A yearly budget cost.

[Devo1956]

Yes Dev the setting up is expensive with everything you need. Can be made a bit cheaper by buying second hand, making your own or converting a garden shed. They always say buy the best that you can afford as far as the pigeons are concerned. But how does a new starter know what’s good and what’s not. Whilst fanciers in the sport won’t give away or even sell their best I think going to a good genuine local fancier you could obtain sound pigeons for a reasonable amount, especially a few late breds. There are plenty of good people out there only too willing to help. I agree that pigeon racing isn’t cheap. But what hobby/sport is. How much does it cost for a season ticket for Anfield? Add to that the cost of team shirts, scarves, programs etc. The cost of going to away games, and what about travelling to European games? Fishing isn’t cheap, keeping even a share in a race horse isn’t cheap, even keeping up with the latest technology is very expensive. I have a customer that shows dogs, the amount they spend on them is ridiculous. What other sport can you do mainly from your own home? What other sport gives you that interaction with a living animal that needs your love and support and rewards you for it? So yes pigeon racing is expensive but no more than a lot of other sports/hobbies.
Ps Roxanna smokes and spends a lot more on baccy than I spend on the pigeons!!

Good reply Andy, we have to look at the pros and cons of every sport, i am going to start a fund raising for going into Formula 1. And the list goes on, yes i agree the cost to do any sport now is over the roof. But going back to Racing pigeons, there is too much competition in the sport now, it's all hush hush the silent brigade, it's not like it was years ago. I was talking to a good mate that is still racing, his words we just put our bird through. No laughing and joking like it was, get the birds on the truck and off. Clock in, you go down get the clock read and off.
Leave Roxanna to her have her bit of baccy, it could be different with none. Lol

[Andy]

I don’t find that down here Dev. When I was back in Worthing years ago a few would stay until the pub closed. Down in Bodmin Cornwall it was a bit like you say. But all we had was a hut in the grounds of an asylum. Then when I moved up to Somerset and joined Yeovil this was in a pub so generally some would stay for a drink. I then packed up racing. When restarting I joined Frome. We had a room at the football ground which did have a bar but there no one stayed. As you say just done what had to be done and gone. This year I joined Glastonbury and I must say it is like the good old days. We start marking at 6.30. Usually done by 7.30/8.00. All members muck in. After this most, usually all, members go into the club for a chat a drink or more and a laugh. We do a guess the winning velocity for the following days race at a £1 a go. We also do a single bird nom each week for £10 paid out of club funds. We are last pick up for the transporter which often won’t get to us before 11.00pm, has been as late as 1.00am. A couple of members stay each week on a rota basis. But often others will also stay. On the Saturday the clocks are printed off, all ETS, at 6.30 and we go into the club whilst the secretary and usually her husband do the result. Once the result is done they come in and announce the winner and the winner of the nom. The tin that has the slips of paper in with everyone’s guess for the winning velocity is opened and one at a time the guesses are read out. This in itself is quite a laugh. I won the nom once and guess the velocity twice lol. A total of about £34. It’s often then 9.00 and gone before I head off for my three quarters of an hour drive home. A great club to be in, we have around 15 members.

[Devo1956]

I don’t find that down here Dev. When I was back in Worthing years ago a few would stay until the pub closed. Down in Bodmin Cornwall it was a bit like you say. But all we had was a hut in the grounds of an asylum. Then when I moved up to Somerset and joined Yeovil this was in a pub so generally some would stay for a drink. I then packed up racing. When restarting I joined Frome. We had a room at the football ground which did have a bar but there no one stayed. As you say just done what had to be done and gone. This year I joined Glastonbury and I must say it is like the good old days. We start marking at 6.30. Usually done by 7.30/8.00. All members muck in. After this most, usually all, members go into the club for a chat a drink or more and a laugh. We do a guess the winning velocity for the following days race at a £1 a go. We also do a single bird nom each week for £10 paid out of club funds. We are last pick up for the transporter which often won’t get to us before 11.00pm, has been as late as 1.00am. A couple of members stay each week on a rota basis. But often others will also stay. On the Saturday the clocks are printed off, all ETS, at 6.30 and we go into the club whilst the secretary and usually her husband do the result. Once the result is done they come in and announce the winner and the winner of the nom. The tin that has the slips of paper in with everyone’s guess for the winning velocity is opened and one at a time the guesses are read out. This in itself is quite a laugh. I won the nom once and guess the velocity twice lol. A total of about £34. It’s often then 9.00 and gone before I head off for my three quarters of an hour drive home. A great club to be in, we have around 15 members.

This all makes the difference between Andy, the Halewood club has 8 members. They now have to travel to another club to mark birds and clock in. So to be honest that is part of just putting birds through and getting off. When i was in the club, i always stayed to load birds on the truck and then get empty crates of the wagon, and spray and clean them for the next race. I feel all of this is going with smaller clubs, to be honest not sure how long for. but time will tell.

[Andy]

We do have the Crewkerne club that have to bring their birds up to us to be loaded on the transporter. They mark at their own club. Members from there that bring their birds up will also take their turn on waiting for the lorry.
We have an old member who doesn’t race any more who comes up during the week and cleans all the crates out. He lives local to the club and likes going for a drink in the social club so has a drink whilst doing the crates. He is given a gift at the end of the season for his trouble.

