Different system of what to feed.

[Trev]

Good topic that I obviously missed first time round.
As Andy said, I think it's hard to compare pigeons from different countries as each of them are flying in very different conditions, as I young lad starting out I remember being told that if you want to succeed, get your stock from fanciers who are regularly scoring in the same events/conditions that you want to compete in. One example of this was for distance day birds, when flying on the North Road from Thurso or Lerwick, I was told to look for birds that had flown 500+ miles North to South and not South to North as the day light hours in the North are far longer than here in the South.
As for those supplements, I think its definitely each to their own, all those products are available from most uk pigeon pigeon product suppliers and I'm sure some do make a difference. The only thing I would say is that most of these are pretty similar if you look into it and can almost certainly be made up much cheaper from natural products you can buy off the supermarket shelves. I remember fliers, again back when I was a lad who used the likes of Iodine, yeast, lemon juice etc on their feed or in the water.
As for modern feeds they are just mind boggling lol and even as an ex stockman myself I wouldn't know where to begin in pulling these apart lol. I do however know that a lot of local fanciers do like to use a fair bit of hemp these days, it is another expensive extra though.
As I say, each to their own, if it works for you and you can afford it then good luck to you, the main thing for me is to just enjoy being in the game
Just my opinion

[MIL]

There's much that I agree with you Andy

My mentality though was this.

40 weeks a year the OB do nothing. For 12 weeks I want performance without excuses.

Call me a poor sport but I'm not there to make up the numbers and just get enjoyment seeing my birds come home. I needed to be a pain in the arse to my competitors. If I got beat and my birds gave their best I could live with that, I just try harder next week. If someone's beating me week in week out then he either has better pigeons than me or is a better pigeon man than me. Either way, both issues need addressing

Our loft went from being a loft that rarely carded in the early 1980's to a loft that was one of the best sprint lofts in a Federation that sent 10,000 a week in the early 90's. The transition isn't easy and I had to keep pushing the boundaries every day.

Medication & Supplements (the right thing at the right time) play a definite part in that.

[Andy]

There's much that I agree with you Andy

My mentality though was this.

40 weeks a year the OB do nothing. For 12 weeks I want performance without excuses.

Call me a poor sport but I'm not there to make up the numbers and just get enjoyment seeing my birds come home. I needed to be a pain in the arse to my competitors. If I got beat and my birds gave their best I could live with that, I just try harder next week. If someone's beating me week in week out then he either has better pigeons than me or is a better pigeon man than me. Either way, both issues need addressing

Our loft went from being a loft that rarely carded in the early 1980's to a loft that was one of the best sprint lofts in a Federation that sent 10,000 a week in the early 90's. The transition isn't easy and I had to keep pushing the boundaries every day.

Medication & Supplements (the right thing at the right time) play a definite part in that.

A very good reply Mike. I agree with what you say. Back in the late 80s and 90s I was very hard on my birds and they rewarded me for it. Only in as much as they had to perform. I have never done much in the way of training but always had a regimental routine around the loft. Back in 1992 I won a record breaking 10 first in a season in the strong Worthing club. Most weeks I had 3 in the first 6 in the club racing just 10 widowhood cocks and the young birds.
With the dairy cows I moved down to Cornwall as herd manager where they wanted to have one of the top herds. When going there it was a mediocre herd hardly in the milk record results. Within 6 years we had a herd in the top 1% of the country on milk yields. Any cows that needed propping up with medication were soon got rid of. I know this was partly a financial decision.

[Murray]

best pigeons are here in the uk and ireland jmo

That's an interesting statement.
Here in Australia there's two sorts of racing. In the big cities, especially Melbourne and Sydney, there are lots of flyers sending thousands and thousands if birds every week, massive drags heading for the city. For many years there were lots and lots of Euro and UK pigeons imported. They excelled in that environment.
Then there's the country racing and long distance racing, where pigeons often have to fly for long distances on their own across country which might not have a stick of cover. The imports were found wanting to a large degree.
I reckon what you have in the UK and Ireland is the best pigeons for racing in the UK and Ireland. We have the best pigeons for racing in Australia.
I am reminded of reading once, many years ago, that an American pigeon fancier from a northern state retired and moved to the hot bed of pigeon racing in Florida. He took his family of Huysken-Van Riel's with him and expected to continue dominating. He soon found out that they were too slow for that competitive racing.
What is best for one place might not be best for another.

