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	Novices Social Circle (part sixteen) Will you become the 'SeilMeister'? HomingWorld.net	Search this Site for whatever you seek! Find this: SEARCH THIS SITE
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NOVICES' SOCIAL CIRCLE. (part sixteen)

So we've come back for more have we lads' and lassies? I can see from the puzzled looks upon your faces that you have been burning the midnight oil and exercising the old grey matter! Climbing this 'ere mountain is a bit of a magical mystery tour.Well so it should be, because if you need leading by a ring in the nose without ever being made to think for yourselves, there is little chance of survival in this arduous climate of pigeon racing. So now I am going to cast a little further light upon the dark mysteries that have pervaded your sleeping hours and wracked your brains, by pre empting your undoubted questions.(1) Why exercise the pigeons upon the roundabout.(2) Which section exercises first.(3) How can we train the hens without interfering with the widowhood cocks.(4) Why not just exercise each sex then trap them to their own section.(5) Do we feed the birds in the same manner for all distances? Firstly the most difficult thing to do is provide a system to suit all 18' x 6' lofts as not all will be of the same design but had you followed the outline plan from the very first Novices Social circle your loft should have been set up for this. The trapping system in my own loft consists of a large Sputnik that covers the partition of both sections. The rear of this is closed off with a solid hinged board to each section, this allows me to open or close off the entry - exit as required. The loft itsel falso has an internal partition door through which the pigeon may be ushered. I have a very good reason for exercising upon roundabout ie "The Meatsafe System" of additional motivation or have you forgotten this so soon? From previous articles it should still beapparent that the hen pigeons and young are only exercised once per day - or have you also forgotten that? Flown at exercise in the evening and then taken immediately for short training (believe me I'm telling you all too much). Morning exercise is for cock birds only and they are released through the half door to the Sputnik and trapped in at the same. Evening exercise the hens and young have first release through their half exit which is then closed off and the cocks are ushered through awaiting their release.Why go to all of this trouble one might ask? Simply because the main motivation for the hens is to return to the cock bird and the first nestbonded section. This is where they are fed with trapping seed and tit-bits ie a few peanuts. Cock pigeons race to territory first and foremost; hen pigeons race to the cock bird and potential nesting opportunity. The hens need constant reminders that this is their foremost home and objective; without this reminder hen pigeons will through their fickle nature accept another mate and conveniently and quickly pair to another of whatever sex!

The cock birds soon become used to the idea that once ushered into this other section, release for exercise is pending and they will rush into that area of the loft, which we can call the holding bay. The young birds which are exercised with the hen pigeons are also trapped to the main racing section along with their mothers. This is education for the future, because one day that section will be their home - theyoung hens with the cocks during young bird racing and the youngcocks later at the yearling stage.The split trap is ideal for this purpose (now think about it) The reason for ushering the cocks into the holding bay for evening release is purely so that the hens can be given sight of their bonded nesting place and increase motivation. Once that the hens have finished their exercise they can be basketed ready for a training spin with the youngsters also, once that they are old enough. This pre training exercise prevents any messing about at the training point and the birds come swiftly home. Once the hens are safely out of sight, then the cocks are released for exercise, trapping to the main section and fed in their boxes. The hen pigeons can then be taken for a short ten mile spin and trapped to the holding bay through the open half -door entry. It is simplicity itself and should not create any problems for the fancier in operation. With this trapping method the possibilities are endless - the old bird racers can be re-paired for the longer races and both age groups flown out separately. For young bird racing the birds can be paired old to young if so desired and a single trap does not create confusion on race arrival - many times when seconds count races are lost as pigeons flit from trap to trap. The boxes in the holding bay provide nesting areas for young birds - segregation areas for flirtatious hens - "The Meat Safe" for motivating cocks!

