Will she be any good....

[Diamond Dave]

I ask this question from a distance racing point of view...
You may remember about 18 months ago I asked you guys about breaking a gift bird from (yearling) that had flown over 400 miles as a youngster from my good friend Jim Sexton of Sunderland.
Well I broke her successfully but didn't race her last year rather just settled her to the loft.
She had her first race on Saturday and went Awol until this morning. Now, I don't know if she went back to her loft in Sunderland found nothing there and has made her way back or if she just went wrong. But she has flown herself into a near skeleton.
Question is now will she be any good in the future and will she still do 6/700 miles for me.

[king]

Dave I don't think there is an easy answer to this. Each bird is different. I've broken birds from other fanciers and got them to score over the channel, I broke an entire team when I moved a couple of miles. One hen had flown 368 miles as a YB, and was the only yearling in race time in the combine at 514 miles in a very hard race. When racing to the new loft she just homed and was never the same.. Another hen which flew the same 500 mile race as a yearling (took 2 weeks) flew better at the new location winning from 418 miles as a 2 year old.
With your own hen Dave I wouldn't be happy that she's arrived flown out. As Neil has said it would be useful if you could find out if she has been to her old loft?

[Diamond Dave]

Throwing sentiment out of the window Dave what does your instincts tell you about her?

I know what you're saying about sentiment Mike, it is a weakness of mine but that aside, the reason I ask the question is whether she has been back to Sunderland or not she must have pushed herself to the limit to fly herself into this condition, she may have already done the same when she was a youngbird so twice she has given her all - how many times do you think a pigeon will do that...?
My own instincts are telling me that I should give her at least one more race but that could be the sentiment kicking in

[CHARLTON34]

Dave if I've learnt anything in the past week or so from my ob racing what you think you have in that pigeon imo is don't bother I think you would be wasting your time just another duffer, distance pigeons are totally different than sprinters again jmo & the time should be spent on your current team what's in the loft, I don't think you need to make your life with the pigeons more difficult.
I think you'd be better cutting your losses & put your effort into this year's ob & ybs than be disappointed, would you want to pay £55 to a courier to collect if it goes down again.

[Diamond Dave]

Dave I don't think there is an easy answer to this. Each bird is different. I've broken birds from other fanciers and got them to score over the channel, I broke an entire team when I moved a couple of miles. One hen had flown 368 miles as a YB, and was the only yearling in race time in the combine at 514 miles in a very hard race. When racing to the new loft she just homed and was never the same.. Another hen which flew the same 500 mile race as a yearling (took 2 weeks) flew better at the new location winning from 418 miles as a 2 year old.
With your own hen Dave I wouldn't be happy that she's arrived flown out. As Neil has said it would be useful if you could find out if she has been to her old loft?

Thanks King, yes the fact that she is flown out to this degree is a worry. If she did go back to Sunderland and back again that equates to just 400 miles add the race distance at 100 thats just 500 miles when Barca to me is about 760 so I think that answers my question. Thanks mate.

[Diamond Dave]

Dave if I've learnt anything in the past week or so from my ob racing what you think you have in that pigeon imo is don't bother I think you would be wasting your time just another duffer, distance pigeons are totally different than sprinters again jmo & the time should be spent on your current team what's in the loft, I don't think you need to make your life with the pigeons more difficult.
I think you'd be better cutting your losses & put your effort into this year's ob & ybs than be disappointed, would you want to pay £55 to a courier to collect if it goes down again.

Thanks Dave, when you put it like that, I guess it's a no brainer - have you had anymore back...

[Anthony webster]

600,700 miles dave ,
Can't see it this Yr if she's skin n bone now
But that ain't really racing its homing only very few in uk actually race that distance most just hope to see one home in ,
But my friend had top hen
She won in her life 200,300,400,500 miles in her last Yr racing he sent her 700 miles because she was bullet proof but if my memory correct he never see her again ,
So what your trying to do is very doubtful.

[Diamond Dave]

I'm just asking what does your instinct say about her?

Is she good? is she bad?

Cheers Mike - I think you know the type of fancier I am better than me lol.
I am getting past the sentimental thing and it helps immensely to be able to have you guys here to talk to.
My "instinct" was that she performed well enough as a young bird and I would have given her another race but this thread has now helped me to decide that she isn't good enough for my race team.

[Diamond Dave]

Only you can decide whether you think she has it within her to be an asset in your racing loft

I know you said she flew over 400 miles as a youngster - but in the words of Shania Twain "That don't impress me much"
:
Now, if she did it in good time, that's an effort that shows there's some talent there somewhere

Think she also said that her "tits don't lie" Mike
The sire and dam were from birds by Brian Caley and the hen was the only bird in the Sportsman club from
Falaise 430 which is section N of the NFC. (Don't know if she was in the clock or not) but Jim was most definately not a bullshitter.

[Diamond Dave]

When’s your 350/400 mile races start Dave
Is it bicc or nfc you send in

Be interested to see how you go in the section with distance being the target
I guess that will be late June time ?

How many races over 350 will the birds be going to
I see some of the distance fanciers in Belgium think nothing of a 300-500 mile race every other week
Do uk fanciers adopt the same policy

My racing starts with the bicc at Alencon in 2 weeks time where I hope to send all my yearlings. 2 weeks later they will go to nor tsur erde then 2 weeks after that they will go to St philbert.
I hope to get my 2 and 3 yo to Pau 607 or Agen 573 and then if any of the yearlings are still good to go in July I would like them to go to Bordeaux 506.
Then there is Barcelona 743, if I'm honest, I'm not sure if I have anything ready yet but I do have a couple in mind and if they don't make Barca this year I would like to send them to perpignan 680
Thats all what I would like to happen Neil - but "sod" might get a say in what actually happens.
Thanks for asking mate.

Incidently, for those that say that the distance isnt racing and is for "plodders" - imo if there is a clock set then those birds are in a race.
You wouldn't call mo farah or Paula Radcliffe plodders
because they are among the "elite" of athletes.