March 2008

3.1.08 - Saturday

USE THE WIND FOR "WIND SPRINTS"

Today is a beautiful day in Oklahoma.  The sun is shining.  The high temperature is in the upper 60sF.  There is, however, one very important weather factor.  The wind is blowing and gusting from 25 to 30 mph from the south to the north.  Today, I want to train the elite race team.  If I were to train south on the line of flight for the race stations, I would need to drive at least 60 miles or 96 kilometers to train the birds at least an hour.  In that hour, the birds would fly with a tailwind of 25 to 30 mph.  The tailwind would push them home and send them speeding like bullets towards home.  Injuries often happen under these circumstances.  To a certain degree, the racers are flying somewhat out of control and can become victims of the powerful wind by being hurled into stationary objects.  Plus, although the birds would fly an hour, they still wouldn't get a good workout due to the fact that the birds simply need to guide themselves home by using their winds close to their body to tact one way or the other; because the wind does most of the work pushing the racers home.  Training 60 miles from the south, driving time will take about 2 hours to drive 120 miles round trip.

I could, however, train the racers north and let them fly home into the wind.  By flying into a stiff headwind, the racers will need to work to come home.  No tailwind.  No push.  No speeding like a bullet.  No out of control.  Flying into a very stiff headwind causes the racers to extend their wings from their bodies and pump or push the air in a much different way that when the racers simply guide themselves home while a hefty tailwind pushes them.

I decided to train the racers 10 miles north.  They flew home in 30 minutes.  I believe this workout is far superior than training them 60 miles south.  First, driving time was about 25 to 30 minutes round trip instead of the 2 hours it would have taken to train south.  Second, it is my opinion that a 30 minute workout into a very stiff headwind is far superior than a 60 minute workout from the south with a very stiff tailwind.

I frequently use the wind to give the racers a "wind sprint" into a headwind.  The optimum scenario is a headwind from the north.  A north headwind allows me to train the racers on the line of flight for the upcoming race stations; yet get the added benefit of flying home into a headwind.  However, if there is a crosswind, I like to train the racers across the line of flight east to west.  In other words, if the wind is out of the west, I train from the east.

Regardless of the direction of the wind, I use the wind to give the racers wind sprints home.  when the wind is light or variable, I prefer to train the racers south on the line of flight.  Tulsa has 3 highways exiting the city to the south.  Highway 75 travels straight south and is the road most fanciers use to train on the line of flight towards the race stations.  However, in actual race conditions, the racers seldom race home straight north.  Instead, they loop home traveling a little east or west of Highway 75.  Consequently, I also like to train either southwest down the Turner Turnpike or southeast down the Muskogee Turnpike.

I never ever only train south down the line of flight towards the race stations - in Oklahoma or in Belgium.  Why?  As I have said many times in the past, I prefer a "thinking" pigeon rather than a "reacting" pigeon.  In past blogs, I have documented the bad things that can happen when racers "react" instead of "think" their way home.  Pigeons that have only been trained one direction home will develop a dependency on that training.  Upon liberation, they will simply react towards the direction and training to which they have been constantly trained home.   As I have said in earlier writings, this training pfemaleomenon is known as "handedness."  In people for example, by constantly using one hand all of the time, we diminish and frequently lose the ability to use the other hand as keenly as we use the dominant hand.  People drive to work the same route.  Have you ever been with someone who had been driven to a location many times; but when called upon to drive there by themselves, they couldn't?  Routine unaltered training causes an unhealthy  dependency upon a certain way of doing something.  By frequently alternating training directions, racers must "think" to orient their way home.  In other words, if racers head straight north upon liberation, they will need to correct their course home if the race station is either east or west of a true line north towards home.  If thinking pigeons head straight home after liberation, they will fly a shorter course than the course flown by a reacting pigeon.  See the following Example.

when racers never know which direction they must fly home, as a rule, they pay closer attention to where they are.  Their motivation causes them to orient quickly.  As I have said in past blogs, I want my racers to orient in the release crate and to blast their way home immediately upon liberation on the truest course home that is mentally possible under the environmental circumstances. 

Plus, I always build muscle in racers through "wind sprints."  KEY POINT:  Strong, well-muscled, "thinking," motivated, healthy, and well-bred pigeons with a high Game IQ race home much faster than weaker, less-muscled, less-trained, less-conditioned, unmotivated, average intelligence and average-bred pigeons.

I have purchased superior "world-class" breeders for two lofts in two countries.  These lofts are recognized as two of the best breeding lofts in each country.  Why in the world would I not give wonderful racers bred from these superior breeders every opportunity to maximize their super genetic superiority?  USING THE WIND is a training technique that gives these genetically superior racers an opportunity to maximize their natural talents.

3.2.08 - Sunday

MAKE TRAINING FUN

Morgan and I decided not to go to Church today.  Our son-in-law had his thyroid removed on Thursday and we have been helping our daughter and the grandchildren while he was in the hospital and at home recuperating.  Tonight, a winter storm is blowing into northeast Oklahoma with rain and snow forecasted for tomorrow.  This front is the reason the wind has been blowing so strong for several days now from the south.  I wanted to train early this morning; but was not sure how cloudy it would be at dawn.  So, I decided to train later in the morning.  At dawn, the sky turned out to be full of sunshine; but I had already decided to train mid-morning.  I like to watch Joel Osteen and Meet The Press on Sunday mornings on television as we ready ourselves for Sunday School and Church.  But today, Morgan and I broke our routine. 

