The thing is about the sport.

[NeilA]

Best of luck how ever you prefer to keep and race them though

[NeilA]

In our club it was a numbers game, some sending 120 birds others 80 or 90. But the club was a happy club all worked together. But I must say I was happy with one of the members, who sent around 12 birds or so to get the winner. And so was everyone else. this is what makes the sport.

We have a mixture of both in our club, and we do get a mixture of winners.
The funny thing is that Alan Still, who is one of our best sprint fliers, used to send anywhere between 20 and 40 birds a week. Last winter he had a heart attack and had to have a quadruple heart bypass, so he was forced to reduce his numbers. This year he started with 18 widowhood cocks, he won just as many races, both in the club and the fed, and he sill had 17 left at the end of the year.
It is a good club with a great social side.

My best year was when I had 19 to with Trev
Lost 2 early and had 17 left at the end 11 scored but 7 were special I’m not sure if i will ever get 7 like that again I’m not sure why it clicked for them few years but in 11 fed races a year I would win 5-7 for 4 years with them mainly
Now I have to many which is my fault i bred to many and had birds gifted to try from good lofts that have spent fortunes on top pedigree birds
I had very few losses 10 from weaning to after 5 races from 48 I started with and I think they had 40 tosses
Yet a few years ago I bred 27 lost 9 one Sunday off the loft and had 5 return from a short trainer with terrible injuries from wires two got home but then couldn’t get off the floor , how they got home I don’t know
So I think that’s in the back of my mind

Your right a few good widowhood cocks take some beating but now with the peregrine you can’t be sure

[NeilA]

Quote Neil "Your right a few good widowhood cocks take some beating but now with the peregrine you can’t be sure"

Oh yes. More than 20 years ago in New Zealand I had a tiny loft, 2 metres long x 1.4 metres deep. In it were 9 boxes in 3 rows of three. At one point 8 of the 9 cocks had won at least one race, some had won several. And I was in a terrible position, right out the front of the Federation, and off to one side. My pigeons had to break off and come across to me.
One year I had a yearling Staf Van Reet cock who went the first 5 weeks and was 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st in the club and 9th and 7th out of over a thousand in the Fed, despite having to fly across country to me.
That was when I first became reluctant to use medication on my racing birds. Those cocks were in such perfect order that year that I was too scared to give them as much as a Disprin in case I flattened the form. A mate came round one Sunday, he was telling me how he'd given them their Ronivet after the race, and I should too. As I put the nettle tea in the drinker for them I reminded him that I had beaten him yesterday and didn't even own any medications

I think when there in that special form you could let them out once a week and get great results
It’s finding the pigeons that’s hard for me and then with the peregrine now if hard to keep them , I lost 4 good fed winners this year from easy 100 mile races and my best cock came missing a tail another fed winner with a hole in his side
I had 8 of my 20 cocks missing or laid up for the season by the 5th race
That’s the trouble now and it’s a issue I have avoided on this line of flight to this year on any serious scale
We now risk it if we train past 16 miles you actually fear letting them go so now that’s my training no further

[MIL]

It's a genuine concern Neil

You work hard all ends up to find super-talented pigeons that can get clear and win - and those that win repeatedly are harder to find

Then, when you do get them you take your chance every time they go to work

That's beause the good pigeons do what other pigeons don't - they get clear and pigeons that are clear are a target

[NeilA]

I was told by a good flyer many years ago, train from 12 miles no further but 3 times a day. Weather permitting of course.

Can’t really do that as I work in London live 20 miles north of London and race north. i can understand the theory though
I like to give my cocks 2x 35 before the season as I try to replicate a race situation for the yearlings
My pal Anthony Webster use to try to get to the first race point the week before but he’s a machine when it comes to competing
Babies I use to give them about 6 from 25 miles but now nothing can go past 16 miles
To be fair it didn’t matter as they won 4 out of 5 and the fed twice but I just like to do it for my own satisfaction
But not know more
The week prior to the season I get a few days off as do like to take the yearling cocks 3 times a day to then hens distance doesn’t matter 5-15 miles
But then do try to recreate a race for them normally on the Saturday or Sunday so they then don’t get to see the hens from then to the Saturday they return apart from one 16 mile on the Tuesday evening to remind them

[NeilA]

It's a genuine concern Neil

You work hard all ends up to find super-talented pigeons that can get clear and win - and those that win repeatedly are harder to find

Then, when you do get them you take your chance every time they go to work

That's beause the good pigeons do what other pigeons don't - they get clear and pigeons that are clear are a target

That’s exactly what Mark was saying to me mate
he said the best sprint birds win at the race point they clear and go and then there the ones that get hit as they break in little groups from the pack

[MIL]

Totally agree

You can lose a race at the home end, but sprint races are won early doors

[king]

It's a genuine concern Neil

You work hard all ends up to find super-talented pigeons that can get clear and win - and those that win repeatedly are harder to find

Then, when you do get them you take your chance every time they go to work

That's beause the good pigeons do what other pigeons don't - they get clear and pigeons that are clear are a target

That’s exactly what Mark was saying to me mate
he said the best sprint birds win at the race point they clear and go and then there the ones that get hit as they break in little groups from the pack

I've never understood that statement Neil, in a good sprint race the birds are finishing together, clocked within a few secs (some in a large group to a single fancier) so how are they winning the race at the start? I've been to many race libs and NEVER seen a single bird break away from the pack, the birds have always left the race point in one or more big groups.

[MIL]

I could give you loads of examples of sprint races being won by a large margin to my own loft (at Fed level)

For instance my cock "Lee" won the Fed by almost 5 min from 140 miles. He was literally miles clear

My Pitbull Queen won the NMCC from Portland by almost 5 mins - again miles clear

I can also give you numerous examples at other lofts

Just let me know if you want them - not documented them at this moment 'cos I wouldn't wanna bore you

[NeilA]

It's a genuine concern Neil

You work hard all ends up to find super-talented pigeons that can get clear and win - and those that win repeatedly are harder to find

Then, when you do get them you take your chance every time they go to work

That's beause the good pigeons do what other pigeons don't - they get clear and pigeons that are clear are a target

That’s exactly what Mark was saying to me mate
he said the best sprint birds win at the race point they clear and go and then there the ones that get hit as they break in little groups from the pack

I've never understood that statement Neil, in a good sprint race the birds are finishing together, clocked within a few secs (some in a large group to a single fancier) so how are they winning the race at the start? I've been to many race libs and NEVER seen a single bird break away from the pack, the birds have always left the race point in one or more big groups.

I imagine after 5 miles the out and out sprinters or top in form sprinters are away even if it’s 20-30 secs

To be honest though if Mark Bulled and Mike Lycett tell me I listen I don’t question
They are are different level of knowledge
to me and achieved more than me in pigeons so it makes sense to do that