Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:19:07 GMT Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:19:07 GMT TWO  more races to go-- a 250 and then a 300 in the Tampa Bay Concourse and then it's just the Classic left. The night time temperatures this week are hovering around the freezing point which means that the lofts need to be closed down tightly. I went to see a fancier the other morning and I looked at his young birds in the aviary facing North. Unfortunately, they looked very poor all huddled up and trying to retain heat. All the feathers on the top of their heads were standing upright. Not a good sign. The second leg of the Classic did not turn out well for us. We ended up 35th from 96 lofts and 707 birds. Although my neighbour John Weeks ended up 24th with one of our birds line bred to the Jester x Carrie lines. We clocked on the same minute but seconds down here determine everything. Speaking of seconds, we had our 110 mile club race and it turned out to be a barn burner. The birds were flying at Mach 1 and therefore the two hooks(circles) put me way back. The entire race was over in less than one hour and 50 minutes. That's fast. Tomorrow shipping for the Flamingo One Loft race. Thereis truly something to do every single day of the week.

]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:43:14 GMT The club results are up and  apparently our club did very well in the Tampa Bay Concourse. Those results should be up either to-day or tomorrow. The Classic birds up this morning for the second part of the Option race. Our club 120 mile race is to-night so there will be very little training this week. The bird that is currently in second place for Champion Bird CU-2008-Sylvanlofts-6 - The Sire is 25443-GB- 04- from Westkapelle mated to Band of Gold. The Dam is from my neighbour John Weeks 216 that flew very well last year in the Concourse. All of these birds mentioned can be seen on the web site www.myrtlelofts.com  One particular pair bred four birds that have flown well to date. The following 4 birds CU-2008-Sylvanlofts- 21, 54,  199 and 200 are all bred from the same pair. The Sire is GB-62699-06 Westkapelle mated to Fieneke 804. Both of these birds have Fieneke 5000 in their immediate background. The Fieneke 5000 was probably one of the Best Hens to ever race into Belgium. When you see the Phantom line these birds are from the same family. The Dam GB-62691-06 to the four birds above is from Eisenhower  ( son of Shadow) mated to Joint Venture ( from Gaby 600 x Queen of Diamonds). Another pair of birds that have done very well are 2008-CU-Sylvanlofts-38 and 39. These nestmates are from Sire is 13006GB-06 from Jumpin Jack Flash mated to Foxy Lady( this pair have bred top winners for three lofts- that is why they are now at Myrtle Lofts) . The Dam is 62549-GB-06 from the Golden Gaby mated to Carrie. This same pair produced 4 youngsters last year that flew on top. 2 went to Taiwan 1 to Canada and the other bred 3 excellent young birds this year in Florida. Interesting note that when GB-62549-06 was out of the nest Mark Evans called me and told me that he had bred two ugly bastards from the Golden Gaby cock and Carrie. I told him it didn'y matter to me. He sent over the hen and what a cracker she has been. She went from a Toad to a Princess and ...NO.. I did not kiss her as in the fable. Her daughter from last year bred this year CU-Sylvanlofts-2008-9 & 10 &43. All 3 have hit and 9 and 10 have flown very well in the Concourse. This daughter was mated to a full brother to Laura CU-2006-Sylvanlofts-543. ( lines of Jester, Carrie, Victor Reid, Rolls Royce, Nat. Fideel,Belle, Logan, Ebony, -a virtual who's who of Myrtle Lofts). 543 as a Yearling was the Ace Champion Sprint Bird in the Up North Combine with about 100 lofts. His full brother 544 who raced far better than 543 as a young bird I gave to a fancier Vern Dean in the Minnesota area who had never won a race in his 5 year career in pigeons. He has since bred winners from this 544 and sent out many of his offspring to Futurities and won money.Vern told me that if he ever gets out of the birds he will return the gift 544 , Next time I'll update some of Rick Vanveldhuisen's birds that I am racing in the Classic.   

