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SUMMARY OF 2014 YOUNG BIRD RACE SERIES: SEPTEMBER TO EARLY NOVEMBER 2014

Since Jeff has partnered with me, his expertise has grown by leaps and bounds.  This past 2014 young bird race series in September through early November,  our racing pigeons were 1st Combine Champion Loft which encompasses all of the clubs and fanciers in the Greater Tulsa Metropolitan Area; which is about 40 to 60 fanciers depending upon how many fanciers participate in a young or old bird race series.  We also won 1st 2nd and 3rd Combine Ace Pigeon.

In Belgium, pigeon racing begins in late spring, i.e., April or May, and ends usually in October of the same year.  Classes of racing pigeons are usually divided by age and gender.  There are three classes of racing pigeons based upon age: young birds, yearlings and old birds which are released at the same day and at the same time.   Usually there is only one release per day.  So the three ages of racing pigeons are competing together against one another in the same race.  Often, another sub-class in a race is between males and females.  In America, we generally do not recognize any of these distinctions either nationally or in our specific geographical area for many reasons including the fact that all record-keeping is figured on a volunteer basis and usually kept to a minimum of effort.  In Belgium, the capital of racing homing pigeons in my estimation, there is a mandatory entry fee per bird which is paid to the KBDB national organization to offset costs of transporting the race pigeons and doing the work or business of the club like entering the pigeons in the races and figuring race results.  Thank goodness for computers.  Results used to be calculated by hand or using calculators rather than today's comfort technology like specialized software and PCs or other electronic devises.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

TAs I have written in former Blogs, the Racing Pigeon New Year Calendar in Europe (the racing pigeon capital of the world with Belgium as it's center-stone followed closely by the Netherlands) began the first several weeks of November of 2014 as it does each year.  In early November, all breeding or foster pigeons are (1) medicated for worms, coccidiosis, canker and all respiratory ailments; (2) placed on interior breeding lights at least 16 hours per day, and (3) pre-mated - especially if the pair has not been coupled before; and (4) coupled about December 1 of each year.  Prior to coupling each year, nest bowls and nest boxes should be scraped and sprayed very clean with nest pads and excellent long, supple pine needles used as nesting material.  Needles should be placed in the bowl and on the loft floor.  Great breeders will build their own nests  from the pine needles placed on the floor; but putting a handful of needles in the nest bowl simply helps get the breeeders start building their nests several days earlier.  

So today, January 1, 2015, our breeders have already been through a two-month schedule beginning last November; so most of our best breeders have laid their first round of eggs; many of which have been or will be moved under "foster parents" after they laid their first round and their eggs were candled to make sure that the first-round eggs are fertile.   We candle the eggs by holding them briefly up against a bright light to see if the eggs are clear or if they are dark which suggests that they are fertile and healthy.  Occasionally, although the eggs are dark, either they do not develop correctly or the youngster dies in the shell.  Consequently, we may make a mistake in our candling procedures.  So candling is not an exact science; but it works the vast majority of the time.  It is a great waste of time to let your best breeders sit on infertile eggs.  Because we foster our eggs, the eggs for the second round will be laid in later January and we are able to produce more youngsters out of our best breeding pairs as well as recouple our best breeders to different mates so that we have a number of half-brothers and sisters on the young bird race team.  Although the second round will also primarily include children from our AU ELITE CHAMPIONS and proven champion breeders; and will be flown in the young bird race series from September to the beginning of November in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.

During breeding season, we medicate our breeders about once a month in order to keep them as healthy as possible.  Breeding can be very stressful depending upon many environmental, management, and health issues and every precaution should be taken to lessen the impact upon the breeders.  For instance, we feed and administer grit in the nest box.  We also will water in the nest box when the youngsters are several weeks of age.  Youngsters will learn to eat and drink weeks earlier than normal which will lessen the strain of feeding on their parents if they are fed in the nest box.