The meatsafe is simply operated : Thursday evening after exercise the cock pigeons are only allowed entry to the holding bay (this can be extended up to three days) Friday morning they may be exercised or given a short training spin; returning to their hen or empty box and nest bowl; lightly fed and immediately removed once again to the meat safe where they are locked up and watered. These cocks that are deprived of their personal territory will break their necks to get home and so to will the hens that are treated in this way prior to their races from 100-160-200 miles. This isn't fiction it is fact provided that all other details are attended to ie the right quality of stock, excellent husbandry etc.it will not make champions from mediocre beginnings but, it will certainly improve normal standard performance. Now that should be sufficient to think about upon the subject of exercise because one thing for certain is that I am not going to come and do it for you and as Captain Mather often told me "Stevie you tell them too much, they won't learn if you do all of the work for them!"

FEEDING -

Now then lads and lassies I said it was important but, only to a certain degree; some of the best seasons that I ever had even on widowhood was when I couldn't afford anything other than beans and trapping seed. The important thing is that you the new starter sticks to the same mixture or whatever and don't make sudden changes. Any changes must be gradual - the standard widowhood mixtures on offer are all composed of good sound grains; the brand names and slight variations are nothing more thanf ads! If fanciers did not consistently attempt to demand excessive varieties in mixtures then cost of feed would drop overnight, stockist's would not need to carry so many different brands for such massive capital outlay! The various feeding methods that I have outlined are sufficient for most racing purposes - they are not the only methods; most fanciers have their own; but they stick to what they do without chop or change! The mixture that I outlined for widowhood you should have noticed contained Popcorn Maize.This grain is high in energy and yet it is the same grain as any other maize only the harvesting time is different. Popcorn is reaped during mid growth before ripening : at this point it contains more moisture in the form of sugar (or sucrose) and when cooked this expands rapidly; hence the "Pop".In fully ripened grains these sugars (sucrose) have turned to floury starches and carbohydrate - protein. The use of popcorn negates any use of glucose, there is sufficient content within the feed. One of the greatest problems that new exponents of widowhood encounter is pigeons in their pigeons eating insufficient to maintain form. The major cause of this is excess glucose that has changed metabolically to glycogen stored in the muscles and liver. Once these organs are saturated then appetite diminishes; the pigeon eats to its needs but, the pigeon isn't aware that it might be required to fly in a long race or hard conditions .If pigeons are to fly in races or difficult conditions they must be fed accordingly and this requires adequate proteins.

Protein feeds take longer to fully digest (up to 48hours) by that I mean that food value remains as back up for that period of time; long after the grain itself has passed through the system. It does not mean that it takes 48 hours for a bean to go inat one end and come out of the other - it means exactly what I said, the food value remains for that long! So obviously as race distances increase so proportionately must proteins and the easiest way to achieve this is by adding an extra handful of maple peas to the mixture each week gradually increasing the protein content. The fats and energy fuels are still provided via the mixture grains, seed mixture and peanuts. These increases will not harm the young pigeons that are growing, exercising and training and can be down adjusted as young bird racing gets under way. It is a case of simple observation and common sense or my name isn't Lord Lucan! The only vitamin additives required are those outlined in previous articles plus clear honey in the drinking fountain upon race return, and only a little Brewers Yeast on the depurative one day per week (fit it in to suit your routine) Remember this about vitamins - excess is equally as detrimental as insufficient but, the majority of pigeons will receive adequate from their normal feed!

Recently a top world renowned nutritional scientist stated upon national television that mothers should resist all temptation in giving their children vitamin supplements - excesses cause more problems than they cure; urinary problems, calcification of organs, eye sight problems plus many others - he stated that all requirements are to found in a staple diet of fresh food and vegetables; only people displaying metabolic deficiency require supplementation ie illness or debilitation .I have been telling you that for years! Right lads and lassies, you should have enough to be going on with there, my next part to play is in teaching you how to become the "Seil Meister" or master rope maker. In other words how to create that prepotent family from your inevitable winners and keep you at the head of the game. It's no use getting there if one cannot stay there and Tom, Dick or Harry will do everything in their power to knock you off the mountain .Let's go for it and fear no opposition no matter how large their teams may be! I certainly don't but, I'll never lose sight of the fact that pigeon racing is only a hobby and most enjoyable! Let me know when you win and the B.H.W.will be only too pleased to publicise the fact. Also the Novices Dictionary of Disease Recognition has been published on this web site -- make sure you read it upon a regular basis. Spinksy

The Novices SocialCircle