Bowbroom wrote: ↑Wed Mar 19, 2025 9:53 am
What happens to the bird when the race turns out to be more testing than expected or if it is diverted by stronger winds or scattered by a hawk strike or some other event? We had a chap in our club that raced to the corn tin and he was still surprised at his his losses on iffy days or is it all about winning and never mind the birds?
I think there is a difference between racing to the tin, which I think is a mistake, and overfeeding pigeons for a short race.
If they can fly like lunatics on their normal diet, which is what you want to see, why would you start fiddling around with it?
Going 3 or 4 hours, it's different.
Only my opinion, but up to 2 hours, they should be sent on normal feed.
Greetings from the land down under.
Blessed is he who expecteth nothing, for verily, he shall not be disappointed.
Bowbroom wrote: ↑Wed Mar 19, 2025 9:53 am
What happens to the bird when the race turns out to be more testing than expected or if it is diverted by stronger winds or scattered by a hawk strike or some other event? We had a chap in our club that raced to the corn tin and he was still surprised at his his losses on iffy days or is it all about winning and never mind the birds?
Would you send an underground miner to work on a plate of salad? Fuel for the job in hand. Like Neil says read the posts again. My birds were never hungry, but they were fuelled for what I wanted them to do (remember I could race every week of the season and not go beyond 150 miles)
At times I did, with outstanding success too, but I never enjoyed that sort of racing. Most of the time it was done just to spite those who said I couldn’t do it (funny how you can fail at something without actually trying it - but that’s pigeon men for you)
You could also read here earlier about the Antwerp top players Marc van Eynde Govaerts. Well, that Marc has a brother who is hardly inferior to him: Rudy. Both have been absolute top for many years.
Now I read that Rudy also belongs to the club, call it the club of the simple ones, but then in the good sense of the word. Those are all those champions who find nothing in pigeon racing simpler than feeding.
Dixit Ludo Claessens at the time: 'The simplest thing in pigeon racing is feeding.'
Top player on all fronts Rudy van Eynde gives all his pigeons the same mixture for a whole year: Cocks and hens, old and young, at the beginning of the week and at the end, before a sprint flight and before a long-distance flight.
Out of convenience? Absolutely not. This Rudy is too much of a winner for that. Like many other champions, he has discovered that it can be JUST AS GOOD this way.
I lean very much that way too.
When the little mealy cock won for me in Bendigo before we moved, he went to the race on my everyday mixture. It was only a short club race and they were training well so off they went.
I am really of the opinion that much of what is written about feeding pigeons is more about the fast dollar than the fast pigeon. And not wanting to appear ignorant.
Greetings from the land down under.
Blessed is he who expecteth nothing, for verily, he shall not be disappointed.
Very true Murray. Doesn’t make much difference what you feed, they don’t know what’s in store and will only eat/use what they need at that moment in time. Any extra is only passed out the other end.
Back just enjoying club racing for the time being.
Fuel up for each task, when racing take into account. Distance and wind directions also the weather, treat like formula 1 cars. Not enough fuel end of the race.
Andy wrote: ↑Sun Apr 20, 2025 7:44 am
Very true Murray. Doesn’t make much difference what you feed, they don’t know what’s in store and will only eat/use what they need at that moment in time. Any extra is only passed out the other end.
I know loads of good fanciers and lots of really good ones
Not one of them would agree with that comment
My advice to a new starter would be try to find a mentor that wins regularly in good competition
Like, perhaps, just as a thought, Ad Schaerlaeckens?
Or, Jos Thone'?
Or many others. I was a 'percentage and grams of fat' fanatic once. as well.
Not so much now.
Greetings from the land down under.
Blessed is he who expecteth nothing, for verily, he shall not be disappointed.
Pretty sure Mike never once weighed his food
I do , my cocks I haven’t seen for 37 mins since they went out today but it’s more than likely the wrong way to feed
