First race

[Anthony webster]

Can't have birds go on roof if u want to win races it's simple,
Birds should fold up like they been shot with a gun ,,if there high or they glide ya know where in fed ,,racers come low n are on ya n in loft in a blink of eye.

[Winfort Lofts]

Will you have a flag / pole or sign up like a road cone to keep them up when with young on the nest
I know Shane Langton kept his up and he was ace with natural pigeons but he did work them

I live on a housing estate Neil, if I do that they just go n land on someone elses roof.
I am shutting them out for 2 hours and hope that they fly at least one of those. They also seem to come in ok when I call them at the moment. If that all tails off I will take them for ciuple short chucks.

They shouldn’t really do that Dave I have got houses here and know lots which live on estates some of the best fliers and n London are surrounded by roof tops
I know your interested in distance racing I have Mark Bulled not far he lives in the middle of town his fly a hour easy


When I said a flag or pole I don’t mean wave it , it’s a sign that that means in the air when removed it means in
Others will know better but just a thought as it’s what I do

Could once the ybs are away if not already you get them fed on barley for 10 days give like a pick pot full that the grit comes in to 10 birds give them 15 mins to eat it
Put a bit of oil and a dusting of cayenne pepper on the food
When you let them out just give them 15-20 mins and in
If one hits a roof leave it feed the others but reduce the amount by 1 bird so they learn to fly then in for grub

Treat them for respo with a combined doxy tylan mix like Giantel Doxy t
For 7 days

I think your get them going it’s probably down to body weight
I start in January just after Xmas to get mine right I dont feed much Mondays just half rations half ration
So there kept in Septembers to mid Feb and within 3 days there doing 30 min 4th day 45 min as they had no internal fat in believe

Do you breed from your race birds?

[Steve Howells]

Will you have a flag / pole or sign up like a road cone to keep them up when with young on the nest
I know Shane Langton kept his up and he was ace with natural pigeons but he did work them

I live on a housing estate Neil, if I do that they just go n land on someone elses roof.
I am shutting them out for 2 hours and hope that they fly at least one of those. They also seem to come in ok when I call them at the moment. If that all tails off I will take them for ciuple short chucks.

They shouldn’t really do that Dave I have got houses here and know lots which live on estates some of the best fliers and n London are surrounded by roof tops
I know your interested in distance racing I have Mark Bulled not far he lives in the middle of town his fly a hour easy


When I said a flag or pole I don’t mean wave it , it’s a sign that that means in the air when removed it means in
Others will know better but just a thought as it’s what I do

Could once the ybs are away if not already you get them fed on barley for 10 days give like a pick pot full that the grit comes in to 10 birds give them 15 mins to eat it
Put a bit of oil and a dusting of cayenne pepper on the food
When you let them out just give them 15-20 mins and in
If one hits a roof leave it feed the others but reduce the amount by 1 bird so they learn to fly then in for grub

Treat them for respo with a combined doxy tylan mix like Giantel Doxy t
For 7 days

I think your get them going it’s probably down to body weight
I start in January just after Xmas to get mine right I dont feed much Mondays just half rations half ration
So there kept in Septembers to mid Feb and within 3 days there doing 30 min 4th day 45 min as they had no internal fat in believe

I don’t usually flag my birds I have done in the past but it’s not something I’ve done most years. Anyway with time seemingly more limited that ever this year I’ve decided to flag, so I’ve brought a telescopic flag pole, the morning routine is put the flag up, open the outside windows go into the loft slide open the inside dowels bang on the floor with a broom handle and there all out in seconds with 90% of the hens also jumping off the nest and also going out. Windows now closed and they fly 45 mins no problem and no landing on the house roofs. After 45 minutes flag down windows open and they’re down and in within a few seconds. So happy with them at the moment.

