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The Original All Roller Talk Discussion Board Archive >
feed day before competing?
feed day before competing?
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steve49
250 posts
Sep 17, 2009
4:52 PM
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i've been told by some not to feed a kit before competition day, so i want to know if this is univerally followed or not.
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Steve in Blue Point, NY
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George R.
71 posts
Sep 17, 2009
6:17 PM
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if you want them to land early and DQ then Yes dont feed them the day before the fly....
Last Edited by on Sep 17, 2009 6:18 PM
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donnie james
729 posts
Sep 17, 2009
8:24 PM
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i feed mine day before and they done the time with time to spear..............donny james
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steve49
254 posts
Sep 18, 2009
6:55 PM
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well, i didn't think it made sense, so that's why i asked. didn't think i'd have to contend with 15 to 20 mph winds, though. a rough way to start out my first competition. i am really looking forward to next year, as these youngsters will almost a year old, and i'm sure they will do much better.
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Steve in Blue Point, NY
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donnie james
740 posts
Sep 18, 2009
7:13 PM
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hay steve that's to bad you didn't have a chance to fly this year do to the winds like you said there's always next year...................donny james
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steve49
256 posts
Sep 18, 2009
7:26 PM
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Donnie, i DID compete, despite the wind. i was saying it was a rough way to start out, as others had to contend with the same windy conditions today. i should have been clearer about that.
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Steve in Blue Point, NY
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donnie james
741 posts
Sep 18, 2009
7:29 PM
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hay steve my fult i read it wrong and took wrong sorry about that...............donny james
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steve49
259 posts
Sep 19, 2009
5:54 PM
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donnie, nothing to be sorry about. i was really looking forward to competing in the 11 bird, but since they number of flyers entered in my region was so low, we could only do 20 bird. since my 2 kits are all late 09 birds, i didn't do well, but at least scored 34 pts and didn't get DSQ. i'll be back next time, and better.
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Steve in Blue Point, NY
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PR_rollers
GOLD MEMBER
3391 posts
Sep 19, 2009
7:35 PM
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Steve good to hear you competed .you say you didn't do well but I bet you learn alot and gain more experience and I know next year you be back strong with more knowldege of the game ..too bad I couldn't jump in when you ask questions about competing since I don't compete I don't want nobody saying what he knows he don't compete..which is true so I stay out..but just want you to know I was happy for you ..thumbs up.."
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Ralph.
Pigeons are not our whole life, but they damn sure make our lives whole!" ~
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fhtfire
2101 posts
Sep 19, 2009
8:23 PM
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Steve,
I know that Mort Emami...does not feed his birds before a fly...but He must feed them more a couple days before.....I know that when i am on duty...my birds dont get food the second day I am on...and when I fly them after a day of no food...they fly a good time..but they suck and look tired....I tried it way back when..and never again....
i am the opposite...my birds get the grub before they fly....my birds actaully get all the mix they can eat a couple days before the fly....anyway....you need food for energy...you need energy to roll...energy for quality...energy to keep up the hard work...so why take away the energy...
My old trainer used to say....you have to add fuel to the fire....to make it burn hot and long.....no fuel...no fire.
rock and ROLL
Paul
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steve49
262 posts
Sep 20, 2009
5:46 AM
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Ralph, thanx for your support today and in the past.
Paul, i'm in total aggreement with you. no fuel, no fire is spot on. i fed my birds the morning before and they flew well, and there were plenty of breaks, but sadly plenty of 3 or 4 birds, not the required 5. but hey, this was a kit of 3-4 month olds, and if not for this site, i probably would not have done as well as i did. for a 60 year old, i know what i DON'T know,so i ask. i'm always ready to listen. during the comp, the best part was the guys watching my birds and commenting that they were doing great, but the strong winds were making it very hard on them. even Mike Rose's top kit had a rough time. live and learn, that's what i say.
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Steve in Blue Point, NY
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JDA
GOLD MEMBER
500 posts
Sep 20, 2009
6:57 AM
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Steve... You say you did,t do well? lets see,Your first fly in comp, received 34 points,and did,t get a DQ. You did quite well.JDA
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steve49
263 posts
Sep 20, 2009
7:08 AM
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JDA, you're right, i did do well. i only meant i didn't do well enough to challenge the best kits. however, after i've flown a few more, then i'll be able to really see how i did. actually, my goal was not to DQ, which the birds did. the winds were so strong at times, the kit was hovering for what seemed like 10 seconds or more.
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Steve in Blue Point, NY
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pigeon pete
374 posts
Sep 20, 2009
7:10 AM
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Steve,
Experiment with it, but not for the first time when you are competing. It is about knowing your birds and judging the condition they are in.
I know some guys who kept their birds so hungry that they used togive them a handfull of seeds several hours before the fly. If you have a fly on a Saturday morning, and you can't be about to feed on Friday morning, you can feed Thursday night, giving a little extra if you think they need it. This is no different from feeding Friday morning for a saturday evening fly.
Some guys like to feed 24 hrs before a fly others a little nearer and others longer.
