The rules and regulations are strict and fair.  They are necessary to keep all fanciers at the same level before the race series starts.  All fanciers start off equal, and all have the same chances to win the large prizes and pools.  If all is equal and fair before the race series starts, then why do some win frequently and others do not?  The difference in winning or losing must be that some fanciers have better quality birds, some fanciers are better trainers or a combination of both.

What is more important, the birds or the trainer?  Many say the pigeons are more important, and much has be written about the type and quality of birds necessary to win the honor, fame and financial rewards in Taiwan’s tough style of racing.  But, I believe more races are won and lost by the trainer's responsibility and decisions more than the birds' abilities.

It all starts 10 weeks before we band our young birds for the race series:

1.70 days before we band our birds, all breeders (COCKS and HENS) must be prepared for breeding season by placing them on 20-22% protein diet (grain mix 18% protein, pigeon pellets 21-28%, few peanuts, fresh grit, powder mineral mix, pickstones, along with vitamins, minerals and electrolytes in water 3-4 times a week).  Because of the various breeding seasons, as many as 3 during the year, all breeders should be kept on regular breeding mix 365 days a year.  DO NOT CHANGE THE BREEDERS DIET IN THE OFF SEASON!

2.60 days before we band our birds, place all breeders on a complete medication program for Coccidiosis, Canker, Paratyphoid, E-Coli, Respiratory Infection and Worms.  This can be done by giving the birds a “MULTI-MIX COMBO” for 5 days.  Fanciers must buy the very best medication for each problem and mix them together in one gallon of water, and give it to the birds straight for 5 days.  IMPORTANT!  DO NOT USE MIXES ALREADY PREPARED AND SOLD IN PIGEON STORES!  These are usually of poor quality and will not give you best results.  FANCIERS MUST BUY AND MIX “MULTI-MIX COMBO” EACH DAY and place VITAMINS IN WATER WITH “MULTI-MIX”.

3.50 days before we band our birds, we start to plan our breeding program.  Look for the healthiest cocks and hens to place in the breeding section.  Birds must be in excellent health at this time to be considered for the breeding loft.  We should be breeding from bloodlines that have already proven themselves successful in Taiwan, especially in the area where you will race (north, central or south).  It is no secret what bloodlines have had great results.  However, some fanciers select birds to breed that have had no success in Taiwan and are of little use to the Taiwan racing style.  THE RACE IS ALREADY LOST!

4.40 days before we band our birds, we start to introduce the new mating pairs (cocks and hens) to each other for a few minutes each day to see if they will accept each other as mates.

5.28-30 days before we band our young birds, we place pairs together.  If cock and hen accept each other quickly we should have eggs in 7-10 days.  Depending on band sales, fanciers may have to adjust putting cocks and hens together due to the age which young birds must be banded.  This period of time 70 days before we band our young birds in very important for fertility, developing of the embryos in the egg, hatchability, and growth and development of youngsters.  Many races are already lost in this period because the trainer failed to prepare his breeders properly for the breeding season. “MANY RACES ARE LOST IN THE NEST AND BREEDING LOFT EVEN BEFORE THE RACE SERIES STARTS”!

6.After 17-18 days from the eggs being laid, we should have a very high fertility of eggs and hatchability of young, and the start of growth of strong, healthy young birds.  Keep breeders on a regular schedule for feed time, and feed at least 3 times a day.  We continue to feed 20-22% protein to the breeders (grain mix 18%, 21% pellets, peanuts - about 20 nuts per pair of birds each day, fresh grit, always clean water, vitamins, minerals and electrolytes in the water 3 times a week).  Pellets should be left in loft at all times and fed in separate containers, so the birds have free choice along with pigeon grit.

7.The next 28 days are very important for development of our young birds in the nest.  The fancier can provide NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS like fresh garlic, onions, honey, lemon, apple cider vinegar and herbal teas in water with vitamins.  Fresh lettuce, spinach and chopped carrots should be washed and placed in loft 2 times a week.   Fanciers can add Brewer’s Yeast, Wheat Germ Oil, Natural Olive Oil and Mineral mixtures over the feed.  All of these supplements are needed when birds are young, during growth, moulting, mating, breeding and especially during and after illnesses. 

IMPORTANT NOTE CONCERNING “RAW SPANISH PEANUTS”:  Peanuts are superior to any other grain we can give our birds for racing.  It is an advantage for the fancier to feed peanuts to his breeders.  They are excellent for both healthy breeders and to develop nice young birds.   More importantly, the fancier introduces young birds to peanuts.  They love the taste. The birds become tame, and you will have no trapping problems when the birds return home for a few peanuts.  When young are about 14 days old, start to place a few peanuts and other grains in the nest bowl for young birds each day.  This will be a big help when we start to wean the birds.

