Early tossing questions

[muskokapigeon]

Hello again

I have a couple of questions about my racing pigeons first tosses away from home.
I am quite nervous about this as it is stilll hard to beleive that they are going to make it back fine even if it is just 10 km away.
So far they have been taken 3 km away a couple of times, I only took about 5 of my 13 birds on each toss.

1. Am I wise to still only be taking 1/2 the flock each time? I have read some devastating stories of great losses even at that short distance from home.

2. Is it ok to have them in the back of the pickup truck in their basket (cloth covered collapsable type) as long as it is tucked up against the cab?

3. Can the birds go on more than one training toss in a day at this distance?

4. Does the heat affect them in the races and in training?
I have not felt comfortable training these young atheletes in this heat!!
It has been so hot here in Ontario the last couple of weeks, I do not know how you pigeon fanciers from New Mexico and California stand this heat day after day!! Wow!

Thankyou

[Lee]

Lee here,
The heat can be hard on the birds i never fly if its over 89 deg also they will need plenty of water before and after i do most of my training in the morning hrs as it is usualy cooler. 10K is about 6 miles and thats a long way for a first toss now some handlers do just that but i tend to use shorter tosses for two reasons i can teach the birds their home area nd it gives them a chance to condition themselves .. half of the flock or all its up to you generaly it is easier on the birds in smaller groups large groups makes the birds nervous and jumpy . the truck will be fine they will do ok with it mine do . make sure ya dont stop for gas with them in the back as it can have a bad affect on them (gas Fumes) depending on the conditioning of your birds they can go on two tosses a day i never consider my birds conditioned untill they fly at least 200 miles after that they can handle anything ... the 200 miles is obtained by adding all the toss miles you do with them .. you know 5 miles today 6 tomorrow and so on untill they have at least 200 miles under their wings ......... are you training for a race combine or just a hoby ???

[pdpbison]

Hi muskogapigeon,


I am not a racing Pigeon man, but just a couple thoughts for your questions...

I would definitely not have them in the back of any Pick Up, unless you are going to drive quite slow...the exhaust fumes tend to sometimes get pulled in to odd places in pick up beds from the air turbulence, depending on speed and ambient air flows aside from direction...and these could sure make them woosey and not in any mood to fly.

If it were me, I'd only drive slow - like 25 or something, if I had any Birds in a Pick up bed. Better if you can use a Sedan.

Station Wagons can be bad too if the tail gate window is open a little, the air back there at the rear of the station wagon, curls up in funny ways, pulling the exhaust gasses with it.

How old your Birds are, and how much local flying every day, would make a difference I think. And I do not know how to say what those factors should be.

White Wattles I suppose, and daily out for the day flights for a few weeks anyway.

Long ago, I took about ten of my feral Babys who'd grown up into young adults, took them about 30 miles away to a lovely area I thought would be good to release them. These were various orphan feral Babys I had raised, or babys that had been raised by some of my mated, recovered feral convelescents.

I had too many Birds living in the house and I wanted some of them to mosey on...

They were all at their usual perches on my curtain rods in my living room, day dreaming, preening, and just generally like allways, looking totally normal, when I got home, and I came straight home at a good clip too! So, they all beat me home!


If my young ferals could do it, I recon yours ought to be able to do just dandy too.

Just make sure they have had lots of flying around on their own first, and are up to it. Mine used to fly all day and come back at dusk through the kitchen Casement Window side that I left open for them.

In effect, I had a feral Flock who was domesticated to my little home as their roosting place.

Long as they think of someplace as "Home" by golly you can not beat them back in your Car if you drop them off some place less than an hours drive...unless it is really far or something...they will make a Bee-line and do a something on to a mile a minute without being winded.

So, my own sense of it, is that as long as they think of themselves as a Flock, who roosts in your place, they'll do just fine.

The occasional one might decide to join another flock, and that is how they are, especially if single and young...

Flock memberships are allways shifting slightly as members matriculate to other flocks...

Time of day would matter too, in that for mine anyway, in those days, I 'tossed' mine late in the day, and their normal routine anyway was to come home around dusk...

If I'd tossed them earlier in the day, they might have grazed here and there, goofed around and visited any other flocks they might have seen on the way, and who knows, might have made some friends or flirted or something and not come home so promptly, or, at all...Lol...

I built a big Aviary for them anyway, after that, and they roosted there by night, and flew and grazed who knows where, by day...


Phil
Las Vegas

[WhiteWingsCa]

Originally Posted by muskokapigeon

1. Am I wise to still only be taking 1/2 the flock each time? I have read some devastating stories of great losses even at that short distance from home.

2. Is it ok to have them in the back of the pickup truck in their basket (cloth covered collapsable type) as long as it is tucked up against the cab?

3. Can the birds go on more than one training toss in a day at this distance?

4. Does the heat affect them in the races and in training?

1. Yes, if you've the time, releasing 1/2 of the flock at a time is smart. You don't need to make two separate trips out -- just wait 1/2 hour to 45 minutes after you've lost sight of the first bunch, then let the 2nd bunch go.

2. Yes, you can take them in a truck --- most of the pigeon guys we know train from a truck. Just make sure you park in a shady area, or take the crates off the truck and put them in the shade, while you're waiting to let them go.

3. Yes, you can take them on more than one training toss a day, especially at those shorter distances.

4. Heat will obviously slow the birds down. Making sure they have lots of fresh water, especially on shipping day, is important. Try training as early in the morning as you can - but remember, the birds race from 8am to noon or later, so they'll be flying in the heat, no matter what. As long as your birds are conditioned, they'll be fine.

With the heat and humidity we've been having, (it's been nasty, hasn't it?), the biggest problem is making sure the birds are kept healthy, and that the loft is dry and well ventilated. Bacteria breeds quickly in this weather. Cleaning your drinkers daily with a bit of bleach and water is a good idea.

btw....will you be racing with the Muskoka club in the Eastern Ontario Combine? If so, if you haven't already seen it, you might be interested in the Combine website: www.easternontariocombine.com