How Often.

[alex young]

Looking at some of the distances the Scottish and the English NR lads fly inland,how often would you race your birds? Weekly or every other week or do you get them ready for selected race like Nationals etc.

[geordie1234]

This year as I have been trying to sort through them they have been every week up to now apart from one week I was in Spain and eggy hens stayed at home. Next year yearlings will race to the coast and 2 year old plus will have a race about 170 miles then a inland nat and then into there preffered channel race

[alex young]

Thanks for your reply George.atb.

[Guest chad3646]

Looking at some of the distances the Scottish and the English NR lads fly inland,how often would you race your birds? Weekly or every other week or do you get them ready for selected race like Nationals etc.

 

 

years ago alex you got them ready for there selected races, horses for courses as they say but now adays it is very hard to hold onto them by all the obstacles in front of them, so thats why i think there is a lot of pigeon men sending pigeons to races they would rather not send to

[Guest TAMMY_1]

Looking at some of the distances the Scottish and the English NR lads fly inland,how often would you race your birds? Weekly or every other week or do you get them ready for selected race like Nationals etc.

 

we send ours all to the first 4 races then pick out what birds we want to send to the 3 races from France Carentan 285 miles,Messac 390 and Saintes 530,this year we sent 12 to Carentan and lost 3 so we sent the 9 back to Messac 2 weeks later and dropped 1 so out of the 8 that went to Messac[stopped the yearlings that were there as we think that's enough] we have picked our 4 hens for Saintes and they will not go this week but will go to Portland 190 miles the week after then go to Saintes 11 days after that

[yeboah]

Looking at some of the distances the Scottish and the English NR lads fly inland,how often would you race your birds? Weekly or every other week or do you get them ready for selected race like Nationals etc.

Made the mistake last year Alex by not sending to many of the early races because of the cold east winds defo did not do the birds any favours this year back to the norm went to the first 6 races regardless and then set them up for required races always give them two weeks rest before a national no training whatsoever just motivation and fed properly but as you well know nothing works if you ain't got good pigeons in perfect health everyone to their own what works for me may not for others good luck for rest of the season ,mick .

[alex young]

Thanks lads for the replies,nice to read how other fanciers prepare their birds.atb.

[neila]

this is a decent topic , be nice to hear other views on this subject

[Guest IB]

I think (a) you need to have the birds and (b then you need to find what works for them. 2 methods have been described to me:

 

(1) I call 'front load + rest' where the birds are given 4-6 races up to a 'set-up race' (a good 8-hour fly) 'rested' for 3 weeks where the pair are allowed to go to nest and are then sent to the chosen National Race sitting around 10 days on eggs.

 

(2) 'back load' where the birds are still worked hard in the Federation program, but around 12 days prior to the National race, they are taken off the race program and given a daily 50/60 miles training toss. After each trainer, the bird's body condition should steadily improve. If it doesn't, the bird is rested the next day, then starts the daily program again the day after. They are trained up to the Sunday prior to Tuesday marking.

 

One point I would make is that IMO this is the time of year that next years races are won or lost - make plans now. You can always change them to meet changed conditions, but at least you'll know what birds you've got, what races you intend to go to, how you intend to work them, what mates they'll need (a racing mate, or a 'safe' mate) nests you'll take from them - and who the feeders will be.

[walterboswell59]

i split my team into three different teams each team has a different goal i breed about 20 late breds they get 6 to 10 tosses the year they are born from 12 to 20 miles in octtober and november when percy has moved on they are then put in a section on there own and are out every day all winter and they range every day like yb in all weathers with no old birds to hold them back then in feb they get 15 to 20 short tosses again from 12 to 20 miles they then go into the training van for another 10 tosses with other birds learning to break and there ready this is my team for the first 4 or 5 races then stoped about 160 to 180 miles then the yearlings take over they are paired mid to late feb there goal is to race from 160 to 350 miles the old bird team is paired mid to late march a few tosses and into a 150 mile race then a 260 0r 280 and there goal is from 350 to 500 miles each team are flagged seperately and went no farther than 25 miles in training with 3 25 mile tosses between each race unless they have had a very hard race i was allways told as a young lad you cant win in club and fed and do well in the nationals its one or the other which is rubbish the late george rankin did it for years winning from 60 to 600 miles but you have to work much harder to do both and you have to get the right birds that can work to your sistem and can win from sprint to distance you can get distance birds to hold there own in the sprint races with fitness and motavation but very few sprinters can hold there own at distance races unless its an easy race with the wind at there back there are some but not many finding a family that can do both is hard or you get two or three families to do different jobs but no matter how good your birds are you the fancier has to set your goals then do the work imo

