Young Birds that work back

[Diamond dave]

In such a tough season for young birds I'd like to ask the members what they do with the birds that work back after 2 or 3 weeks? -

 

Do they tend to get lost as yearlings?

 

Do they go on to be good reliable old birds or do they just become plodders?

 

 

[mickmcgrevy]

Dave,        

 

some of them make very good birds, I will explain in more detail when I have a little more time.

 

Mick

[Chris Little]

Give them every chance Dave

 

We have had some that have turned out to be real good uns out to national level.

[PIGEON_MAN]

I WOULD SAY THAT MOST FANCIERS START TO PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR AFTER THE LAST YOUNG BIRD RACE AND CUT THE BIRDS DOWN TO THE NUMBERS THEY REQUIRE FOR NEXT YEAR,SO WITH ME THESE BIRDS WOULD PROBABLEY THE FIRST TO GO IF SAY IT WAS A CHOICE BETWEEN ONE THAT HAD FLOWN THE WHOLE PROGRAMME OR ONE THAT HAD BEEN LOST AND COME BACK AFTER A COUPLE OF WEEKS.

[ACE LOFTS]

bang on pigeon man thats the tecnike i use. sort them out the day after the last young bird race then what ever comes back after that goes.

[mickmcgrevy]

Hi all,   in 1998 there was a particularly bad race out of picauville, we were racing in three clubs that day all from the same race point. Northern Classic, Midland National and the federation, there were some birds which made it home more or less on time, ( isn't that allways the case ). Well we had two nest mates go missing at that race, both red hens, they returned to the loft the following year, about March. Both of them had been out all winter and not in someone else's loft. Anyway there was nestbox space for them, so we kept them, one had every race except a drop back in the club, she won the race out of Picauville, and she was second out of Saintes in the club on the day 538 mile only 2 home. The other one went on to perform rrasonably well she later won the Northern Classic out of Fourgers, and she flew Palamos with the BBC.

 

So I supose it depends on circumstances, its allways the same some are good and some are not, wether they are lost as yopung birds or not.

 

Mick    

[gangster]

8) 8)my own best bird worked his way back full of oil and went on to be my most consistent bird carding upto and over the channel, if youve never made a mistake u aint lived ......mick

[PIGEON_MAN]

HOW ABOUT GOING ONE STEP FURTHER WITH THIS,YOU,VE SORTED YOUR BIRDS OUT AND THEN ONE COMES BACK THAT HAD WON A COUPLE OF RACES IN THE EARLY PART OF THE SEASON AND THEN LOST,BUT THERE IS NO WAY YOU WANT TO KEEP A EXTRA BIRD.NOW IN THE LOFT YOU HAVE A PIGEON THAT YOU PAYED A LOT OF MONEY FOR,I.E.PEDIGREE AS LONG AS YOUR ARM,PARENTS DONE EVERYTHING BUT YOU,VE TRIED THIS PIGEON WITH ALL YOUR BEST HENS AND IT ASN,T BRED ANYTHING ANY GOOD,YOU,VE PERHAPS HAD IT ABOUT 3 YEARS SAY, WHICH BIRD WOULD YOU KEEP.NO IF,S OR BUTS JUST ON WHAT I HAVE WROTE.

[william]

i have never had any succes with young birds that returned home after any length of time,but i have known some, that have turned out to be very good racers for other lofts  

[Guest TAMMY_1]

