WHY OH WHY?
by Chris Gibson
Well, the title of this article certainly created some interest on a well known internet pigeon forum when I used it as the title of a thread I posted. This was regarding the cancellation of our Federation’s first young bird race. Some very interesting comments and opinions towards myself were posted by people who only know me by name. However, I don’t hold grudges, for everyone is entitled to their own opinion and that is fine. Thank you, to all the people up and down the country who do know me, and who were quick to jump to my defence.
Again, I have heard of huge losses and bad racing up and down the country with young pigeons. It baffles me as to why this seems to happen each year. I know we do occasionally get freak races where there are big losses and slow velocities but this doesn’t happen every week. Why do some fanciers pigeons achieve good velocities and have 100% returns whilst others struggle to achieve either? As mentioned above, we all have our own opinions, and opinions on young bird losses differ greatly between fanciers. I also have my own thoughts on this subject.
Quoted below are the very recent comments of a top fancier I know who flies in the West Durham Amal regarding bad young bird racing and losses. I think he’s spot on with what he says.
“The biggest problem is youngsters suffering with ill health being sent as people are either not seeing they have a problem or they choose to ignore it as they are frightened to miss a race. These are then sent to the early young bird races and are liberated with those youngsters that are healthy and well trained but affect the convoy adversely by milling around and holding back other youngsters when they try to leave the race point. Within a week or two more fanciers have ill pigeons but some of those know they have a health problem in the loft but dare not miss a race and others don't realise they have a problem in there. It just gets worse as the weeks go on until we get to about the 5th race and it settles down as you are left with the same fanciers sending and they have sorted the health issues or avoided them.
The other massive problem that affects the early young bird racing is a lack of education. Does anyone really believe a 5 mile training toss or a 5 mile and a 10 mile training toss is sufficient preparation for a youngster before being sent to a race? Sadly some fanciers seem to have the mistaken belief that other fanciers’ well trained youngsters will bring the rest home so send them and hope for the best but then blame the Convoyer and everyone else when they experience a poor race.
Factor in the large number of liberations in a short period of time in close proximity to each other and it is chaos. Is it any wonder that we experience poor racing for the early part of the young bird programme year after year?
We all need to take a long hard look at our own pigeons and ourselves and ask a few hard questions before thinking about taking our youngsters to the club for the first few races:
1) Are they healthy?
2) Are they properly trained?
3) Are they fuelled properly to allow them to recover from a mistake or have I starved them from Thursday in the hope of a quick trap on the Saturday?”
Thanks you letting me publish that Stu, I couldn’t agree more. I, like yourself, use a mirror when things aren’t going to plan!
Selling of pigeons
Already the internet and pigeon papers are full of pigeons for sale, mainly late bred youngsters with fancy names running through their bloodlines that in the breeder’s opinion naturally demand a big price just because of their ancestors. Then later on in the year come the auctions. Again these are often full of this year’s young birds that have been left to mature ready for the sale. Bred for the job, you might say. Bred for the sole purpose of making money. But while people think that buying expensive pigeons will take them to the top, then what should be a sport, will always be a business to many people. And a very profitable one at that.
However, I see nothing wrong in offering proven winners and breeders of winners for sale and at affordable, honest prices. With this in mind both myself and brother Darrell will be selling a number of pigeons shortly. The sole reason being is that due to work and family pressures my brother Daz is taking a break from the sport for a few years. Only 12 pairs will be kept back in order to keep our family together and to breed my young bird race team each year. These will be mainly made up of the remaining young birds that are left at the end of this season from my small race team that have flown exceptionally well in the Barnsley & District South Road Federation never being out of the top six in the Fed throughout the young bird season including taking 1st 2nd 3rd 1,486 birds etc. This means that all the old bird race team and stock team are to go from Daz’s lofts. The race loft will also be for sale. Amongst the birds for sale will be many winners at Club, 5 Bird Championship Club and Federation level. Also, parents, grandparents and g/grandparents, brothers and sisters to many good winners including NMCC Open winner and RPRA award winner now top breeding hen for Mantle Brothers of Buxton, “Gibson’s Girl”. There won’t be many for sale as we have never kept many birds and the selection process for birds to be sold will be very strict. And only pigeons that we feel will do well for other people will be on offer. These will be on offer in the next month or two once they have gone through the moult. A full advertisement will then be published.
That’s all for now.
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Elimar - September 2014
