Southcoast Fed Wadebridge

[Trev]

The jockey is coming out in me, reading that they are coming well and not that far off the pace. Well, perhaps a little bit, but maybe......
First, what are you feeding them on?
Second, what training are you doing between races?
They are going well, maybe they can go a bit faster.

They are on a mix of Gem super widowhood and Gem Concorde, I mix in with this some hemp seed, rape seed and wild bird mix. They also have Gem G10s pellets mixed in and are hopper fed beans. The birds are on an open loft and certainly fit enough flying well around home and I generally don't lose many. I don't train my old birds at all other than those that haven't previously been raced, those I will try to give a few short tosses before their first race.
After years of keeping/racing pigeons I know that my methods aren't conducive to sprint racing, I will get lucky and pick up a result or two from time to time. My birds usually come good in time for the distance races but sadly they are becoming few and far between as the swing over hear has definitely swung towards sprint races. I have been offered sprint pigeons from the top fliers in our club and have always had my arm twisted to fly widowhood but to be honest I enjoy trying to improve on the birds I have through my own breeding and widowhood just doesn't appeal to me. I will stick to my methods and enjoy having the birds around and watching them arrive on race days.
My biggest problem is overcrowding, you will never get an overcrowded loft in form.

[Murray]

I know what you are saying about overcrowding, my shed is full to bursting, and yet they are also bursting with health.
We are going into winter, this morning it is 5 c and it is damp and showery. But the loft is all closed up and the birds are all warm and cosy. And look a million dollars.
I think the loft is the answer, Mine has a very high peaked roof and air comes in under the back wall. As it is warmed by the body heat it rises and can leave through small gaps at the front.
It would appear that there are too many birds in there, but they actually create the climate that keeps them healthy. And they are healthy. I have never had pigeons that fly like this lot. And no messing about either. They trap like rockets.
Dutch champion Bas Verkerk started with a tiny loft behind the house which was full to overflowing., He was so successful that now he lives it a house with a 'pigeon palace'!
I have seen pictures of lofts in Malta which had hundreds of pigeons in them, Crammed in. Yet they still fly and win from across the ocean.
I wouldn't worry too much about it Trev. They will let you know if they are not happy.

[Trev]

I know what you are saying about overcrowding, my shed is full to bursting, and yet they are also bursting with health.
We are going into winter, this morning it is 5 c and it is damp and showery. But the loft is all closed up and the birds are all warm and cosy. And look a million dollars.
I think the loft is the answer, Mine has a very high peaked roof and air comes in under the back wall. As it is warmed by the body heat it rises and can leave through small gaps at the front.
It would appear that there are too many birds in there, but they actually create the climate that keeps them healthy. And they are healthy. I have never had pigeons that fly like this lot. And no messing about either. They trap like rockets.
Dutch champion Bas Verkerk started with a tiny loft behind the house which was full to overflowing., He was so successful that now he lives it a house with a 'pigeon palace'!
I have seen pictures of lofts in Malta which had hundreds of pigeons in them, Crammed in. Yet they still fly and win from across the ocean.
I wouldn't worry too much about it Trev. They will let you know if they are not happy.

I completely get what you are saying Muzza and thanks for the advice and insight my loft is ok at this time of year as I can keep the front open but the design isn't great for the winter as with fronts up the ventilation isn't the best !! Something I need to try and address for next winter

[killer]

Steve Vanbreman seems to have a large number of birds ,but as a 6 inch pipe running through the top of loft for ventilation not sure how he goes now.?…but I like Atleast ( 10 or 20% ) extra perch space ,

[Murray]

Steve Vanbreman seems to have a large number of birds ,but as a 6 inch pipe running through the top of loft for ventilation not sure how he goes now.?…but I like Atleast ( 10 or 20% ) extra perch space ,

Yes he had a perforated pipe running though the peak of the roof with an extractor fan sucking the air out. I have though of doing that myself.
I saw a video of another loft that had a fan BLOWING air down to floor level, through pipes to push the air up and out.
You could spend forever trying to make it perfect.

[killer]

The fans that blows the air down ,could be a problem If you had deep litter , with our roof ,it’s pitched one metre to the ridge cap ,where the two pitchers meet ,it as a 150mm gap between where they meet ,covered with a ridge caping 100mm higher than the roof ,allowing the hot or stale air to escape ,I think it works well with a natural air flow ,many years ago the chook sheds had it ,might be some of you around then , cheers lol

[Murray]

Yes you would be right, killer, but on a scraped floor it would work.
The one I saw had a fan at roof height, blowing down a pipe to a perforated pipe running the length of the loft at floor level. There was a gentle flow of air out of the holes. It was strong enough to move the down feathers.

[killer]

I scrap my floors ever 12 month ,they are on wood chips ,in a deep litter form , I prefer natural air flow from bottom to top, I use electric blankets in each section ,so the warm air can flow from bottom to top naturly ,great on cold nights ,helps keep form