Novices Social Circle (part seventeen) Much more extended than first promised and once again I have given evrything away for free. Where else would you find a friend like Spinksy? HomingWorld.net	Search this Site for whatever you seek! Find this: SEARCH THIS SITE
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NOVICES SOCIAL CIRCLE. (part seventeen)

Well now lads and lasses the racing season has drawn once again to a close and hopefully without too much trauma at your lofts. It is now time to survey the inmates and forward plan for season 2001 and this should be done before any completion of the moult. Once the pigeons are moulted; suddenly they all appear to be potential "super stars" and true character is easily camouflaged! So my friends - de-select pre moulting and then further select post moulting until only the ultimate best remain! I shall not deal with moulting treatment as sufficient is written upon this subject by numerous scribes at this time of the year. Suffice it to say that the birds require tender loving care, absolute cleanliness; sound protein feeding; usual minerals etc, vitamin B12 (Cytacon) and oil seeds ie hemp, linseed and safflower, plus free access to the bath. Exercise may be restricted to fine days only; particularly if one lives within close proximity to neighbouring houses; it does nothing for your image to have pigeons sitting upon roof tops on rainy days (or any other day for that matter) Another reason for not wanting "roof sitters" apart from the bad habit affecting control during the racing season is the fact that deposits from other birds; acid rain etc tend to become concentrated upon the roof tiles and gutters. There is an obvious health risk in this and the "acids" also tend to deteriorate the feathering of the pigeons- this can often be noticed as frayed webbing, particularly in pieds, as the season progresses. There is no point in attempting to produce perfect feathering if one is going to destroy that good work by allowing ones birds to lay about on rooftops bathing in acidic rain or washed down chemical deposits from local industrial waste! To be a pigeon fancier - one has to think of the little things that one day may mean a lot!

Now the moulting time is one of the most interesting seasons in the calendar if the novice is to become a true mountaineer - this is the time to study the chemistry of feather and I would suggest that each of you thoroughly research this subject which is far too lengthy for me to illustrate at this point in one small article - the books are there, so read them! The moult not only prepares the pigeon for the coming season after winter survival, in the wild it is natures "selector"! That is to say that the workload placed upon the body as it replenishes vast amounts of feather causes some small amount of stress. This is the time that weaklings are discovered and some birds may succumb to minor or major illnesses. Fanciers often ask me - "How can I treat my pigeons for illness at this time?" My answer is this - "Treat them as mother nature would treat them; she has done you a tremendous favour! "Well fed pigeons with adequate husbandry should not succumb to illness whilst undergoing this natural cycle - sick pigeons are weak pigeons and will form the bulk of your losses at racing during the following year; and in the case of stock pigeons; they will breed the bulk of your losses or my name isn't Mary!

So lads and lasses; at this juncture the rules are as follows - 1) Select.2) De-select further.3) De-select further still until only theultimate best remain.4) Never think that there is one bird (cockor hen) short to make up pairing numbers; there will always be one too many! To explain that - if after winter pairing plans certain birds cannot be suited to mating on paper; then that bird obviously isn't good enough; subconsciously you don't like it and therefore it will never be given fair chance. Let somebody who does like it have the opportunity to prove you wrong! It is not necessary, nor ethical to cull any pigeon other than weaklings; nature favours the strong; but we can't keep every pigeon on the "off chance" that it may come good; the loft would soon be overcrowded. I have known many pigeons disposed of in this way to do exceptionally well for the new owner; I have rarely known an unfavoured pigeon do well for the original owner apart from the occasional case when that owner has sent it to every race to "lose it" and the bird flew in spite of him! This happens, but it is rare and not really worth bothering ones head about! When one retains only the ultimate best, no matter how few, then one does not need to worry about the maybe's or might be's and losses become a diminishing factor. Take it as read and don't argue; it is natures law!

If there are twelve pigeons of equal merit; then keep only twelve; if there are thirty birds; keep thirty; but if you have thirty in a thirty bird loft; then you don't need to read my articles because you are unique and must definitely be the only fancier in the world with such a standard! I say that because I could go to winning lofts of one hundred pigeons where the owner would struggle to find twelve! ( but he would be prepared to sell you something bred from the other eighty eight) That is the truth - it's just that nobody ever dared to tell you in writing in the way that Spinksy does! So that is the other rule - loft numbers should be variable and not governed by nestbox accommodation!

Okay lads and lasses, time to discuss what I sat down to write before becoming entangled in moulting and selection - pigeon psychology and losses! You see I am one of nature eccentrics; one of these animal psychologists like Doctor Dolittle; talking to the animals and listening to what they have to say! People find this quite humorous and think me to be a "little mad"! However animals have a great deal to say and our pigeons when regarding losses consider we fanciers to be quite stupid! The pigeon that strays isn't stupid; even though it may be condemned; it is we; the fanciers who have failed to learn "Pigeon English"! Part of the answer to the stray problem lays in the text above; another great part is contained within management systems and regular dosing of cures; racing pigeons are becoming the "junkies of the sky". An even larger part is contained within race route planning and control (or lack of). Another part is through the production of "fast flock followers" in preference to "power orienteers" or in other words an obsession with pigeons of particular sprint based origin! The regard for fashionable names or fashionable strains when really it is only the pigeon that matters regardless of name or strain! There are only two kinds of racing pigeon - good or bad and no name on this earth will alter that fact, all strains have some of each and then the fancier will bring out the best or worst in them dependant upon his skill and management! This is what the pigeons tell me when I talk to them; they have no racial prejudice; no colour bar and are totally happy until we the fanciers interfere and mess things up!

