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Read the books NOVICES SOCIAL CIRCLE. ( part nine - continued) Read the books
Well this week it's time for a little problem solving, because no doubt one or two of you will have met some along the way. It isn't easy racing to a small loft and with that everyone will agree. Larger teams offer more scope as do a range of separate lofts and sections but, a small set up also has its advantages. These are : more individual attention to the pigeons, lower costs and less wasted time cleaning out. This should produce a greater affinity between fancier and bird, more control through tameness and better quality stock in preference to quantity. Provided that one has attended to all fine details in preparation, one should have been able to gain a few prizes. Of course immediately some novices met with problems, they will have once again blamed the system and the birds, immediately making drastic changes whilst seeking Tom, Dick and Harry's advice once again.
The first problem was because they only half heartedly followed it in the first place, failing to realise that control only comes via common sense. Having a smaller set up doesn't mean less attention, quite the contrary it means more disposable time towards greater attention. It does not mean lack of patience with inquisitive young birds that tend to sit out that little bit longer, it means common sense applied to make them perform as required. It doesn't mean allowing natural pigeons to rear consecutive rounds of youngsters whilst racing, to replace losses off the roof because of impatience for young birds to fly. Now I realise that some of you have done this because I have trodden this road so many times before. Fool that I am, I shall continue to tread this rocky path in the hope for a single wise novice appearing upon the horizon and that makes it all worthwhile!
PROBLEMS SOLVED?
These are the most common :
Once the pigeons were separated I lost control of the youngsters:- The control was lost because you were feeding communally and not in the boxes as recommended, afraid that the youngsters would go hungry, each was fed the same regardless of trapping performance. In some cases the old birds continued to feed their young, so you became afraid that the parents would be hungry, giving them more and more. Now here is a strange thing with pigeons, unlike human beings they are very fast learners, particularly when it comes to food and survival. The parent bird will soon stop feeding the five week old youngster and make it fend for itself. By regulating the ration within common sense bounds, the youngster quickly learns the facts of life, the slower it enters the loft, the fewer sweeties it will get. Within a couple of days and a little patience upon your part, the youngsters become imprinted and will trap faster than their parents. It is not the system at fault but the lack of understanding and application. Personally I never have this problem but obviously that is down to years of experience and past mistakes of misplaced overdone kindness.
The next most common problem is :
Some of the youngsters have become nuisances in other boxes in the cock's section:- This is to be expected when you have fed them communally on the loft floor. My instructions were to feed the parent and young within their individual boxes, thus making it their own personal territory which they will love and protect. Common sense dictates then that, the persistent nuisance be removed to the more placid hens section which are only flown out once daily. The once daily exercise also dictates once daily feed and this can be done communally because some of the young will have taken to perches of their own. Others will have bonded and share a box with their mother, returning there to dominate their position. The extra available time with a small team does not mean less work it means more time to observe and rectify problems through common sense.
A further common problem :
The youngsters are a fine kit but they won't go up for a fly! What on earth do you want them to fly for? When they want to fly, make no mistake about it, they will fly! It is preferable that the youngsters see as much of their surroundings as is possible before this event, then you can be sure that they know where they live. The old birds will be exercising freely, sooner or later the youngsters will wish to do the same, joining them in little flips. They will be all over the sky at first until they find their wings, eventually they will kit with the old birds and fly with relish. Later you will worry because the old birds have returned without them as they go ranging inquisitively for miles. Once their wanderlust is satisfied it will be routine flying exercise only and good trapping the order of the day. This would happen even if the youngsters were kept in a loft of their own, it is a natural course of events. Don't be in a hurry with young birds, impatience can cause heavy losses!
Old bird problems:
Some of my hens are pairing together and laying eggs! So what if they are, does it really matter? In the widowhood loft it could matter because these hens sole purpose is to motivate their mate. It also matters to some degree in the roundabout loft although as I have explained through the "Meatsafe System" that territory is the greatest motivator and the hen is often but, not always a mere trinket to show ones friends. Much the same as old worn out men with "Dolly" escorts. Ask any of those silly old men which they preferred to keep at time of need and I could guarantee their answer! So with the natural trick flying system, hens that lay are only incidental to the general scheme. At some time in the future I will explain sex reversal in birds through scientific studies carried out on various species. Birds are capable of sex reversal and this is very distinct from homosexuality in humans, birds can switch it on and off in the female.
More on that at a later date, for now don't worry but use the situation to your advantage. Of course if you were to feed these hens in individual boxes, only allowing freedom for exercise, they can be used on roundabout, widowhood and the "Meat safe System". Once again, think on your feet and learn to think like a pigeon, getting the maximum from a tiny team! Next problem: Some of your hens are now overweight! This happens! Hens require less food to put on weight than cocks, the weight must be controlled either by regulated feeding or increased exercise and training. The hens can be fed in their boxes, whilst the young cocks that share the section may be fed by hand. By feeding moderately until Wednesday then increased Thursday, this brings them rapidly up to racing weight. Fat pigeons won't fly, excessively hungry birds won't fly; properly fed they will and if amorous will exercise freely whilst displaying to the young cocks. The fine tuned hen will be a better motivator in the widowhood, roundabout and natural trick flying loft.
By having only a two section 12' x 6' cabin, with maximum 20 birds of quality it is possible to win your share of prizes. The system isn't designed to allow more time for television, it was evolved to make you understand your birds in the first of a three season plan. Eventually I hope to have you racing ten cocks upon widowhood or roundabout if you prefer, but you will do neither successfully until first becoming stock conscious. Of all the top widowhood fanciers that I have had the pleasure of meeting, ninety nine per cent of them were masters at natural racing previously. They understand their pigeons inside out and that is what the novice must first learn to do. Widowhood and roundabout are the fastest methods known to man, once mastered they are simple but, in the beginning these systems can be disastrous for the new convert.
Once the novice has learned how to make pigeons eat as and when required. How to build strength and condition or how to recognise form and motivation; then the transition should be easier! There would have been little point in me starting these articles with power systems, the majority would have failed before the very first race. Now hopefully some will have a far greater understanding of their birds and this column was not undertaken lightly. This system works, it works well for anyone with limited space or income. Though, like any other system it requires dedication, patience and perseverance coupled to common sense, or my name isn't Elvis.
At the end of old bird racing the team will consist of good yearling cocks flown 200 miles, two years old cocks and older flown 500 miles. There will be some fully tested hens with only the best remaining, the loft will be anything but crowded. The next articles will deal with young bird training and the steps required to form the 1997 racing team. It is hoped that strength in depth will show itself within that team, with little to choose between any bird. For some of you, young bird racing could be your preference; one day there will be fanciers who only specialise in these events, disregarding all other competition. That day is not too far in the future and this will mean even greater competition with an even greater degree of dedication and skill to win. The young bird management system that I shall relate is fully endorsed by the top young bird racer in my own area. It is tried and tested with success, I cannot speak for every area, but it works here in hot competition. Once again, even armed with this, one cannot make a silk purse from a sows ear. One must use common sense, forward planning plus a little flexibility with the foresight to produce a powerful team of yearlings for future competition.
So far I have had a mixed bag of responses success wise from novices. Some have done well with cock birds in various stages of motivation, others have experienced problems with overweight hens. A couple of good results have been reported via the "Meat safe System" or a modified version. Some went awry within a couple of weeks, but this wasn't the fault of the system, it was the fault of the fanciers concerned. I believe that I might really have to carry some to the peak of Everest upon my shoulders but it will be worth it in the end!
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