training north to south

[brotherstwoloft]

hi everybody, just wondering, those of you who live down south where the temps really get up there. is there anything special or different that you fanciers do than we do up north? like do you start breeding at the very begining of the year and end your races earlier because of the heat? and is there a limit on the temps that you would hold a race? thanks again, hope to hear from you soon.

[birdy]

I live in central Texas and know a little of the pigeon racing scene in the Boston area. I would say one of the biggest differences is that we start OB racing sooner - about mid March and it runs thru the end of May. That's just about when OB racing begins in some parts up North. In June and July, those of us who use the light system just let our YBs sit in the loft and molt - maybe a little loft flying very early in the a.m. or late in p.m. when the temps and humidity is lower. I think clubs up North start racing YBs in late July beginning of Aug. Most of the clubs here start YB racing in mid Sep or early Oct so we begin road training in August but very early in the a.m. You've got to work around the hunters as dove season begins on Sept 1 so I don't train on weekends. YB racing usually lasts until Thanksgiving but depending on the race direction it can go longer. This year we raced from the NE towards Arkansas - it's the worst for weather and bird losses and our season ended a week before Xmas.

As for breeding, a lot of us put the pairs together around Thanksgiving - Dec 1 as to get very early youngsters. I think that's being practiced most everywhere even in the North now with lights, providing some heat to the loft/nestboxes and high protein feed. Our climate is definitely more agreeable for early breeding. I try to band my last youngsters around mid March. Some continue breeding thru May for late hatches and/or OB recruits but most don't breed in the hot summer months.

There are a few hardcore types, at least I hear the talk, where they only train their birds in the hottest part of the day and road train at that time too. I know from personal experience that my pigeons won't fly worth a lick in those conditions. They may be up for 5-10 minutes and then they're on the landing board panting with their wings hanging loose.

Bruce

[SmithFamilyLoft]

There are discussions that certain strains and lines of birds will preform better under certain conditions. That is why good advice is to acquire birds from a consistant winner in your locale.
In my opinion, a good family should preform well in any area of the country. But it should come as no surprize that a successful line of birds in Maine, may not do as well in Florida. If I lived in Florida, I would secure the offspring from the best lines winning in Florida.

[re lee]

While true We import birds to add gain. The birds are then bred to perform at the new fly area. So I think most birds adapt in needs. Thru the breeding progarm. Relocating birds just takes afew years to regroup them. And some adapt first year towards improvement.

[birdy]

Very true Robert. My best performers were from breeders brought in from outside the area and they adapted in the first year.