Life in Bendigo.

[Andy]

It's the last of the early club races next Saturday.
Getting very short of pigeons, since I have put a couple away for stock, and a couple of the 'old birds' from last year are no good.
But, I have some yearling cocks that are just, blooming. The dark bloke who went last week is looking fantastic. He is 'big', as in big and light, hungry, and quiet. I cannot fault him.
The mealy has gone from being a late bred that fluked a win by breaking away at the right moment, to being a ball of muscle and all over the place looking for a scrap
And there are a couple of blue bar cocks doing their best ( and winning ) to get their girlfriends into bed.
Isn't this fun?

Yes it is fun especially if you know and have a bond with your birds. They do make you smile with some of the things they do.

[Trev]

It's the last of the early club races next Saturday.
Getting very short of pigeons, since I have put a couple away for stock, and a couple of the 'old birds' from last year are no good.
But, I have some yearling cocks that are just, blooming. The dark bloke who went last week is looking fantastic. He is 'big', as in big and light, hungry, and quiet. I cannot fault him.
The mealy has gone from being a late bred that fluked a win by breaking away at the right moment, to being a ball of muscle and all over the place looking for a scrap
And there are a couple of blue bar cocks doing their best ( and winning ) to get their girlfriends into bed.
Isn't this fun?

It's been tough for you and your birds mate but they've done well for you so far, I hope they continue to do so.
As you say it has its highs and lows but is mostly still fun

[Trev]

Looks like you have a nice team Murray. Re the guy who bred 200 youngsters ....how can you connect with them? All the top guys here in UK(national races) all send an army every race. Sending over 60 plus birds to 500 mile races, just means they lost another sixty through the season. The average fancier can't compete against these guys unless all the stars align . One positive outcome from the mass senders is that they keep the price of birdage down

You keep enjoying your birds mate. ATB Les

I do agree mate, I do often wonder just how many birds these big fliers do actually breed and lose every year !! The thing is that at the end of the year they can sell any old rubbish off of the back of those that have come good for them.
As you say though a lot of organisations would struggle financially without them.

[Murray]

The racing is over for me for the year, and, the first babies are out and about! and there are 3 pairs hatching right now. One pair has two out, one has one out and one chipping, and one pair must be chipping now, because they are both very focused. But the grizzle cock is very possessive, If I put my hand near the nest bowl he would get angry and possibly do some harm.
He's funny, the grizzly Thone'. Off the nest and out of his box he's as quiet as anything. And a lovely pigeon. But in his box, no, you don't go there

[Murray]

And the first round are out and flying, and I think there are some super youngsters. And quiet!.
I don't try to make them tame, but some of them eat out of my hand and sit all over me.
I think it may be that since I retired, sort of, I don't rush to get away in the morning. I still try to stay away from them during the day. Just like race horses, they need to be left alone for a few hours during the day. It's easy when you are working, but when you aren't it is an easy trap to fall into. Just going and checking that they are okay.
Of course they are okay!

[Andy]

It’s nice to have pigeons with that attitude. I hope the youngsters come on well.

[Buster121]

Good for you Murray look forward to the updates

[Murray]

The Central Highlands Combine, based in Ballarat, flew the Victoria Open 700 on Friday. It was won on the second day by a yearling flying 691 miles into Melbourne.
They breed 'em tough here! When they say its a yearling, it might only be 10 or 11 months old. An old bloke once told me that a pigeon is as good as it it will ever be at the end of it's young bird season. I was dubious, but seeing what they do with them here, maybe he was right?

[Andy]

The Central Highlands Combine, based in Ballarat, flew the Victoria Open 700 on Friday. It was won on the second day by a yearling flying 691 miles into Melbourne.
They breed 'em tough here! When they say its a yearling, it might only be 10 or 11 months old. An old bloke once told me that a pigeon is as good as it it will ever be at the end of it's young bird season. I was dubious, but seeing what they do with them here, maybe he was right?

That is some flying. The big difference is that over there they are racing with full feather. If it is spring now they can’t have started moulting at all but have gone though a full moult the year before, before being raced. Ours youngsters are racing from about 14 weeks old when at the same time they are quite heavy in the moult. My youngsters only had 3 or 4 flights to go by their last race. Our yearlings start racing in early April when the temperature barely gets into double figures.

[Murray]

And while the pigeon has done a magnificent job to be two hours in front of the second pigeon, it is simply a long distance pigeon. Blessed with a strong heart and a weak mind. As Piet de Weerd calls them "hangers".
I like the way Ad schaerlaekens describes sprint pigeons. "Fast rascals', he calls them "Smarter pigeons for shorter races". I agree. All the Heremans, Boeckx, Van Den Bulck type youngsters out in the shed, its quite un nerving how clever they are. When I think of the dumb old things I had in New Zealand 2 years ago, which had to be controlled with the feed tin, and then look at these things that follow you around in case something interesting happens, its different.