I've been busy over the winter months migrating the pigeon-chat site over to a new server.

As a result i've struggled to keep my blog up to date.

Now that pigeon-chat is more stable I'll be able to spend more time on my site :-)

I'm hoping to get photographs of all birds on the premises and update the site this weekend.

Please check back for an update soon :-0

I've been putting plenty of effort in with the birds over the past couple of weeks - hardly any time to type!

Firstly lets talk results:-

The weekend before this I was 5th at Hill Top (32nd on the Worcester Fed) and was 3rd at Greets Green. Timed a little dark hen at Hill Top and she is my banker for this weekends channel race. At Greets Green I timed a yearling cock 67" (grandson of Jim Smiths Little Joe/Inbred Cock). I only sent 11 birds to the two clubs so I was happy.

This weekend I sent 9 birds to Hill Top and 10 to Greets Green. I was 3rd at Hill Top with Mike Lycett's hen who has previously scored twice at the superclub for me. At the moment she is sitting 4th Fed from 2500 birds and I would have needed to be 20 seconds faster to top it. So very close! It looks like my friend Mark Johnson will top it - So congratulations Mark!

This hen has had three prizes at Kingsdown - So this is definately her race point. She was due to go to Picauville but because she's scored this weekend - she'll be kept for the next sprint race.. Could be a mistake :-)

Mike's hen is the bird that persuaded me to get some Gabys (although this hen is a cross (M&D Gaby Scottish Assassin x Max Litherland Kellens) - this year I have introduced birds from M&D Evans, Gordon Brothers and late last year I also aquired latebreds off Mike - So you could say that over the next few years I'll be concentrating on the Gaby's. I'll have 14 birds at stock from these lofts for 2009. The best of the wildies, vercammen and soontjens will also be retained.

Other good news this week is that D.Edwards&Son are sitting 2nd Fed with their good hen bred off my Blue W/F cock they have on loan, This cock is a winner himself and brother to my good 18 hen - The 2004 Worcester Fed winner. I'm pleased this cock has excelled for them - breeding youngsters to gain excellent club and Federation positions. He'll be coming back to my loft for 2009.

This weekend I'm planning to send 23 to the channel and leave only 8 sprinters in the pen for the following week! So it should be an interesting weekend.

The youngsters are spot on - ranging well and we have 45 on the premises - Today as I went round the loft things couldn't have been better... Sun out and birds looking good.

Cheerio..

I raced at two clubs this weekend. I sent 12 to Hill Top and 18 to Greets Green.

I was five minutes adrift of the winner at Hill Top - But the birds where gappy so I'm not too dissapointed. I clocked Mike Lycett's hen and she looked full of flying after 3hrs and 22 on the wing. She's been consistent all year and she'll score soon :-) Fingers crossed. I may keep this hen for Picauville at the Superclub.

At Greets Green I finished third with the same four year old cock that won last week. "52" has scored many times and has had approx 10 club prizes to date and approx a dozen fed cards. This bird has been held back for the channel but he appears to have come into form earlier than anticipated. He was second last year (at Hill Top) from one of the channel races so he'll be my fancied bird this weekend.

There can be no complaints from fanciers who were behind at the weekend. The weather was good and the strong ENE winds a good test of a birds fitness.

My birds have dipped in form but I still managed to get a prize - This is the seventh consecutive weekend I have got a prize so i'm pleased with that! The performance at Hill Top was not as good as recent weeks (4th, 3rd and 6th in the previous three weeks) but hopefully with some hard work this week I'll be able to get the birds competing again.

The young birds are back to full fitness but have not been exercised since Friday due to the string east winds. Exerience tells me that the birds often hit the wires in such winds - so better to be safe than sorry..

I'll keel trying to get the birds to compete - but at the moment I think I'm figthing a loosing battle. Dont forget though.. sometimes you get a big result when you least expect it...

Cheerio..

I've been busy with work and other stuff over the last couple of weeks..

