Educatia si Dresajul

Training
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larger image Education: Important To Young Bird Training
As parents, we want the best for our children. We send them to the best schools. We want them to have the best teachers. We buy them the best equipment to learn and study. We spend time and money to provide our children with the best education we can afford to give them. WHY? Because education is important to help them achieve their goals and be successful in life. Therefore, we give them every opportunity possible to succeed.

Also, we must do the same for our young birds in training for them to have the best chance to succeed and to win the large prizes. They are like young children ready to learn. Their education starts the day they are born. From the first day, the fancier must provide the best feed, vitamins, minerals and electrolytes: a regular grain diet of 15-17% protein, plus raw Spanish peanuts, safflower, poultry pellets 21-28% protein, fresh grit each day, Liquid vitamins, minerals and electrolytes in water 2-3 times a week.

We must place small grains in the nest bowl during each feeding when young are 14 days old. They learn to eat at an early age. We dip their heads into water at 21 days old 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.

We never limit or ration feed for young birds in training! This means that the birds get all they want to eat of quality grain from birth until the last day of a race series. Just like your children, you want them to grow to be big, strong and healthy. Do you cut your children's food and drink when they are growing? The same applies to young birds. When we wean the young birds at 26-30 days of age, it is another learning experience. There should be feed and water in front of them at all times during this weaning period, about 4-6 days. We want no set back in growth and development mentally or physical. We want them active and alert at all times.

When we settle the birds to the flying loft, we keep it simple. Show them where to enter or trap safely. We place them through the trap a few times by hand, GENTLY. This gives them the experience to go through the trap. A few peanuts waiting for them after they trap will encourage them to trap quickly. This routine should never change: Always the same - loft fly or exercise, land, trap, peanuts waiting for them.

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 tosses. Road training tosses should not begin until the birds start routing.

Again, we must educate the birds to the training basket. We place them in the basket a few at a time in front of the loft. We let them stay in the basket for about 10-15 minutes and open basket for them to fly to the loft safely. We repeat this experience 3-4 times, a few birds at a time, before we start road training. This will enable the birds to feel safe in the basket and not confused.

When we start road training, we start about 1/2 mile away from the loft, releasing the birds at this point 2-3 times. Remember, the routine is the same training, land, trap and peanuts.
We gradually increase the distance of our training tosses to 1, 5, 10, 20 miles. We stay at each location 3 times. On the third time at each location we are going to single toss each bird! This is the most important part of the young bird's education. These single tosses force the bird to think on its own and not to rely on other birds to follow home. This is the first step in teaching the bird to be independent, and to build confidence in its own ability to navigate. Release each bird separately, about 10 minutes apart, and it must rely on its own homing skills. These single tosses are only made after a bird has been to the location at least 2 times with the group.

We agree that our birds must possess early physical maturity, and also, more importantly, mental ability to race and home successfully at a young age. The best way to teach this is to single toss the birds. When we train at short locations like 5, 10, 20 miles, these training tosses can be 2-3 times a day. It is better to have 2 ten mile tosses than 1 twenty mile toss for the birds to gain experience. Remember, feed and water is always available to the birds, and the routine is the same - train, land, trap, peanuts. If they know that the peanuts are waiting for them, you will have no problem with trapping.

When we look for locations to release your birds, always try to find large land marks that the birds can remember and see at great distances. After we reach the 40 mile toss location or the water, whichever comes first, all training tosses are single bird tosses. The birds must learn to fly independently from this point.

Our training tosses are now made as close to the water as possible: Varied NORTH and SOUTH OF OUR STRAIGHT LINE OF FLIGHT. We look for land markers as release points that the birds can use as they come off the water.

IMPORTANT: The birds are always sent to training tosses with a full tank of gas, fully fed and watered at all times. Hunger is the most destructive factor for our race birds. If a bird becomes hungry during a training toss or race, the bird develops memory loss, fatigue and loss of weight, all of which can be serious problems. Homing now becomes secondary to the need to survive, many times causing the loss of the bird.

If the birds fly south to north east, then they will probably head toward land first (east), then fly north. We should now single toss our birds south of the straight line of flight at tall land markers that they can recognize as they come off the water. These single tosses must be at least 10 minutes apart. If we release the birds too close together, they will not leave the area, but wait for the other birds and fly home together.

Single tossing creates and teaches mental maturity and intelligence. Many times the trainer overlooks this point. Outwardly many pigeons look good (physically), but it is what is inside that counts on race day (intelligence, confidence and independent thinking to lead, not follow the other birds.) It is important to recognize that a racing pigeon must and does navigate and think for itself independently, and not become a follower. Single tossing helps to educate the bird, and build its confidence to fly alone.

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. They now school and educate the birds to eat and drink in these crates many times before the first race. They prepare the birds for what to expect on shipping night. This is a big advantage for the young birds to know where to look for food and water. We take no chances that the birds will find it on their own. We have prepared them in advance for this new experience.

In each situation, we have prepared our birds for new experiences in advance, all of our teaching and learning techniques help our birds to think and navigate for themselves independently from all the other birds in the race.

We must understand that we breed and train athletes. There is no difference between training and coaching a human or an animal athlete. They both need the athletic ability, proper training and coaching before the competition, excellent diets, good health and hygiene habits, plenty of rest, regular routine and a stress free environment to stay in condition and compete week after week to win the large prizes.

In the USA we have several types of races for both young birds and old birds. We place a great value on birds that compete successfully in a 1 bird derby or futurity race. Each loft enters its best bird (1 only) for this special race. The best against the best of each loft. The distances of the races range from 300-500 miles. These birds are special because they have intelligence, orientation, navigating ability, motivation, determination, desire, courage and heart. They fly as individuals or alone for distances of 300-500 miles with only their own ability. They are leaders not followers. The birds that fly these races successfully usually become excellent breeders and become very valuable in their owners' breeding lofts.( SEE PIGEON SECTION OF THIS SITE AND LOOK AT #447, #1038,#2001,#0337,ETC) In each case the birds must prove themselves under difficult race conditions, after we provide them with the proper education.