Darkness system good or bad?????

[Guest]

Do you think it affects racing pigeons

[jimmy white]

all i can say on that subject was that i tried both systems the same year ,the darkness yb hammered the other ones, i stopped the natural ybs after good training and 4 races, let them moult out in peice and quiet, as yearlings i found there was no differance between one team or the other, they then all raced to the same loft and had the same treatment but all raced just as welln

[Guest shadow]

If you want to race long and extreme distance rear your young bird naturally. However if you want to win young bird racing and are not bothered about later life use darkness

[Guest]

Been racing on Darkness for 6 seasons now and have had NO PROBLEMS WHATSOEVER with the birds as yearlings onwards.

[Guest WINGS 04]

If you want to race long and extreme distance rear your young bird naturally. However if you want to win young bird racing and are not bothered about later life use darkness

 

how can you say that the birds are no good in later life i have race darkness all the time and i have had some verry good results from them as yearlings and older no side affects  

[jimmy white]

when ybs are thick in the moult  ,being basketed day after day trained,  ,raced ,transporters overnight maybe two nights the stress they go through is enormous , the darkness ones have completed that body moult in peice before training starts, ok they have another body moult and flights, again when the stresses of racing is over, it just means that they are going to the races better dressed id rather have a well trained yb and streetwise yb i,e hawks wires etc. i beleive any young creature should be trained in the year of birth, but what they remember as babies , they never forget , but i like training them with a jacket on. if their destined for the distance ,they dont need much as yearlings3 tosses 4 races  plenty of exercise round the loft  and as 2 year olds or even over they will score at the distance if its in them, but with pigeons  theres allways exeption to the rule.

[Guest WINGS 04]

HI JIMMY I THINK THAT YOU ARE RIGHT IN WHAT YOU ARE SAYING ABOUT THE TRANING UP TO A POINT I DO NOT TRAN MY LATEBREEDS AS I THINK YOU ARE BETER TO TRAN THEM WITH THE FOLLING YEAR WITH YOUR OTHER BIRDS AND GIVE THEM THE COME BACK RACE THEM AS 2 YEAR OLDS ALL THE WAY INLAND I WILL ONLY KEEP ABOUT 6 LATEBREEDS

[jimmy white]

hi wings, hope your doing well, just my own point of veiw   with late breds , istill liked to basket train them and maybe 2 or 3 short tosses around the place but found the most dangerous times were early the following year, iwould prefer to train them a bit when the cold east winds go and the temp, rises a bit, even with yearlings i started them in may. the first 3 races itraned about 6 just for these early races, but after they had been trained and raced they would be stopped for the following year to allow my main team to start, just a thought wings

[Guest Jim R Ramsay]

We have been flying Darkness Youngsters for Six years now and have had good results both at Club and Fed level, and have had no problem,s

as yearling,s and two year old,s. We do not keep or race naturalY/Bird,s.

                                   Jim.

[Guest]

I think the general response is that having yb's on the darkness does not afect them,i think the problem is the people who can't fly a decent yearling use this as an excusee, maybe a bit harsh but i think its true.

[Guest shadow]

You can only speak as you find racing yearlings out to 500 miles if the weather is not perfect and it is a hard race 90% of the time the natural reared Y/B's wiill make it home where as the darkness youngsters are found wanting and will go down

[Guest]

is this fact? as personally i dont think this is the case

[Guest WINGS 04]

i race my yearling out to 460 miles sent 10 birds 5 yearlings go 4 back all were darkend as babys

[Guest valiant]

I THINK IT IS A VERY GOOD SYSTEM HAD SOME GREAT RESULTS.

[speedbird]

I think darkness is a great system & i got 3rd from 440miles  which was the last old bird race with a yearling hen that went to every race as yb & as a yearling so think it depends how well & keen & it was the last old bird race

[carl]

I have only been flying now for 2 seasons and darkness has been used both youngbird seasons.I have had no problems with yearlings at all.I have lost many birds but who hasnt

[Guest]

Thats the thing it has been bad racing all over darkness non darkness and i think it is juts an easy answer for some people to blame the darkness system

[speedbird]

thats very true gez been a funny season this year

[johnnysfarm]

I used the lighting system this year and my birds look terable I will use the darkness system next year. It's got to be better..

[Guest valiant]

YES JOHNNY THE DARKNESS SYSTEM IS A LOT BETTER.I USED THE LIGHTING SYSTEM 2 SEASONS AGO AND MY RESULT WHERE TERABLE.GOT SOME GREAT RESULTS ON THE DARKNESS.

[preston powerblast]

Its like anything else if it works for you then stick with it.

Over the years I have had some success with the all 3 systems, Darkness system, Light system and Natural.

But the system I preferred is the the light system.

But you have to train them hard and work them hard otherwise they just fall to bits.

One good thing about the darkness system is that your youngbirds always look good as they come through the moult quickly and seem to hold thier flights well through the season.

But i am a believer in keeping things simple.

[big_al]

BEEN USING THE DARKNESS SYSTEM FOR THE LAST 3 SEASONS, NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE MOULT ETC WITH THE YEARLINGS. HAD SOME VERY GOOD RESULTS

[Guest]

Think the poll question "does it affect the birds" a bit strange. Of course it affects the birds .. it interferes with the bird's normal day/night biorythms and one result of that is that it retards the moult. The real question might be what else does it affect that we can't see and how, for example what does it do to the bird's biological clock?

 

Can't dispute darkness performance or darkness physique, but at what cost?

 

And I've also picked up that darkness youngsters need to be treated carefully as yearlings. That surely is admission enough that things isn't quite tickity-boo.  

 

 

[jimmy white]

must admit i was doubtfull years ago, but then tried both systems, the darkness ones hammered the others, but the others were stopped after a few races, as yearlings and older birds they were all together, and found out it made no differance whatsoever, both were comming just as well

[Guest slugmonkey]

Lots of open loft and to heck with lights I have no electricity in any of my lofts and never will especially to run lights for a system that affects moult