BLOG - May 2008
Today, the 2008 young birds have been trained to about 20 miles. They have experienced about 10 training tosses in all directions. There are about 45 young birds on the team. I originally started with about 125 young birds. I have lost about 65 young birds due to de-selection, hawks, flyaways, and training losses. More than half of the 65 were not selected for the team for various defects. By mid-June, I will choose less than 20 young birds to race. The young females have been flirting with several older males when I release them together around the loft. I will watch which old males are courting which young females and mate them up officially in about a month. I have not mixed the young males with old females yet.
The last old bird race is June 11. As soon as the races are over, I will couple the young birds with old birds and begin to further prepare the young birds for the Race Series in September. By the middle of June, I will have trained the young birds to about 90 miles.
The long races are ahead for the old birds. I put a vitamin and iron liquid, Red Cell, on their feed Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. I also add 50% Pedialyte to their water during midweek; while I give pure Pedialyte after the race. These electrolytes help bounce the birds back quickly week after week. Although I have used both the Ganus and Herbots race supplement system - and both are very effective - a more common way to supplement is with over-the-counter products that you can probably buy locally. While other successful fanciers use common mixtures of oils on their feed: safflower, peanut, etc. for the long races, I stick with the 4-Oil mixture from the Herbots one day a week on Tuesdays.
Because I manage the old bird team and the young bird team simultaneously, I prefer to handle only a very few pigeons. I prefer about 12 old birds and 12 young birds during May and early June. March and April are difficult months due to the large number of young birds on the team. That is why I like to reduce the number of young birds from 100 to 150 on February 1 to 50 or less during April and less than 20 in May. In early June, I couple the young bird team that represents only the creme de la creme. Each young bird has been tested to about 90 miles or about 125 kilometers and has performed well; while each is also very nice in the hand. when the old bird race series stops, the young bird training series begins. Once a week, the young birds are trained about 60 miles or 100 kilometers to learn the widowhood motivational system.
Saturday was the first 500 mile/800 kilometer race. The day was partly cloudy with west winds. I sent 8 males that were really coming into form. Five of the came home on the day and the other three came home early Sunday morning. The LAMBERTON CUYPERS results were 2, 4, 6, 14 and 17. I didn't turned the clock on Sunday; although only 20 positions were filled on the day in the B race. The males came home well and didn't look as if they had just flown 500 miles.
For the longer races, I mix vitamin and mineral supplements into the feed every day. I also add about 25% Pedialyte to the water everyday except race day. I lock the males in their boxes except to drink several times a day, to drink after eating twice a day, and to exercise. I want to rest the widows during the entire day and night. Locking them in their nest box also calms them. Widowhood males tend to compete over the water fountain and the floor space if allowed to fly freely in their loft section. The most dominate male often keeps the other males from drinking and getting grit and pickstone supplements on the floor. Consequently, I give grit and pickstone in the nest box to each male. I also feed each male in their box.
By only racing 9 males, it only takes me a few minutes to thoroughly clean their nest box and loft section.
On Sunday, the day after release, I gave each male a blue Pegosan tablet for canker and coccidiosis. Today, I wormed them with a drop of Ivermectin down the throat. I want to counteract any disease or parasites to which the widows may have been exposed in the shipping crates by medicating soon after the race birds have homed. AU 06 LAMBERTON 125 scored 2nd prize in the West Tulsa Club and is leading the B race series for Ace pigeon. He is a cross between the wonderful pigeons of Antoine Jacops and the GOOD YEARLING bloodline from Ad Schaerlaeckens. The mother of the GOOD YEARLING was the Janssen female that spirited Ad to write his now famous book on the Janssens. The Janssen blood in the Jacops pigeons is the same blood as the mother of the GOOD YEARLING. Consequently, 125 gets his speed from the Janssens and his endurance and incredible homing ability from the powerful pigeons of Jacops. 125 is bred from some of the best, most powerful, and fastest pigeons racing in Belgium. The GOOD YEARLING and his siblings and offspring made Ad a famous and wealthy fancier. 125 is the latest model or prototype of the super pigeons of 25 years ago. 125 has been the first bird to the loft in the last three races; and yet he looks like he hasn't raced yet. He is a beautiful blue male that is built with power to spare. Last week he was 4th from a 120 mile race. This week he was 2nd from a 500 mile race. Why is it that so many fanciers think the pigeons can be segregated into nice little niches like short distance - middle distance - or long distance? 125 is a fantastic example of an all distance pigeon!!! At LAMBERTON CUYPERS, we primarily breed all distance pigeons.
FLASH - AU 06 LAMBERTON 125 scored 8th in the 500 mile/800 kilometers State of Oklahoma Race two weeks ago against 830 old birds. We had 3 widowhood males score in the top 20!!! Many fanciers lost a majority of their racers in this race. The Ponca City Club lost over 90% of their pigeons.
There are two more races: Saturday's race is 400 miles/640 kilometers and the June 7 races are from 500 miles/800 kilometers and 600 miles/960 kilometers. The local temperature has hovered in the upper 80s and lower 90s the past several weeks. I have added about 10 to 15% Pedialyte to the water each day. As the old males are exercised twice a day in the heat and humidity, it helps to replace their electrolytes on a daily basis. The day of basketing, since they are not trained, they receive pure water. I have increased the corn and safflower in their daily feeding. I also add a small percentage of hemp.
For the long races, it is imperative that your race team be very comfortable eating and drinking while in the shipping crate. First, they are in the basket one more day than the shorter races. Second, the temperature and humidity is very high in Texas as summer begins to dawn. For these reasons, it is imperative the racers eat and drink in the crate. As an added precaution, the daily Pedialyte completely hydrates the racers on a daily basis. I believe this procedure helps them withstand the rigors of the shipping crate. If you haven't already, add a shipping crate to your personal inventory and water and feed your racers in the crate such that they are very comfortable eating and drinking in the shipping crate. It is not too late to begin this exercise. Even a couple of feeding exercises will make a big difference in the performance of your pigeons.
Meanwhile, don't forget about your young bird race team. January and February hatches should be trained in the car by now; even if only a few miles. My race team has been trained to 60 miles. They will be trained to 90 miles in the next two weeks. After this, the sexes will be separated and mated to older pigeons. There are about 45 young birds on the race team. I will select less than 24 in two weeks. A young bird team of 24 early youngsters thoroughly trained, mated, and flown on widowhood are very hard to beat over an 8 to 10 week race series. As I have written before, the young birds and old birds are raced on the exact same system. A real advantage to this system is that our young birds will be racing the widowhood system for the second time when they are yearlings. Many fanciers try to teach their youngsters the widowhood system as yearlings. So next old birds, our yearlings will be flying the widowhood system for the second time when other race teams are learning a motivational system for the first time.
To be continued.......... Dr. John Lamberton