not looking good

[Murray]

Shropshire winter olr training started from one mile

I can’t understand why they start at such short distances. I think the shortest I have ever started off at is 7 miles. Usually 10 miles plus.

If you lived here you would understand it Andy.
I always start at about a mile and give them lots of short ones until they leave the release like rockets.
I gave 9 youngsters to a bloke this week who is starting up after giving it away a year ago, broken hearted. All our members are breeding him some young birds to get him started again.
When he picked them up we were chatting, and he asked how I train them. He said he took 90 out for the first toss last year, from where he was saying it would have been about 20 miles. He got 9 back. They have gone up and started circling, and two peregrine falcons ploughed into them. Gone.
I told him I train them in small groups, short and often. They learn to go like hell and dodge the hawks.

[George and Morgan]

Cotswold o42 birds from the final started with 385 birds started there auction each bird has a £ 100 reserve

[Buster121]

Cotswold o42 birds from the final started with 385 birds started there auction each bird has a £ 100 reserve

£100 reserve way over the top, but then probably to make up some of the shortfall after losing so many birds

[George and Morgan]

good birds were on offer at other olr starting at £20 and selling at that

[George and Morgan]

the winning owner in Cotswold olr final has just bid £1600 for his bird after beating 76 birds in the final

[Buster121]

good birds were on offer at other olr starting at £20 and selling at that

Can believe it, even the RPRA had some cheapies

[Buster121]

the winning owner in Cotswold olr final has just bid £1600 for his bird after beating 76 birds in the final

More money than sense

[Andy]

the winning owner in Cotswold olr final has just bid £1600 for his bird after beating 76 birds in the final

More money than sense

I agree with your way now George of only getting in pigeons that have flown as I don’t care much about what their ancestors have done. All birds have to earn a perch and be kept on their own merit and not on others. But I don’t particularly rate many of these OLR birds. I don’t think they are any better than the youngsters that I have left that flew every young bird race in the combine (8 races) against up to 2,022 birds from 74 members from 11 different clubs racing back to a very large area with drag, wind, overfly etc against them. I know which ones I would rather have.

[Devo1956]

the winning owner in Cotswold olr final has just bid £1600 for his bird after beating 76 birds in the final

More money than sense

I agree with your way now George of only getting in pigeons that have flown as I don’t care much about what their ancestors have done. All birds have to earn a perch and be kept on their own merit and not on others. But I don’t particularly rate many of these OLR birds. I don’t think they are any better than the youngsters that I have left that flew every young bird race in the combine (8 races) against up to 2,022 birds from 74 members from 11 different clubs racing back to a very large area with drag, wind, overfly etc against them. I know which ones I would rather have.
[/quote

Different races all together, a lot to consider on the whole subject. Olr birds getting trained and bred to one trainer.. Club racing bred and raced by individual trainers, that know how to train their birds
and how to motivate., Also different temps in some races, flight paths and so on. young birds go to a strange loft and a strange environment from being bred. But hey lets hear more.

[George and Morgan]

Morayfirth olr that's in trouble has offered anyone free entry to next year olr but if your bird gets to the final you pay £200 a bird