New birds to try

[Andy]

I agree with Goose too that anyone can breed pigeons. It’s not hard or rocket science. That being said why then do some many people buy pigeons in every year? Because just breeding pigeons is different to breeding pigeons that are an improvement on what you have already, and breeding an ever improving family is even harder. Why would, or should, youngsters brought in be better than what you can breed yourself? The biggest trouble is people want instant success at any cost and aren’t prepared to be patient. So many buy in teams of youngsters, usually of the latest craze, get a few decent results that very quickly deteriorates over the next couple of generations. So out the lot and start again with the then latest craze. Seen this no end of times over the years. Some can only keep winning by regularly buying in.

I'm in the happy position of knowing a lot of exceptional fanciers, and I talk to many of them regularly (i.e Ian Stafford, Gary Gordon etc) Of those guys I can't actually think of a single one of them that hasn't introduced something this winter. I know this to be true because they sought my opinion and guidance before doing so. The amount of winners that these guys produce for fanciers all over the UK demonstrates that their Management Policy is spot on because their lines win all over.

I used to at least investigate the possibility of introducing new blood each season too. These guys aren't doing it for fun or for money. They're doing it (like Neil) to try and improve their performances - much like a successful football team wouldn't shred its 1st team to bits, but would look to tweak and strengthen in it with the hope of making it stronger. Pigeon racing is no different for those who are successful

I've raced against guys all my racing career who never introduced pigeons in a bid to improve. Every week I had them on toast (local talk for beating them with however many pigeons I wanted to). The very last thing I would ever be doing is introducing pigeons onto the garden and then blending them into pigeons that hadn't proved themselves. Quite the opposite, if I bought a cock in I'd pair him straight onto Pale Rider because I knew if he failed with her he'd fail with everything because I knew she could breed winners with a crow

Just never felt or had the need to bring any in to keep winning with my old sprint team. They won from 60 miles up to 350 miles.

[Andy]

Yes I’m very much looking or hopefully getting better birds Andy and in a quick time as many others have better records than me
I don’t really want to think I had 5 club cards last year I winder if I can get 6 this year that’s not for me I want to compete from one in the fed top 15 or so and in every race under 300 miles as then I feel I have achieved something
I couldn’t really do it your way Andy unless I was trying to get a distance team together but I will look in at your results this year now you have had a few years sprinting to see how many times you win the club etc with the methods that you prefer I can’t think of another to see how it works ?
If you had 3/4 real top pigeons and bred around them I could understand what your trying to achieve but with pigeons without performance history I can’t see how you can build a family within a couple of years to match top fliers
All I do is breed around my proven racers bring in a few to race from people with top racing records or the odd stock bird
This year the stock I added are from middle distance national pigeons or the parents with a eye on them races in 2/3 years so I can test a few on the north rd for now atleast

I’ll be interested to see how they go to Neil. This will only be my third season back sprint racing and the second on widowhood although because of our mum dying I only raced half of last season on widowhood. Seven of those races were from 34 miles. Hopefully I will have a complete season on widowhood this year. I only have 12 cocks in the team and they are still basically my distance birds with a bit of sprint influence from Buster and Trev.

[NeilA]

Yes I’m very much looking or hopefully getting better birds Andy and in a quick time as many others have better records than me
I don’t really want to think I had 5 club cards last year I winder if I can get 6 this year that’s not for me I want to compete from one in the fed top 15 or so and in every race under 300 miles as then I feel I have achieved something
I couldn’t really do it your way Andy unless I was trying to get a distance team together but I will look in at your results this year now you have had a few years sprinting to see how many times you win the club etc with the methods that you prefer I can’t think of another to see how it works ?
If you had 3/4 real top pigeons and bred around them I could understand what your trying to achieve but with pigeons without performance history I can’t see how you can build a family within a couple of years to match top fliers
All I do is breed around my proven racers bring in a few to race from people with top racing records or the odd stock bird
This year the stock I added are from middle distance national pigeons or the parents with a eye on them races in 2/3 years so I can test a few on the north rd for now atleast

I’ll be interested to see how they go to Neil. This will only be my third season back sprint racing and the second on widowhood although because of our mum dying I only raced half of last season on widowhood. Seven of those races were from 34 miles. Hopefully I will have a complete season on widowhood this year. I only have 12 cocks in the team and they are still basically my distance birds with a bit of sprint influence from Buster and Trev.

You should be ok after 3 years I won the fed 6 times in my 3rd season back and I have no skill as a stockman I had no real sprint fashionable modern or expensive pigeons with your skill your be fine
I actually won the fed in my first year on return probably luck though

[MIL]

Don't do yourself down Neil

We both independently watched a video recently of a Section of hens and we both independently chose the same hen so you're not as innocent as you make out

[MIL]

I agree with Goose too that anyone can breed pigeons. It’s not hard or rocket science. That being said why then do some many people buy pigeons in every year? Because just breeding pigeons is different to breeding pigeons that are an improvement on what you have already, and breeding an ever improving family is even harder. Why would, or should, youngsters brought in be better than what you can breed yourself? The biggest trouble is people want instant success at any cost and aren’t prepared to be patient. So many buy in teams of youngsters, usually of the latest craze, get a few decent results that very quickly deteriorates over the next couple of generations. So out the lot and start again with the then latest craze. Seen this no end of times over the years. Some can only keep winning by regularly buying in.

