That's exactly what happens here, Dave, and not only do they compete, they win.
They are 'big' young birds that are fully through the moult.
Many years ago an old bloke told me that a young bird at the end of it's first year is the best it will ever be. I thought he was talking nonsense. He wasn't.

Let us know how they get on Muzza. I'd be a bit worried about heremans or bulks getting the 600 miles and not sure if the Thone in them will be enough to get then home but will be very interesting and wish him well..

Well the final long race of the year was on Saturday. 2082 birds were sent to ...

To further confuse the issue, down here they call a bird in it's first year a yearling. The next year it is a two year old and so on.
Birds that are sent to the long races at the end of the season are predominantly 'yearlings'. They are in fact probably 8 or 9 or 10 months old.

king wrote: Tue Nov 03, 2026 12:24 am Mine given SAME care all year round. NOTHING different given for the moult or during Winter.

I'm the same. Mine are cared for the same every day. They say routine is good for the pigeons. I don't know.
It seems to be good for the fancier.

That's a good read, Buster.
Of course it's a sales pitch for their products, and that's fine. They are running a business and without customers there's no products.

Lots of good points, without considering the products.
I'm of the opinion that there's no "off season". They need to be cared for and ...

Oh, thanks to you both for this, yes please, Id be grateful for the contacts of both those companies.
Some years ago (I was still working) I signed up with belgica de weerdt when they were based at Cambridge
(before theybecame an integral part of Pallets) and I had to pay a membership fee of ...

Very true, Dave.
You will notice that a lot of the medications and nutritional additives are made on the Continent. What is happening over there and I suspect in the UK is the mega lofts are taking over. 20 lofts sending 100 or 200 each instead of 100 lofts sending 10 or 20 each. The big lofts have ...

Diamond Dave mentioned that at Doncaster show he found the prices of medications had skyrocketed. He observed that it's not a working man's sport anymore.

Then just now I read this on Ad S's blog,
"Romania is, as far as is known, the only country where more fanciers come annually. In Vallenie de ...

The pair that David sent out for me to breed youngsters for the OLR and Breeders plate races hatched a pair of babies this morning. Horsham breeders plate rings hanging on the nestbox.
I went out this morning and there were egg shells all over the floor.
What the hell! I thought. Then I realised ...

Wonderful to see such generosity. I can't imagine anything more heartbreaking than seeing your loft destroyed by fire.