Novices Social Circle (part fifteen) If you have any sense you will have printed all of these off for future reference! We are Going for the summit! HomingWorld.net	Search this Site for whatever you seek! Find this: SEARCH THIS SITE
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NOVICES SOCIAL CIRCLE. (part fifteen)

Well that's it for a few months lads; racing is out of the way and preparation should be started for 1997 OB's breeding and racing. All selection of future candidates should have been done immediately after the racing seasons end prior to completion of moulting. I will repeat my previous advice because I am certain that very few of you will have had the courage to enforce strict selection and will have found one hundred excuses for keeping that extra bird. If a pigeon could not beat it's loftmates' at least once in the season or manage to be within the first loft arrivals upon a consistent basis; then, it is unlikely to ever beat fellow competitors! The greatest mistake that most fanciers make is to assume that they are one cock - one hen short or that they must have every nestbox occupied! The next great mistake is in believing that he or she must then proceed to breed from every pair just in case that elusive champion gene is lurking within the least fancied birds! Although this is possible; it would be easier to win the lottery as like begets like in 99.9% of cases. In the case of expensive stock birds; they must be judged upon progeny produced and if after an absolute maximum of three seasons breeding with different mates they have not produced an above average percentage of loft leading or winning progeny (not an occasional but multiple best) then these breeders are valueless! They must be replaced by the best producers from your racing team or other proven breeders and these should be apparent from your meticulous records.

The moult plays tricks with fanciers; it is a little like toothache in children.Once the offending tooth is replaced with a new shiny molar; the pain is soon forgotten and that is exactly the way with pigeons.When moulted every ugly duckling appears to be a swan and all misdemeanours are soon forgotten! The aspiring racer of pigeons should never be looking for an excuse to keep additional stock, he or she should always be looking for a reason to reduce the number to absolute quality only. Pre - moulting is the first point of selection, post - moulting it should be ongoing until only the best remain within the team. These will be the recorded best producers,two year old's and above that have taken more than one prize each season since being Y.B's; yearlings that have scored or shown potential through consistent ability and likewise with young birds (consistent performers) even better if they were consistent winners. So basically there you have it - always look for a reason to reduce numbers not an excuse to increase them! I do not mean that you must ruthlessly cull; under different management some of these might do better but, they are useless to your own purposes. Give your clubmates their pick, offer them free to novices as feeders for raising surrogate young; anything at all; but, get them out of your team! Should they do well for the recipient, don't feel foolish, feel proud to have done a little good. Pigeons must suit the man and his management and we each get the best from different lines of breeding, the fancier must find the line that suits his methods until an affinity between man and bird develops. This is the reason why no top fancier can guarantee results to every purchaser of stock. It's the old cliche - one may buy the pigeons but one doesn't buy the man to go with them! Eventually by following my outline each of you will have the responsive family of your own and you will be the man; you won' tneed nor envy anybody and this is blue chip guaranteed or my name isn't Methuselah!

MOULTING.