I exercised the late-breds around the loft for an hour before basketing them for a training toss.  Once again, we took them north to liberate the late-breds into a fierce headwind of 25 to 40 mph.  Morgan and I decided to eat breakfast in Owasso, a bedroom community about 10 miles northeast of Tulsa.  We had a fantastic breakfast at the Cracker Barrel Restaurant in Owasso.  The chicken fried breakfast steak was superb!!!  It came with eggs, biscuits, grits, and baked apples (The Grandpa Special).  As I have said before, I like to involve food in as many training tosses as possible.  By taking Morgan with me (as if I could stop her from going with me), training allows us to spend quality time together and train the birds at the same time.  I have often heard fanciers lament that they had to choose between their wife and/or family and their pigeons.  Funny, I don't believe that there is a choice between one's family and the birds unless you decide to make it a choice.  Take your family to the lake for a swim or a picnic and train your birds.  Take your family to eat ice cream and train the birds.  Take your family out to eat anywhere and train the birds.  Do something special with your wife and take the birds.  My birds fit into my lifestyle - not visa versa.  MAKE TRAINING YOUR BIRDS FUN.  If your family has a great time, they will want you to train your birds so that they can do something fun.  Today, Morgan shopped for a few minutes in the Cracker Barrel for Easter presents and basket-fillers.  Cracker Barrel has an excellent selection of interesting gift ideas and is a fun place for families to visit.  If you don't have a Cracker Barrel in your area, find another choice.  I travel up to 60 miles or 96 kilometers to find food, fun, and shopping and train the birds on a regular basis.  Pigeons enhance our lives.  Morgan and I have never felt that pigeons were a burden or hindrance to our relationship - just the opposite is true!!!  They have been a great blessing to our family.

After liberation in a huge parking lot of Home Depot, the birds took 45 minutes to return home straining into the fierce headwind.  All 35 birds came home on the drop.  They appear to be in great shape!  I was hoping for some separation that would begin to allow me the insight to rank these late-breds in terms of performance.  Although I achieved some separation last week on the toss 30 miles east from Chouteau where Morgan and I ate lunch,  I still want more data from the trials and tribulations in the basket. Due to the impending winter storm, the next training day may be Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning.  If possible, next Friday may be a day the late-breds can be trained 60 to 80 miles.  I should begin to get some separation at this point to determine the top tier of late-breds.  I want to mate the top 15 or 20 late-breds to old females and fly the rest of the team unmated to their box.

3.3.08 - Monday

Due to the impending storm that is forecasted to hit northeast Oklahoma today, the racers may not exercise.  when weather prevents exercise, I make sure that the racer's feed mix contains about 30% barley.  Barley is a filler.  It allows the racers to receive full feed without causing them to put on undesired weight that comes with inactivity when they cannot exercise normally.  Barley has an added benefit in that it helps purge the racers of toxins in their internal organs.  Good barley, like safflower, is a wonder grain in my opinion.  I use barley to decrease the racers' energy level by increasing the percentage of barley in the race mix; and increase the racers' energy level by decreasing the percentage of barley in the race mix.  I have heard that some fanciers starve their pigeons to gain control of them for trapping, etc.  Barley can be used as a full feed to gain control of pigeons.  Because barley is a filler, pigeons develop an appetite within a few hours of feeding; especially if they have exercised and depleted their energy.

The first Federation race is about 5 weeks away on April 5 from a distance of 150 miles or 240 kilometers.  This distance is quite a first step for the first race.  In Belgium, the first races will be from 60 to 100 kilometers or 35 to 60 miles.  So in Tulsa, the racers will need to be tossed from 80 to 100 miles or 130 to 160 kilometers in the two weeks prior to April 5.  I will probably toss the racers from 160 kilometers or 100 miles on March 22 and 130 kilometers or 80 miles on March 29.  They will also get tosses from 60 miles or 96 kilometers March 6 and March 15.  The training regiment is as follows:

March 6 training toss	60 miles or 96 kilometers	GOOD TO GO - Retired Widow
March 15 training toss	80 miles or 128 kilometers
March 22 training toss	100 miles or 160 kilometers
March 29 training toss	80 miles or 128 kilometers
April 5 Race	150 miles or 240 kilometers

Starting today, I will begin the weekly training, feeding and medicating regiment that the racers will experience during the Federation Race Series.  I want to maintain a schedule that will routinize the racers' bio-rhythms.  On Fridays, I want the racers minds and bodies to be peaking for the training toss or race on Saturdays. Sundays or Mondays, the widows take a bath.  I use a cap full of Adams Flea & Tick Shampoo or some brand of European bath salts in the bath water.  Both types of products can be used interchangeably.  I use the Herbot's supplement system; but there are other good supplemental systems including Mike Ganus's Vita King Products.  I use the Herbots products in Oklahoma since Jef grew up with Raf Herbots and prefers the Herbots Products at our lofts in Belgium.

On Mondays, Optimix & Zell Oxygen are added to the feed (Click on the links for info about these products).  I often replace the Zell Oxygen with Red Cell, a horse food supplement rich in vitamins, minerals and iron that I have discussed before.  Both the Zell Oxygen and the Red Cell are viscous liquids that allow the powdered products like Optimix to adhere to the grains so that the racers will eat it.  Red Cell is more affordable than Zell Oxygen.  Bio Duif and Tea/Bronchofit are added to the water.

If the racers exercise routinely today, they will fly one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening.  I clean the loft and water fountains while they are exercising.  After yesterday's training toss into a very stiff headwind for about 45 minutes, the late-breds look marvelous today.  They are alert and bright-eyed.  They are buoyant and supple; but hard as a rock.  Their muscle is developing very nicely in order for them to sprint home from all distances during one day races.  "Wind sprints" build muscle; while longer protracted training tosses can tear down muscle if the racers are over-trained or become temporarily lost.

The elite racers were coupled on Valentine's Day.  They are currently sitting on eggs.  A handful of the late-breds are mated and sitting on eggs.  This week, I will select a top tier of late-breds and couple all of them with older females.  The remainder of the late-breds will race celibate to their box and bowl.

3.4.08 - Tuesday

WHICH ARE YOU?

There are those fanciers who play the racing pigeon game to beat the hell out of others.  There are fanciers who play the racing pigeon game as a form of art - like a great symphony, song, or painting.  Those that simply want to destroy their competition use club rules, policies and gossip to gain an advantage.  Those that simply want to express their creativity use the wings of pigeons as brushes against a clear blue sky.  Those that only want to beat the others are motivated by competition and winning.  Those that want to express themselves through the artistry of the Sport are motivated by self-expression and personal fulfillment.  Those that want to destroy others are trying to satisfy some unresolved psychological or social malady.  Those who want to express themselves are trying to satisfy their inner joys through a great hobby.

Which are you?

