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Parkinson161 141008

 

LES J. PARKINSON'S

NEWS-REPORTS-ARTICLES

All sorts of ideas come up about the losses over the last season and I have not heard of one that can be attributed to the whole of the sport. There are always going to be theories of one kind or another but putting them all together never appears to work. In some cases it can be breeding while in others it can be that the pigeons are just not up to it. One of the most considered problems is having pigeons that are not bred in your own loft. As with everything the later does not always stand up because some years you lose the introductions and some years you don’t. I have thought about this subject a great deal and I am leaning more and more to the fact that in many cases health is the main issue. I stopped entering breeder/buyer races a few years back because you could guarantee that as soon as I brought them in there would be trouble in the loft. For that reason they are no longer considered even though there is some good prize money to be won. I do know quite a few fanciers who like myself no longer participate in these races for that reason. There are many good young bird races about and I do think at times there is too much emphasis put on young bird races. This leads to fanciers pushing them to the limits and many are burnt out before they get into a good racing gear for future years. There are some very good young bird racers who compete in much the same way that a certain fancier did on the continent many years ago. There are specialists at all kinds of races and especially with the later young bird races the rewards are big which is why some pigeons are ruined before they get into full swing.

Eric Isley's lofts and vegetable garden

National Flying Club

For the man with the stats Paul O’Leary is someone who does a good job in supplying information over the racing season for the readers of the BHW. With the computer age well and truly with us stats such as these are ever more available and even the older generation are getting into a comfort zone on the PC. They are in fact an excellent way of keeping records of your pigeons because all you need to do is put the ring number into the system and it is all there for you to see. I am not using this piece as publicity for the database because I do believe that this is good for the sport. This is what Paul has to say about the information available. “Many of you will be aware of my work on the NFC race results over the past few years. Well ... the database has now been fully updated to incorporate the 2008 race results and now comprises63 complete race results with68997pigeons timedin these races. This possibly represents the largest and most important collection of race data anywhere in the entire World? Unless of course you know different? Key features of the database include:- all winners' detailssincethe club was formed in year 1898 including photographs of many of the winning pigeons and fanciers of recent years more photographs still required ... so if you're someone who has won 1st Open in your lifetime, or know someone who has, then I'd greatly appreciate a photo of the winning pigeon and fancier to add to the database see the entries and returns statistics for races 1998-2008 see which races and/or sections struggled for returns in which races. Race Results the ability to print a full OPEN result for ANY race print a report showing each member's first timed pigeon only from any race print a report showing ONLY those members who have timed their sole entry in the race the ability to print a SECTION result for ANY race print a report showing ONLY the 12 section winners in any race select any pigeon timed in any race and INSTANTLY find its other race records see the calibre of pigeon that's finished in front or behind your own select any member timing in any race and INSTANTLY find their other race records in the same and all other races see the calibre of fancier that's finished in front or behind you the ability to calculate AVERAGES for ANY combination of races 1998-2008 young bird averages for two or more selected years ... Pau or Nantes averages for two or more selected years ... Langstone Gold Cup for any year ... etc. The ability to analyse results for an individual MEMBER the ability to analyse results for an individual PIGEON find the pigeons with the most timing records, and analyse their performances find the pigeons which have flown the most NFC air-miles, and analyse their performances analyse the performances of pigeons winning the coveted NFC Certificate of Merit and those who are close to wing one in 2009. I know you'd expect me to say this ... but there really is so much in this database ... you could spend hours viewing and analysing the results of your own and other competitors' pigeons. I think this database, above all else,represents a tribute to the fantastic fanciers and pigeons competing in the National Flying Club. The CD is completely free of pigeon politics and subjective comment, just full of plain factual data. More information and sample reports can be seen at www.pbosolutions.co.uk” Thanks to Paul for keeping us up to date with the stats of the NFC that are always worth looking at. With Christmas not too far away it might be a good Xmas present, hint, hint.

Roundabout system

I had an e-mail about racing on the roundabout system and the best way to go about it. Any system you use can be either made hard or easy depending on how much work you put into it. I like to make everything about pigeons simple and not make it hard work, the days of hard work with the pigeons in the garden are long gone. There was a time when I would chase down the M6 day after day morning and evening and be working until all hours of the night, now I just work till all hours. I have 3 sections in a 24ft loft with two sections set out with 16 of the up and over boxes in each. The hens are on the left and the cocks on the right that is the middle section both sections are the same and the hens are locked in the boxes all day long. When I let them out the hens always go out first and all doors are closed for one hour. The cocks are then moved down to the hen’s section and the hens are allowed entry into where the cocks are normally kept which is also the breeding section that is if I do any with the racers, which is not very often. In fact if I never bred off the race team I would be more than happy because they are here to race and not breed that is why we have stock birds. That is also the section where they are fed, they are never fed in their normal daily section, the only thing they get in there is water. As I say the cocks are moved down to the hens section and the corn trough put in, I then go outside the loft and stand next to the landing board with one hand on edge. The pigeons have to drop on the board and enter the loft while I am there otherwise they miss that feed, they soon learn. However because we are limited for space we are always near the pigeons and over the years we have had pigeons that have been very tame. While they are getting used to the system there are a few that take their time going in but they soon get the idea of what they should be doing. Then as soon as the hens are in the loft the cocks go out and I clean the hen’s section while they feed. As soon as the trough is empty and they are starting to perch they go back into their own section and allowed 30mins to drink what they want before being locked up for the day. The cock’s section is then cleaned out and they are fed into the loft after one hour. The only time that this ever changes is if we are away or the weather is too bad to have them out. My idea is always to get them into the same trap and then when they come from the races they know where they should be going.

Inside the loft of Ted Brown 

Photos

The photos include one of a seagull that was determined not to move when we were down in Port Issac, I was less than two feet away from him/her and no movement at all. Then we have one of the inside old bird section of Ted brown where he puts V perches in front of the boxes over winter. The other being two lofts used by Eric Isley and the vegetable garden that they have behind the main racing loft.

Les.J.Parkinson, Elimar, 11 Rushton Drive, Middlewich, Cheshire, CW10 ONJ. Tel/Fax; 01606 836036. Mobile 07871 701585 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. web-site www.elimarpigeons.com

Chris photos