Paper does not fly.
Andy enjoy what you have, everything else is a bonus. Focus on the new breeding season, there may be a golden egg. You have come through the bad times, so start to reap the rewards. Good luck mate, hope you have a great season next year. You deserve it mate, others would have folded.
Thanks Steve. I would still like to race from the distance but at present can’t see that happening any time soon. I am having to change my system and probably the birds doing the business will be more sprint middle distance birds. But until things change I am going to continue enjoying my club and combine racing. If the chance arises I would still like to have a go at the distance.
Back just enjoying club racing for the time being.
Thanks Dev. I do have a few here now that are showing some promise. Along with breeding from what I have, and hopefully improving more with those, I am going to get a few more from both Buster and Rich.Devo1956 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 04, 2023 10:16 pm Andy enjoy what you have, everything else is a bonus. Focus on the new breeding season, there may be a golden egg. You have come through the bad times, so start to reap the rewards. Good luck mate, hope you have a great season next year. You deserve it mate, others would have folded.
Back just enjoying club racing for the time being.
A very interesting topic and very good posts. I agree that paper doesn't fly. And I agree with George about only getting in raced pigeons. However I think the way forward is to get the best pigeons you get hold of, and test the progeny. Selection seems to be the key.
Greetings from the land down under. 
Selection is certainly the key. Testing is needed to find the best ones both for racing and breeding. I love the breeding side of the sport but like to do it in a way that I develop my own family. The real enjoyment I get from the breeding is when I produce good pigeons that I have bred over generations.Murray wrote: ↑Wed Oct 04, 2023 11:53 pm A very interesting topic and very good posts. I agree that paper doesn't fly. And I agree with George about only getting in raced pigeons. However I think the way forward is to get the best pigeons you get hold of, and test the progeny. Selection seems to be the key.
Back just enjoying club racing for the time being.
Andy, a few years ago I would have agreed with you about developing your own family. Now, not so much.
Have a look at the pedigrees of the pigeons coming out of the top European lofts. They are sold as a "direct Van der Hum", but if you look at the pedigree, 2 or 3 of it's grand parents came from other top flyers.
I did that, I had a shed full of pigeons which were a 'family'. They were so inbred you could hear the banjos playing in the background.
They were identical. And, what they were was what they would stay.
The last two or three years I have crossed them with some 'modern' pigeons, and it's like they are from a different planet!
Forget about 'a family' of pigeons. Keep looking for pigeons that are better than the ones that you have.
That's what the champions do
Have a look at the pedigrees of the pigeons coming out of the top European lofts. They are sold as a "direct Van der Hum", but if you look at the pedigree, 2 or 3 of it's grand parents came from other top flyers.
I did that, I had a shed full of pigeons which were a 'family'. They were so inbred you could hear the banjos playing in the background.
They were identical. And, what they were was what they would stay. The last two or three years I have crossed them with some 'modern' pigeons, and it's like they are from a different planet!
Forget about 'a family' of pigeons. Keep looking for pigeons that are better than the ones that you have.
That's what the champions do
Greetings from the land down under.
carry on doing what you enjoy Dev. Take no notice of me 
just a different approach.Back just enjoying club racing for the time being.