[Andy]

best pigeons are here in the uk and ireland jmo

That's an interesting statement.
Here in Australia there's two sorts of racing. In the big cities, especially Melbourne and Sydney, there are lots of flyers sending thousands and thousands if birds every week, massive drags heading for the city. For many years there were lots and lots of Euro and UK pigeons imported. They excelled in that environment.
Then there's the country racing and long distance racing, where pigeons often have to fly for long distances on their own across country which might not have a stick of cover. The imports were found wanting to a large degree.
I reckon what you have in the UK and Ireland is the best pigeons for racing in the UK and Ireland. We have the best pigeons for racing in Australia.
I am reminded of reading once, many years ago, that an American pigeon fancier from a northern state retired and moved to the hot bed of pigeon racing in Florida. He took his family of Huysken-Van Riel's with him and expected to continue dominating. He soon found out that they were too slow for that competitive racing.
What is best for one place might not be best for another.

I think that’s even the same in the same country Murray. I had a team going really well in Sussex flying North Road. I then moved to Cornwall and took the pigeons with me. These same pigeons although still the base of what I had had to redevelop and become different pigeons to compete racing in a different area and different direction. It took a couple of years or so down there before they started performing again.

[Trev]

best pigeons are here in the uk and ireland jmo

That's an interesting statement.
Here in Australia there's two sorts of racing. In the big cities, especially Melbourne and Sydney, there are lots of flyers sending thousands and thousands if birds every week, massive drags heading for the city. For many years there were lots and lots of Euro and UK pigeons imported. They excelled in that environment.
Then there's the country racing and long distance racing, where pigeons often have to fly for long distances on their own across country which might not have a stick of cover. The imports were found wanting to a large degree.
I reckon what you have in the UK and Ireland is the best pigeons for racing in the UK and Ireland. We have the best pigeons for racing in Australia.
I am reminded of reading once, many years ago, that an American pigeon fancier from a northern state retired and moved to the hot bed of pigeon racing in Florida. He took his family of Huysken-Van Riel's with him and expected to continue dominating. He soon found out that they were too slow for that competitive racing.
What is best for one place might not be best for another.

Very true Muzza, I had the same as Andy when I moved a fairly successful, (for me) team, from one location to another within West Sussex, they soon settled and continued to perform well, but when I moved that same team just 50 or so miles to the Isle of Wight I just could not get them to compete against the already established Island fliers.
Even in the UK, are the best birds those that fly North to South, South to North, West to East or East to West ?? Some of these birds are competing against thousands flying with the wind most weeks into small corridors, whereas others might by flying against smaller numbers but against the wind into a Federation with a span of 50+ miles maybe more in some areas !! Who's to say which of these are better pigeons/fanciers, in my opinion they are equally as good in their own rights they are just adapted differently, just as nature intended.

[Murray]

Exactly.

[wynands56]

all areas are hard to race i agree flying in countries that are flat have no obstacles to overcome we in my opinion fly the hardest route in the world and thats france into northern ireland and we have the best fancier in the world to many people get fixated with foreign breeds might be ok inland across the water wont face it jmo

[Murray]

all areas are hard to race i agree flying in countries that are flat have no obstacles to overcome we in my opinion fly the hardest route in the world and thats france into northern ireland and we have the best fancier in the world to many people get fixated with foreign breeds might be ok inland across the water wont face it jmo

I have to agree with that. There's pigeons that will fly across water and those that simply won't.
Flying from France into Ireland is certainly a massive ask.
In Australia they race from Tasmania to the mainland. It's about 150 miles of ocean but there are several islands in between. They seem to get good returns when the weather is good.
In New Zealand they race between the North and South Islands. The strait is narrow and on a clear day you can see the other side. They hit the strait at full throttle and are across before they know it. Well, a lot of them. There's always the ones that stop.
I reckon it might be another thing that can be bred for. If both parents are willing to fly over water, it might increase the chances of the offspring be willing to fly over water. Just a thought.

[wynands56]

i agree with that