Results have been ok. Last weekend Number 10 took 4th at Hill Top - taking her tally to 5 prizes in approx 13 career races.

This weekend our 2006 Worcester Fed Winner was sixth at Hill Top and then we finished 1st and 3rd at Greets Green. That makes it four wins in six here - and averaging nearly two prizes per week. The birdage was approx 200 and we had 16 members - Hill Top had 25+.

The young birds have wobbled a bit this week - droppings have not been 100% and a couple held corn. I treated the birds quickly and they now appear to be getting back on track. You have to be on your guard against ybs at all times - If you spot it early you'll be ok!

The Worcester Fed race on Saturday has destroyed my team of pigeons (I lost the good 10 hen this Saturday - Gutted - My number 1 hen) - The hens have also stopped flying, their feeding has been changed in an attempt to re-energise them..

I'm thinking of missing the superclub and Hill Top this weekend and having a break! I'm bored of the birds at present and racing has not been enjoyable - A week off will hopefully reignite my passion

:-) Keep smiling

The good start to the season continued with a good result at Hill Top. The birds where 3rd, 5th, 6th and 8th Club with 27 members sending 277 birds. These four birds where clocked in just over a minute and we had seven out of the ten birds sent in one and half minutes. We actually clocked six of these in less than two minutes.. Using a manual clock slowed me down a little :-)

To most this may not sound a good result - But considering the competition at the club this is good! It is not very often that one member gets four in the top ten at the strong Hill Top club. The club is one of the strongest clubs in the Worcester Fed - being club champions two years in a row.

The first bird clocked was "10" This half Vercammen bird (a sister to last years Cosworth bird) now has two 1sts and two 3rds to her name - and she's only just gone two! Her best racepoint is Kingsdown so she'll be on to watch at the weekend.

The second bird was Mike Lycett's hen. This hen and "10" came together - but she hesitated outside the loft and unfortunately lost a prize - again she improves as the races get longer and harder. The next bird taking 6th was my 2004 Worcester Fed winner - This 2003 hen is still looking good and I fancy her taking a 1st in the next two weeks.. She has won every year of her life and I cannot see a reason why this cannot continue.

The fourth bird was Alan Wilkin's black hen who takes prize money for the third race in a row - She's won approx 130 quid for me so far this year - Well done Blade!

At GGFC we finished 4th. 15 members sending 195 birds We had three spare hens arrive together and lost valuable time getting the birds off the stock loft. We eventually timed "00" the previous weeks winner. An east wind is not a good wind for me at GGFC - But the birds kept me in teh prizes for the fourth week in a row. "00" is a FVW off a Cosworth stud bred hen paired onto a direct Gary Downing cock, bred off the Inbred Cock (a pigeon we also owned).

Of the seven races I have entered this year I have took prizes in six. This has exceeded my wildest expectations but I don't want to known as just a good starter.. My skills as a fancier will know be tested as I try to maintain the form..

Getting form is one thing - maintaining/prolonging it is the hardest part..

One thing I will tell you is that this year I have not treated for respiratory prior to the season and judging by my results I think this was a wise decision. If nothing is wrong don't treat for the sake of it!

Keep working and keep winning - 5:40am start tomorrow!

This week was the first race in the Superclub. I sent my A-Team to this race.. The black hen, "87", My 2004 Worcester Fed Winner, "15" (5th Worcester Fed last year) and Mike Lycett's hen who has previously scored twice at the Superclub.

The birds came really well. I clocked the black hen off Alan Wilkins and "87" 16 seconds apart to take 9th and 13th Superclub. Thats the best performance I've put up in this elite club. They should get me a nice slice of cash back.

The only thing that worries me is that 9th appears to be the best I ever get - this is the third time I have finished 9th.. The aim for this season was a top 5 finish. Maybe one day I'll get amongst them :-)

At Hill Top I had a disaster. I was well behind and proping up the sheet. It's my fault! I selected the wrong team for the job. I sent 10 birds - with a high percentage of yearlings. The birds simply went through. The condition of my birds is good so I wont be taking any drastic action.

