Year Book 2016

SAHPA 2016 Year Book Page 25

The Birds in General

I like a bird that has feathers like silk, bright and

alert, does not over eat and is first up on its perch

and chatty when it gets there. I prefer birds with

narrow flights for the last five main flights. All

good pigeons have eye-sign. Some people

separate the sexes after the derbies but I do it

when they are ready to be transferred to the racing

cage.

I used to keep to the 25 to 30 pairs and Robert

keeps a few more. We consider performance and

maintaining the families of birds. I would put a

bird straight into the stock loft if it is off certain families. Maintaining family lines is

important but performance is the ultimate indicator.

I do introduce new birds, some expensive, some quite cheap and have also had good pigeons

gifted to me. I look for performance in a race bird and I try to maintain family lines. When

mating up I would mate an older hen with a young cock bird. I like to line-breed. Pairing up

is done straight after the last race of the season.

My favourite bird was a Laurie Lloyd/Dangerfield red checker hen that finished 4

SAHPA

Benalla when I was in the running to win the Association points. It rained most of the day

and only 8-11 birds homed on the night (and it was dark). She only passed away this year at

19 years of age.

Robert’s favourite pigeon was a bch hen out of a Peter Wortley Delaney / Delbar. This

pigeon was placed many times for him and produced a great family. Robert has won 1

SAHPA Farina 3 bird special. I have had 1

Farina YBC 1

Farina open 1

The Twins, 1

Lyndhurst, and 2 Vin Blanden Memorials including the very first one and Bird of the Year

1998. My loft has plenty of perches (more than the number of birds), plenty of air circulation

and is always kept dry. The loft is cleaned daily and I use washed sand.

Feeding and Medications

I make up my own feed mix which is a combination of peas, wheat, corn, milo, safflower,

linseed and XLR-8 with just a small amount of barley. I feed the race birds and the stock

birds the same mixture to hunger, leaving none overnight. The feed is 50% peas at the start of

the season but adjusting as needed during the season. Carbohydrate is increased as the races

get longer. If you are observant you will know when to make the changes. Grit is always

available. Medications are Doxy T and Turbosole every four weeks in the racing season and

at times XLR-8, Stock Gain & citric acid. I will send droppings to be tested if I think it is

needed. I don’t educate the birds to feed and water in the basket.

General training and racing

I usually start with 100 hens and 40 cocks. They are trained to 90 km and usually get 4 to 6

races a year. I have tried single up tossing but not with much success. Cocks are trained to

race early and then the hens. I’m not keen on late breds. Training can be either head or tail

wind. Birds are trained around the loft and tossed once or twice a week. They are not forced

to fly but can’t just do as they like either. Tossing begins once they are ranging, starting with

eight short tosses before a long one – all in two weeks.

On fast and slow races I have had the birds do both. But a win is a win! Would you disregard

an SAHPA winner because it was a fast race and it beat 6000 birds home?

When a bird loses form I look for sickness or an injury. I like the birds to be quiet in the loft

and not boisterous. Finally, we have been lucky in South Australia in that we have had good

people set up the SAHPA and provide us with a great constitution which should be

maintained.