]]> Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:29:25 GMT The 200 mile Concourse race was moved back a day due to inclement weather. I got a drop of 7 and M & S loft ( he had 2 in the bundle) beat me by one second. Allan Frampton ( Pleasant View Loft) who was 1st and 2nd,3rd in the race told me last night at shipping , " I've packed away a  lot of birds in my time and your birds are some of the best that I have ever handled!" That was a very nice compliment, but you never know how it will end up until all of the clocks are read.  I have had a number of fanciers who are curious as to how some of these Evans birds are bred. I'll mention one as he has been outstanding this year. CU-2008-SylvanLofts-50 is from a pair that we refer to as the PERFECT PAIR. Gord Whale from Toronto named the pair last year because of how the youngsters handled. Joe Ferreira flew two from this pair and both were in the Top Ten of the Up North Combine for Champion Bird of the Year. Unfortunately, one got hawked and therefore Joe made the decision to sell the other to Ted Phillips in Texas. The Sire of 50 is 19010-GB-05 from Shadow mated to his granddaughter Blue Ace ( winner of a car and 15 thousand Pounds in the Europa One Loft race). The Dam of the Perfect Pair is 19007-GB-05 from Joe Jones ( four Top Breeders in his background- National Fideel x Belle and Jester x Carrie) mated to the Uno hen( Uno was 1st National ). I have two others from this pair 2008-CU-Sylvanlofts- 15 and 16. So far they have earned minor prizes, but hopefully they can help us on these last races. To-night we are shipping for the second part of the Triple Crown Classic at the GHC. I have 12 birds that were entered in this race. By the way the Flamingo International One Loft race got a little over 300 home by the third day from that very challenging day. We got all of our 4 home and they ship again this Wednesday. I ship our club race FSI on Tuesday night so once again ..I'll be very busy.

]]> Mon, 17 Nov 2008 01:29:10 GMT The Flamingo were to have their 200 mile race to-day. Unfortunately, the weather did not co-operate and they brought them back to 167 miles. 401 birds from this one loft race were released at 8:15 this morning. The humidity is back with a vengeance and the heat index was over 90 for the day. Literally, once you are outside you melt with the extreme conditions. When you factor in  the headwinds, this  was a recipe for a real tough challenge. I took my own birds and  trained very early in the morning from 32 miles which the birds generally do in 32 to 34 minutes. This morning was overcast and when you add in the three other features above ( headwind, humidity and heat) the group of cocks were stretched to 47 minutes and my hens to 51 minutes. Most of the day has been spent mixing different concoctions in an effort to put back their shine as these challenging days definitely take their toll.  Back to the One Loft Race. When the first two birds arrived at the Flamingo International One Loft Race I knew the day was going to be tough.  J 2 V 2 had 4 birds in the race and our first one was 28th( bred by John Weeks)  just out of the points, but still in for the average speed points. By 2 o'clock in the afternoon they only had 60 birds. We were also 53rd ( John Weeks)  and by 4 o'clock there were only 81 birds. Florida requires an exceptional pigeon and an exceptional handler. Many fanciers have come down here to race only to leave a year or two later because of the daunting challenge it poses. When you first arrive many fanciers in Florida will point out that forget how you raced wherever you came from and get ready for very new and different challenges. Before Tony Melucci arrived he was asked about racing in Florida to which he replied, " Football is Football!!"  After racing down here for a year he was asked again what it is like to race pigeons in Florida to which he replied, " Down here Football is DIFFERENT!!!"  I couldn't agree more and I haven't even finished my first year!!!!!!!!  TOUGH VERY TOUGH!  IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE RACING IN HEAT AND HUMIDITY FOR FOUR MONTHS.......WELL THEN..............YOU DON'T KNOW JACK!

]]> Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:06:19 GMT In the November 1st issue of the Digest magazine, in the Letters to the Editor there was a piece about using milk to cure birds that have the young bird sickness. In the letter the fancier observed that giving one bird milk proved better than the birds that were given the antibiotic ampicillin.I learned a long time ago that if we are going to stress these birds then we had better give them the necessary supplements to combat that stress.In Florida the stress of racing and training is compounded by the severe heat and unrelenting humidity. I use a large array of supplements to keep the homeostasis ( this simply means to keep all the different systems of the body regular or in equilibrium of each other). I can tell you when I arrived in Florida being the new boy when they heard of the many supplements that I use on the feed I was dismissed quickly).( It really doesn't matter how long you have flown at the top where you came from ...even 50 years....until you prove it down here they do not take you seriously).  I can now say that those who were ( laughing, smiling, chuckling to themselves, ridiculing) are now either using the same supplements or are being very quiet!!!!!!!  I will mention three products that I have found to be vital in keeping the birds healthy. These three products are: COLOSTRUM SUPPLEMENT, COLOSTRO-FIX AND BOVINE IgG ESCHERICHIA COLI ANTIBODY ( IMMU-START 50). Colostrum ( this is the dry form- although my partners and I have used the actual milk) is the first milk of the mother cow to the newborn calf. It is chalk full of immunities that are indispensable to the health of the newborn calf.  Once you read the ingredients on these packages you will realize why I use them. Not only do they contain dried colostrum, but many vitamins like  B12, an array of minerals and beneficial gut bacteria. ( I have cut way back on my use of Prima-lac) These products can either be ordered from Jeffers or picked up at Tractor's Supply. In the Immu - Start there are four different types of gut bacteria that are beneficial for the bird in fighting off the young bird sickness and a host of other bad bacteria. In layman's terms if the intestinal tract have beneficial gut bacteria crowding the lining then there is less room for any other organisms. You are now the beneficiary of many of my years of trials, triumphs  and tribulations.

