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SAHPA 2016 Year Book Page 12
Feeding and Medications
Feed is 60 pc peas and 40 pc wheat. When they come home from a race or toss they get small
seed (canary) and for the long races he introduces some maize. Grit is always on hand. Barley
is not fed and he has tried pellets but found no difference. There are no medications, no
testing of droppings. Stock birds are fed on the hopper but the race birds feed for 10 to 15
minutes before the feed is taken away.
Sick pigeons when spotted are sometimes treated with salt water down the beak and he says
this often helps. Other than that there are no secrets, no garlic, no apple cider vinegar.
Breeding and Training
Brian keeps 15 pairs of stock birds and pairing up is easy – they pick their own partner. Age
is not a major consideration. He seems to get his best birds from a good average bird mated to
another good average bird.
Sixty are bred each year. However, from that sixty some 12 to 15 latebreds are put aside for
the following year. But they must be trained with the others. So, the year starts with
approximately 30 old birds and 50 young ones. No preference for hens or cocks.
Training is one hour around the loft. If they don’t want to go longer than 10 mins he will keep
them up. Training starts at 30 km and takes four jumps up to 100 km depending on the wind
and time flying. This starts 4-5 weeks before the first race. He likes to exercise them twice a
day if possible.
Tossing is once a week. Tosses need to be an hour to hour and quarter – if there is a tail wind
he will go further to get the time on the wing. Head wind training is preferred. Single-up
didn’t seem to work for him. No specific basket training. If a bird loses form he won’t race it.
Highlights
Highlights include winning Bathurst in the club and a bird that came home from the Derby
the year before ripped open and then was the fastest in the State from Mittyack.
His favourite bird:
SA06 30416 RCPH
and his last results were:
Carrieton
2
nd
10
Bookaloo
1
st
9
Lyndhurst
1
st
5
Pimba
1
st
6
Lyndhurst
1
st
7
Glendambo
1
st
6
Coober Pedy
1
st
5
Marla
1
st
6
Coober Pedy
1
st
4
Coober Pedy 1
st
7
Paruna
4
th
20
Hawker
10
th
12
Georgetown
1
st
14
Bird of the Year in Club for two years in a row also BOY in Combine of four clubs.
BRIAN’S CLUB RECORDS
OLD STYLE TRAP 1
THIS YEAR'S CROP