Great feedback on Trevs thought, of the topic of OLR. This is what the site needs good topics and great feedback from all. Yes we know the racing of pigeons is becoming a stressful time for birds and owners. So how do we go about ways and means to combat this.? Well first we need to look at ourselves, are we doing all tasks right to perform at racing levels. Be honest walk into your loft and have a good look around, what is the quality of the birds sitting on each perch. The answer to that , have they earned the right to be there. So we come to record keeping then we know each birds loft record. The answer is there, in black and white. So the answer is quality over quantity, this alone brings down costs of the loft budget. I say loft budget because the simple fact, Pigeon racing is not just a hobby anymore, its about competing and to compete you have to raise your own levels. The birds cannot do it by themselves, so good loft management is needed in all areas.
The OLR started as it says on the tin, but over the years prize money has increased, so the need to win has become even much more on the agenda. The breeding of winners of these races, well this is all part of the system now. You can have a guy sending 120 youngsters to the OlR, because he can have as long as he pays all the money due Will he have the winning bird? We can go on and on about are OLR good for the sport, well i would say Racing pigeon sport is known more about these days, because of the social media. Being kept in the news keeps the sport alive.
Just remember you are in a 365 day sport, If you want to win there are no days off. Dont blame the birds if you are not putting in the shifts.
is this for real
Have to agree with that Trev especially the part of getting decent birds cheapTrev wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2023 9:41 am Having read all of your posts on here there is a lot to agree and disagree with but it again shows that there are so many different ideas in this sport.
I'm not a massive fan of OLRs and personally wouldn't enter any but I think in principle they are a good idea as there are fanciers out there who wouldn't be able to race pigeons any other way and I think there will more and more like that in the future. I do think they are very financially driven but sadly that is becoming the case throughout the pigeon world in general and as Dev said pretty much every other sport too. I do think it is ridiculous the price people will pay for pigeons and some of the Auctions do look a bit dubious and are probably used to promote that particular OLR as much as any thing. I don't quite get how the bird that comes first is so much better than many of the others when in most of the races its just down to which bird goes through the trap quickest as so many arrive togetherI do think these races whether trainers or not do give some idea as to the quality of the birds, after all if you were training your own birds regularly in preparation for racing you would get some idea of which birds are showing promise and which are unlikely to make the grade. As for the pedigrees I do agree with Dev and do like them as a guide for my pairings but also know that they don't guarantee success, the one thing you can be pretty certain of is that because of the cost involved in entering these races the pigeons up for grabs at the end are going to be out of each fanciers best pigeons so if you are after trying to add quality to your loft on a budget you could easily pick up some very good pigeons cheap and at least these birds are flown opposed to spending a lot of money on great, great grandchildren off of birds that had their day years ago and who's actual parents have never even flown out of o loft let alone been raced.
Jmo
I do think these races whether trainers or not do give some idea as to the quality of the birds, after all if you were training your own birds regularly in preparation for racing you would get some idea of which birds are showing promise and which are unlikely to make the grade. As for the pedigrees I do agree with Dev and do like them as a guide for my pairings but also know that they don't guarantee success, the one thing you can be pretty certain of is that because of the cost involved in entering these races the pigeons up for grabs at the end are going to be out of each fanciers best pigeons so if you are after trying to add quality to your loft on a budget you could easily pick up some very good pigeons cheap and at least these birds are flown opposed to spending a lot of money on great, great grandchildren off of birds that had their day years ago and who's actual parents have never even flown out of o loft let alone been raced. How does one decide what has earned a perch or not, one may be poor on the road but breeds winners for fun no person has the right to be judge, jury and executioner after all we allowed them into the world and they should live there lives out naturallyDevo1956 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2023 10:18 am Great feedback on Trevs thought, of the topic of OLR. This is what the site needs good topics and great feedback from all. Yes we know the racing of pigeons is becoming a stressful time for birds and owners. So how do we go about ways and means to combat this.? Well first we need to look at ourselves, are we doing all tasks right to perform at racing levels. Be honest walk into your loft and have a good look around, what is the quality of the birds sitting on each perch. The answer to that , have they earned the right to be there. So we come to record keeping then we know each birds loft record. The answer is there, in black and white. So the answer is quality over quantity, this alone brings down costs of the loft budget. I say loft budget because the simple fact, Pigeon racing is not just a hobby anymore, its about competing and to compete you have to raise your own levels. The birds cannot do it by themselves, so good loft management is needed in all areas.
The OLR started as it says on the tin, but over the years prize money has increased, so the need to win has become even much more on the agenda. The breeding of winners of these races, well this is all part of the system now. You can have a guy sending 120 youngsters to the OlR, because he can have as long as he pays all the money due Will he have the winning bird? We can go on and on about are OLR good for the sport, well i would say Racing pigeon sport is known more about these days, because of the social media. Being kept in the news keeps the sport alive.
Just remember you are in a 365 day sport, If you want to win there are no days off. Dont blame the birds if you are not putting in the shifts.
Good point Buster, and yes no one has the right to be the executioner of any act like this. But you have to sometimes face facts, if the birds do not race well for you. You have to make a choice, do you want to win or take part in racing.?Buster121 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2023 11:47 amHow does one decide what has earned a perch or not, one may be poor on the road but breeds winners for fun no person has the right to be judge, jury and executioner after all we allowed them into the world and they should live there lives out naturallyDevo1956 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2023 10:18 am Great feedback on Trevs thought, of the topic of OLR. This is what the site needs good topics and great feedback from all. Yes we know the racing of pigeons is becoming a stressful time for birds and owners. So how do we go about ways and means to combat this.? Well first we need to look at ourselves, are we doing all tasks right to perform at racing levels. Be honest walk into your loft and have a good look around, what is the quality of the birds sitting on each perch. The answer to that , have they earned the right to be there. So we come to record keeping then we know each birds loft record. The answer is there, in black and white. So the answer is quality over quantity, this alone brings down costs of the loft budget. I say loft budget because the simple fact, Pigeon racing is not just a hobby anymore, its about competing and to compete you have to raise your own levels. The birds cannot do it by themselves, so good loft management is needed in all areas.
The OLR started as it says on the tin, but over the years prize money has increased, so the need to win has become even much more on the agenda. The breeding of winners of these races, well this is all part of the system now. You can have a guy sending 120 youngsters to the OlR, because he can have as long as he pays all the money due Will he have the winning bird? We can go on and on about are OLR good for the sport, well i would say Racing pigeon sport is known more about these days, because of the social media. Being kept in the news keeps the sport alive.
Just remember you are in a 365 day sport, If you want to win there are no days off. Dont blame the birds if you are not putting in the shifts.
This is where the sport has changed so much in the last 20 years, there are underlying factors why the bird is not racing well. And sometimes this is where sickness around the loft comes to ripe, if you can be honest and know you have given the bird the chance to show its true ability. And nothing come through in birds performance. Do you keep it as a pet?
Just working out, If a OLR takes in 1500 youngsters. On a first full week in the loft 1500 birds will be fed 446.5 Kg of corn, that is 22.3 bags of 20 Kg corn. This will reduce when birds are allowed out to fly, and when training. Loss of birds and sickness in the loft, will reduce the corn costs. This is based on 1.5 ounces per bird daily.
Dev I do what I do out of love and enjoyment for the birds any cards are an added bonus
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George and Morgan
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6th placed :bird in premier olr auction just sold for £920 