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Double Widowhood - Part 3
The
last point I discussed was just prior to training the old birds for racing. It is
imperative that the young birds be weaned as soon as possible. Only then will
we see the dramatic boost in health that we are looking for. I will have all of
my young birds out of the loft three weeks prior to the first race. The old
birds will have been exercising for at least three to four weeks before I
actually begin to train them. For me this training for the first Old Bird race
takes place at a minimum of three weeks prior to the first race. Normally, I
will take just the Cock birds because the hens have either just been separated
or are ready to be separated that week. My practice is to go only about 16 or
20 miles on a very nice day. At this time of the year you certainly do not want
to hurt the pigeons by over extending their muscles. Also, if the weather is
too cold I will consider taking them out later or wait until the next day. This
caution comes from experience. I well remember jumping the gun one year due to
my excitement at playing widowhood and getting the widowers out for a club toss
on a rather dubious day. The weather turned for the worse, I felt that the
trucker being an experienced pigeon flyer would bring them back. Needless to
say, the day turned out disastrous and even my earliest arrivals were cold and
wet. All form was lost in the loft and it took a long time before it started to
return. Armed with this vivid memory of twenty years ago, I now proceed slowly
and carefully with a little more thought to the oncoming race season.
After the separated hens have been on
their own for a week to recuperate, I will include them on all tosses. Each
time they return, they are allowed to go back to their nest and then I
carefully return them to their own section. In the three week training period,
I will try to toss both sexes at least thirteen to fifteen times. The emphasis
is not on distance, but rather repetitions. Most of the tosses will be from 30
to 40 miles with only a few further than this. Of course I will continue with
the exercise around the loft and adjust the training according to my
observations. For instance, if the flying exercise time around the loft drops
off dramatically then I will discontinue training and exercising until I find
out what is wrong. Sometimes it's just a couple of days rest that they need and
they are back to their normal exercise time. They should be constantly moving
in the sky, darting here and there, landing momentarily and then off again.
Thirty minutes at this time of the year is more than enough. I try to keep the
birds to a routine so as not to upset their internal clock. Therefore, if I
toss in the morning, then I will exercise them at their normal time in the
evening.
Since I do not have a partner, training is
a little more difficult. After crating both the hens and cocks in separate baskets,
I then make sure that the only trap open is where the nest boxes are kept. On
occasions I will allow the hens into this section first by letting them go a
shorter distance. I don't feel that it is critical. If I am fortunate enough to
be at home when they arrive, then I will allow them in the open doors. It is a
sight to see them pitch from the air and swish into their box. Over the last 20
years that I have flown widowhood, I have seldom been home when they arrived,
but I can assure you that it has not adversely affected my results. Usually, by
the time I return home the cocks and hens are in their respective nest boxes
and are crouched over the bowl. At this time, I carefully remove the hen to her
own section which is right next door . There is a solid partition between the
sections and the hens loft is fitted with perches only while on the cock side
there are only nest boxes. Once the hen is removed I turn the bowl over and
close off the half section which contains the bowl. I like the birds to calm down
and rest for it is the resting phase which is one of the most important factors
in racing double widowhood. Some fanciers spoil this particular time by
returning to the loft too many times or keeping the hens beside the cocks
without a slid partition or allowing the sexes together too often for too long.
Try at all costs to avoid these situations. If it is a particularly nice day
then set a warm bath inside for both of the sexes as this tends to help calm
them down and rest. After the birds have been trained for their targeted
thirteen or fifteen tosses then they should be race ready.
Our fist race is about 130 miles which is
anywhere from a two and a half hour flight to three hours. If your first race
is longer, then I would definitely increase the number of tosses because you
want to make sure that they handle the time on the wing without hurting
themselves for the rest of the year.
We
will all readily agree that medicating is often a double edged sword. How much
are you giving up in the way of natural resistance and good healthy bacteria in
order to achieve the desired effect on unwanted bacteria? Over the years I have
had the opportunity to experiment using different amounts of medication varying
from using nothing to a fixed weekly programme. From experience my worst year
ever was when I decided to treat the birds very naturally. ( homeopathically).