Andy Trumpeter had a clear winner here, starting were he left off last year (a potential £280 first prize here - I bet many clubs cant boast that!). The turnout at the club was great and we had 26 members sending. Hopefully next week I'll be able to climb up the sheet.

At GGFC I had a super day. I clocked a clear winner (over 3 minutes ahead) and also claimed 3rd and 4th. My birds rolled in from the Wolverhampton Fed and this perceived weaker team provided my best results on the day. This makes in 3 wins in 3 races and a total of 6 prizes. We had in excess of 200 birds at GGFC this week too.

Saturday was a strange night - In some ways I was pleased, In other ways I was disapointed - especially with the Hill Top performance. Racing three clubs in one day with restricted birdage is a hard thing to do - I push myself to do it because I think it pushes you to get a better team of pigeons around you. When racing one club you can rely on one or two birds - when you are competing with all the best fanciers in your area you cannot do this.

Got up early this morning to spend some time with the birds. The first team of young birds did an hour for the first time this morning. Things are looking good.

The early starts continue this week - We have GGFC and Hill Top to send to next weekend! Cannot wait!

Last but no least!

Conratulations to our friends Melvin and Charlie Duckhouse on an excellent win at the Superclub! Super start for two really nice guys.

The strong East North East winds this weekend combined with the dodgy weather forecast made me decide to keep the crown jewels at home!

I only sent nine hens to Swainswick in the Worcester Fed. Again I nomed one bird (The 87 hen), see picture below taken after she won Hill Top:-



Luckily I won the race with "87" and also the nom. We had a good turnout at the club. 14 members sent 150 birds. My bird is a little off the fed winners pace - but I had a decent pigeon into my location considering the strong east winds.

87 has won many prizes in her career to date. She won Hill Top's first race last year and 5th Worcester Fed. She was 4th club last week at Greets Green. She has about 6 club prize cards to her name now and many fed cards.

With 60 now in the stock pen - "87" and "18" My 2004 Worcester Fed Winner will be the bankers this season! She's a Jim Smith FVW based bird.

The birds came well this week showing no fatigue - Roll on next week.. The big races commence then!

I'm well happy with the Fed result, its a great start to 2008.

Bye!

I took them training tonight to Worcester. The birds where liberated at 5:30pm and to be honest they made a mess of it.

I took 14 birds and they came broke into three kits. For me thats a bad sign. When birds are clearing well they arrive as one pack and do a good velocity - today the birds took 43 mins.. Then hens took 29 mins from the same liberation point on Thursday.

Some look really well - others are way off reaching any kind of form.. The aim is to have these cocks firing in approx 4 weeks and some will be prepared solely for the channel.. Some of the yearlings will be tried at the sprints but they are mainly for the Kingsdown races..

My brain will be working overtime tonight :-(

Saturday 12th April saw the start of the 2008 season.

I only sent hens. They only had two training chucks. One from Bromsgrove approx 15 miles and one at Worcester approx 30 miles. In my opinion birds exercising well around the loft require little work, also it's much cheaper and easier this way.

Overall i'm pleased with the way the hens came. In the club (GGFC) we had 11 members sending 152 birds and I finished 1st and 4th. The first bird doing 1 hr 16 min 6 secs. For a velocity around 1830. The winning bird was bred by Alan Wilkins - also a moderator on pigeon-chat. The bird was a gift and is a Walter Docx. She was originally bred for the black races at Hill Top.

She's always been a bit of a favourite and hopefully she'll develop into a decent bird for me. Either way her season is off to a flyer.

I sent 22 birds and could only nominate one - I chose wisely ;-).

All 22 returned and the birds came ok. The main purpose of today was to get the birds race fit. We had a nice fast race and hopefully that got rid of the cob webs.. Fingers crossed for next week - We'll be racing at two clubs next week.

Bye