Meh

Been too depressed by results to post.  This has been the worst batch ever.  I've begun to wonder if they've gotten respiratory infections again.  I dropped 34 birds from 42 miles and only got 15 back after 2 and a half hours.  By dusk I had 27.  In the morning I had picked up 3 (I think) but it these came in after I closed the loft and it looked like a raccoon got one of them. 

I wrote down the numbers of the birds that clocked in mostly together more than an hour late - the rest were way out and all over the place.  I figured the 2nd half of stragglers pulled these guys down SO I basketed them separately for a separate release.  When I release the "fast" birds - they would not leave the site.  They kept circling and coming back.  After nearly 20 minutes, as risk for being late for work, I released the "slow" birds.  They quickly found the others and together they all went straight home and clocked in pretty on time.  Weird.

This morning I had 30 birds in the loft.  10 of my 12 blacks (dropped Picard).   I dropped both pretty tortoise grizzles from Alaska.  That makes at least half the Alaska birds.  These guys are kitting tightly and took off in a hurry towards home.  It was their 4th drop from 42 miles.  About 2 miles north, they crossed in front of me coming back heading straight west  from the east.  *sigh*  (They should be going straight NNW).  Oh well.  I hope to get them down there tomorrow and Friday and then jump them up to 64 miles Sat & Sun.  The race is only 92 miles next Wednesday so they should be fine.

Looking Good at 24 miles!

The corn was much taller than previous years at this drop.  I am a couple of weeks later than usual.  There are 36 that are doing well and another 2-3 that are struggling.  I was worried I'd be able to get done with training but it looks really good.  If the weather does ok - I'll be at 42 miles by Friday - an entire week before shipping for the first race.  I hope to get them out 64 miles before that (and maybe one drop at 82 miles if we're really lucky (and I'm not too sleepy)).

I finally remembered to turn on my camera before releasing!  :-)

And then there were 36

Click to enlarge

Okay, these 36 look pretty good.  I keep forgetting to take pictures.  This one was taken too late but it's all I've got.  They are doing wonderful at 12 miles (although I dropped those last 3 weak ones on the first drop from here).  I am going to drop them across the river and into town a bit.  It's about 14-15 miles.  Two drops there and then we jump up to 24 miles.  I want them to know this area well, it is probably the breakpoint.

Slow Going

It is going to be exciting this year.  I still need to get all the racing bands on the birds and get them in the computer.  I hope to get them used to the computer trap sooner this year (that would be right now!).  I took a week off to medicate them.  I believe many of them had respiratory infections.  They are mostly looking better now.  I hope to jump them up to 12 miles tomorrow.  16 days until we basket for the first race.  Yikes!  I'll be lucky to get them trained out as far as I like (64 miles).

on the 3rd day of training

I dropped another yesterday.  I had two weak fliers this morning.  Not sure what is going on.  I left back Aqua so I only too out 40 this morning.  I'm giving up on Aqua.  The black hen 5381 is acting pretty weird.  Her and a pied blue bar flew up in a tree.  After the others left they took off each by themselves toward home.  I will medicate them and hold them back when I jump up to 6 miles tomorrow.  The other 38 looked real good.

And then there were 42

Sad and strange.  A first.  While dropping the birds from their first training release I found a dead bird in the basket.  It was 5380 - the one that seemed to be having problems after vaccines Saturday.  She felt a little light but had been flying.  I sure didn't expect to find her like that.  I basketed just before 6am and released just before 8am.  I have administered that vaccine nearly 200 times in the last 4 years and never had a problem.


I held back one: Aqua.  The one with the freakish obsession for drinking bath water.  He has, no doubt, picked up something  from that bad habit.  He was seriously light this weekend but I administered some meds and he's feeling better.  He has always been strangely tame.  He flies up on our shoulders when we go in to feed.  I keep meaning to hand feed him.  I think he's going to be a pet instead of a racer.  (Sorry Phil - yep, he's one of yours).

Least favorite part is done

My least favorite part of this hobby is administering the PMV vaccine via syringe.  It takes a long time and I always feel bad about it.  This time I had two incidents.  I hit a vein on one and it bled a bit - not too much but that still bothered me.  More scary, one of my blacks was having what appeared to be an anaphylactic reaction to the vaccine.  I didn't notice until I was closing them up at night.  First I noticed he was not in his roost.  Then I noticed he appeared to have a cough but, under closer inspection, I decided he was having some breathing difficulty.  I watched him a bit, considered administering Benadryl, but then decided he was not in immediate danger and left him alone.  Sure enough, he was fine this morning.

While the birds were waiting in the boxes in the A/C (their first time being boxed), I cleaned the loft, put down litter, fresh water and feed for their return.  After two syringes (12 birds) I'd drop them off and freshen the feed a bit (since the early birds would fish out all the good stuff).  I was after 4pm when the last batch was dropped off.  I put the bath pans in and they became very excited and stopped feeding and came up for a late afternoon bath (it was miserably hot).  After the bath - they we wondering why they were cooped up.  So, I flew them.  I'd say 2/3rds felt up to some flying.  The next morning - all of the regular fliers were ready to go.  I have a few who always have to be tossed out and one black hen who is nesting.  So, things looked back to normal today. 

I will begin training Monday morning.  I have exactly one month to get my 19 training drops in (three each 2.5 miles, then 6, 12, 14, 24, 42, 64 and one at 82).  I can (and often do) squeeze the 12 & 14 down to 2 each and forgo the 82 mile at the end for a total of 16 drops.  If I thought I were really pressed for time, I'd drop the 3rd 2.5 mile and drop from 64 miles only one. 

If I get ahead of schedule, I continually drop from 42 miles because it is a convenient location.  It's just off the Interstate and it takes me just as long to get to the 24 mile as it does to this drop.  The 14 mile also takes longer than it's worth but I want them to know that area well and hopefully break no later than that.