If you are the former, you will eventually ruin the Sport in your area.  If you are the latter, I hope this blog helps you achieve the unattainable.

On Tuesday, BMT/BMW and 4-Oils are added to the feed. (Click on the links for info about these products).   Vita Duif is added to the water.  The race mix is composed of 40% standard race mix, 10% small seeds, 25% safflower, and 25% barley.  A few peanuts are given in the evening as a treat.

3.5.08 - Wednesday

On Wednesday, I mix Zell Oxygen or Red Cell with Optimix to the race mix.  I add Aminovit to the water.  If possible, I like to give the race team a toss from 50 or 60 miles.  During the race season, I will show the old females to the late-breds on Wednesday for about an hour.  Do not let the males tread the females.

Exercise the males twice a day for an hour each flight if the race team does not road train.

3.6.08 - Thursday

On Thursday, I usually don't mix anything on the feed and I give the racers fresh clean water only.  Occasionally, I may mix Prodigest on their feed if I don't think the racers are coming into form properly.  If you recall from earlier blogs, Thursday evening is the feeding in which the racers are fed everything they can possibly eat.  then Friday, they are fed according to the distance of the race and the forecasted weather conditions.

3.7.08 - Friday

THE PROCESS OF SELECTING A CHAMPION

I have much more to say about intent because it's an incredibly important topic in the quest to become a champion fancier; but I'll save it for just a little later in the blog.  Today, I want to share my rating sheet with you that I use to determine future champions.  I wish I had posted the rating sheet each week as I rated the late hatches; but I'll do it now.  Here is my rating sheet.  I explain it below.

Although there are 32 racers on this sheet, there were several more birds that have been removed from the list for one reason or the other.  I removed several because I didn't like them physically.  I removed several to the stock loft.

Although the late hatches have completed over 25 training tosses from many directions, Toss 1 and 2 were recorded for this blog.  These two tosses are diagramed in the following figure.  Toss 1 was straight east of Tulsa about 30 miles at Chouteau.  Chouteau was chosen because Morgan and I went to eat lunch at the Amish Kitcfemale.  This restaurant is managed by the Amish people indigenous to eastern Oklahoma.  They serve a buffet-style meal - all you can eat.  Wednesday is fried chicken day and we wanted chicken.  They make the finest cobblers imaginable; particularly blackberry and cherry.  Toss 2 was from Indianola which is about 70 miles south of Tulsa.  The wind was blowing at 10 to 15 mph from the north; so they flew into a sizable headwind.  On the way back from Indianola, we stopped at Steak & Eggs in Okmulgee and had a tremendous breakfast. 

Training Tosses 1 and 2

Based on all of the training tosses (which include the last two tosses), I rated the late-breds according to the Rating Sheet.  As an aside, let me state that there was no separation of the birds for many of the tosses.  Most of the time, the birds arrived together.  In these instances, observations of stress or no stress were the primary criteria for rating.  To date, the 6 birds highlighted in red seem to be the top tier of birds.  Take a look at the two training tosses.  The 6 top tier pigeons have an overall rating of 3 or less.

The ordinal rating system is a reflection of the drop in which the bird or birds arrived.  It does not take into account the time differences between the drops.  I take this into account as I evaluate the birds with a rating of 3 or more.  

I will discuss each of the top rated or SUPER birds now:

1.  821 blue splash male - Jacops bred out of imports.  One of my primary picks all along the ratings process.  821 sits in the nest bowl for hours by himself.  Is always alert and personable.  Chose a top next box.  Has a beautiful body.  Has a dynamite pedigree!!!

2.  822 blue check male - a son of TOTAL RECALL.  I wanted to breed one of the best Achiel Vangilbergen females to TOTAL RECALL.  He produces mostly super pigeons and I wanted to give the Vangilbergen female the best chance of raising a great youngster.  822 is very aggressive, yet calm,  in a top nest box.  The only knock on him is his color.  I'm not keen on most checkers unless they win multiple races.  

3.  815 blue white flight male - I selected him for the team as a squeaker; although he should be in the stock loft.  Absolutely perfect in the hand.  Bred from Jacops Vandenabeele imports.  The male is a full brother to a Jacop's long distance champion - the MINIEM.  The female is one the very best Vandenabeele females in the loft and one of the top females I own.  Her children are pure gold.  She is a daughter of the BLUE FIDEEL and the mother to the 1st Ace NEO Federation Old Bird in 2007.  815 is always in the first group home.  He is one of the most dependable birds on the team.  Chose a bottom tier nest box.  I don't like that except he was the youngest males in his section.  He will soon own a top box.  I'll help him a little.

4.  569 blue splash female - one of the only females on the team.  She is much too fine to sit at home.  Jacops-bred bird crossed on a champion speed bird from the Netherlands - the CREILDOFFER breeding in Oklahoma.  Absolutely perfect in the hand; and a very beautiful female.  I predict she'll be in the stock loft after the Old Bird Race Series.

5.  582 dark splash male - An Antoine Jacops crossed on a daughter of the Steketie 603, an incredible long distance racer in Belgium.  Children of the 603 are hard to get and expensive.  I have a son and two daughters.  All three children are masterpieces to use the language of Mike Ganus.  582's brother, 58, was raced in the 2007 Young Bird Race Series and raced very well.  58 is now on the Elite Old Bird Race Team.  582, aptly numbered, 58 the 2nd, will follow in the same steps as his brother - guaranteed.  582 is aggressive and special in the hand.  His father is a beautiful white import male, BLIZZARD, that is a son of the LAST DIAMOND, a son of the DIAMOND ACE - a long distance 1st Ace in the Antwerp Union, Belgium in 1992.

6.  840 blue white flight male - A fantastic Jacops Meuleman.  He goes back to the Golden Couple multiple times.  840 is very nice in the hand: balance, feathering, wing, eye - all nice.  His father is a son of the JENNY ASS, an Ace female in Belgium now breeding in Japan.  The JENNY ASS is even a better breeder than racer.  Her children are gold.  Her brothers and sisters are race winners in Belgium and Germany.  There are two children and one brother to JENNY ASS breeding in Oklahoma.  Tony Smith & Josh Cooley, TNT TITANS, have bred 500 and a 600 mile race winners with birds down from the JENNY ASS.  She gets her name from the fact that after arriving home, she sat out for long periods of time before trapping.  Still, she became an Ace pigeon.

