UkPigeonRacing

MIL wrote: ↑Sun Aug 18, 2024 5:18 pm I think its a great idea - but you have to be careful

At "genuine distance" I wouldn't want to see more than 25% in the pedigree of the pigeon that's racing the distance

My fear would be that rather than injecting speed into the equation then you actually dent the strength and stamina in a negative way

So 25% max is best I feel



It also depends on what family of birds we're talking about that is adding the injection

Is it your Hooymans? Because I certainly wouldn't class them as a "sprinter"

Yes they can and do sprint, but they're a hell of a 250-450 miles pigeon in their own right

Worth saying I'm well aware its not a new idea obviously folk have been doing it for a long time was just curious what your take on it was. And probably should have said looking at quality middle distance pigeons as oppose to out and out sprint. Although the hen that won actually contains VDB lines through a friend of Les Greens. These were selected to put in to the distance as they were performing well enough for us upto 274 mile (think best combine position was 3rd) but always very consistent and very fresh on arrival. Second bird did contain the Hooyman blood yeah. Just our own thoughts, based on what we're seeing at the min we'd like good performing 300 milers into the 500 mile blood and then good performing 400 milers into the 600 mile and beyond blood but obviously gonna take a fair bit of testing before being able to say how successful it will be.

I think its a policy wotth pursuing Gavin

There's plenty of evidence to support the Bulck being a good pigeon up to 6-7 hrs on the wing

I've loads of references to support this (including at my own loft)

Our "Spotlight" hen was 3rd Open NMCC Fougeres (300+ miles) on a howling West Wind. Only beaten for 1st by 30 secs by 2 birds in Sheffield and we were the furthest flying loft in the West that day. She was awesome that day and that distance never touched her - she was as fresh as painr when she dropped

As you know the Hooymans are basically derived from a son of Gaby's "Bliksem" and a daughter of Kopman's "Kleine Dirk". They'll win at all distances - they've plenty in their locker

I'd be mindful not to put a "breakneck sprinter" into them. I think that'd weaken them

I remember on one of my many visits to Leadbeater's loft in the 90's

He was best in the UK at that time at the distance with his Robert Venus. His FVW were dynamite inland too

I said to him "What do you think you'd get if you crossed the Wildie with the Venus pigeons"?

He said "a retard"