]]> Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:44:26 GMT In last weeks 250 mile race Marles & Evans were 20th, 25th, 31st and 47th from 71 lofts and 1291 birds. My neighbour John Weeks was first Concourse and whenever I get his call and I don't have a bird it's OVER. Since I'm racing the same birds every week (  I started with about 30 of my own - 24 left)  I am going to have to be very creative in these last 3 weeks of racing. These birds receive a host of  supplements on the feed and in the water on a weekly basis. My feeling is that this is the best way to keep them in the best form possible, anything less down here and you are in trouble.  

]]> Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:44:15 GMT MARLES & EVANS were followed closely by Art Hees in 3rd place by 3 seconds and Bruce Cerone ( Woods End Loft ) in 5th spot by a further 12 seconds. My very good friend Rick VanVeldhuisen was 13th and 14th. One of the many differences from racing in Florida as compared to Canada is that in this HotBed of fanciers a fraction of a second has and will continue to determine a race. When I raced in Canada, you were aware that seconds were important, but that it didn't always determine the outcome of a race.  Racing down in this area when you see the bird in the air you are definitely  counting out the  seconds in your head with the understanding that  your positioning  in the race is dropping with every tick. To-day,  It worked  out to 500  a second... that's the difference between 1st and 2nd prize. We were 4 seconds behind the winner which equated to a difference of  2,000 points.  Yes.......the second place bird is a blue hen,  Vandenabeele. Keith Lord purchased the sire of this blue hen from the Pipa web site.  Lucien as the bird is called scored many, many times in Belgium racing. Someone asked me if I was shipping the Sprint race to-night and my reply was, " With what birds!"  This would have been my fourth consecutive shipping night.  Now I realize why some of these guys have 150 or 200 birds, it's so they can ship every race every evening.  To view the entire race results go to www.racingpigeonmall.com/   then go to GULF HOMING CLUB. The race was on 11/10/2008.

]]> Tue, 11 Nov 2008 03:05:01 GMT MARLES & EVANS were  5th by 16 seconds, 11th, 12th, 13th by 21 seconds, 17th, etc. We had 7 in the first group to hit the area however, they really need to drop like rocks to win when the velocity is 1753 yards per minute. It is interesting to note that the bird that was 13th in the race was in my stock loft two and a half weeks ago. I chose her for the stock loft when she was about two months old and therefore she has not been out of the loft since March. When I realized that I wouldn't be able to use the Classic birds anymore in the races I pulled her out of the stock loft.  The first day I let her out she did two hooks around the loft and with the heat and humidity she dropped like a stone on the board with a heavy pant. Every day I would take her wherever I was going and she has now flown 110 miles. Next week Sylvan 20 will be shipped to the 200. This race can be seen on the web site  www.racingpigeonmall.com/  Just look under the Florida Suncoast Inv. club. It will be under the B race flown on 11/09/2008.

]]> Sun, 09 Nov 2008 09:42:44 GMT Marles & Evans ended up 11th and 13th in the club from the 250 mile station. It was interesting that both of these birds have not been to a race in three weeks. As some of the top flyers have told me it's the heat and humidity that wears the birds down. As one very good fancier said," It's an accumaltive effect that eventually does it." Although most of the humidity is gone these birds have been going since August. I  was speaking to Mark Evans the other night and I mentioned that I had wanted to have a small reserve team of perhaps 15 so that I would have some fresh legs ( wings) for the final races in the Tampa Bay Concourse. I started the year with just over 60 , of which half , 30 were sent in for the Gulf Classic race. Some of these Classics are also entered in the  Triple Crown Classic and therefore start their first race  tomorrow from 150 miles. Of the 30 Evans birds that were bred down here I have 24 left and they are now expected to do Yeomans duties.Let's hope they'reup to it. To-night we are shipping for the 125 mile race in the FSI. Sunday night we are shipping the first leg of the GULF CLASSIC. In the FSI club we are still 1st AVERAGE SPEED,  1ST, 4TH AND 9TH ACE CHAMPION BIRDS AND  2ND CHAMPION LOFT POINTS.  

 

]]> Sun, 09 Nov 2008 01:35:27 GMT To-night we are shipping the 250 mile race for the Concourse and the GHC are shipping their 300. Then Saturday night we will be shipping the FSI club 125 mile race where they have an A and B release and then a red, white and blue release for points. On Sunday night it's shipping for the first leg of the Triple Crown Gulf Classic. Then Tuesday it's over to the Flamingo International One Loft race to watch the 200 mile race. Of course if you live in the Unit then Tuesday evening once again it's shipping for the A and B race. Thursday is a night of rest and then it starts all over again. Most of the races these days are all Point races and a chance to pick up some of the expenses paid out.  The winner from Tuesday's GHC Auction race won 13,000 points.

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