 There are 10 late-breds rated GOOD and marked in green.  These pigeons have a score of 5 or 6.  There is a special consideration given to racers that scored lower on Toss 2 than Toss 1.  This means they improved their performance on Training Toss 2.  Although receiving a higher score on Toss 2 than Toss 1 is not a negative sign; it represents a large question mark that must be further studied.

There is one pigeon rated AVERAGE.  943 is still under serious consideration; but he must improve his performance significantly and quickly to stay on the team.  I have high hopes for 943; but so far he has scored in the middle of the pack and has not yet really distinguished himself.

There are 6 pigeons rated SUSPECT and are italicized.  Both 520 and 603 look fantastic.  I had high hopes for both of them.  But to date, they have not distinguished themselves. I'm still hoping they perform better next week.  I like them both very much; but will not hesitate to remove them from the team if the rating system warrants.  Perhaps they will mature later.  208 is an out of area bird that I am racing for a Texas fancier.  Although he is a nice looking male; he has not performed very well so far.

There were several birds that were lost. 376 and 588 were excellent late-breds that were lost at Chouteau.  They had performed very well in multiple earlier training tosses and were two of my very favorites.  I have no explanation as to why they didn't return home.  Their absence is part of the incredible mystery of the Sport. 

If I removed every late-bred except for the 6 SUPER pigeons, how do you think the supers would race?  If I only had to care for 6 late-breds instead of 32 late-breds, do you think it would make a difference?  What if I only raced the SUPER late-breds and the GOOD late-breds?  At a minimum, there would be much less work - much more room, much less food - much more attention paid to each racer.  In two weeks, I will make these decisions.  I will not begin the Old Bird Race Series with 32 late-breds.  I don't know the final number; but it should be less than one-half of the late-breds currently under consideration.  I believe that I will be able to race 16 top-tier late-breds much better than 32 late-hatches that may include birds of a lesser quality. 

The purpose of the rating system is to determine which of the late-breds genuinely have a chance to be champions - to win races; not just determine which birds will consistently return home on the day.  Remember, there are many homers and very few real racers (champions).  I have previously blogged about the Lamberton rule of 10%.  The rule states that on the average, about 10% of the birds bred will constitute the pool of potential excellent racers.  I began with about 50 late-breds; even though there are now 32 on the rating sheet.  10% of 50 late-breds is 5 pigeons.  I have selected 6 as potential champions.  Because our loft has selected many excellent breeders from winning lofts, our percentage of excellent racers may be much higher than a normal loft.  Concerning the late-breds, there may be many or all of the GOOD pigeons that earn their way into the SUPER category.  

I recommend very strongly that you keep a rating sheet for each of your race teams.  Rate each bird's performance on training tosses; even when there is no separation upon arrival (all of them arrive on one drop).  Study each racer after every toss.  Record your observations about each racer.   Rate your birds on a daily basis; or weekly if time is limited.  Keep this data in a three-ring binder.  The data will make the selection process much easier and selection itself more accurate.

3.10.08 - Monday

OTHER RATING SYSTEMS - YOUR HANDS

The rating sheet is simply a compilation of data.  It is a compilation of events that creates a statistical picture of each bird listed.  Another critical tool to evaluate each bird is your hands.  One of the most profound skills that I learned and developed in Belgium was the sensitivity of my hands to various aspects of a pigeon.  I have since used my hands to continually evaluate my pigeons.  As I feel the various parts of the pigeons under consideration, I make detailed notes and place them in the three-ring binder that I have also discussed several times.  At a minimum, I evaluate the racers on a weekly basis.  After each training toss, each racer should be evaluated.  On many occasions, I have discovered a small cut or a bruise that may have contributed to the loss of the injured pigeon had the wound not been discovered.

If you frequently use the wind for wind sprints like I have suggested, you will discover that some pigeons begin to physically react to the stress of short intense training tosses.  Although each toss should be well within your pigeon's physical abilities, the cumulative effect will begin to show on certain pigeons with various physical weaknesses even if those weaknesses are slight and hardly noticable.  Even racers that return home quickly will often begin to lose weight after repeated short training tosses into the wind.  Today, I evaluated each late-bred as they were basketed for a 20 mile training toss into the wind.  Tony Smith, Morgan and I went south to Beggs and ate lunch at Shade Tree Burgers - a fantastic place to eat for any Federation fanciers reading this blog.  Their burgers, cheeseburgers, fries and onion rings are great!  While I was basketing the late-breds, I noticed that 843 had lost a portion of his body size since the last toss.  His breast was thinner on each side of his body from the back down to the keel.  843 is a beautiful male and I like him very much.  He is a brother to a widow with over 200 points toward an AU Elite Championship Award.  I would like to race him and he may perform fairly well in the races.  But I only want to race the best of the best - the creme de la creme.  843's brother, 591, is built just like 843.  But 591 was not depleted like his brother 843.  These differences between the brothers is not acute; that is, it is not readably noticeable to the eye.  The difference can only be measured through sensitive well-trained hands.  843 was removed from the race team.  He may race next year or be sold.  He should make a great breeder.

If you aren't using your hands to thoroughly evaluate your racers at least several times a week, and if you can't feel the differences between evaluations and over time, it will be very difficult to generate the type of information necessary to properly select the best racers and breeders.  My hands are are one of the three top evaluation tools that I use to evaluate pigeons.

OTHER RATING SYSTEMS - YOUR EYES   

I constantly evaluate all of my pigeons with my eyes.  when I look at my pigeons, I really look at each of them.  Initially, I look for anything that might be a sign of sickness, i.e., blinking eyes, fluffed feathers, and crouching for examples.  Secondly, in young birds and late-hatches, I particularly look for signs of health and physical superiority.  These signs are:

• Feathering - feathering of excellent pigeons looks incredibly different between super pigeons and more average pigeons.  The feathering is smooth and unruffled.  It is brightly colored or very clean-looking. 

• Wattles - wattles are snowy white. 

