CHARLTON34 wrote: Wed Jul 29, 2026 8:24 am
As I said the governing body aren't interested at all, club's do the same thing year on year same race program with the same results lost pigeons never to be seen again ever or reported.
Why not try for a couple of seasons & change what we've been doing for decade's.
Give the ob a chance to breed in a natural time scale, not in November or December for the rings.
Youngsters bred later to avoid bop & the racing season to start later, if we don't try something then financially we've nowhere to go, more lost member's at the end of every season. I suspect it will be more of the same .
The governing body should NEVER tell clubs where and when they should race. You YOURSELF or Club must change. In 50 years I've only paired the OBs just ONCE before the new year. Mine were paired mid-Feb. I used to hear of local fanciers losing YBs to BOP before mine even hatched. My birds were Natural (tried darkness just one year) never had a problem with them flying and my birds still beat the local darkness YBs in the NFC National some 368 miles. In fact my local Fed program NEVER suited me. I had to jump the YBs from 177 or 187 to send to the National.
Nobody is forced to do the same as everybody else.
@king you not do any darkening? And what name do you fly nfc under? We do all the nationals that my boss and owners passion personally I would struggle getting birds to perform at national races my skills are strictly yb and breeding I stay in my lane lol
CHARLTON34 wrote: Wed Jul 29, 2026 9:33 am
Maybe that was ok decades ago, but something has changed & we don't understand what's going on.
We just breed more to compensate for the losses which imo is a mistake, how we move forward with how it is after the weekend I'm not sure, but we need some radical changes in what we are doing at the moment this just isn't working. If we keep on making the same mistakes year on year & we don't learn from it your going to get the same result even if the management is good look at the results over the weekend & tell me that everything is ok because blatantly we all have a serious problem with pigeon racing & the very poor returns that a lot of experienced fancier's across the country encountered.
The problem is your working with a closed shop, and have been for a great number of years. As memembers of the RPRA, you dont get a say in anything. So there is a need for change and a big one too, lets look at racing over the UK. There should be a vote on going indepent, were each club would come under a main combine in the area. All subs and membership would go to that combine, now this would happen all over the country. The rings on youngsters will be own combine rings, to help relocate the bird soon as. Combine marking stations central for all clubs. So all combines would be responsible for their own division, with a monthly meeting held in the most cenral area of the Uk. To discuss the new format of moving the sport forward. The RPRA have had their day, and if there is no change. Then the same goes for the members. A no-show of confidence should be shown, before its too late.
Whist the RPRA is not fit for purpose. Your idea would speed the demise of the sport even quicker. The vast majority of fanciers fly in local clubs, take them away to central mark and fanciers would leave the sport in droves.
Even 40 years ago when my Fed central marked for some races, both the number of members sending and birds going dropped dramatically.
Now imagine marking say 20 miles or more away EVERY week. The smaller clubs of less than 10 members would disappear fast.
Rdhd Danny wrote: Wed Jul 29, 2026 1:16 pm
@king you not do any darkening? And what name do you fly nfc under? We do all the nationals that my boss and owners passion personally I would struggle getting birds to perform at national races my skills are strictly yb and breeding I stay in my lane lol
I don't race anymore Danny. I flew in the NFC in the late 80s to the early 2000s From memory my first ever race was Guernsey 1988, 316 miles sent 3 was 1st & 2nd York clock station (only 2 in race time) 21st & 32nd K. Other races were St.Malo 368 miles 2nd clock station (Only 2 in race time) 26K (Only 27 in race time) sent 2. St Malo 368 miles 2nd clock station (Only 3 in race time) 29K sent 4 had 3 home.
Not world beating performances I'd agree, but York clock station had sone big names using it. And all mine Natural Ybs.
My last YB National was in 2003 from Falaise 351 miles (2nd clock station (only 2 in race time) 57K
@king that's still good flying mate why you not do it anymore you retired? It's a lot of work as you get older I've been asked a few times to work with the ob teams for our nationals but it's not my thing I don't really like anything other than yb, s breeding my main love I got asked to push my yb team into a yearling team at nationals but I said no I don't feel Id do them justice my experience and skills are yb sprint upto 300
Rdhd Danny wrote: Wed Jul 29, 2026 1:49 pm
@king that's still good flying mate why you not do it anymore you retired? It's a lot of work as you get older I've been asked a few times to work with the ob teams for our nationals but it's not my thing I don't really like anything other than yb, s breeding my main love I got asked to push my yb team into a yearling team at nationals but I said no I don't feel Id do them justice my experience and skills are yb sprint upto 300
I am retired but have COPD and get tired very easy. I've still a few birds, the majority are getting on a bit. I breed a few birds for others to race. Couple of weeks ago one was 4th H, 141st Open NFC Saintes 451 miles.
@king sorry to hear that my gran had it she ended up on oxygen all the time terrible condition, but at least you still get to enjoy them and see them compete for others
Keep enjoying what you have King, I stopped keeping the birds because i have ILD. At first they thought it was CPOD, but i can say the medication side effects takes its toll. It is good that you can still keep a few pairs, and breed youngsters for others to race.
Murray wrote: Tue Jul 28, 2026 10:40 pm
The thing with this topic is the question was asked by an new flier. For a bloke with some years of experience and a family of birds he knows, he can very likely send most of his youngsters with some optimism.
For the newer fancier to be urged to send them all, have a bad race and be wiped out is a terrible outcome. All that work and all those hopes down the drain on day one.
I do urge caution at first.
Well said Murray, I would be gutted if I lost one pigeon never mind most of them in the first race I know the only way to test the birds is to send them but I think I would split them for my first race just to see how things go.
“Although I’m a Scot, I’d be proud to be called a Scouser.”
Rdhd Danny wrote: Wed Jul 29, 2026 1:49 pm
@king that's still good flying mate why you not do it anymore you retired? It's a lot of work as you get older I've been asked a few times to work with the ob teams for our nationals but it's not my thing I don't really like anything other than yb, s breeding my main love I got asked to push my yb team into a yearling team at nationals but I said no I don't feel Id do them justice my experience and skills are yb sprint upto 300
I am retired but have COPD and get tired very easy. I've still a few birds, the majority are getting on a bit. I breed a few birds for others to race. Couple of weeks ago one was 4th H, 141st Open NFC Saintes 451 miles.
sorry you had to pack racing the birds King, but good to see you still breed some for other fancies and by the sounds of thing there doing well for the others, so keep up the good work and your interest in the breeding side of things mate
“Although I’m a Scot, I’d be proud to be called a Scouser.”