Those of you who have followed the "Novices Social Circle" plan from day one; will have quickly come to realise this. By now you should almost possess a family of reliable pigeons; even if not yet winning, they will be showing improvement and only the competition in which one takes part can dictate your success. The family should now almost be good enough to call your own regardless of origin or names in the melting pot - Janssens in my loft will never be the same as Janssens in your loft; our different "fads" or preferences will dictate that outcome to be a fact - no matter the name or origin; even from the same original well; the two teams will be different in some small or large degree! I like big pigeons - you like small pigeons; I like races of 200 - 530 miles, you like races of 60 - 200 miles and we select accordingly. Within a very short time the originals are as chalk and cheese - the name or strain is no longer relevant! Mine could be violet eyed red chequers, yours could be yellow eyed blues and so it goes on with mine winning at 1100 ypm, yours winning at 1500 ypm and some from each winning at velocities in-between dependant upon conditions prevailing during the race.

So we come to psychology and fanciers often ask me - "Why is it that a stray can enter my loft and take a single feed; then when liberated from many miles away it beats my own back to the loft?" Well this is what the stray on my psychiatrist's couch told me - "I'm very frustrated: --- here I am suffering from temporary amnesia; I have forgotten my home due to hunger and stress and this damned fool keeps chucking me up miles away from the only place that I know to offer shelter and food!" "I have to survive and recuperate from my temporary amnesia; survival is the only governing factor in my life; but I will get better and once the correct trigger is pulled; then I can go home to where I belong!" ( in both animal and mankind survival is the most dominant motivator and the brain functions in two ways - long term memory or short term memory) When in survival mode, short term memory overides long term memory and everything is concentrated into the most recent recollection of a safe haven and food supply) You see lads and lasses, pigeons aren't stupid - when the body is stressed from hunger and exertion; be it human or pigeon; the brain passes into survival mode! The one priority is food and shelter; everything else is temporarily placed on hold - I learned this in the cardboard cities of Europe during my early twenties; it was the most valuable experience of my life and taught me how to survive recession, loss of work, home and family; it gave me an inner strength beyond even my own comprehension! To me food was the Heimat zum Himmel (Salvation Army); home was a park bench or railway waiting room and no matter how many times I was "moved on", I returned as fast as my legs would carry me! I knew that I had a loving home somewhere else; but at that point in time survival was priority. As my fitness built in stages; suddenly the trigger was pulled and I set off to walk in direct line for England with a single minded purpose of returning to my now remembered home! Your pigeons are not stupid- that is exactly what they do! I arrived home after walking some1,500 miles fitter than the day that I left; the prodigal received a welcome fit for a king and he has never strayed since; going on to set the same good example to his children who now can also survive under stress!

What sent the prodigal off line in the first place? Well in my case I refuse to tell you, but in your pigeons case the answers are there should you look and apply some animal psychology! So how do we pull the right trigger and get these strays to go home of their own accord? It is the simplest of matters in the case of old pigeons and sometimes even with youngsters. The bird in survival mode clings to its latest known place of security; keeping itself to its self without integration. It will exercise on the outside of the flock; perch in some available corner and timidly feed as the home birds allow. Eventually this bird will range away from the flock; sometimes returning after many hours; the desire for home is pulling, but the pigeon still requires survival. It has become more confident in its eating and perching quite noticeably; so now is the time to pull the trigger - take this pigeon out of that section that has become its second home and place it in a strange place! Suddenly it has to survive again; its brain clicks into gear; my home is in Blackpool; my family are there; the moment this jailhouse opens; I'm off in a direct line!

During the years that business pressure restricted my racing activity it was necessary to have my pigeons upon twenty four hour"open hole".My working day began at 6-00am; it finished somewhere around midnight; with three shops, one wholesale warehouse; a thriving outside contract division and two separate families of children to attend due to my sister in laws death and my brothers business absence abroad! The pigeons were fed and watered by my wife; in hoppers some 100 yards away from the loft and they "boomeranged" to these. This attracted countless strays from racing convoys and yet rarely did I ever need to send one back in a box via Amtrak - they all made their own way home after using the above method over a period of five seasons. This season I have done the same with others and fanciers have informed me of their safe arrival. There was also the case of a young bird from Buxton - I telephoned the owner and straight away he rhymed off its pedigree and told me that I could keep it! I told him that in my opinion the pigeon was a good youngster and he hadn't given it a chance; I didn't want it but would get it to return under its own steam within a few days! His reply was - ring me in a few days and if it is till with you I will send a transfer form! So here was I about to inherit a good pigeon that I didn't want - anyway, after three days the bird was still with me; it had taken the only available Vee perch in the loft and looked quite at home. "Right" says I; you are going home tomorrow missie and I took down the Vee perch; its only comfort was the floor! Next day I let out the birds; they flew for their usual hour and trapped minus the "Buxton Blue tic-eye"; the transfer form never arrived; neither did any thanks but, I assume that the "tic - eye" made home as did so many others under this treatment! Now those are ways of getting pigeons to go home under their own steam; it only takes a little patience or understanding. Pigeons aren't stupid, they are just like you and me, sometimes they become a little disorientated! I'm glad that I am eccentric, "a little mad"and that I talk to animals; because sometimes they make more sense than people! Read the article Ethology and give your brain some sensible food!

I hope you all enjoyed this little effort as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I also hope that some of you might view both your pigeons or "Mountaineer Spinksy" in quite a different light and understand that the greatest motivating force upon earth is "Survival" with only the fittest going through to contest another day! I have given you an insight into both man and beast, my only hope is that you all can comprehend it, because life and pigeons are like that or my name isn't Alice! Spinksy

The Novices SocialCircle