• Posture - posture is more erect. 

• Eyes - eyes are bright and alert. 

• Awareness - super pigeons are keenly aware of their surroundings. 

• Fear - super pigeons are not flighty or afraid.  Instead, the are calm in the loft and have a sense of ownership in their box. 

• Motivation - super pigeons become excited when a bowl is introduced or pine needles are sprinkled in the bowl or on the loft floor. 

• Sexual Maturity - super pigeons readily mate even at six months old. 

• ***Lift - super pigeons lift from the floor quickly and effortlessly as they fly to their next box or as they fly from the roof top to begin their journey into the blue skies during exercise.  ***Evaluating lift is one of the most profound characteristics of excellent pigeons.    

These characteristics comprise some of the important data that is gathered through the eyes of a fancier.

In summary, there are three evaluation techniques that I have discussed: hands, eyes, and flight time on training tosses.  Each of these three evaluation techniques are equally important.  Because flight times require no personal skills other than owning a clock and chipping the racers, most fanciers rely on the "basket" to select their best pigeons.  But let me warn that there are many types of pigeons that can race well up to 200 to 300 miles.  They can be large, small, deep-keeled, weak-backed, and poorly-feathered.  While they make win prizes at the shorter distances, they can't win top prizes at the longer races nor are they likely to breed youngsters that will be any different than they are.  Only using the basket to evaluate potential champions without consistently using insights or data understood through hands or eyes will leave the a significant portion of the future success of the loft up to chance.

3.11.08 - Tuesday

THE LAMBERTON TRAINING METHOD OF USING WIND SPRINTS  TO BUILD MUSCLE TO GENERATE SPEED

Today is again another beautiful day in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  The sun is shining brightly and the wind is now blowing from the south.  Yesterday, since the wind was out of the north, I trained from the south.  Today, since the wind is out of the south, we will train from the north.  If you use the wind to build muscle in racing pigeons through "wind sprints," you don't need to travel as far to release them as you would if you trained them with the wind.  In addition, the training is much better for them and more effective at creating the type of exercise physiology necessary to develop faster pigeons.  I have written about this subject often in earlier blogs this year.  Depending upon the velocity of the wind when I basket the racers, I will release them in Cleveland (30 miles/48 kilometers) or Pawnee (45 miles/72 kilometers).  Since those of you know that I usually combine training with eating, there are great restaurants in both of the towns of which I just spoke.  In Pawnee, Clicks is a legendary restaurant with absolutely fabulous food, especially steaks.   

Later today, I will chip the late-breds that I choose to make-up the final roster of racers.  I say final with hesitation, because the roster is always subject to change and never really "final."  I am down to about 20 late-breds and several of them are females.  I have decided to race 569-07, 548-07 and 26-07.  Each of these females have mated to late-hatch males and all three females are better potential racers than their mates.  26-07 is mated to 520.  520 is one of the most beautiful late-breds on the team.  He is strong and very well-built.  He should race very well; except he has been late on every significant training toss to date.  Conversely, 26-07 has been early on every toss.  So I will make an adjustment and race 26-07 home to 520.  520 has now been relegated to the role of widowhood mate.  If he helps 26-07 win a race, he will have fulfilled his function as well as if he had flown the race himself.  569's mate, 577, has trained better than 520; but 569 has trained better than 577.  Since I don't want to race both the males and females mated together, I choose to race the better of the two mates.  548 is mated to 480.  Although I like 480 very much, 548 is the better of the two.  So I will race her.  Why is this so important?  Because if one of the 3 couples races very well, I don't want to ruin that pigeon's season if their mate fails to return from a race or returns home late and tired.  I want each racer to see their mate immediately when they enter the loft from a race.  I want their mates to be energetic, passionate and glad to see their mates when the mates returns home. 

KEY POINT: The motivation of a widow's mate is as important as the motivation of the widow.  Just as in humans, the passion of the widow's mate influences the race performance of a widow significantly.      

3.12.08 - Wednesday

Today the temperature will be near 80 degrees F.  This is too hot too early.  In order to nurture the racers through the day, they will get a very nice bath.  Normally, baths are administered on Sundays and Mondays.  But it's not race season yet and it's worth tweaking the normal routine to make the widows more comfortable on a hot day to which they are not accustomed.  The effects of regular bathing upon pigeons is enormous.  First, by placing a cap-full of Adam's Flea & Tick Shampoo or other similar product in the bath water, external parasites can be eliminated from the list of potential problems in the loft.  Second, bathing with bath salts or other appropriate shampoo is great for pigeon's feathers.  Dry or brittle feathers can easily become frayed and worn during heavy training.  Keeping the feathers soft and supple helps pigeons fly faster and farther by maintaining robust flight feathers.  Third, and most obviously, bathing cleans the pigeons and makes them sparkle.  Regular bathing adds to their natural beauty and health.  Fourth, pigeons absolutely love bathing.  Bathing makes them feel more "nesty" and reinforces their bond with the loft and nest box.  Bathing can bring pigeons into form and help keep them stay in form over the race season.

Bathing is great for breeders also.  when breeders bath and are sitting eggs, the dampness from their breasts moisturizes the eggs ever so slightly and makes the eggs more susceptible to "pipping."  Pipping babies can chip through egg shells easier if the shells have been moisturized in the nest during incubation.

Bathing needs to be approached with a great deal  of seriousness and planning.  It's not enough to throw a small bathing pan in the loft and fill it with a small amount of water and walk away.  First, bath pans should be big enough that every pigeon can be fully accommodated and every pigeon can take a great bath.  The size of the bath pan must be big enough to satisfactorily bath every pigeon in the loft.  However, every pigeon doesn't need to bath at the same time.  There is a pecking order within the race team.  However, if one bath pan is not enough to adequately handle the number of birds on the race team, use two bath pans or more.  Next, bath pans should be deep.  Fill each pan full of treated or medicated water.  The pigeons should be able to fully dunk themselves in the water if they desire.  Don't fill the pan with an inch or two of water just barely covering the bottom of the pan.  Fill the pan!!!  I want every pigeon to take a complete and soaking bath.  I want them to play, have fun, and to lay in the bath pan for as long as they want.  For all of my pigeons, I want bathing to be a major weekly or bi-weekly training exercise that accomplishes a significant set of goals; and not merely an occasional formality.  My personal motto is "the wetter the better."   A cool soaking bath will help mitigate the effects of a summer day in mid-March.

