500 miles you will get away with harder muscel but that same pigeon wont fly 600miles as it burns up much quicker

 

although i do think in most cases that the bigger muscle will belong to the sprint pigeon i would disagree with with having hard muscle on sprint birds the muscle still needs supple on a sprint bird

would agree with u about keeping trying though that what the game is about

[walterbmasson]

 

HOTROD DISTANCE BIRDS GETS MOTIVATED JUST THE SAME AS SPRINT WHAT ABOUT STAN BISS MAY EVEN BETTER REMBER THE STAYING POWER HA HA  8) 8)

[blaz]

i was told to hold the bird in your hand close your eyes . imagine putting it in water would it float or sink . if it floats it  is in tip top condition  it should race well .as the muscles fell like cork. best advice i have had as it has worked out club fed only up to 326 mile . have not raced further YET .

[walterbmasson]

 

 

BLAZ YOU PUT A LIGHT PIGEON INTO A 600 MILES GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND PRAY FOR A GALE UP THE BACK SIDE IF ON THE SNOOT THATS WHEN ITS CRUEL NO CHANCE OF HOMING :( :(    NOT EVEN A ALSO RAN   :o

[Guest Owen]

hotrod

no hard feelings. If I see you out I'll buy you a drink. Oh, and by the way, I don't keep powder puff pigeons. They are trained hard and worked hard. If they don't measure up they are gone.

[hotrod]

hotrod

no hard feelings. If I see you out I'll buy you a drink. Oh, and by the way, I don't keep powder puff pigeons. They are trained hard and worked hard. If they don't measure up they are gone.

 

cheers mate i'll hold you to that , work them hard and work hard at them you wont go wrong ,all the best .

[blaz]

 

BLAZ YOU PUT A LIGHT PIGEON INTO A 600 MILES GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND PRAY FOR A GALE UP THE BACK SIDE IF ON THE SNOOT THATS WHEN ITS CRUEL NO CHANCE OF HOMING :( :(    NOT EVEN A ALSO RAN   :o

 

as i said club fed only and when i manage to get distance birds. i will get my advice on what to feed and how to train my birds from fanciers who have won nationals . and the informasion i need on how the birds should handle. if i am still not sure the i will invite them down and i know one or two would be more than glad to help. its good to have freinds who can and will help.watch this space

[Roland]

Must disagree with owen. Any bird worth it's salt - on correct system - will pee 500 miles on the day... all things being equeal.

 

Won't lose any any good and thets fer sure.

[jimmy white]

The only thing that is different between a sprinter and distance pigeon is endurance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

this to me is the best post,,, and in my opinion, very true

[thunderboult]

In truth a sprinter has an hieghtened ability of homing as it has to be in the loft quicker and has less margin for error.

 

A pigeons ability to home can only be judged in the basket, so many modern pigeons have so little ability as there are bred from generations of non racers, bred by non fanciers.

 

The only thing that is different between a sprinter and distance pigeon is endurance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

i don't want to pick an argument or anything but your first reply you state sprinter have a heightened homing ability and then 2 mins later you say there's no difference between homing ability.

[Guest Owen]

Roland

I hope you realise that this is the first time you and I have disagreed. In this area we have people who loose loads of pigeons every year. Quite often they can't complete the programme for either young or old birds. On the occasions when they do find a good bird they send it until they loose it. I gave a guy a lovely blue hen as a young bird. She won a couple of club races and topped the Fed against around 3000 birds. She was also in the first 10 in the National. As a yearling she was badly injured training. She'd hit a wire. When he told me, I said that he had had a piece of very good luck because he could not race her and he would have to keep her to get better. And this would be a good chance to rear something out of her. He put her into the 3rd race complete with feathers missing all accross the breast. He lost her. The same man asked to buy birds from me this year because he had not many. He had been letting them out to exercise while they were breeding and the peregrine had given him a hidding. When I suggested keeping them in until he had bred his youngsters, he told me that they had to go out because he wanted them hardened off ready for racing. People like that will just send birds whatever happens. The only good thing about it is the fact that they provide money for the likes of you and me to win. But as far as the sport is concerned they do nothing but damage. I hope we are back on the same wave length again.  

[jimmy white]

Agree somewhat with some of Swilcox's posts.

But was always told, that to build ANY family, for any type of didtance that one is interested in racing, Distance need to be the main stay. One can win with distances birds at any distance.... Natrix etc. for Biss was a good at 50 milers. Indeed often on at the 50 miles before main season and as a bonus at seasons ends I read.

