20 Tips to Becoming a Champion Fancier

20 Tips to Becoming a Champion Fancier

It is often said, “A fancier that flies well is envied.”  When a fancier flies especially well, it means that he has secrets or special tricks.  I believe there is no truth to the so called “SECRETS” of our sport.  To become a champion and remain one, the true fancier does not trouble himself with color, body, eyes, wings, etc.  He breeds birds that will successfully compete in the tough competition, and he lets the races and the “Basket” be the true tests.

Spend quality time with your birds, and you will improve your record.  Give the birds kind, gentle and regular attention so they will trust you.  This should make them contented and unafraid.  This loving care they receive will encourage their instinctive love of home, and it will speed them up or motivate them to their best performances on race day.  There is no one perfect way of doing things in this sport.  However, there are certain things which everyone must do to succeed.

20 things to remember to becoming a champion fancier,

1. Good health is 75% of the secret to successful pigeon racing.

2. Sending pigeons to training tosses will not cause them to be in good health.

3. There is no substitute for the basket test.  It never shows favorites.

4. A few good pigeons are better than a large number of inferior ones.

5. Give your youngsters a chance to mature.  Do not overwork and burn them out with long, hard training flights.

6. A large flying team is never necessary to win or compete successfully.

7. A loft stands or falls according to the value of its HENS!

8. Most of the sickness which plagues fanciers starts from overcrowded conditions in the loft or the club’s race

9. Go slow and be patient.  Start with 3 to 5 pairs of breeders and build a nucleus from them.

10. Train consistently and have an effective trapping system with plenty of short tosses (10-20 miles).

11. Breed performance birds to performance birds or performance bloodlines to performance bloodlines.

12. Avoid birds that have been breed year after year for pedigree lines:  The cost is HIGH and the results are POOR!

13. The downfall of many successful lofts has been their attempts to make changes by trying to seek new blood and not

14. Keep only a few pigeons, but keep the best you can get.

15. Intelligent pigeons have no trouble finding home and are able to adjust to different types of conditions.

16. Frequently top lofts use a select bird from the other champion lofts around the country as a performance cross.

17. Successful flying requires a 365 day per year commitment.

18. If you count on chance or luck to win races, you will have a better chance if you purchase a lottery ticket.

19. Spend quality time with your birds, and you will improve your record.

20. Breed birds that will successfully compete in the tough competition based on results not, color, body, eyes, wings, etc

20 Tips to Becoming a Champion Fancier By Bob Prisco

The Leading Online Pigeon Racing and Racing Pigeons Magazine – The Pigeon Insider

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18 thoughts on “20 Tips to Becoming a Champion Fancier

  1. Talking about training birds,well I had a real blow out today.I’m training late breds that were to young to race in the young bird season,so I’m going to race them in the old bird program.I won’t push them too far,I’ll see how they go.But back to the training.I took the birds about 50kms from home,they have been beating me home up till today.The weather was overcast sky,with some patchy light showers,and a moderate south east wind blowing.On the way to the liberation site I was thinking,this will sort the men from the boy’s(so to speak).Well I let them go and then watched as they flew,North then south,off to the east,then south again.They disapeared for about 10 minutes then came back over where I let them go and headed northeast.At this stage I was thinking “shit”.I got in the car and headed for home,trying to comfort myself,thinking well I can’t wrap them up in cotton wool.I’m better off with a few good ones than a loft full of no good ones.When I arrived home the loft was empty,”shit”.I knew this was going to happen.1 1/2hrs later 1 bird hit the loft.I checked him,good he’s off my best stock pair.His brothers have scorded in races before.I paced around the yard looking out for more.Come on guy’s,where have you got to,I waited,and waited,and waited.Finally a batch of 26 birds landed 2 1/2 hrs after I let them go.I waited untill it started to get dark and 2 more hit the loft.Thats 29 birds home out of 44.I live in northland NZ and the land scape is hilly to mountain ranges.I live in a valley with a mountain range running up along one side and a forest along the other side.I am thinking that the birds had trouble getting their bearings and headed off up the wrong side of the mountain range and over shot the mark.By the time they could round the top end of the mountain range they would be well north of the loft.I’ve got 15 birds out overnight.I just hope It doesn’t hurt them too much.

    1. Just an up date,14 birds back today,so only 1 missing.They looked like they have flown a fair distance.If only they could talk and tell me what happend.I don’t much like it when birds stay out over night,but at the same time I would rather they had a couple of hard training tosses and do better in the racing.You never know which one’s are leading the pack home when they all arrive together,so a bit of a bust up teaches them to use their own heads.

  2. That’s what I’m talking about! don’t worry about “strains” & “bloodlines” as much as being close to your birds! Know your pigeons & work with them! I’ve had common, street pigeons “blast” home along with my homers! as long as they were cared for & trained right. Okay, sure good stock helps, keep a clean coop, and just be consistant and “KNOW” your birds!

  3. I greatly admire Bob Prisco’s piece and would love to hear more on his 2nd commandment: “Sending pigeons to training tosses will not cause them to be in good health.” I think he means that sending them on the road (either solo loft or in the club truck) may be good exercise, but exercise is only part of good health. It seems pretty obvious that when you put your pristine healthy birds together with birds from the club or combine they come home with colds, lice, and often worse- requiring inoculation for prevention and lots of antibiotics. That’s always bothered me. The same way your kid goes to school healthy and comes home with influenza, and any other horrific disease they’re not previously inoculated for. Crowding with strangers is the no. 1 downside to racing.

  4. We found a Pigeon on our way to School with no – 19287 GB 60
    If anyone has lost or is waiting for this
    Pigeon to return home, it’s in the Rogerstone,Newport area.

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