Lastly, if my racers are not fully bathing to my satisfaction, I will fill a 5-gallon bucket full of treated water and dunk them until they are too soaked to fly.  They will nap on one wing in the warm sun for an hour or two drying.  It makes them feel great.

3.18.08 - Tuesday

FOOTPRINTING

In the environmental field, we often discuss the concept of "footprinting."  A footprint refers to the total impact of one variable upon another variable.  In short, footprints equal impacts.  In the environmental world we specifically refer to eco-footprinting; or the impact of variables upon the environment or ecosystem.  Today, I want to examine the idea of footprints as it relates to racing pigeons. 

If we wanted to measure the footprint of the racing pigeon game fancier by fancier, we could look at variables such as:

• Initial Capital Costs

• Capital Improvements

• Expenses

• Time

• Work Units

• Social Costs

1.  Capital Costs.  These costs include expenses to begin to play the game such as pigeons, a loft(s), a clock, clocking supplies, bands, membership fees, feeding and watering equipment, grain, grit, supplements, medications, books, tapes, videos, DVDs, and shipping equipment such as a truck, small car, trailer, etc.

2.  Capital Improvements.  These costs are associated with growing and expanding the number of pigeons, the loft, equipment and supplies, and transportation expenses after the Initial Capital Costs were spent to get started to play the game.

3.  Expenses.  These costs are the expenses associated with maintaining the hobby such as grain, grit, medications, loft supplies, supplements, and transportation expenses such as gasoline, oil, tires, repair, and insurance.

4.  Time.  The expense of playing the game in terms of hours and minutes per day.

5.  Work Units.  The expense of physical, mental, and emotional energy per day to play the game.

6.  Social Costs.  The amount of time and energy it takes to maintain the social relationships involved in playing the game.

If we could total the units of each of these 6 categories of expenses, we could figure the approximate impact of playing the racing pigeon game.  Have you ever tried to determine the total impact  or "footprint" of the hobby on yourself or your family?  Try it.  I think you will find the exercise extremely interesting. 

Why is footprinting more important today than ever?  There are many reasons.  First, the price of gasoline is increasing and will continue to increase over time.  Fossil fuel is a non-renewal energy source.  That is, nature isn't making more oil.  Over time, as the "easy to produce oil" is used up, operating expenses will continue to rise as a result of increased operating costs to produce "harder to produce oil."  The cost of oil will also continue to rise as a result of increased demand.  Did you know that the world population has been exploding over the last 50 years? "Whereas tens of thousands of years passed before our species reached the one billion mark, around 1800 C.E., it took only 130, 33, 15, 13 and 12 years to add each succeeding billion."  The Encyclopedia of Earth Website.  China, third world countries, and other emerging markets are also using more energy due to industrialization; one of the effects of Globalization, i.e., more people, increased industrialization, and higher standards of living.

As a reaction to the higher cost of oil, alternative energy proponents are pushing the use of corn in bio-fuels.  Consequently, the price of corn has sky-rocked over the last several months.  The price of a 50# bag of Continental Breeder Mix was about $12.95 at the end of 2007.  Today, that same bag of feed is $19.50.  While these prices may be higher or lower than in your area, the point is that the price has increased $8.45 per bag or 68% in 8 weeks!  Grit is now $20 per 50# bag.

All of the costs of playing the game are increasing dramatically and will only continue to rise.  Meanwhile, several days ago, the dollar sank to an all-time low of $1.55 against the Euro.  In other words, 1 euro is equal to $1.55.  If you purchase a pigeon for 200 Euros in Belgium today, it will cost $310 US dollars.

How much should it really cost to play the racing pigeon game competitively?  How many pigeons does it take to start playing the game?  What size loft is required?  How many breeders?  How many old birds?  How many young birds should a fancier raise each year?  How much time should it take to enjoy the game effectively?

These questions are questions that each of us must answer within the context of our own unique situations.  My only response to these facts is that if money or time or some other expense creates a significant risk to playing the game in your back-yard or garden, reduce the footprint of the way you play the game until the risk is lowered or mitigated.  If racing 30 old birds is too much, don't leave the Sport.  Instead, race 10 old birds.  If 60 to 80 young birds are too many to breed and manage each and every year, breed and manage 25 young birds.

I believe that the reason that our footprints are so big in America as compared to the footprints of fanciers in Europe is the overall quality of the pigeons in American lofts.  Does it really take 60 to 80 young birds to produce 10 good old birds?  If it does, your breeders are suspect in my opinion.

I believe that a part of the answer is starting with or obtaining a minimum of 6 excellent pairs of high quality breeders purchased from a highly reputable breeder.  On the average, getting 10 to 20 breeders culled from other members of the club will only permanently place you in the bottom tier of fanciers and may stunt or end your passion for the game from the very beginning.

To play the game effectively, from the very beginning, your footprint should be reasonable in relation to the uniqueness of your personal life circumstance. 

1.  YOU MUST BEGIN WITH SUPER PIGEONS!!!!!  If you have $400 to spend on breeders in the beginning, purchase one good pair rather than 6 average or poor pigeons.  Winning is seldom, if ever, a function of quantity.  Winning is almost always a function of quality.  If you start with other fancier's gifts for free, then don't gripe or whine if your pigeons can't compete with the best pigeons in the race.      

2.  YOU MUST BEGIN WITH AN EXCELLENT LOFT!!!!!  The loft can be large or small; but it must be well ventilated and free from drafts.  If you begin with a converted shed that was built for chickens or horses, then don't gripe or whine if your pigeons can't compete with the best pigeons in the race.

3.  YOUR PIGEONS MUST BE HEALTHY!!!!!  Your pigeons must be treated for canker, coccidiosis, worms, and respiratory depending upon the environment and weather in your area.  If you don't medicate your pigeons consistently and properly, then don't gripe or whine if your pigeons can't compete with the best pigeons in the race.