 

again, i would think this post would be contrary to most fanciers thinking,, but i can only say that in my own experience , have found this to be true,,

i had a pigeon "the old meally" had a prize in every club race from 62 miles  to 365 miles ,during his 9 years in racing     this pigeon scored at over 500 miles 9 times ,, it won a penrith race[ 84 miles at]  9 years old [600 birds] [only bird on the pool sheet without a penny pool on it] ,this was his last race that year untill sent to averanches , over 500 miles some 7 weeks later, which he scored in the snfc,

even" sir colin " won two worcestor races [250 miles approx] in two years, again his last race b4 going 5-600 miles

[walterbmasson]

 

 

JIMMMY HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THE BLACK JETS THESE BIRDS WERE BIG AND WHEN I FIRST SAW THEM I COULD NOT BELIEVE THE LENGTH OF THERE WINGS 12 AND 13 PREMIER FLIGHTS THESE BIRDS COULD GO LAWRIE CAMBELL FLEW THEM FROM ABERDEEN I AM NOT VERY SURE HOW FAR THEY COULD FLY IAM SURE HE MENTIONED120 MILES BUT YOU HAD TO BREED A LOT THEY JUST KEPT GOING DOWN WIN ONE WEEK LOST NEXT ANY ABERDEEN LADS TO TELL US ABOUT THEM

[hotrod]

that last post owen is perfect mate, most if they get them for nowt will race them till they drop , but if they spend £100-£200  on a bird they wont race, the youngsters race very lightly and all through their lifes the birds wont go because thats off my such and such birds , your freebie will go no matter what. a guy in my club did the same , i gave him birds out of my stock birds , the words he said as he left , i think i will go and kill everthing ive got after seeing what you have , never did thank god , i gave him a full brother to my national winner, and one off a pair of w.kinner & son edinburgh birds

[jimmy white]

 

JIMMMY HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THE BLACK JETS THESE BIRDS WERE BIG AND WHEN I FIRST SAW THEM I COULD NOT BELIEVE THE LENGTH OF THERE WINGS 12 AND 13 PREMIER FLIGHTS THESE BIRDS COULD GO LAWRIE CAMBELL FLEW THEM FROM ABERDEEN I AM NOT VERY SURE HOW FAR THEY COULD FLY IAM SURE HE MENTIONED120 MILES BUT YOU HAD TO BREED A LOT THEY JUST KEPT GOING DOWN WIN ONE WEEK LOST NEXT ANY ABERDEEN LADS TO TELL US ABOUT THEM

 

hi walter,, yes i can remember these black jets being advertised many years ago,, but , to be honest  had never heard of anyone flying them,,

 

[ribble]

i race sprint (and not to bad at if i do say so myself) but a real good mate of mine is a long distance fanatic a real top class long distance fancier too

 

he was getting a bird or two off me every few year or so i was thinking he was going to have a go at the sprint racing but i was wrong so i asked him what was he at he told me that a sprint bird has to have really good homing instincts if u think about it he said if a sprint bird leaves his line of flight slightly even race over hes not in the results so he said for them its about finding the quickest way home  

 

i know a lot wont agree with this but he is very successful over 500 mile

 

what do they it takes all kinds  ;D

 

I was reading a similar thing on Schaerlaeckens site, he said Vandebeele only likes head wind birds were as Schaerlaeckens likes a tail wind bird.

[hotrod]

ive always said horses for coarses, my pal john callan from lesmahagow won the west section out of rennes and 25th open in a very fast race , i got a dtr of it and when this bird went to a race in a tail wind she won loads a dosh, in fact she would have topped the  fed a few times if she would have trapped .in a head wind she was nowhere

[walterbmasson]

hotrod lawrie campbell used them for the first few races but he would take 1st 6 positions they were the same you had to face them the way they were going i handled them in lawries loft the thing that sticks with me was the length of there wings they must have been nackered flying very short distances into a head wind but nothing would live with them on easy days but as i have said the brain box was not working very easy lost 8) 8) 8)

[Merlin]

Sprint or distance ,many birds can do both quite successfully for 12/14 hours,if the methods employed by the fancier are done properly,for two day long distance events,its much harder,but as regards their homing ability,again this is in tandem with their condition,when racing,their homing ability is present in them all,its the fanciers general knowledge and input that enhances this.