THE OLDER FANCIER
by Jim Emerton
We all get there if we live long enough. At 20 and 3 years as a student in London, I never thought I would get past 30 - hard and fast it was! The irony is that I now feel younger at 65! The majority of the fancy are over 50, and it is wise to make pigeons easy to deal with. Is your loft easy to access for water and food supplies? if possible in your area birds on the natural style systems may be all you need. Draw up a chart to highlight the daily needs of the birds, and stick to your system. You may need help to basket and get your birds to the club from an able friend. Pick out, in advance, the main races to compete in. Manage a nice comfortable colony of birds and reduce costs with minimal additives and medications. A nice, quiet, laidback chair in the garden cheers the spirit, a vantage point for observing nature and navel contemplation. It may be possible to sell a few progeny to support your pension. If of literary inclination you may wish to record a life in pigeons, and how the hobby changed and enriched an old man’s PHILOSOPHY.
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Elimar - February 2014