[walterboswell59]

i split my team into three different teams each team has a different goal i breed about 20 late breds they get 6 to 10 tosses the year they are born from 12 to 20 miles in octtober and november when percy has moved on they are then put in a section on there own and are out every day all winter and they range every day like yb in all weathers with no old birds to hold them back then in feb they get 15 to 20 short tosses again from 12 to 20 miles they then go into the training van for another 10 tosses with other birds learning to break and there ready this is my team for the first 4 or 5 races then stoped about 160 to 180 miles then the yearlings take over they are paired mid to late feb there goal is to race from 160 to 350 miles the old bird team is paired mid to late march a few tosses and into a 150 mile race then a 260 0r 280 and there goal is from 350 to 500 miles each team are flagged seperately and went no farther than 25 miles in training with 3 25 mile tosses between each race unless they have had a very hard race i was allways told as a young lad you cant win in club and fed and do well in the nationals its one or the other which is rubbish the late george rankin did it for years winning from 60 to 600 miles but you have to work much harder to do both and you have to get the right birds that can work to your sistem and can win from sprint to distance you can get distance birds to hold there own in the sprint races with fitness and motavation but very few sprinters can hold there own at distance races unless its an easy race with the wind at there back there are some but not many finding a family that can do both is hard or you get two or three families to do different jobs but no matter how good your birds are you the fancier has to set your goals then do the work imo

ps forgot to say and you have to keep your birds healthy

[budgie]

ps forgot to say and you have to keep your birds healthy

That's a lot of training Walter for Latebreds are they worth the hassle.

[walterboswell59]

ps forgot to say and you have to keep your birds healthy

That's a lot of training Walter for Latebreds are they worth the hassle.

deff andy they have won the sprint cup one year one got 300 pounds in yrl derby the next and this year one 1st club 1st sect 2nd open otterburn 5000 birds with a few scoring in newbury national and maidstone national as 2yr old late breds m8 treat them right and you will get a turn with them my mistake this year was keeping them going because i had to many birds was not losing them so i pushed them on to newark and leicester and they got hammerd with percy both races but they give me some thing to do in off season and keep me in the hunt in the early races and there allways off my best birds andy they do a job for me

[Wiley]

Weekly worst thing you can do is stop a young bird

[ALF]

i split my team into three different teams each team has a different goal i breed about 20 late breds they get 6 to 10 tosses the year they are born from 12 to 20 miles in octtober and november when percy has moved on they are then put in a section on there own and are out every day all winter and they range every day like yb in all weathers with no old birds to hold them back then in feb they get 15 to 20 short tosses again from 12 to 20 miles they then go into the training van for another 10 tosses with other birds learning to break and there ready this is my team for the first 4 or 5 races then stoped about 160 to 180 miles then the yearlings take over they are paired mid to late feb there goal is to race from 160 to 350 miles the old bird team is paired mid to late march a few tosses and into a 150 mile race then a 260 0r 280 and there goal is from 350 to 500 miles each team are flagged seperately and went no farther than 25 miles in training with 3 25 mile tosses between each race unless they have had a very hard race i was allways told as a young lad you cant win in club and fed and do well in the nationals its one or the other which is rubbish the late george rankin did it for years winning from 60 to 600 miles but you have to work much harder to do both and you have to get the right birds that can work to your sistem and can win from sprint to distance you can get distance birds to hold there own in the sprint races with fitness and motavation but very few sprinters can hold there own at distance races unless its an easy race with the wind at there back there are some but not many finding a family that can do both is hard or you get two or three families to do different jobs but no matter how good your birds are you the fancier has to set your goals then do the work imo

I wish i could breed 20 lb's Wattie and be left with most of them but am afraid it isnae possible at our place i had 17 erm lb's 3 weeks ago and the hen sparra thinks she has found a McDonalds same every year in september mate i am now down to 9 or 10 left and she has killed 2 in the park in the last few days which is hard for me but we'll get there i hope

[walterboswell59]

I wish i could breed 20 lb's Wattie and be left with most of them but am afraid it isnae possible at our place i had 17 erm lb's 3 weeks ago and the hen sparra thinks she has found a McDonalds same every year in september mate i am now down to 9 or 10 left and she has killed 2 in the park in the last few days which is hard for me but we'll get there i hope

think you have to leave her a wee present alan you cant keep that up m8