Saturday/ Sunday feed and water

[Murray]

You need to remember that the racing here is different. It's winter/spring races with birds that are mainly big youngsters or young yearlings. and it's one 20 week season.
I just fine tune the feed mix until they are eating everything and not leaving one sort of grain. Not many peas at all. They get the same mix every day.
The birds are not sent every week as a rule, as the season is so long. So they are fed and flown and tossed, and selected to race depending on their condition.
It's very different to what I was used to in NZ, which is the same YB & OB seasons as you blokes have.

[NeilA]

You need to remember that the racing here is different. It's winter/spring races with birds that are mainly big youngsters or young yearlings. and it's one 20 week season.
I just fine tune the feed mix until they are eating everything and not leaving one sort of grain. Not many peas at all. They get the same mix every day.
The birds are not sent every week as a rule, as the season is so long. So they are fed and flown and tossed, and selected to race depending on their condition.
It's very different to what I was used to in NZ, which is the same YB & OB seasons as you blokes have.

Interesting so why is it all together Murray
Could you not breed a different time and still have different seasons

[NeilA]

When I raced widowhood before they wouldn’t get fed when arriving home. The hens were fed earlier in the boxes. This was so that the cocks sole attention was on the hens. Once the hens were removed, after about 30 mins, the cocks would get a light feed of depurative. An hour after the first ones arrived and the hens and bowls had been removed I would take a bucket of warm water into the loft. Every cock would be held in the water for one minute. Once finished the cocks were left alone and would be all laying relaxing in their boxes. They would start going out again Sunday morning. They used to get pigeon tea to drink on Sunday but other than that I never put anything in the water.

Would you put nothing in the dupurative Andy to add protein as my feeling is they need protein that day rather than low protein high carb

[Andy]

When I raced widowhood before they wouldn’t get fed when arriving home. The hens were fed earlier in the boxes. This was so that the cocks sole attention was on the hens. Once the hens were removed, after about 30 mins, the cocks would get a light feed of depurative. An hour after the first ones arrived and the hens and bowls had been removed I would take a bucket of warm water into the loft. Every cock would be held in the water for one minute. Once finished the cocks were left alone and would be all laying relaxing in their boxes. They would start going out again Sunday morning. They used to get pigeon tea to drink on Sunday but other than that I never put anything in the water.

Would you put nothing in the dupurative Andy to add protein as my feeling is they need protein that day rather than low protein high carb

No I didn’t used to add anything to it. I done the same whether they were returning from our first race at 90 miles or Berwick 348 miles.

[Murray]

You need to remember that the racing here is different. It's winter/spring races with birds that are mainly big youngsters or young yearlings. and it's one 20 week season.
I just fine tune the feed mix until they are eating everything and not leaving one sort of grain. Not many peas at all. They get the same mix every day.
The birds are not sent every week as a rule, as the season is so long. So they are fed and flown and tossed, and selected to race depending on their condition.
It's very different to what I was used to in NZ, which is the same YB & OB seasons as you blokes have.

Interesting so why is it all together Murray
Could you not breed a different time and still have different seasons

I think it goes back to climate, Neil.
50 years ago when I was an apprentice, by November it was blazing hot. I can remember burning my feet on the concrete. Even 20 years ago we were getting like over 40 every day for a week. Too hot to work the horses because it was 30 degrees at 6 am.
They had to race the pigeons in the winter.
The climate has changed.
That 'day of all days' the Melbourne Cup was traditionally run in blazing heat. Most years now it's warm and pleasant.
It was 9 degrees when I got up this morning after 28 degrees yesterday and the day before. They could race two seasons autumn and spring and I have argued it many times. They look at me like I have two heads. They will not change, because the old timers who actually run the sport don't want to.

[NeilA]

I can see what your saying Murray
So you race old and young together I guess there in a form of widowhood ?
Do the tbs beat them. I imagine there’s more tbs than old sent though

[Murray]

It's pretty much a one year thing. The two year olds are good at the long distance, 600 or 700 miles, but it's mainly yearlings. And they are often 6 or 8 months old, so they are racing to the perch.
Many Aussies detest cocks. They are too much work. A lot of them want a shed full of hens.

[NeilA]

It's pretty much a one year thing. The two year olds are good at the long distance, 600 or 700 miles, but it's mainly yearlings. And they are often 6 or 8 months old, so they are racing to the perch.
Many Aussies detest cocks. They are too much work. A lot of them want a shed full of hens.

Is that because they practise celibacy more with there older birds

[Murray]

Yep.