[Anthony webster]

I don't ever flag don't own a flag landing boards are yellow,,shut board means fly dropped board means in ,,if birds don't hit as I drop board ,its closed and they do extra 5 mins exercise,, when ya training n you don't listen its extra 20 push ups ,I treat birds same I'm managing them ,
I thought a flag was just used as a trigger up n fly down n in ,,if you have to wave it about surely there's massive health issues of feeding issues that ain't correct.

[Winfort Lofts]

No and if I did the yb would be away mid Feb
I breed normally from 12 pair of stock / feeders

I look at it as flat horses don’t breed in March then race in June

Thanks Neil, I did think you had a stock team to breed from, obviously in that situation your answer and logic makes incredible sense!

There's no more important month in the calendar than March.

With breeding largely behind us (for the race team) this is the month where you build fitness and ensure good health.

If your birds aren't fit and aren't healthy then you'll achieve nothing other than looking upwards at the sheet every Saturday thinking "what if"

March is pivotal - and i'm not just talking as a sprinter. I've had sprinters go through the entire programme, and the Bergerac cock was in the Section alongside sprinters. March is where you prepare to win. Miss out on that and you'll have a long season ahead of you

This is very much where I am at currently, the race team is still feeding young birds, but I need to start building the fitness without sacrificing the young birds and them feeding still!

[CHARLTON34]

Mike, all what you've posted is very true for fancier's to make excuses & fail, your last sentence has resonated with me to try & be better.

[Winfort Lofts]

Steve flies natural
So knows more

But even if flying widowhood or celibacy like I’m trying it’s all down to getting it in there head younger the better, then routine

Do you like sprint or 250 plus

Guernsey is the furthest I fly and that's 195mile to me, so I'd say Sprint yes.

I'm talking here about widowhood cocks, because that's what I used to fly in the main

Feeding YB is a lazy excuse for birds not to be fit, Weather permitting the racers should be out twice a day getting fitter and fitter. The fitter the parent is the better the job they'll make of the baby. It's not hard to understand.


You might think I'm talking about my glory days from years ago - and in some ways you'd be right. I can point to the 2003 season where the first 2 races of the year I was 1st 5,129 birds then 1st and 3rd 5,663 birds. That was a long long time ago. I know that. The same principles though were followed in our last OB season (2020). First race of the season? 1st Federation 2,000 birds almost a minute clear of the field.

Get working them now (not in the basket but around home)

Lazy pigeons and lazy owners win nowt - and that's the truth - no matter how you wanna flower it up

I appreciate your comments Mike, I wasn't intentionally making excuses, I was just giving the full picture as to what I am working so I can get the best advice for my situation!

Thanks again!.

[Steve Howells]

No and if I did the yb would be away mid Feb
I breed normally from 12 pair of stock / feeders

I look at it as flat horses don’t breed in March then race in June

Thanks Neil, I did think you had a stock team to breed from, obviously in that situation your answer and logic makes incredible sense!

There's no more important month in the calendar than March.

With breeding largely behind us (for the race team) this is the month where you build fitness and ensure good health.

If your birds aren't fit and aren't healthy then you'll achieve nothing other than looking upwards at the sheet every Saturday thinking "what if"

March is pivotal - and i'm not just talking as a sprinter. I've had sprinters go through the entire programme, and the Bergerac cock was in the Section alongside sprinters. March is where you prepare to win. Miss out on that and you'll have a long season ahead of you

This is very much where I am at currently, the race team is still feeding young birds, but I need to start building the fitness without sacrificing the young birds and them feeding still!

Mine are now hatching some are 3-4 days old, the old birds have to exercise babies or not, I only do 45 mins at the moment as I wouldn’t want them to get cold. If they don’t want to fly you got a problem somewhere. My loft is also close to the house but when that flag is up they MUST fly.

[Diamond Dave]

Great thread gents. There is some really useful advice on here - very much appreciated.

[Winfort Lofts]

So if your sprinting
What are your birds currently flying at in time and action
When will the yb be away if not

They were out this morning all together (Cocks & Hens), I would say they did between 20-30 mins flying between 7am - 7:45am.

Most of the young birds will be taken away this weekend.