HOMING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 56

HOMING NOTES.

Bt Matjsta Mealy,

I notice several fanciers are still breeding in their lofts, and 'lave not divided their birds. These fanciers cannot expect to be successful in the show pens and racing next ' season. Why, some of the members of the Dunedin Club are ioesing their birds along the line with a view to getting them into condition foi some races which their club intends holding. This is a great mistake,, as the pigeons at preeent . are in a low condition. Who has not noticed that bird 6, after having at any time had a gruelling, are at the moulting season most reluctant to fall into a vigorous oasting-off of their old plumage? Then, look at the flights that ha\e been renewed. The odds are 20 to 1 that they are longer and narrower than j previoublv. Continue to impose such tasks and you "will find in a marked degree the weakness accentuated. My advice is, if a, perfect moult has not been effected, whate\er may have been the cause, your birc | during the ensuing season will be useless, I both for racing and stock purpois. The best course will be to rest it for a whole season (unless you have a special reason for reserving it)' or bring its career to a close by adding it to the great majority. The longer you remain a lover of homers the more you feel the necessity of unceasing care whilst the casting and renewal of the feathers are in progreo*. The pigeons now require complete rest, plenty of good food (a mixture for preference), watercress or lettuce occasionally, a bath three times 'a week, also a little linseed and a lump of rock salt, which is absolutely necessary to ensure a perfect moult. I hope young fanciers will in the meantime put a^ide their training baskets until the young birds are ready for the fray. The North Ota<?o Pigeon Flying Club hold its Invercargill race last Thursday. The weather was fine, although the wind wa, strong north-east. Ilie winner turned up in Messrs J. and E. Baler's Te Apiti, who travoreed the 156 miles airline in 4hr 19min. The club's thanks are due to Mr D. G. Strang for liberating and Mr Chilcott, time-keeper. Results : Messrs J. and E. Baker's Te Apiti, velocity 1074 yds per minute 1 Mr B. Valpy's Grenelda, velocity 1071 yds per minute 2 Mr J. Robertson's Federation, 10C2yds per minute ... .5 Messrs F. Couper's Huntsman 984 yds and A. Manton's General 825 yds were the only remaining competitors t<j time in. The concluding race of the old-bird schedule will be flown from Ethelton (205 miles) next Thursday. THE EXD OF THE REARING SEASON. r \"< ' i.,i] iri'-v oi fanciers abuse " breed•ii Tuev (to this from two motives — 1»

obtain as many youngsters as possible and aleo to serve their interests during the racing season. When birds are losing their third and fourth wing flight, and are commencing to loee the little feathers of the wing, head, etc, it is the first warning;. It is to say that the pigeon has finished its work for the year and that it stands in need of a wellearned repose. However, the fanciers who commenced rearing too soon find themselves in an embarrassing condition at this moment, because it is prcisely when the long races are in full swing that the feathers of their birds commence to fall. What do they do then ? To keep their pigeons in form they let them rear a youngster, and so retard the moult; the plumage becomes lighter, the small feathers cease falling, and the bird appears to be in a. good state. It ie not so. This checking of the moult is most injurious to the health of the bird, the proof of which is that the following year many of the subjects 6o treated are no good for racing. This i 6 not surprising. The moult being checked in consequence of the presence of a youngster in. the nest, when this i 6 removed it is like opening the floodgates — :'ll the feathers fall together, and naturally have a great trouble io 'be perfectly reconstructed all at the same time. From that we get an irregular moult, and as a direct consequence a complete fiasco for the following year.

If fanciers will believe u& they will take care never to thwart Nature. It is a principle against which one must never fight if one does not wish to repent later. The late Henri Stas said: —

" Many fanciera have a false idea of flic moult. It ie thus that pigeons having a youngster at the end of July or the commencement of August, if this \oungstcr is withdrawn abruptly it always happens that the old birds moult completely — that is to say, # they lose, at the same time, the feathers of the head and neck; only the fancier does not notice that all the other feathers of the nape of the neck, the breast, and the abdomen, together with the body •feathers, do not moult. It is sufficient if only a few of these do not fall that the following year the birds are not in a condition to bevclaseed."

Fanciers then are warned. If the year following a successful one be altogether bad, let them recall what they did the preceding season, and think if they have done wisely in checking the moult.

. It is a surprise which Nature reserves for all those who thwart her. — " A. A.," La iFreg:ate.

The moult has cau?ed three, four, and even five plumes to fall. Some subjects have finished their campaign. The moult has firmly commenced its work, in spite of ■late- rearing; for if one is master of the pigeon he ie not master of Nature. It is (for the fancier to judge by the state of his pigeons what further amount of work he can expect from them.

The long raoes which are the feature for the first fortnight in July demand that the birds should 'be in especially good form, and have also been prepared for them the preceding year. It is dangerous to send a subject which has not already been trained to 600 kilometres last season. We know quite well that birds have been successful which have not "been so trained, butit will be by favourable weather and propitious winds. I could tell you of a pigeon which won the Grand National, and could not, the following year, be classed, precisely because at the first liberation the racing conditions were so easy that a toy balloon might have flown as well as the pigeon, while the following year only the best of pigeons were successful, and that, too, under groat difficulties. He who is not patient will never succeed : s fanoier is made like a house i 6 ■built — first the foundations, then the walls, and finally the rcof. Again, it is not wise to build a house on sand, neither is it well to commence with birds of doubtful va'ue and unknown origin. Vie not the young pigeoni -splendid? They only ask to fly, and do it heartily. After the disasters and- lessee that one has experienced with the old bird races, one begins to centre all their hopes on the young guard. Do net rear any out those which arc absolutely nrpproachable ; sacrifice without piry any who \\n.\Q faults. But when you have selected vouv youngsters, and there remains only about a quarter of vhese you have bred, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that time will not reduce your contingent to zero. The oid birds will have finished their task during the first fortnight; that of the young birds is seriously ibout to begin.—" Traite Pratique, ' J. Roscor.