Those that are always careful, is very uncareful !
 

Wind, direction and the masse make the result.  This used to be and it’s still the case in 2011. When you don’t agree, you can call me. We had three weeks of middle distance behind us. The first two with an Eastern wind and what did we see? All top-prizes were won by fanciers who live at the West of the line. We notice in OBRAFO, a powerful Union with it’s club in Tienen. Not all clubs from East Brabant are part of it, also a few Walloon clubs at the front, can play here. OBRAFO goes till Leuven and at the back, even a part of the province of Limburg is in it. May 14: Toury(+- 375 km) with a strong North-Western wind, remarquable that all early prizes are to be found in the most Eastern clubs. Didn’t you notice that with an Eastern wind, the pigeons are driven to the Western side, joined by the sun? With an early release, the pigeons are driven to the West because the sun rises early.  Still you always find some pigeons from the Eastern side, that score high. This never happens with a strong North-Western wind, then you’ll never find an early bird at the Western side. Remarquable you can say but a friend of mine, who lives between Leuven and Brussels, wishes me every year on New Year, a lot of Eastern wind for the next season. When you live, like us, at the most Eastern of the line, you know the result.

BLUE HEAVEN LOFT is right on time.  Our option to start a little later, has dropped its fruit. A long time ago, in the seventies, we never started with the widowers before the leaves were on the trees. This year, everything was much earlier because of the exceptional weather conditions. But when you start later, you don’t have any other choice because the programm doesn’t wait.  Those that let their pigeons train at home and bring them away on regular times at 40 till 60 km, will also start with well trained birds. When you take care of that, you don’t have to be afraid to have many lost. Also the training at home is an habit. After some time, the pigeons know exactly what you ask. Regularly, from Tuesday morning, fly a lot with a peak on Wednesday, going till two and a half hours (in the morning one hour and in the afternoon another hour), even when it’s hot.  In fact the sun gives miracles. Another aspect is that the storage of fats becomes effective from the fifth day after taking in and here the sun is very important. When you train your pigeons hard, you have to feed them well. But that’s not an art, just let them choose and the left over can be given to the youngsters or the breeders. In the morning we use the candy seed of Versele-Laga, energy plus and a diet mixture, fulfilled with a part of hennep, Nutri-Power(Natural) plus another part of P40 korrel(Kasper, Fauna Food). In the evening we also work with Versele-Laga  Dietmixture, French Cribs corn, Superstar Plus and Champion Plus.

We use a lot of corn and give it for as long as the pigeons like to eat it. On the loft, we notice that what they eat first is what they get extra. Here with us, everything turns around training and this as well with the hens as the cocks. Because we play double widowhood, we think this to be a big advantage. During the day, the pigeons rest more while the radio is playing loud. Pigeons that sleep on one wing and hold on to their feathers, recover better and faster. They’re also eager to get outside with each training flight and the system with the balloons is working very well. I don’t have to get outside each time with the flag to keep them in the air. In between I can clean a bit, change the drinking pots, prepare the food, it all works out fine and in no time.  Attention: till the beginning of May 2011, we also liked to use peanuts with our racers, partly as Candy but also to reward them. This all changed very quickly. Thanks to our caution but mostly thanks to the good eyes of my wife, we could prevent a lot of trouble.  My friend Willem in Holland, also knows everything about peanuts, he also liked to use them. Till one day, fate stroke and several pigeons died by eating bad peanuts. I knew about this, but I kept on using it. But now, peanuts are also past time. Listen!  A few weeks ago, we received a delivery of pigeon-food and some by-products from our regular supplier. Hereby also a bag of peanuts. A few days ago, I wanted some peanuts in my pocket to give them to the pigeons here and there as a reward. I asked my wife for her attention and give me a portion of peanuts. By coincidence, my wife’s parents used to grow peanuts in Taiwan and my wife had to help out sometimes. This was our luck, the bag of peanuts was totaly not OK, wizened nuts with white hair on them, pointing to mould. And my wife was strict and she said: ”This bag of peanuts can not be given to our pigeons, we’ll give them bit by bit to the birds in the garden.” When I heard this, it became clear that ordinary women know more about men then beautiful women. So, a woman just needs to know one man, to understand them all, while a man can know many women but he’ll never understand them. I was astonished, couldn’t resist and I took the phone . Although it was Sunday, I called the respresentive of the firm, which delivered the products with my supplier. I will not tell you about the conversation. This just can’t happen!  We searched the bag and what seemed to be? We did find a label of the firm but no expiry day or time of production.  The producer and the supplier both blame the seller from abroad. This is no solution to us and it doesn’t help. That’s too late to be of us!  Two years ago, we had the same problem with a bag of sunflower seeds. When we got home, I checked the label and what do you think?  No label at all, so now expiry day or day of production.  Do you know what the seller told me when I contacted him by phone?  “Return the bag…” that’s what he said, end of story. The moral of this history : when you’re not sure about the quality of the seeds, I don’t need it anymore. Pigeons can’t talk but when they eat this, they won’t win any prize at all. And you can keep on curing them while the cause remains. Thanks to my wife, we could prevent all of this. What a woman can do? There’s also an old preverb that says :”A woman is nice Furniture but you don’t want it in your house!”  I don’t agree, but may be it’s the difference in our age.  Think about it…

THE LOST SON