First things first (17-01-25)
In other words, 'everything in its time'.
Pigeon sport was 'flourishing' in Poland and Romania, I read. Wrong!
They are indeed 'prominent' pigeon countries, but the sport also falls backwards as fast as a bicycle without brakes from a steep mountain.
ALSO NOT TRUE?
At the end of the last century it was the Japanese who came here to ‘steal’ our best pigeons. Especially National winners of long distance races. Mainly winners? Indeed. The second prize was the loser's prize. Only 'the winner takes it all'.
What they did not realize was that possibly a lower classified pigeon would have performed better because of an unfavourable location.
They did not pay attention either at the performances in previous races.
A pigeon 'by the sea' that won a 10th National with a strong westerly wind can be estimated higher than a winner on the east side.
Kaier paid a staggering amount of money for the National Ace Pigeon from Meirlaen at the time. All respect for pigeon and fancier, but it was in a year with often a favorable (north)east wind for the Fleming. With a lot of westerly wind, Meirlaen's bank account would have looked different now. But I depart from the point.
Easterners. The coats show the pigeons are in good shape.
APPEARANCES
In Japan, we thought at the time, the sport was flourishing. Nothing could be further from the truth. There were long distance races with many participating pigeons, but they were entered by relatively few fanciers. Fanciers stopped mainly because of mutual squabbling and there were usually a lot of pigeons because they all had a lot of pigeons.
If someone stops, it makes a real difference whether he races five pigeons or 400 every week. ‘Mega lofts’ are often maligned. But several clubs would be finished with the mob flier.
In Japan, there was a lack of cooperation and cooperation keeps just about everything in this world running.
Through flexible cooperation, humans were the only 'animal' that could dominate the world. Chimpanzees and ants also work together, but not flexibly.
What lack of cooperation or even infighting can lead to is also evident from several clubs that quit.
WHERE?
Where the sport is still flourishing is in Guadalajara with urban competitions up to 30,000 pigeons. There is also a lot of interest in our sport in the Middle East.
In some countries over there they have only been racing pigeons this century.
They race pigeons like we did in pre-history. Breeders, racers, youngsters all in one loft. No separate races for youngsters, they 'just' have to go with the old birds.
They don't have the medicines we have and also not the food as we know it. And what is so striking?
They already have flights of 1,100 or more kilometers. That sometimes means watching the home coming for days without seeing a pigeon arrive. You would choose another hobby for less.
How different it is/was here. Almost all long distance racers started in the sprint races to learn the job.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Now that we're back at breeding, you'll also see beginners scoffing at what should be a logical sequence: What are they doing wrong?
Breeding from pigeons of which they know nothing, except perhaps a piece of paper called pedigree.
First a fancier should know which birds are worth breeding from.
Foster pigeons and eggs from reliable racers are key words for beginners.
So the first goal should be to get decent racers. And the second goal to breed from those selected birds only.
DARWIN
Darwin had my interest since I was a teenager.
His (evolutionary) doctrine meant a revolutionary change in the thinking of man. But that Darwin was lucky that he was born AFTER Linnaeus. Because if you are looking for, for example, the feline ancestor of a lion or tiger, you must first have a clear definition of what is meant by a lion or a tiger.
Fortunately for Darwin, Linnaeus had previously 'mapped' everything. The theory of evolution was unknown to Linnaeus. He believed that God had created life forms separately. But his merit, which seems to be 'everlasting', is that he gave plants and animals he knew a Latin name. He divided nature into minerals, vegetable, animal kingdoms. The animal kingdom was again divided into quadrupeds, birds, amphibians, fish, insects, worms. Debatable of course, but Darwin could move forward with it. Linnaeus told us what is meant by a dove or crow or whatever. They were given the same Latin name anywhere in the world.
MICHELS
Take also the Dutch national soccer team from the 70s. Their ‘total football’ brought the football world into ecstasy. But people still wonder whether Michels was such a top coach that he could make the team swing or whether he could become a good coach because he had such excellent footballers.
Did he make the footballers or did they make him are questions that sometimes still lead to discussion.
ALSO CORRECT ORDER
Last autumn there was a lot of talk about paratyphoid. Especially because of so many different diagnoses and advice. Most specialized veterinarians with experience seem to agree on one thing: No one agrees on anything.
A cure or the needle? Or both maybe?
They all think different.
LOFT
In old pigeon books you can read that a novice fancier must first get a good loft. 'What is the point of buying good pigeons and then putting them in a loft that is no good?' it was said.
But who can say whether a loft is good? We can have an opinion about it, but it will still be the pigeons that will make you wiser about it. To those who are looking for the perfect loft, I would advise against taking an example from the lofts of many champions. They will be confronted with so many 'truths' that they may become ripe for a shrink.
For example, in the past you could read how bad a loft was with corrugated iron on it. And how important insulation was.
I don't believe all that anymore. There are too many lofts with corrugated sheets on which super results are achieved.
You also see more and more loft with a partly open front. Well, 'open'. Maybe there is insulation, but it consists of… gauze.
Of course, a loft has to be good. And if it's good, the pigeons tell you.
Below the loft of Bros v d Brande. Simple but good !! 