4.  YOUR PIGEONS MUST HAVE ENOUGH ENERGY!!!!!  Your pigeons must be fed a good quality grain, plenty of good grit, vitamins and fresh clean water.  If you don't provide your pigeons with enough gas in their tank, then don't gripe or whine if your pigeons can't compete with the best pigeons in the race.

5.  YOUR PIGEONS MUST BE WELL-TRAINED!!!!!  If your pigeons are not exercised properly and if they are not trained to understand and perform in an effective motivational system, then don't gripe or whine if your pigeons can't compete with the best pigeons in the race.

6.  YOUR PIGEONS SHOULD NEVER BE OVER-CROWDED!!!!!  If your pigeons don't have plenty of space, then don't gripe or whine if your pigeons can't compete with the best pigeons in the race.

If you are not performing up to your expectations, examine your footprint. 

If the game is taking too much of your time, examine your footprint. 

If you are tired of the amount of the work it takes to care for your birds, examine your footprint.

If the game is costing you too much money, examine your footprint.

If the way you are playing the game is competing with the demands of your family or work, examine your footprint.

A winning footprint should reflect not only the basic requirements of a competitive loft; but also must fit the boundaries of your personal and family situation.

3.19.08 - Wednesday

TWO A DAYS

The first race is a little over two weeks away now.  It is a little past time for two a days.  Twice a day, in the early morning and mid afternoon, the widowhood males and females will be road trained about 20 miles per exercise period.  One toss will be from any direction.  The second toss will be from the opposite direction of the morning toss.  If I go 20 miles straight north up Highway 75 in the morning; I will liberate 20 miles straight south on Highway 75 in the afternoon.  If I go southwest in the morning, I will go northeast in the afternoon.  If I travel northwest in the morning; I liberate in the southeast in the afternoon.  Why is this training technique so important?

Quite naturally, both people and animals continually look for ways to simplify and routinize life.  As this pfemaleomenon takes root, the mind begins to move from a position of acting to a position of reacting.  Because of our experience, we look for ways to react instead of think; because thinking takes far more energy than reacting.  I want my pigeons to think and act rather than react.  After they think and act, I want them to explode based upon the information that they know and recall based upon their experience and their circumstances. 

For people, television has a retarding effect upon action.  As people sit and watch television, people become mesmerized because they don't act; they react.  People can't act with the actors on television.  Watching television is a passive activity. 

In a non-passive or an active situation like liberating pigeons away from home, pigeons need to think about their circumstances and then take action based upon their knowledge base.  Action follows decision-making.  I want my pigeons to orient as fast as they can at the release point.  then I want them to act or explode home because they understand where they are.  Not because they come out of the crate and head home the same direction every time.  Too many times, intervening variables cause a reacting pigeon to make a mistake that may take a significant amount of time to correct.  Intervening variables can be rain, wind, storms and lightening, microwave towers, the flock, hawks, hunters, etc.  It has been my experience that acting pigeons race home faster than reacting pigeons.  This has been my experience in Oklahoma USA and in Belgium.

Challenge your pigeons to think.  Train them to act rather than react.  They will race home faster and your prizes will be head prizes rather than mundane prizes down the race sheet.

3.20.08 - Thursday

THE WEAKEST LINKS - DEVIANT PIGEONS

Although I have mentioned this topic several times in past writings, I think I'll cover it again.  A race team is only as good as the weakest link.  I had the opportunity recently to hear a new fancier ask me why his birds flew much better after he had lost half of them.  I laughed and responded:

First, when a race team of, say, 50 young birds or old birds are exercising around the loft, the flock begins to quit when the weakest bird tires.  A weak bird or birds will influence an entire team by circling lower and lower and finally landing on the roof.  The weak birds may be physically weak or they may be sickly.  Even if they look healthy; they can be sickly.  Weak birds are a terrible influence on healthy birds.  Once the weak birds are eliminated, the exercise time of the flock will increase dramatically.  More exercise means faster pigeons.  Guaranteed. 

Healthy pigeons should love to fly!  Weak pigeons quit early and often land in trees - on wires - or are continually trying to get into the loft when they should be routing far from the loft.  Eliminate them quickly.

In like manner, healthy vibrant pigeons will model the behavior of the most deviant pigeons.  I eliminate all sickly or deviant pigeons as soon as I discover them.  I never ever tolerate pigeons landing anywhere other the the top of the loft or the landing board.  The only exception is squeakers that are learning to fly for the first time.  However, if young birds continue to land anywhere other than the top of the loft after a few days, they are eliminated from the team.

Secondly, weak or fearful birds will not "home" or orient with the same intensity and focus as healthy vibrant pigeons.  Healthy pigeons will not learn to "home" quickly as long as they are influenced by deviant pigeons that cannot, or will not, orient with the proper intensity.

KEY POINT:  Eliminate deviant pigeons, i.e., weak, sickly or fearful birds, as soon as they can be identified. I look for deviant pigeons every day in the loft.  This action will improve the overall performance of your race team as much as any other management function that you can perform.  Guaranteed.

3.21.08 - Friday

DEVIANT PIGEONS II - WHAT'S "NORMAL" IN YOUR LOFT?

Today let's discuss one of my favorite subjects and teaching tools - the "normal" or Bell-shaped curve.  Please read this section very carefully.  It may just be one of the most important writings on understanding the pigeon racing game that you ever have the good fortune of reading.  Don't be afraid just because you've never seen it in a book on pigeons.  Without this discussion, books on pigeon racing slip into the category of the average. 

Below is a picture of the normal curve that I modified from of the University of Kansas Mathematics Department web site:

FIGURE ONE

The normal curve is a statistical method of understanding the world - a statistical tool that will hopefully allow you to see the pigeons in your loft and the results they produce more clearly.  The normal curve is a fabulous tool that transforms complex events or variables into understandable more bite-sized pieces.  For instance, if we want to look at the height of people, and if we measured the height of everyone in the world, we would find that height would be distributed in the excact image of the normal or bell-shaped curve.  We would find that height might be distributed between a short person of 3 feet tall and a tall person of 8 feet tall.  We would find that there are very few short people and very few tall people.  Most of the people would probably be between 5 and 6 feet tall.  If we look at the Figure One, and if short people were shown on the extreme left of the curve, and if tall people were shown on the extreme right side of the curve, most of people's height would group in the middle; which is why the curve has a hump.  The very middle of the curve, the black line in Figure One, is called the mean.  The mean is a statistical calculation of the average.  The middle of the curve is also called the median.  The median is the mid-point between the extremes on the left and those on the right.  Lastly, the middle of the curve is called the mode, or the point that represents the very most of the people.  In a hypothetical world, the mean, the median, and the mode are the same point. 