8.When young birds are 26-30 days old, they are removed from their parents (weaning period).  Before placing young birds {26-30 days old) in the flying section, the fancier should be completely sanitize that area with loft disinfectant, along with all feeders and water containers at least 2 times.  CLEAN WATER IS IMPORTANT FOR EXCELLENT HEALTH AND SUCCESSFUL RACING!  Water containers should be cleaned and disinfested several times each week.  Drinking water should be clean and germ free at all times.  The two best disinfectants available in the USA are Clorox (regular bleach) and Nolvasan.  Both are all purpose disinfectants that can be used in the loft as well as in the drinking water.  One tablespoon per gallon of water of CLOROX or NOLVASAN in the drinking water is very helpful and will not harm the birds.  IMPORTANT:  Do not use CLOROX or NOLVASAN in the water when using medications, vitamins or other supplements!

9.Remember, we started feeding the young birds in the nest at 14 days old.  This should make the weaning period very easy.  Place feed and water in the loft at all times for first 5 days of weaning.  The young birds should have free choice to eat and drink.  We feed our grain mix 18%, have 21% pellets in the loft, fresh grit, and 2-3 times a day hand feed a few peanuts to the young birds.  Water = 1 teaspoon of vitamins, 1 teaspoon of Sulmet, 1 teaspoon Aureomycin, 1 teaspoon of Ridzol mix in 1 gallon of water.  Give this COMBO MIX for 5 days with free choice of feed.

By placing small grains and peanuts in the nest bowl at 14 days, the trainer now takes on a new job as teacher.  He makes a whistling sound or some other noise that the birds recognize and associate with feed and peanuts.  This will help with control of birds and easy trapping.  We dip their heads into water at 21 days once or twice a day to encourage them to drink.  This education starts at an early age because we do not want any setbacks in growth, development of muscles, bone structure or feather quality when we wean the young from their parents at 26-30 days old.

10.During the 6th-10th day in the flying section, the birds are 31-35 days old and their education continues.  The birds are placed in a “settling cage” on top of the loft.  This wire cage lets the birds look around and check out where they live.  The cage is connected to the trap where birds enter the loft.  After 1-2 hours in the cage, fanciers make their peanut “whistle call” and call the birds into loft, feeding them a few peanuts.  This procedure can be done 2 or 3 times a day for next few days.  When you settle the birds to the flying loft, KEEP IT SIMPLE!  Show them where to enter or trap safely.  The fancier can place them through the trap a few times by hand, GENTLY.  With a few peanuts, they will trap quickly.  After a few days the “settling cage" is removed and the birds can be let out on the loft to be settled.  The routine should never change.  It is always the same:  Loft fly or exercise, land, “peanut whistle”, birds trap, peanuts waiting for them as a reward.

During this period we provide fresh water in the loft at all times with vitamins, minerals and electrolytes with fresh squeezed lemon every other day.  We keep pellets in the loft with fresh grit at all times.  Birds are fed grain and peanuts 2-3 times a day.  ALLOW THE BIRDS TO EAT ALL THEY WANT AT EACH FEEDING!  Young birds in training should never miss a meal or be kept hungry or thirsty for any reason.  The fancier will have complete control of the birds by feeding “peanuts”.  The birds will not over eat or get fat when they are in training, and they need all the nourishment required to continue physical and mental development at a young age for the tough races.

11.At 45-50 days old, the birds should be flying freely around the loft.  If possible, we would like to loft fly 2 or 3 times each day weather permitting.  We continue the loft fly for the next few weeks.  Loft flying 2 or 3 times a day develops the birds physically, and the birds will mature faster.  REMEMBER, WE ARE LOFT FLYING 3 TIMES A DAY – BIRDS RECEIVE ALL THEY WANT TO EAT AND DRINK AFTER EACH LOFT FLY!  The same routine:  Loft fly, land, peanut whistle, trap, peanuts.  When loft flying, we do not force the birds to fly.   When they are tired, let them land and return inside of loft to rest.

Water in loft at all times, 2 days a week vitamins, minerals, electrolytes with lemon.

"MULTI – MIXTURE MEDICATION" FOR 2 DAYS STRAIGHT:

1 Tablespoon Ridzol

1 Tablespoon Aureomycin-Sulmet or Amprol or Corid

1 Teaspoon Tylan

1 Teaspoon Vetisulid

Wormer in mix every 3rd or 4th week if necessary

MIX ALL MEDICATIONS IN 1 GALLON OF WATER AND SERVE STRAIGHT FOR 2 DAYS.

2 DAYS a week Herbal TEA

1 DAY a week:  onion, garlic and apple cider vinegar mixed in 1 gallon of water and serve it straight.

We continue on the same water – feed diet until 2 weeks before the first race.