I have flown kits 48 hours after a feed time and my birds still flew well and did the time. This was a kit that performed well when well fed, and would put up a good score and still fly for 2 hours.
Strong well fed birds will still roll hard after a fast day, in fact they may fly better, but if you keep them a little light and/or down in condition then yes they may drop early and roll loose.
I have found some old birds teams very reluctant to drop early even when they are hungry because they are still full of rolling impulse. Young birds however are generally stupid, and will tend to drop early and crash all over the place if flown too hungry.
If you do miss a day, don't forget to let them drink water on the no-food day. These birds are more adaptable than we sometimes think. I was due to fly the WC preliminary some years ago and I got a call that the judge was stuck on the freeway in heavy traffic and couldn't get here until the next day. I was in a quandry because I had fed early Friday morning for a Saturady evening fly (36 hours fast)and I wasn't sure if they would stand another 12 or 14 hours without food, but I didn't want to fly them with food in their crops. I gave them 1/3rd of a can of milo and they still flew well enough to qualify in the England region.
Pete.
Last Edited by on Sep 20, 2009 7:13 AM
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steve49
264 posts
Sep 20, 2009
8:35 AM
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Pete, so you're in favor of fasting a day before, however, i think you may be in the minority. either way, as you said, it works well for your birds, so that's all that matters. as my topic stated, i heard some saying they fast their birds the day before competition. i'm not saying i was in agreement, but the numbers are the only indicators of which way works for each family/strain. i don't see why they shouldn't eat the morning before, if that's what they've been doing the whole year. if your birds only perform their best if you need to do radical feeding routines, than maybe they're showing a fault, in regards to how they respond to feeding. remember, i'm saying what works for one family may not work with others. thanx for your response, and its always good to hear other opinions and ideas, especially when they are opposite to what we usually think of as the right routine.
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Steve in Blue Point, NY
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pigeon pete
375 posts
Sep 20, 2009
4:26 PM
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Steve,
Pigeons seem to thrive on a regular routine, and will perform well on that routine, but rollers will often go up a gear with a slight tweek here or there. If you always fed them every other day, that would be routine, and would not alter their normal performance.
We can come unstuck when we change the routine for a fly and they end up flying worse, that is why I reccomend not trying experiments for the first time the day before a competition! Atheletes have a build-up to a big competition, tapering off the hard training, and often changing the diet to get that extra 1/2 second for the world championsips or the olympics but that doesn't mean they are faulty atheletes because they don't equal the world record every time they run.
Likewise the kit cannot fly to it's full potential every time you fly it. If you think it can. then you have never got the best out of your birds yet.
A good kit can go out and score every time it is flown, and may even be good enough to win a fly with it's 'everyday' performance, but for the big events, most top flyers will try to get their birds to peak on the day. Altering the feeding time is just one of a multitude of tactics used to bring the kit into form.
The competitor who is willing to experiment for himself, and not just copy what the herd are doing, is going to be more likely to get the edge come cometition time. When you say I am in favour of fasting, then you must also say I am in favour of not fasting, because I will more often than not feed the kit around 24 hrs prior to a fly. Those faulty birds went on to gain 4th place in the WC final btw.lol
I agree that it is good to read opinions we think of as being wrong, or why else would I read posts on pigeon forums? :) Most of what I do with these birds has been described as wrong at some time or other, but I would find it boring if I managed my birds according to some set of rules set out by someone else. The fun is in finding out which rules can be easily broken, and which successful deviations from the norm are exceptions that prove the rules.
regards.
Pete.
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fhtfire
2104 posts
Sep 20, 2009
10:09 PM
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Steve,
Pete is totally right on trying it first....I always set FAKE comp days and then prep my birds and try new things....but if it aint broke dont try and fix it...but try everything...like I said..Mort does not feed the day before and I tried it and did not like the performance......but again that is me.....I like Pete have done alot of things that I was told is wrong..but it works...anyway....try and try ...but if it does nto work...scrap it.
rock and ROLL
Paul
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steve49
267 posts
Sep 21, 2009
11:56 AM
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Paul, good advice. sometimes a little too much for a newbie, but good nonetheless. i liked Pete's feelings that just because the herd goes one way, doesn't mean he can't get to where he's going another way. they call them shortcuts, and if you know a good one, its sweet.
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Steve in Blue Point, NY
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macsrollers
197 posts
Sep 21, 2009
10:03 PM
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Pete gives good advice. Experiment with your birds and what works for them. Some feed their birds 36 hours before the fly, some give them a boost feed 12 hours before the fly, others take away their water a certain time before the fly, etc. One thing to do is keep a note pad and write down when you fly, how many you flew, the weather conditions, and how they did. Then right down what you fed them. If you skip a day or so, like should be done with a good holdover team, write the feed down each day as well. Use a specific measure, such as a set of measuring cups like I use. On a good old bird kit what is fed and as little as 1/8th cup of food difference of total fed can make a significant difference on their performance. Advice is good as a basic guideline, but you have to learn what works for your birds in the conditions you fly them and how you handle them. The only way to do that is experiment and keep good records of those experiments. Enjoy your next fly! Don M. LVRC
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