[Devo1956]

Sounds Good Andy, now that sounds more like a club. Good on the old fella keeping himself busy, just what the club needs. This is what is missing in the racing world, getting it back into communities, can only be a good thing. I was told about an allotment in Stuttgart Germany, over 100 lofts on there, they have a good community spirit going on. It must be a great feeling on race day.

[Buster121]

Not sure that my accountant would go along with that lol. The pigeon corn does come as part of my normal deliveries so is paid for by the shop.

Use it as advertising to bring custom in

[Buster121]

Yes Dev the setting up is expensive with everything you need. Can be made a bit cheaper by buying second hand, making your own or converting a garden shed. They always say buy the best that you can afford as far as the pigeons are concerned. But how does a new starter know what’s good and what’s not. Whilst fanciers in the sport won’t give away or even sell their best I think going to a good genuine local fancier you could obtain sound pigeons for a reasonable amount, especially a few late breds. There are plenty of good people out there only too willing to help. I agree that pigeon racing isn’t cheap. But what hobby/sport is. How much does it cost for a season ticket for Anfield? Add to that the cost of team shirts, scarves, programs etc. The cost of going to away games, and what about travelling to European games? Fishing isn’t cheap, keeping even a share in a race horse isn’t cheap, even keeping up with the latest technology is very expensive. I have a customer that shows dogs, the amount they spend on them is ridiculous. What other sport can you do mainly from your own home? What other sport gives you that interaction with a living animal that needs your love and support and rewards you for it? So yes pigeon racing is expensive but no more than a lot of other sports/hobbies.
Ps Roxanna smokes and spends a lot more on baccy than I spend on the pigeons!!

All so true Andy what I will say is I would never give a bird to anyone that I would not keep myself so if was off my best then that is so, in fact I bred some once for a guy and when the time came I let him have mine as I wasn't happy, happy with them so he did have better in my opinion, although bred off exactly same parents, what I try to do is double nest and 1 for me and other for who ever it may be

[Buster121]

I don’t find that down here Dev. When I was back in Worthing years ago a few would stay until the pub closed. Down in Bodmin Cornwall it was a bit like you say. But all we had was a hut in the grounds of an asylum. Then when I moved up to Somerset and joined Yeovil this was in a pub so generally some would stay for a drink. I then packed up racing. When restarting I joined Frome. We had a room at the football ground which did have a bar but there no one stayed. As you say just done what had to be done and gone. This year I joined Glastonbury and I must say it is like the good old days. We start marking at 6.30. Usually done by 7.30/8.00. All members muck in. After this most, usually all, members go into the club for a chat a drink or more and a laugh. We do a guess the winning velocity for the following days race at a £1 a go. We also do a single bird nom each week for £10 paid out of club funds. We are last pick up for the transporter which often won’t get to us before 11.00pm, has been as late as 1.00am. A couple of members stay each week on a rota basis. But often others will also stay. On the Saturday the clocks are printed off, all ETS, at 6.30 and we go into the club whilst the secretary and usually her husband do the result. Once the result is done they come in and announce the winner and the winner of the nom. The tin that has the slips of paper in with everyone’s guess for the winning velocity is opened and one at a time the guesses are read out. This in itself is quite a laugh. I won the nom once and guess the velocity twice lol. A total of about £34. It’s often then 9.00 and gone before I head off for my three quarters of an hour drive home. A great club to be in, we have around 15 members.

What a great club and members how it should be

[Devo1956]

Well this turned out to be a good topic, thanks to all the members taking part.

[Murray]

I did a bit of a work out a while ago, and it came to about 7 cents Australian per bird per day. Grain, grit, veggies, cider vinegar etc. One of the members does a trip out to a big grain store and gets feed for any member who wants it. Because we buy quite a lot at a time and pay cash, they don't charge GST (VAT) to support the club. Things have increased in price so it is no doubt a bit dearer now, but it's still not bad. I am fortunate in that in return for caring for David's birds when he is away for the kid's sport etc, he often gives me bags of feed. Being honest I haven't spent much on feed at all this year.
In the club I belong to, there has been a strong effort to keep the cost down. The council own the club room, and we have it rent free, electricity and maintenance included. We pay no subscription fees, and since we transport our own birds, for the shorter races each member takes them voluntarily on a roster. For the other races the cost of the fuel is divided by the number of birds.
We buy rings and sell them to the members at cost. I got 50 this year, cost Au$15.00. The Other Bendigo club charges Au$1.00 each for them.
The club is a member of a combine, and some members fly the long and very long races with them. The cost is each member's responsibility.
Training the birds is a large expense. People argue that they don't need to train the pigeons, but the simple fact is the blokes who win the most are the ones who train the most. Not training the young birds thoroughly here is a sure way to lose them. Why?, who knows, but it a fact. I trained a lot more last season and the birds went well. Of course driving a lot costs a lot, and my old V6 Commodore isn't exactly miserly, but on the open road it's pretty good. And petrol costs about Au$1.95 per litre at present, while I see it's around Au$2.95 over there.
Obviously the initial cost of a loft, timer, and equipment is substantial. A loft will cost a lot to build. Materials are getting very expensive. But it only needs doing once. I made all my drinkers out of plastic containers, the feed bowls are pet bowls, I make what I need out of what I can find.
The sport is like everything these days. Getting more and more expensive. That's why we need to look for ways to keep costs down. Look at transporting our own pigeons, giving young birds free to new members and those who are struggling a bit, keeping club fees and other expenses to a minimum.
Times are tough for some people.