The need for speed.

[Andy]

Just another little example of leaders and followers was one particular young bird race last year in our club. The Staddons were racing very well getting multiple drops with 10/15 birds before anyone else. Then we had a stiff race. They had 3 together and took the first 3. But the instead of the rest dropping closely behind they had to wait over an hour for another one. Although a little behind their first 3 I had most of mine by the time they got their 4th. Were these first 3 the leaders? The ones that had been bring the rest home and when it got a bit tough the “followers” followed the wrong ones? Who knows.

[Devo1956]

A mate of mine would take his birds, and drive to a good location for training his birds, also he would take a flask of coffee and sandwich. He would then toss a bird every 30 minutes, he was a really good flyer. He had the Dutch Janseens.

[Andy]

A mate of mine would take his birds, and drive to a good location for training his birds, also he would take a flask of coffee and sandwich. He would then toss a bird every 30 minutes, he was a really good flyer. He had the Dutch Janseens.

I know it was quite a common thing to do years ago. Yes it teaches them to fly on their own and navigate their own way home. But I’m not sure it would change a follower into a leader. These birds would just take longer to home from these tosses. If what’s being said is right you won’t change them from followers to leaders. Once put into a basket with others they will still follow the batch, at least until nearer to home by which time they would already be too late. I think the only way to determine the leaders is by racing them. Training won’t do it as they will still generally arrive together and so prove nothing.

[Buster121]

A mate of mine would take his birds, and drive to a good location for training his birds, also he would take a flask of coffee and sandwich. He would then toss a bird every 30 minutes, he was a really good flyer. He had the Dutch Janseens.

I know it was quite a common thing to do years ago. Yes it teaches them to fly on their own and navigate their own way home. But I’m not sure it would change a follower into a leader. These birds would just take longer to home from these tosses. If what’s being said is right you won’t change them from followers to leaders. Once put into a basket with others they will still follow the batch, at least until nearer to home by which time they would already be too late. I think the only way to determine the leaders is by racing them. Training won’t do it as they will still generally arrive together and so prove nothing.

Have to agree Andy

[Devo1956]

I think a lot as to do with the balance of the bird, and the shape also helps cutting through the sky. Getting out in front and maintaining the speed, while others drop off the pace.

[Trev]

You might be right, Trev. If you are, there is no excuse for feeding a pigeon that has failed to be on the result sheet after 4 or 8 races.
It is a proven 'follower', and has no future.
I haven't either. But imagine how much and how quickly we could improve our lofts if we did?

To help me try to inject some speed into my team I've been gifted a couple of old racing Cocks by our top sprint man Alan Still, along with these he is also giving me an old stock Cock. The Stock cock has bred club and fed winners, the race cocks have all scored but (along with the stock cock) are now surplus to his requirements due better birds coming into his team. Alan is out and out widowhood and very tough on his pigeons, he is constantly looking to improve his stock to keep him up at the top of the sheet. The "old" race birds are 2020 birds, the stock cock is 2018 this to me just proves that to continually compete in sprint racing year on year your new youngsters need to be better than the last crop. The sad thing is when you do have a team like this each year you are all most certainly disposing of better birds than most of us have in our lofts to start with !!!

[Trev]

Just another little example of leaders and followers was one particular young bird race last year in our club. The Staddons were racing very well getting multiple drops with 10/15 birds before anyone else. Then we had a stiff race. They had 3 together and took the first 3. But the instead of the rest dropping closely behind they had to wait over an hour for another one. Although a little behind their first 3 I had most of mine by the time they got their 4th. Were these first 3 the leaders? The ones that had been bring the rest home and when it got a bit tough the “followers” followed the wrong ones? Who knows.

I think sometimes you just get some birds that find a line and stick to it regardless of what the rest of the flock do, sometimes you might a bird that gets a line from one particular race point and always scores form that one point. I expect you remember Dads old Christchurch pigeon Andy (I think he was called "The Loner") who topped the club and Fed every time it went there and John Carpenter's "Hit" man who every time John sent him to Leamington would top the Fed !!
I had one young hen this year who from the first 2 races (Bovingdon) was my first bird winning the Club on the second occasion, both times she came in from, what I believe to be the perfect direction for me to score in the club, out of the North, North East. After those two races she did absolutely nothing so any line she'd found or leadership qualities she had just disappeared Im guessing that from those two races she got in with the lead batch and had a lucky break out, It will be interesting to see how she performs as a yearling now.

[Andy]

Just another little example of leaders and followers was one particular young bird race last year in our club. The Staddons were racing very well getting multiple drops with 10/15 birds before anyone else. Then we had a stiff race. They had 3 together and took the first 3. But the instead of the rest dropping closely behind they had to wait over an hour for another one. Although a little behind their first 3 I had most of mine by the time they got their 4th. Were these first 3 the leaders? The ones that had been bring the rest home and when it got a bit tough the “followers” followed the wrong ones? Who knows.

I think sometimes you just get some birds that find a line and stick to it regardless of what the rest of the flock do, sometimes you might a bird that gets a line from one particular race point and always scores form that one point. I expect you remember Dads old Christchurch pigeon Andy (I think he was called "The Loner") who topped the club and Fed every time it went there and John Carpenter's "Hit" man who every time John sent him to Leamington would top the Fed !!
I had one young hen this year who from the first 2 races (Bovingdon) was my first bird winning the Club on the second occasion, both times she came in from, what I believe to be the perfect direction for me to score in the club, out of the North, North East. After those two races she did absolutely nothing so any line she'd found or leadership qualities she had just disappeared Im guessing that from those two races she got in with the lead batch and had a lucky break out, It will be interesting to see how she performs as a yearling now.

The Loner was dads red grizzle sion hen that won the London and South Coast Combine from Bergerac 414 miles Trev. I think she disappeared as a youngster returning the following spring then sent to Bergerac that same year. The cock that used to win Christchurch, which was only 60 odd miles, every time he went, usually sent driving, was a blue cock. Can’t remember his breeding but he was later used as dads time bird that was used each week back then to carry a message from the secretary’s loft containing the liberation news of that weeks race. I think his ring number ended in 64.
The one of John Carpenter was called Hit Man and was a grizzle cock that John brought from Massarella out of Stan the Man. A Kirkpatrick that was supposed to be a distance bird, but as you say used to top the fed from Leamington around 115 miles.

[Devo1956]

There are so many sales going on all around Europe, there are some bargains to be picked up.

[Buster121]

Another nice one