I THINK THIS YEAR A LOT OF US WILL BE HOPING FOR SOME TO WORK THEIR WAY BACK BUT AS IN EARLIER POSTS SOME TURN OUT TO BE GOOD SOME DONT BUT I HAVE NEVER CULLED ANY YOUNG BIRDS THAT COME BACK LATER ON BECAUSE I FEEL THEY HAVE TRIED TO GET HOME WHICH IS A SIGN I LIKE THAT THEY WANT TO RETURN HOME AND THEY WILL ALLWAYS BE GIVEN A CHANCE BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM WHEN THEY WERE RACING OR WHY THEY WERE LOST. I HAD ONE BIRD IN PARTICULAR THAT WAS LOST AS A YOUNG BIRD AND IT RETURNED ABOUT JANUARY AND THIS BIRD WON ME POOL MONEY EVERY WEEK I SENT ITAND IT NEVER WON A RACE ALLTHOUGH IT WAS PIPPED A FEW TIMES BUT I CANNOT REMEMBER A RACE IT WAS SENT TO THAT IT NEVER WON ME ANY MONEY UNTILL IT WAS EVENTUALLY LOST  AND THAT WAS ABOUT TWO YEARS AFTER IT HAD CAME HOME

[jimmy white]

ive had ybs struggle home filthy, dirty , looking more like street birds, some of these have turned out to be fantastic pigeons,,,,i had one once lost as a yb ,returned

two weeks b4 first ob race the following season [it was a white flighted pigeon but you couldnt tell that ,at the time ;D]  this pigeon finished up a great pigeon and won quite a few firsts and other prizes] so i would never blame a yb ,,,only problem is,,, if theve been in a loft,, they will drop back at that loft, if theve been living" wild", differance story :)

[Guest TAMMY_1]

TRUE WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT THEM GOING BACK TO A LOFT THEY HAD BEEN IN I HAD A WHITE HEN WHO WAS A GREAT RACER UP TO OUR 4TH RACEPOINT WHICH WAS 120 MILES AND AFTER THAT IT WENT BACK TO A LOFT IT HAD ENTERED AS A Y/B AND AFTER SENDING FOR IT TWICE THAT WAS THE END OF THAT ONE

[fifestay]

Whilst this is detracting from the point of the Post/thread the "sorting out" technique and you cant come home doesnt do the fanciers reputation any good ...we moan about hawks/ sun spots/bad libs yet we probably kill more than any of these.

 

My own thoughts on the question ...who didn't make a mistake as a Child? Just think that if a Bird has managed to work its way back (cos we judt dont know if they have had a knock, been chased offline by a hawk) they deserve a chance not to be killed. Jeez who would be a Pigeon ....better taking your chances as a ferral

[Guest TAMMY_1]

EXACTLY WHAT I SAID ABOVE FIFESTAY YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM TO GET LOST AND I LOVE TO SEE BIRDS RETURNING NO MATTER WHEN, I LOVE MY PIGEONS EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE HERE TO RACE I STILL LOVE TO SEE THEM COMING BACK

[square_peg]

HEY NORMA, IF I COME BACK AS A DOO    I REALLY HOPE ITS TO YOUR LOFT    ALL THAT LOVELY GRUB   NEVER TAKEN AWAY IN A LORRY AND THROWN OUT FAR AWAY FROM HOME   NEVER HAVE TO GO OUT OF LOFT IF THERES A CLOUD IN THE SKY   GET TO RETIRE EARLY  NEVER LIVE IN FEAR WHEN THE BIN BAGS ABOUT      BLISS   JUST PURE BLISS    ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D  :K) :K) :K) :K) :K) :K) :K)

[fifestay]

Guess thats because I would never make a good Pigeon racer ...am a Pigeron Lover would be better with tumblers or show birds however I think I have a point re trying to square of selection with losses mind you there has been many a sorry fancier killed stock doos ...to find out a couple of years later that progeny were winning out of turn. I must laugh, and you'll know who I am talking about ....some of the Fanciers in our areas who talk about that Birds crap and thats in the bucket etc ...Often wonder if you were to translate their personal achievements and worth in Doo terms what would they be ...NECKED ! ;D ;D ;D

[NANCYVIEWLOFTS]

we had a young bird go missing and came back at the end of the season with its rubber still on but well worn as a yearling it won the first

race and then this year won the north west classic lulworth race

but i think they are few and far beetween

[mark]

the way things are going any yb that makes it way surelly deserves a chance.?

[Guest]

I hd a bird who came back 2 years ago after being missing 6 months from the year before's futurity race.  She was in excellent condition, I can only assume she had been in someones loft and when they let their birds out in spring she came home.