12.After the young birds start to loft fly for about 3-4 weeks, they will become stronger and more curious.  They will start to leave the area of the loft and spend time routing (checking out surroundings away from the loft).  They sometimes will spend 20-30 minutes flying out of the sight of the trainer and the loft.  At this point, the birds show the trainer that they are ready for road training.  Road training tosses should not begin until the birds start routing.  If the trainer starts road training before the birds are routing HEAVY LOSSES USUALLY OCCUR!

13.Before we start road training, successful trainers educate the young birds to the training basket.  Young birds are placed in the basket in front of the loft.  They stay in the basket for about 10-15 minutes and then released to fly to the loft safely.  We repeat this experience 3-4 times before we start road training.  Trainers will also teach the birds to eat and drink in the basket.  Another important area that is many times overlooked is that the birds will eat and drink in the shipping crates that the local club uses.  Successful trainers educate their young birds by obtaining a crate IDENTICAL to the one used by the club.  This crate is the same size, color, same location of feed and water, same release location and has the same opening as the club’s crate.  Teach the birds to eat and drink in the crate many times before the first race.  This prepares the birds for shipping night, and it is a big advantage for your birds to know where to look for food and water.  Your birds must be prepared in advance for this new experience.  Take no chances that the birds will find feed and water on their own.

14.When we start road training, we start our distance at 1 mile from the loft.  We gradually increase the distance of our training tosses to 5, 10, 15, 20 miles, etc. until we reach the water.  We stay at each location 3 times.  On the third time at each location we are going to single toss each bird.  This is important to the young bird’s education, forcing the bird to think on its own.  This is the first step in teaching the bird to be independent, and to build confidence in its own ability to navigate and return home by itself.  Birds must possess early physical maturity.   We develop this by making 2 or 3 training tosses each day, weather permitting, at short distances of 5, 10 and 15 miles.  REMEMBER, feed and water is always available to the birds and the routine is the same – train, land, trap, peanuts.  We are asking the birds to train hard.  They need food to stay healthy and develop muscle.  They will not get fat with this training schedule.  The fancier will have no problem with birds trapping or control if peanuts are waiting.

15.Once we reach the water, all training tosses are single tosses, which teaches mental maturity and intelligence.  Outwardly many pigeons look good (physically), but what is inside counts on race day (intelligence, confidence and independent thinking to lead, not follow the other birds).  Single tosses help to educate the bird and build its confidence to fly home by itself on race day.  When we look for locations to release the birds near the water, always try to find large land marks that the birds can see at great distances from the water.  Because the wind factor on race day will determine where the birds will find land, NORTH or SOUTH of the straight line of flight, we train up and down the coastline near the water.  Birds will look for land first as they come off the water and then start to look for home.  This is why it is important to train up and down the coastline.

16.Two weeks before the race series starts put the birds on 5-7 days of 3000-3500 mg AMOXYCILLIN per gallon of water, with vitamins / electrolytes.  You can still train the birds while on AMOXYCILLIN with no problems, but I WOULD KEEP THE TOSSES SHORT - 10-15 MILES!

One week before the race series starts, until the series is over, feed 3 times a day on a regular schedule: 60% mixture, 20% safflower, 20%peanuts, grit and pellets.  Give the birds all they want to eat.

DAY OF SHIPPING:vitamins, minerals, electrolytes

DAY BIRDS RETURN for 24 hours:  vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, lemon.

Next 48 hours:  multi-mixture medication combo (vitamins in the water)

Next 24 hours:  fresh water

Next days until shipping:  vitamins, minerals, electrolytes

Training the last week before race series starts:  1 training toss at water each day

The week between the races:   The birds need more REST than training.  For the first two days after birds return home from race, give them 2 days of rest / NO TRAINING!, 3rd day loft fly, 4th day 1 toss at water, remaining days before we ship loft fly.  If the birds seem tired, give them complete rest until the next race.  We have trained the birds 2 or 3 times a day for several weeks, REST IS VERY IMPORTANT and MORE NECESSARY THAN TRAINING AT THIS POINT!   Between races the birds need time to recover and rebuild their body for the next race.

The successful trainer understands that he is breeding and training athletes.  These birds need athletic ability, proper training and coaching before the races, excellent diets, good health and hygiene habits, plenty of rest between races, regular routine and a stress free environment to stay in condition and compete week after week.

The trainer must study every area of the racing game and try to improve his or her knowledge concerning feeding, medications, training, breeding, loft design and style of racing.  The trainers / owners who do not give 100% effort to improve their ability each year are disappointed and continue to make the same mistakes every race series.

Fax:  856-461-0247

Email:   Bobpriscopigeons@aol.com

Website:  www.priscoracingpigeonloft.com