The average or the mid-point is usually referred to as the norm.  Norm refers to what is normal.  Usually what is normal is not a point; but instead is an interval between two points.  In polite society, anyone who is between 5 feet and say, 6 feet 2 inches tall, represent most of the people.  So we say that these people have a "normal" height.  Those on the extremes we refer to as "not normal" or deviant.  Deviance is measured as an unacceptable point or distance from what is normal.  In summary, the normal represents an area in the middle of the hump and the deviant represents the extremes.

Let's apply this statistical tool to pigeons.  Can you calculate or can you express the type of pigeon in your loft that is a "normal" pigeon.  If you can't or even if you can; take a good long look at your loft and your pigeons and then write down two things.  First, write down what constitutes a normal pigeon in your loft based upon your actual observations.  Second, write down the type of "normal" pigeon that you want to have in your loft.  After you complete this exercise, let me ask you, is there a difference between the descriptions?

I heard several relatively new fanciers talking the other day.  They were laughing that in their first year as fanciers, they simply wanted their pigeons to come home.  Coming home was their definition of normal.  After a short time, however, simply coming home was no longer enough.  As they completed one or two race seasons, their aspirations for what was "normal" changed.  Now, they wanted their pigeons to be competitive.  Being competitive became the criteria for normal.  But what does "being competitive" mean?  Does it mean within 4 hours of the first bird on the race sheet?  Within 3 hours?  Within 2 hours?  Within 1 hour?  Within 30 minutes?  Within 15 minutes?  Within 10 minutes?  Within 5 minutes.  Does it mean winning 1 race?  2 races?  3 races?  4 races?  5 races?  The majority of races?  All of the races?

All of these measurements represent a measure of normality.  Now let's discuss this in terms of the bell curve.  On the extreme left, you might have simply getting your birds home.  On the extreme right, you might have winning every race.  In between these two extremes, represents what "normally" occurs in in most lofts? 

Normality can change over time.  What was normal in one race season might not be normal in subsequent race seasons.

In the next several blogs, I am going to apply the bell curve to different variables in the pigeon racing game as a way of showing you, the reader, ways to understand and ultimately change the results in your loft.  It may help you re-norm or change what is normal in your loft. 

3.24.08 - Monday

WHAT IS NORMAL IN YOUR LOFT - RE-NORMING

If a race team of 10 pigeons returns home from a 200 mile race, their race times can be plotted.  Our Winspeed computer program calculates a Time to Win column on the race report.  These figures can also be plotted.  If, let's say, the first bird on the race team returned 5 minutes after the winning pigeon.  Let's also say that the last pigeon on the team returned 4 hours after the winning pigeon.  These Time to Win statistics can be plotted.  Although there are only 10 pigeons in this hypothetical example, the plot should resemble a normal curve.  If we calculated the midpoint from this example, or the midpoint between the first bird at 10 minutes to win and the last bird at 4 hours or 240 minutes to win, we would find that the mid point would be a Time to Win of 115 minutes or just under 2 hours.

Let's summarize:

Example 1:

the best time = 10 minutes to win.

the worst time = 240 minutes to win

the midpoint = 115 minutes to win

then, in our hypothetical example, let's say that we eliminate every bird on the race team that scored below the midpoint; or, we take every bird off of the team that returned home later than 115 minutes.  In this case, we would now have the following plot:

Example 2:

the best time = 10 minutes to win

the worst time = 115 minutes

the midpoint = 52 minutes to win.

In the first example, the midpoint is 115 minutes.  After culling, in the second example, the midpoint is 52 minutes.  By changing the normative performance of the racers in your loft, you can change the quality of your racers.  This process can be referred to as re-norming.  The norm in the first example is 115 minutes time to win.  The norm in the second example is 52 minutes.

If the norm in your loft is simply returning home from the race, the normal pigeon in the loft can be defined as a homer and not a racer.  Racing pigeons must race home; not just fly home.  Next, racing pigeons must race home quickly. 

It is in the definition of quickly that good fanciers excel.  Is quickly defined as a midpoint of 240 minutes to return - 150 minutes to return - 52 minutes to return?  These are selection criteria that each of us must make for ourselves.  If you only had one race upon which to make a decision, would you keep ever pigeon that returned - regardless of when it came home?  Or would you determine a selection criteria or a cut off below which pigeons would be eliminated from the team?

I prefer to calculate a normal or average time to win over multiple training tosses or over an entire race season.  then, I determine a selection criteria as close to that of the winning pigeons or the first pigeons returning from a training toss as possible.  I normally only keep those pigeons that score primarily in the top 20% of the race sheet.  In Belgium, a prize is usually given 1 for 3.  That is, the top 33% of the race sheet earns a prize.  when fanciers advertise the number of prizes that a bird scores, they are usually reporting the number of times that a pigeon scored in the top third of the race sheet.  when viewing these statistics, it is important to look at the ratio between the number of races a pigeon flew and the number of prizes earned.  If a pigeon flew 30 races and earned 10 prizes, that might not be a very good pigeon.  But that's another blog.

Every year, I re-norm the performance of the race team.  I may start with a young bird team of 150 pigeons.  By the time November 1 rolls around, I have selected less than the top 10% to keep.  Every day, or certainly weekly, I re-norm the performance of the race team by removing the poorest performers.  The greatest benefit to this procedure is that the better racers perform much better when they are no longer influenced by the poorest performers.

Referring back to my discussion of the weak link, the weakest links influence the performance of the racers as much as any other single factor.  Try re-norming your pigeon based upon multiple training statistics.  This procedure will help you decide which are the very best pigeons in your loft.