Old or too old? (28-08-2021)
Old and too old
There are quite a few things in this sublunary that affect my mood and that I am not very good at. In particular:
-Trucks trying in vain to pass each other. With a huge void in front of them, behind it blinking and honking fellow motorists.
-People who lie.
-Images of melting polar ice, the retreating polar cap, melting glaciers, dried up rivers.
-Deliberately destroying rainforests in Brazil and Sumatra in particular.
-Killing endangered species by poachers.
-Losing proven good pigeons.
-And…, I know, a strange trait of mine, seeing people I haven't seen for decades.
CHANGED
Because it often hurts the eyes to see how scarred many are by time. Also because I know it's mutual. Brigitte Bardot was recently on TV again. She protested the way we treat dogs. Because the sex bomb of my childhood is now so concerned with animals that her dogs are better dressed than many people. I was startled when I saw her, stroked my worried forehead with my right hand, sighed deeply and let out a barely audible fart. For she used to leave such a scorching impression on many men that they got hot, now the beauty of my childhood is all wrinkled and nothing is left of her.
When the chairs get heavier and the buttonholes smaller, you know that you have reached the phase in your life when you have to give up. Does that also apply to the human mind? 'No', according to the Chinese and other Orientals in particular. That is why there is so much respect for the elderly there. A Chinese: 'You live and work for a good future for your children, we for happy parents.'
DIFFERENT
However, there is a lot of difference between one person and another. Keith Richard of the Rolling Stones is approaching 80, has done everything that God forbade, but what a condition. Tom Jones is already in his 80s. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard him sing 'Great balls of fire'. Others, on the other hand, are already completely exhausted by 60, more in the past than now, it seems. You also see these differences in pigeons.
PIGEONS
Beginning fanciers and also outsiders sometimes ask the question 'how old do pigeons get, how long do they fertilize, how long you can race them, when you can start breeding them or can they handle the long distance. And more such questions. Pigeons seem to be at their best when they are two years old. Especially in the short distance. Among the first 30 provincial Aces 2021 there is exactly ONE yearling, one pigeon from 2014, two from 2015. With especially many pigeons from 2019. Furthermore, there also seems to be an essential difference between great long distance pigeons and others. For example, 'greater long distance blood’' seems to be lost less easily, such pigeons seem to perform at a higher age and are fertile for longer. In a gray past I was once in the lofts of the Dutch long distance champions Sjef Schellekens and son Gerard. Those men had beautiful pigeons, most of them dark checkered and like many good long distance pigeons with dark eyes. In the breeding lofts were old rascals of 15 years or older who showed hardly any wear and were still fully fertilized. Sjef thought it was very normal.
VERY DIFFERENT
With regard to fertilization you see big differences with 'non-long distance pigeons'. Klak once had four breeding cocks, brothers, of which not one fertilized anymore. The father of those four was 15 years old and still fertilized everything. Of course, almost all pigeons perform less as they get older. And, but that's based on my own experience, most breeders get less good as they get older. I have bred a lot of really good pigeons, supers I daresay, but can't remember one from a very old father or mother. The better ones usually came from younger pigeons, even yearlings. By the way "supers?" I've never had one with a handful of brothers or sisters who were equally good. That is why you can rightly ask questions about the silly amounts that are sometimes paid for pigeons with the only reference being a brother or sister that flied well.
TRAINING
It used to be said that youngsters were old enough to learn when they had struck three flights. “The more flights out, the older the pigeon.” But that was then. There have been other standards for more than a quarter of a century. Due to the darkening, the older cubs did not lose one flight in the summer. The younger chicks, bred later and not darkened, start moulting almost immediately after weaning. 'Already changed three flights', does not indicate an older pigeon, but a younger pigeon! When you can go training babies? "100 days" is the adage. About natural. In Taiwan they start 10 days earlier. Of course, "100 days old" should never mean "SO time to toss". The very first requirement is spontaneous training at home for a longer period of time. Or better yet not at home. In this one you hear more and more about youngsters who do not want to train at all.
At some point you don't have any other choice than to start. Three kilometers the first time is far enough for such. If your youngsters train spontaneously as they should, you can go to 5 km the first time. Or even further.
EGGS
How long do pigeons stay on the eggs without a partner? Depends on how old the eggs are. They are more likely to 'walk' from fresh eggs than from eggs that hatch quickly. Furthermore, it (again) differs from pigeon to pigeon. I have already experienced that pigeons incubate the eggs alone, but also that they already left the eggs after two days without a partner. Humans are different and so are pigeons. In general you can say when you undersit eggs: Eggs may hatch after 14 days and after 19. That gives a mmarges of 5 days.
FINALLY
We've had a lot of bad flights this year. That implies quite a few pigeons that were lost or come home completely devastated days too late. When you can play such weather differs from pigeon to pigeon. Some never again and for all pigeons it counts when they have regained their weight and the meat gets the color it should have. Birds that always land first after training have not recovered either. In this regard, some champions use their 'electronic clocking system' outside of competitions. Useful!
Somethging else he.