UkPigeonRacing

My pleasure

My cocks train to the hens each time
If I have time I go 10 miles twice a day rather than once to 20 miles
Plus if someone like Mike did it you know it has to be right

Andy wrote: Sat Apr 13, 2024 8:20 pm My cocks have been split since Tuesday. They are starting to get the hang of their new system. They are let out in the morning. I clean them before going in for breakfast. They are starting to fly well. The drop board is shut while out. They go out again after work. This afternoon when they saw me come out into the garden they were looking for me to drop the drop board. As soon as I did they were down and in.

Going well mate, well done hope continues when racing starts

Andy wrote: Sun Apr 21, 2024 10:10 pm After their first race on widowhood yesterday the cocks are buzzing today. As it was their first time on widowhood I did show the hens before marking. The nest bowls were put in half an hour before the hens were put in. I had 8 of the 11 back with 5 minutes. All but one trapped very well. The one that didn’t trap very well is one who has trouble with another cock taking over 2 boxes. The hens were left with the cocks for a couple of hours before being removed. I then took all the bowls out and left the cocks with half the box. This morning they flew well and when I dropped the drop board they were in very quickly. I gave them a bath in the loft this morning and let them out again this afternoon. They had another good fly before I let them back in. I stand beside the trap when I open it which is about shoulder height for me and they trap without any hesitation right beside me.

Good to see going well

Thanks for all the comments lads good luck to everybody for the season

Trev wrote: Mon Apr 22, 2024 9:44 pm

Murray wrote: Mon Apr 22, 2024 8:04 am I used to just use the normal form of widowhood for about 5 weeks. Put the bowl in, show the hen, etc.
Just my opinion, but if the cocks are in blazing form and giving you 100%, after about 6 weeks it starts to show. That's why after six weeks the races were getting longer and some of the yearling cocks were starting to look like they had 6 races in a row.
So I would start looking at the older cocks. They were more awake to the game, and that's why I used to "mess with their heads" a bit more..

As I said before, widowhood just isn't for me so I can't give any constructive comments on it. However talking to one of our top sprint fanciers after last weeks race, Alan Akemenkalns, and he just shows a few hens to his yearling cocks on basketing day, he doesn't put them in their boxes as he thinks it blows their minds and causes them too much stress.

I don't race widowhood for sprinting but when I did we tested n birds given no bowls and no hens Friday won more firsts over 3 seasons than showing and motivating em.

Andy wrote: Tue Apr 23, 2024 8:16 am

Anthony webster wrote: Tue Apr 23, 2024 1:44 am

Trev wrote: Mon Apr 22, 2024 9:44 pm

As I said before, widowhood just isn't for me so I can't give any constructive comments on it. However talking to one of our top sprint fanciers after last weeks race, Alan Akemenkalns, and he just shows a few hens to his yearling cocks on basketing day, he doesn't put them in their boxes as he thinks it blows their minds and causes them too much stress.

I don't race widowhood for sprinting but when I did we tested n birds given no bowls and no hens Friday won more firsts over 3 seasons than showing and motivating em.

I’m showing the hens for the first few races as they haven’t been on widowhood before. I don’t think you need to once the cocks have got to know the system. The basket should become enough for them to know the hen will be there on return. They are flying back to the box as much as the hen.

Personally think ya ruined ya race before you sent em, they fight like mad get to excited and all the nervous energy used up before they leave the lorry.

This is the thing with w'hood there's some many different things - and at the end of the day the most important thing is you've gotta have em bang on in terms of fitness, condition and form. Without those 3 you're snookered. No amount of motivation will help a pigeon not in form and not in full fitness

In the past, before marking on a Saturday became an option, we'd sometimes have to holdover. When I basketed on a Friday night and I felt we weren't racing until Sunday then I'd often just take the cocks off the boxes (no bowl or hen) No point in them getting agitated.

By same token I've won a big open race (47 members only allowed to send 1 pigeon each) with a cock who saw 2 hens in his box for the first time ever.

I've won the Fed from Nantes (380 miles) against 3,035 birds with a widowhood cock who was basketed on Thursday night and was allowed to tread his hen before he went.

Dad was a dab hand at 500 miles and the birds would go on a Weds.. He'd hand-bath them on the Weds and they'd go into the hamper at the club damp still. When i asked him "why" he said "I just want them to go to a corner and lie down". His record at 500 miles was second to none in the West Mids at that time.

So, alll different roads lead to Rome. But without health, condition, fitness and form you're buggered.

Andy wrote: Tue Apr 23, 2024 8:16 am

Anthony webster wrote: Tue Apr 23, 2024 1:44 am

Trev wrote: Mon Apr 22, 2024 9:44 pm

As I said before, widowhood just isn't for me so I can't give any constructive comments on it. However talking to one of our top sprint fanciers after last weeks race, Alan Akemenkalns, and he just shows a few hens to his yearling cocks on basketing day, he doesn't put them in their boxes as he thinks it blows their minds and causes them too much stress.

I don't race widowhood for sprinting but when I did we tested n birds given no bowls and no hens Friday won more firsts over 3 seasons than showing and motivating em.

I’m showing the hens for the first few races as they haven’t been on widowhood before. I don’t think you need to once the cocks have got to know the system. The basket should become enough for them to know the hen will be there on return. They are flying back to the box as much as the hen.

The only thing I think a pigeon should ever know is a night or 2 in basket equals a brilliant time at home,
I see lads turn up birds in basket running around fighting they never seem to win it's the man who turns up birds resting in basket when they go in race crate they go in a corner rest n there tips of wings twitching these are birds that will be up front Saturday in my opinion

I'd agree with that