Sufficient has been written about this natural course of events in numerous pigeon treatise and yet many fanciers still make basic mistakes. Once pigeons reach the climax of feather replenishment they should be rested; it isn't necessary for them to be flown at exercise each day.As the final two primaries are beingcast the bird is less inclined to fly due to being out of balance, these two flights are critical. Force them to fly at this stage and you risk injury or loss! It is sufficient for the pigeons to have freedom upon fine days only with frequent baths' (within the confines of the loft if necessary).Why go to tremendous troublemaking certain that your pigeons have wonderful feather and then expose this feather to inclement elements? The feather is requiredfor racing, not for entertaining your friends and neighbours withariel acrobatics during winter! If I had a penny for every pigeon that I have seen or handled during the racing season that possessed winter worn plumage for a handicap; then I would be a very wealthyman! Feeding should be liberal and of the highest quality, the birds should still be receiving the seed mixture of hemp, safflower and linseed.Vitamin B12 (Cytacon) Thursdays, the Croston Tonic (see previous articles) Sundays; Vit C on Wednesdays plus a little of the oatmeal boost (described in first few editions) daily. If you didn't read those early editions then "Tough Luck" because Ididn't write them for the benefit of my health, I wrote them forthe inquisitive mind and dedicated Everest mountaineer. Don't call me; I'll call you! Pour two pints of boiled water onto one pound of maple peasand leave overnight to sprout green shoots; these will provide additional Vit C and may be fed moderately with the normal feed.Purchase 1oz of flowers of sulphur from your local chemist; this is then added to 1pkt (standard size) of pink minerals and left before the birds in normal fashion.This aids both feather production and digestion (make sure that it is clean & dry at all times). Do not feed heavily one day and sparingly the next, keep it constant with as much as the birds will clear without excess selectivity of grains. Underfeeding may cause frets upon sudden cold nights, if allowed to gorge afterwards, the birds may vomit and so go hungry and be stressed. So keep it regular, keep it nutritionally sound and sufficient, above all keep it clean (a true pigeon fancier doesn't slip backwards just because the weather isn't to his suiting and yet so many do)

Now the next bit is of extreme importance - the pigeons have moulted through, they are resting and at the least stressful period of the year Get them vaccinated now! Never mind what Tom, Dick or Harry say do as you are told! Any kind of medication creates imbalance and stress, the secret is to administer immunisation when natural stress is at its lowest. This allows the bird to cope completely. P.M.V.Vaccination works upon an efficiency curve - the Titre builds to maximum at around four months, remaining almost level until seven months then diminishes gradually until the tenth month. This allows the pigeons maximum immunity throughout the old bird racing season, continuing but decreasing whilst the young bird season is in progress. During the critical moulting period the birds are almost vaccine free and only in peculiar circumstances (introduction of unvaccinated stock etc) should they be ever be vaccinated whilst moulting. Do not introduce stress at stressful times! It is a mistake to wait until breeding or racing is about to commence, so even if your young birds were vaccinated March, do it again at the end of November - December once moulting is completely finished. Of course stock birds intended for early breeding should have at least one resting month before pairing. I am not about to enter into dialogue about this with either fanciers or vaccine companies; take it as read; the time to vaccinate is when the pigeons are least stressed and able to recover from trauma. Any vaccine whether human or animal can have side effects in susceptible individuals should that individual be at a low ebb at the time of administration.You know this makes sense so do as you are told, Spinksy has spoken!

Right lads, that just about deals with the moult, which although feather is produced from much the same elements as human hair any similarity ends there.The production of hair is not stressful, but, the production of good feather during the moulting climax is! Just as incorrect diet or illness, medication etc may show evidence in human hair, so will it in pigeon feathering but, a bald head will not handicap an athlete, neither will a hairless chest; pigeons are a different matter and any interference will manifest in its feathering. Don't neglect or abuse the most important part of this ariel athletes physiology, poor feathered pigeons won't win races, there will be plenty of opportunity to exercise them to breeding and racing fitness come the turn of the year. Shortly I hope to prepare the Novices Dictionary of Disease Recognition and this will appear as a separate entity. The next articles are intended to deal with breeding a family of your own and also the transition from natural to widowhood without tears. However some of you have done so well upon the system already outlined it might be against your best interest to make any radical changes. As you have already discovered, widowhood is not unbeatable but, it is the fastest and simplest system for managing twelve cocks in consecutive weekly competition where seconds count! I will now leave you with a true story - old age and poverty,plus the constant writing of articles was blamed for my deteriorating eyesight. Nag, nag, nag, go and get your eyes tested said 'er in doors. So off I went to the optician - twenty quid forthe eye test and eighty quid for the spec's he quoted! I wasdumbfounded and stood in total shock! "Well I'm a busy man, said the optician, are you having these glasses or not?" "Nah! I retorted, I've decided to give up sex, then at least I'm sure that I won't be broke or blind!" Spinksy

The Novices SocialCircle