Handy with hands (21-05-26)
Handy with Hands
'Racing well' includes more than a good loft, good pigeons, medical matters, feeding, training and so on!
However important, these are only links in the whole that have to complete the circle. In all those years I have seen a lot of specialists working with their youngsters.
- Chase after them? Never.
- Scared pigeons? Nobody.
- Strangers in the loft? Rarely.If you want to see his best pigeons, the champion with few pigeons does not have to search long. He knows which one is where and can take it blindly, as it were. With one hand. In the lofts he moves as in a slowed down movie. The storming in of my youngsters after the race was almost proverbial in the region. How come? It is mainly a matter of treating pigeons with respect.
HANDS
Especially the hands of the fancier play a major role in the relationship of trust between humans and animals. After all, that is how they are caught. Pigeons should not see hands as things that hurt them or do not leave the plumage intact. For example, there is the beginner who, when he wants to take a pigeon, slides his hands very slowly towards the pigeon and then suddenly strikes. Others hold their hands above their heads before striking. No better way to lose all confidence. If a pigeon tries to escape from your hands, you are not doing something right. In the past, we also had to catch them after returning home from a race. After only two flights, some birds already had trouble coming in. Why should be clear. A fancier with frightened pigeons has hands that pigeons are afraid of. They don't have that fear naturally. They were taught this by the owner who grabbed them roughly. A man who has no feeling for dealing with animals. Fanciers with willing pigeons who rush in after the race have hands that are outwardly little different than the hands of the man with frightened pigeons. You are doing well if you can grab your pigeons with one hand.
COMPLETELY WRONG
Holding pigeons properly is another thing.
Sometimes horrible.
And I'm not even talking about opening a wing, let alone opening its mouth. The pigeon must lie flat and supported in the hollow of the hand. Relaxed. If it starts to wring, you may wring because the pigeon is wringing. In the meantime, you are losing your credit. Never get angry with pigeons and, again, certainly don't chase them. When I'm rushed I stay away from the loft, because I know myself. If I have to grab a pigeon twice, the second time will often be less gentle. Pigeons remember a lot. One abrupt movement, one rough grab can damage trust forever. And reclaiming that is not easy, sometimes it never works again.
LETTING GO
Some people already have trouble letting the pigeon out of their hands. It should actually be superfluous to write about something so banal, were it not for the fact that many do not do it well. They just let a pigeon pop out of their hands or even throw it.
People don't realize what an enormous effort it takes for a pigeon to spread its wings in time to land safely.
Place pigeons carefully and respectfully in their boxes.
Or let them fly quietly out of your hands at the height of the perch or breeding box. All details? Not for the specialist. Believe me, by the way someone grabs a pigeon you can already tell whether you are dealing with a 'champion' or with someone who will never be.
POINTLESS
You also have little to gain from letting strangers into the lofts. Especially in the lofts of the youngsters. You know how that often goes. Once in the loft, pigeons are inevitably caught. Out of a sense of pride, you often show the same pigeons, your favourites so to speak.
In my younger years it happened to me more than once that it was precisely those young who were frequently grabbed that were gone one day.
RITUAL
With a few pigeons you can give them more attention. Like I did. Say goodnight every night. Stroking them over the head or letting it frolic with your hands, then a treat in the form of a mix of grit, small seeds and peanuts was a ritual for me that I also liked. And the pigeons as well.
When I entered the loft, not one flew up, on the contrary, some spontaneously started cooing. If I reached out my hand to an empty perch, many a youngster would fly towards it. Because he was expecting a ‘snack’. With some fanciers the opposite happens: If they extend a hand, the pigeon is gone.
The example of the man whose wife takes care of the youngsters and who, if pigeons do not come in smoothly, calls for her help, explains a lot.
GRIT
Grit is a very important by-product for pigeons! 'By-product' is actually not a good term. It's essential!!
In my opinion, much more important than vitamins and other things that are sometimes so promoted.
So why does grit get so little attention when it is so important? Not difficult! There is hardly anything to earn.
That is why other things, which pigeons can lack, are given priority and more attention. That so important grit, however contradictory it may sound, does not belong in the loft. Dust will easily stick to it, then pigeons don't like it and where is there more dust than in a pigeon loft? Just give fresh every few days.
There are fanciers with a kind of plateau of stone in front of the loft. On it they throw the grit that pigeons left behind. What happens after a rain shower that makes it dust-free, you must have seen. The birds throw themselves on the grit like the apostle Paul on the Corinthians.
REWARDED
If there is one thing I can't stand it's early pigeons that don't come in after the race. But that rarely happened. Why do some people's nerves run through their throats and one pee break follows another? Because they are insecure. Not so much whether the pigeons will be on time, but whether they will come in quickly. They have a reason to be insecure.
