Young Bird Training/Losses

[Guest stb-]

Obviously these are all big issues but does anybody think stress is a factor?

curious to see if anybody thinks the way doos are raced nowadays in comparison to say 30-40 years ago is a lot more stressful on the pigeons?

the systems we race,times we pair up,variations on feeding,how quickly we expect birds to develop etc.

 

would be interesting to hear some of the experienced fanciers takes on this

I race mine natural , pair up after 14 march feed beans etc fly open hole , so the new so called stresss factor aint caught up here yet but yet every other toss the B O P is in about them and there scattered all over the place , B O P is 90% of problem now

 

but most wont smell the coffee till ye have no birds left ,

 

ANOTHER FEW YEARS AND BOP WILL FINNISH PIGEON RACING FOR GOOD

 

THINK A REALLITY CHECK IS NEEDED WAE A LOT OF FOLK LOOKING FOR EXSCUSES , ITS BOP BOP BOP

[gulkie]

one thing i think nowadays young birds have to be made

street wise don't stop training or letting your y/b

out ,they will have to evolve with the times.there is no quick

solition to our problems.

wullie g

[Guest bernie w]

I race mine natural , pair up after 14 march feed beans etc fly open hole , so the new so called stresss factor aint caught up here yet but yet every other toss the B O P is in about them and there scattered all over the place , B O P is 90% of problem now

 

but most wont smell the coffee till ye have no birds left ,

 

ANOTHER FEW YEARS AND BOP WILL FINNISH PIGEON RACING FOR GOOD

 

THINK A REALLITY CHECK IS NEEDED WAE A LOT OF FOLK LOOKING FOR EXSCUSES , ITS BOP BOP BOP

Totally agree BOP IS 90% of problem and people just keep breeding more yb,s to feed them which just increases there numbers. Why do you think most races have birds arrive on time then big gaps and very few second day birds even thought alot of these missing birds have won in the past.

[Guest shadow]

breeding from non-proven stock and propping up sick youngsters is half the problem I NEVER BRED MORE THAN 36 YOUNGSTERS AND MOST were still there year at the end of the year having completed a full racing calender bops do take some but not the amount that go missing wake up and smeell the coffee

[hawked again]

I always just breed off my very best, used 5 stock pairs this year, 5 yearlings that did very well last year and 3 older stock hens. On top of that I took from late breds I brought in from Edinburgh last year. 1st eggs were laid at the end of January but the youngsters did not have any freedom until the sparrowhawk was on her nest, she was late this year so the youngsters did not fly out until the 2nd week in May. They go into an aviary that I can remove from the front of the loft when it’s time to let them out. By the time they went out some had dropped 3 flights, I had NO fly-aways.

The birds were well basket trained, now there’s a problem with a lot of fanciers now a days. The birds would not range, I am hearing this a lot from many flyers in the North of Scotland Fed, is it because there are so many peregrines around that they don’t want to leave the safety of the loft area? The sparrowhawk is still sitting tight at this time.

26 June started training, 40 birds, Elgin 30ish miles for their 1st toss at lunch time along with another Inverness flyer, 100% returns. 5 more tosses from Elgin same time of day still 100% returns.

10 July Cabrach, about 20 miles ssw of Elgin. Hit with the hawk, 1st bird expected home 1 ¼ hours, took 3 ½ hours, 20 birds missing by nightfall. Next day all birds home apart from 3 but another 3 hawked, that’s 15% of the birds lost or injured in 1 hawk attack.

6 tosses without running into the peregrine 100% returns, 1 toss running into the peregrine 15% out the game, the numbers tell the story. There are still too many people breeding off every bird they have though, you will never improve until you breed off only your very, very best.

[sapper756]

Heard of more fanciers having disasters when training youngsters, I think the birdage by the last race of the season will be very interestinghttp://forum.pigeonbasics.org/public/style_emoticons/default/sad.gif

[Ian McKay]

Heard of more fanciers having disasters when training youngsters, I think the birdage by the last race of the season will be very interesting

 

 

 

Will we get to the end of the season some shocking return all round

[big blue bar]

read all the posts about breeding of there best pairs and all that WE HAVE and still have had BIG losses . the fed tryed tosses with the transporter last year with very good returns however this year has been a disaster for alot of clubs on the east coast i have spoke to alot of fanciers on the east who trained with the transporter this year and ALL had big losses they were sent to lethem in fife whitch is about 45 to 50 miles to us we sent 39 and lost 11 big chunck out of the team before racing most of the guys on the east side were all the same but the clubs inland had a differnt story they all had good returns is it that the birds now what is goiung to happen when flying the coast there is perigines working 7 miles from us and i don t now how many other pairs there is along the coast but it seems to me that the birds end up flying inland to aviod bops only to be draged up into aberdeen or futher the birds i got back from fife. well you would think that they would not get lost. first race was yesterday sent 19 missing 9 to date

[Guest Freebird]