 

we raced her in the C Series and she took 2nd place Champion bird, this year we sent her out to 300 miles with some excellent performances and is still in the loft always homing on race day.

 

[Guest]

I don't profess to know much about selection of pigeons after the season's end.

 

Was involved in that last year because I was over my nest box limit and found the whole thing utterly distasteful. Two of the 8 birds outed were in the same category as the thread ... a young bird lost in the first race that came home in the last stray basket  of the year, and a yearling that had been lost in the last yb race the previous year and came home 'filthy' after the OB racing had begun, and had been trained & given one race in the comeback race in June.

 

Dreadful year with OBs and basically lost the lot  i.e. ;D 'the chosen ones'  ;D

 

What's left are basically pigeons that returned home with horrendous injuries and which pulled through, except a yearling hen lost in the 1st YB race last year which came home in the 1st OB race this year, having wintered outside. Plus of course what's left from the YB racing ... all 7, including a young cock which was 1st home two consecutive races then went to Witton Castle and took 3 weeks to come home. Total about 14 birds.

 

They are ALL staying. Proven 'Useless Selector' meself, now prefer Mr Basket to do the job for me. If they're there at the end of the season, they stay. Doesn't mean that I'll be breeding from them all though.

[Roland]

Mr Basket is great! ... but must only be allowed to sort conditioned healthy birds...!

[PIGEON_MAN]

THE DIFFICULTEY ARRISES WHEN YOU FINISH THE SEASON WITH ABOUT 15 PIGEONS MORE THAN YOU WANT TO KEEP THROUGH THE WINTER,MAKES IT VERY HARD SOMETIMES TO DISPOSE OF YOUNGSTERS THAT HAVE FLOWN THE WHOLE PROGRAMME.

[Beanz]

we only have room for 12 cocks so its sort them out after the last race and anything that comes back you must decide if it is better than any other you have kept, but i would never condemn one that has returned without looking how it had performed in the races it had been in, would not keep it just because it is bred off certain stock pair because as we all know even the golden pairs breed bad ones, the basket is the best way to decide but even then all them that race through are not necessarily the best because we do not know why a certain bird does not home

[Roland]

.. we do not know why a certain bird does not home  ... HOW true Beanz ... But hen again we don't have to worry about them... as they aren't there.

I am more concerned about the condition I send them in.

I've make mistaes and  - like some others - pushed, or sent on a Hope and a Wing' Now Mr Basket didn't sort them out, I did, and very unfairly too. Indeed one could say I've thrown away better birds than are actually in the loft.

Now they are sent for three reasons only, whether training or racing.

Expierence, fitness... to win.

If they wink and me before  going, have adorned the eye liner and smiled... then failed to shine, that is when the first and maybe last  black mark is put besides their number. Often only reprieve is if needed for rearing or as a Nest mate.... unless it has proven youngsters. Then OF COURSE it is seperated to find out if it was that  or the mate... or them together. But if room is needed, then they must be gone.

[Guest]

THE DIFFICULTEY ARRISES WHEN YOU FINISH THE SEASON WITH ABOUT 15 PIGEONS MORE THAN YOU WANT TO KEEP THROUGH THE WINTER,MAKES IT VERY HARD SOMETIMES TO DISPOSE OF YOUNGSTERS THAT HAVE FLOWN THE WHOLE PROGRAMME.

 

Happily, I'm not in that position this year, I've plenty of room. But I think I do learn from my mistakes. One of the main mistakes which led to overcrowding and 'selection' last year was starting the season with all boxes occupied, and still breeding 30 youngsters. Doesn't take a mathematical genious to work out that I'd need to 'lose' 30 pigeons in that season to stay within my nest box accommodation.

 

Although I've 30 rings ordered for 2007, I doubt if I'll be filling them all [asked for 20 when I was asked, then changed me mind] I'm looking to breed birds that'll come home on one wing if that's all they've got left, and of course the birds that bred them.