Likewise the other extreme does not work either and those lofts who are heavy
medicators soon succumb to the stress of over medicating. Where does this leave
us?- in the middle. " All things in moderation."
During the first week of training, I
generally treat against trichomoniasis for five days with either Emtryl or
Ridzol. Make sure that they receive the right amount - one teaspoon per gallon
for the entire five day period. Thanks to the training of Dr.G. Chalmers, I am
now able to check faecal
samples
for either worms or coccidiosis. Neither have been a problem in the past as I
watch very carefully for any changes in the loft. If the droppings on your
birds were off then I would strongly suggest seeking a reputable Pigeon vet to
give you advice.
If
the widowers are exercising freely and are training well then this is the
extent of the medication I administer before the first race. However, if the
birds are not willingly exercising prior to the first race then you have
problems. A sure sign of a respiratory problem is if during training, as soon
as the birds are released, they circle and circle and circle.
Also, if you are lucky enough to be present
as the trainers are landing then observe very closely and look for the
following tell tale signs. Upon arrival
do they open their beaks wide.. almost as if they are yawning?
Do they rub their nostrils ( beak ) on their
wings? If the weather is cool, do they land with their beaks open and panting?
If you answered yes to any of these then you may certainly have a respiratory
problem. What should you do? For the next ten days I would rest the birds and
place them on a medication programme consisting of an anti-tricho drug, Emtryl
or Flagyl or Ridzol etc. plus an anti-respiratory drug combination( Tylosin and
Doxycycline). Make sure you use an anti-tricho drug that you have not used yet
this year. Trichomoniasis is an opportunistic bacteria and quite often waits
for a little stress on the birds and then it opens the door for a secondary
infection such as respiratory.
Once we start racing we will discuss which
medications to use and how. Hopefully, your birds will really look the part and
be ready for the competitions ahead. If you have been conscientious with the
training, cleaning, keeping smaller numbers and observing the birds daily they
should look good.
Handling of the Widowhood Hens
As has been mentioned earlier I like to
separate the hens when the young birds are about eighteen to twenty days old.
If the hens happen to lay before this let them sit for two to three days then
remove the eggs, bowl and the hen. You do not want these birds to start
moulting. Our 11 week season is short enough when you consider the length of
time that you keep them so make sure they compete with as full a wing as
possible.
The widowhood hen section should contain
only perches and preferably some kind of mechanism (like a screen door) to enclose the hens
once they are on the perches. Why? As I see it the only problem with racing
widow hens, is that they love to mate to each other. After four, five or six
weeks ( sometimes sooner ) the hens will start to mate. I have heard of or seen
many, many, different methods that have been put into practice to stop this.
For me, the one that works is to close them in once they are on their perches.
My perches are about 12 x 12 and I have a 2 x 1 screened frame which closes
over the perches and keeps each bird in its own separate perch. In the morning
when my time is very limited, the hens will not be exercised, but they will be
let out on the floor for a light, cereal feed ( barley, rice, wheat and white
milo ) a drink and then back up onto their perches. At this time I will close
the screen door over the birds. Next, I hang a dark curtain over this 2 x 1
frame so that the hens can not see out. Now I can give my widowhood cocks their
exercise and I do not have to worry about the sexes seeing each other. The
widowers are generally out for about 30 minutes in the beginning of the year.
Be careful if the weather is not conducive to good form then keep them in. Some
widowhood fliers allow their cocks only out once a day and they compete very
well. This exercise could also take place in the afternoon, it really does not
matter. Once the widowers are back in the loft then take the curtain away from
the hens side. Now, try and leave both sexes alone for the next eight hours.
This is the time of the day when I feel that the widowers get an edge on
their competition by merely resting and
sunning....absolute bliss.
I had hoped to discuss feeding, but I will
incorporate that into the next article. I leave you with this thought...Some
people try to find ways to eliminate their competition....Why not try
eliminating one factor in your own loft that might be keeping you from
beating the competition-- numbers!! By reducing your numbers the health, form
and race results of your loft will improve considerably. ....Till next time...
All the Best...and if I can be of any assistance please do not hesitate to
write or call....
Sylvan Lofts
J. & J. Marles
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