Don't have racers but after reading the posts thought I'd put my tupence worth in Surely it can not be down to breeding as you would think even an average bred, healthy doo would make it home from under 100 miles without any problem. As most fanciers would recognise if a bird was not in perfect health then surely this can be ruled out as well? As with any youngsters be it pigeons, horses or the like, they need proper training to bring them on and to do what is being asked of them, but bearing in mind they are still developing physically and mentally. I know if you push a young horse too much in it's first couple of years you can spoil or even damage it for good but really don't know effects on racing youngsters. Pigeons are at the bottom of the food chain and are therefore flight animals so when they are 'out and about' they have to keep thier wits about them at all times and if they do come accross BOP's I think they revert to a different mode purely for survival, and homing takes second place. Some will be killed, damaged etc. some will just fly themselves out and when eventually they get the homing brain into gear again it may be to far for a weak youngster. So I think it is probably down to increased BOP's strikes. Just my thought but probably a lot of TOSH! I do feel for you guys though. It must be heartbreaking to put so much effort into your birds just to lose them or if you are lucky, get them home all ripped up. Good thread though.

[sapper756]

I thought I would start up this thread after reading quite a few posts on here and listening to fanciers in my area commenting on the amount of young birds being lost while on a training tosshttp://forum.pigeonbasics.org/public/style_emoticons/default/sad.gif

 

what do the PB members think is the cause of this?http://forum.pigeonbasics.org/public/style_emoticons/default/sad.gif

 

I know in years past, a lot of youngsters were lost during racing, but I do not recall so many fanciers saying they were losing them training prior to racing as muchhttp://forum.pigeonbasics.org/public/style_emoticons/default/sad.gif

 

WHAT DO YOU THINK FOLKS?

 

 

 

 

Since I started this thread 2 weeks ago, all I have heard is fanciers loosing youngsters rapid, even myself had a bad toss and dropped 10http://forum.pigeonbasics.org/public/style_emoticons/default/sad.gif where are they all going??????http://forum.pigeonbasics.org/public/style_emoticons/default/sad.gif

[ALF]

GOT WALLOPED MYSELF LAST NIGHT 17 SLEPT OUT ALTHOUGH 9 OF THEM MADE IT BACK TODAY ALTHOUGH 1 OF THEM WAS MINUS 2/3RD'S OF IT'S TAIL

[Guest spin cycle]

IMO its a vicious circle...to much 'glory'..'kudous' ...money...attached to yb racing. then the good/specialist yb flyers get big teams going...people see them win and assume numbers are the answer (which is true really)...so they breed alot...except they don't have the time/money/ even expertise. the numbers also mean quality is sacrificed. all this means losses mount...and so more are bred and the circle continues.

[jonl6280]

why dont the sparrow hawks get rid of the street'ers??? there street wise!

[geordie1234]

why dont the sparrow hawks get rid of the street'ers??? there street wise!

very true

[Delboy]

I race mine natural , pair up after 14 march feed beans etc fly open hole , so the new so called stresss factor aint caught up here yet but yet every other toss the B O P is in about them and there scattered all over the place , B O P is 90% of problem now

 

but most wont smell the coffee till ye have no birds left ,

 

ANOTHER FEW YEARS AND BOP WILL FINNISH PIGEON RACING FOR GOOD

 

THINK A REALLITY CHECK IS NEEDED WAE A LOT OF FOLK LOOKING FOR EXSCUSES , ITS BOP BOP BOP

 

 

Exactly Rab, the annoying thing is folk are sitting back watching the BOP do the damage without any fight back.

[Delboy]

Totally agree BOP IS 90% of problem and people just keep breeding more yb,s to feed them which just increases there numbers. Why do you think most races have birds arrive on time then big gaps and very few second day birds even thought alot of these missing birds have won in the past.

 

bernie w , why dont you breed extra ybs to feed the BOP.SOMETIMES THEY CHOKE ON THEIR FOOD IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN

[Guest jim lad]

our second round of ybs started with 29 down 14 every time we let them out we were getting them back with broken legs skint feet chest feathers out them plus weeded out some ,think they have took a bad route when ranging i.e overhead cables jim

[geordie1234]

IMO its a vicious circle...to much 'glory'..'kudous' ...money...attached to yb racing. then the good/specialist yb flyers get big teams going...people see them win and assume numbers are the answer (which is true really)...so they breed alot...except they don't have the time/money/ even expertise. the numbers also mean quality is sacrificed. all this means losses mount...and so more are bred and the circle continues.

can someone explain to me how there is a lot of money involved with yb racing

[lanarkshire lad]

GOT WALLOPED MYSELF LAST NIGHT 17 SLEPT OUT ALTHOUGH 9 OF THEM MADE IT BACK TODAY ALTHOUGH 1 OF THEM WAS MINUS 2/3RD'S OF IT'S TAIL

Where was that fae alan?

[geordie1234]

Where was that fae alan?

Abbington he told me when i was up his loft mate

[Guest Davy Fleming]

What do you think we can do Derek

[Guest spin cycle]

can someone explain to me how there is a lot of money involved with yb racing

 

 

there is alot of money attached to ybs. firstly ring sales...rpra sells around 1 million rings annually (i think) at 28p each its alot of income for rpra. secondly yb sales...the volume of this far exceeds the sale of stock...look at the adverts that are everywhere. thirdly couriers....how many would be viable on strays, alone the transport of ybs is the bread/butter. all in all it keeps alot of money circulating within the hobby which,quite honestly, is needed.