I'm in the happy position of knowing a lot of exceptional fanciers, and I talk to many of them regularly (i.e Ian Stafford, Gary Gordon etc) Of those guys I can't actually think of a single one of them that hasn't introduced something this winter. I know this to be true because they sought my opinion and guidance before doing so. The amount of winners that these guys produce for fanciers all over the UK demonstrates that their Management Policy is spot on because their lines win all over.

I used to at least investigate the possibility of introducing new blood each season too. These guys aren't doing it for fun or for money. They're doing it (like Neil) to try and improve their performances - much like a successful football team wouldn't shred its 1st team to bits, but would look to tweak and strengthen in it with the hope of making it stronger. Pigeon racing is no different for those who are successful

I've raced against guys all my racing career who never introduced pigeons in a bid to improve. Every week I had them on toast (local talk for beating them with however many pigeons I wanted to). The very last thing I would ever be doing is introducing pigeons onto the garden and then blending them into pigeons that hadn't proved themselves. Quite the opposite, if I bought a cock in I'd pair him straight onto Pale Rider because I knew if he failed with her he'd fail with everything because I knew she could breed winners with a crow

Just never felt or had the need to bring any in to keep winning with my old sprint team. They won from 60 miles up to 350 miles.

If you're racing good competition Andy then distance pigeons will NOT beat a good sprint man with good pigeons in sprint racing

If you think otherwise then it'll be a long season

[Andy]

I'm in the happy position of knowing a lot of exceptional fanciers, and I talk to many of them regularly (i.e Ian Stafford, Gary Gordon etc) Of those guys I can't actually think of a single one of them that hasn't introduced something this winter. I know this to be true because they sought my opinion and guidance before doing so. The amount of winners that these guys produce for fanciers all over the UK demonstrates that their Management Policy is spot on because their lines win all over.

I used to at least investigate the possibility of introducing new blood each season too. These guys aren't doing it for fun or for money. They're doing it (like Neil) to try and improve their performances - much like a successful football team wouldn't shred its 1st team to bits, but would look to tweak and strengthen in it with the hope of making it stronger. Pigeon racing is no different for those who are successful

I've raced against guys all my racing career who never introduced pigeons in a bid to improve. Every week I had them on toast (local talk for beating them with however many pigeons I wanted to). The very last thing I would ever be doing is introducing pigeons onto the garden and then blending them into pigeons that hadn't proved themselves. Quite the opposite, if I bought a cock in I'd pair him straight onto Pale Rider because I knew if he failed with her he'd fail with everything because I knew she could breed winners with a crow

Just never felt or had the need to bring any in to keep winning with my old sprint team. They won from 60 miles up to 350 miles.

If you're racing good competition Andy then distance pigeons will NOT beat a good sprint man with good pigeons in sprint racing

If you think otherwise then it'll be a long season

I know that Mike. I did take the odd cards last year but nothing much so it won’t be difficult to improve. I will also be interested to see how the Lambrechts fit in. Early days back sprint racing but I do enjoy it more than the distance races. It’s just a shame that with the shop I can’t really enjoy it on race days.

[NeilA]

Don't do yourself down Neil

We both independently watched a video recently of a Section of hens and we both independently chose the same hen so you're not as innocent as you make out

High praise that mate

[goose1]

Anyone can breed a family of pigeons that is easy, but very few can breed a family of winning pigeons. I'm not sure a family is all that important for sprint racing as the top lads change pigeons regularly for various reasons and win. Let's use Neil or Mike on here, two top sprint fanciers (who would no doubt win from further if they were that way inclined) you could give them well bred pigeons from any family or line and I would bet good money they would win with them. However when you get to 500 mile plus and possibly even a little less given the difficulties in racing now I feel a family of proven performers at the distance are golden. But there are very very few genuine family's of distance pigeons about now. I think when Brian Denney was at his peak, lets say from around 2005 through to 2011 that was as good as you could get a family of pigeons to perform. 730 ish miles, team performances at racing velocities. 40 plus years of breeding and working on a family, to me pigeon racing doesn't get any better than that. The one who springs to mind today who has a genuine family of winning distance pigeons is Mark Bulled. I've turned this into a distance post just because if you aren't into distance racing I definitely wouldn't get too hung up on creating a family I would be more concerned with refining my methods and management to gain every yard I could.
But like everything in this sport if the fancier is happy doing what he's doing then that's all that matters.

Brian only brought in SIX crosses in that 40 years.

They were some family of pigeons. Think I'm right in saying one year the same cock (maxi?) bred his first 2 possibly even 3 pigeons home from Pau. Quite unbelievable when you think of the distance involved. And as I keep saying these pigeons were racing from that distance not homing. Again I think I'm right in saying one year he had a cock fly it on the day 730 mile. 16 hrs plus on the wing. Doesn't get any better. One of the crosses or introductions will have been Tuff Nut was it king? Again correct me if I'm wrong I think that bird was gifted to Brian by a Dave Harrison of Preston area? Tuff Nut went on to be 5th open Tarbes and left a lot of pigeons to do well? Does Brian still race King? Age has got to be catching up with him now

[goose1]

Pretty much what Goose was advising King
I think Mark tries birds from top fanciers and friends but he keeps his base and when you look those very few that he brings in feature in peds there mostly going back to Die hard /The owl from 1975
His sprint team very different I know he tries sprint birds every year from top lines and he flies a good sprint pigeon

Mark is getting a hen from us at Blackpool this weekend but as you say it's 75% his own blood, that have performed for us crossed with a nice line of our own.

[NeilA]

Nice one Goose sure that will work out well for him