# My pigeon story



## conditionfreak (Jan 11, 2008)

I got into pigeons back in 1977 while I was in the Marines Corps at Camp Lejeune, N.C. I lived in base housing and did not have a loft. I joined a local club (New River Homing Pigeon Club) that had just five members. I obtained my initial birds from members of that club, some free and some purchased for not much money. I kept my birds in Rabbit Hutches on my back enclosed (with screen) porch. When I would send birds to races, I had to leave the back porch door open, and the rabbit hutch door open also. I had to coax the returning birds into the enclosed porch and then into their home (the rabbit hutch).

I won my first two hundred mile races (with the same bird) using this method. The other club members were astounded (and not happy either). Back then we used the old way of registering when your bird came home, remove the band from his leg, put it into a small metal capsule, drop the capsule into a sealed clock and turn the crank, which printed the date and time of that birds return. The clock would later be unsealed and opened by the race secretary. My clock was an antique given to me by another fancier. I think it was from the 1940's or so. I sold it on Ebay about six years ago.

In November of 1977, I was transfered to Cleveland, Ohio (still in the Marines) and due to the nature of the sudden transfer, I and my wife and my two small children, had to move into the first floor apartment of a duplex, with no garage, no loft, nothing for the birds. I remodeled the closet of our living room, making it into a small "loft". I had taken my six birds with me to Cleveland. It took us six months to buy a house (I found one with a loft already on the property). So, I had kept my birds in the living room closet, hiding them from the landlord, who lived upstairs, for six months.

I then joined the local club (OCH, Original City Homing Club) in Cleveland, loving it because of all of the members (there were three lofts on my same city block where I bought my house). I didn't do so well that next race season, until the race described below. I always had a problem with culling and would not do it, instead I bought a 6' x 10' dog kennel, put a roof on it with some 2 x 4's up high for perches, and put all of my birds that had not done so well in the races, in the dog kennel, until I could find them homes or just for retirement. Keep in mind that this was only about five or six birds. I never did have a lot of birds.

One day that year, a former racer, who had become my friend but no longer had pigeons, visited me at my home and he went into the dog kennel to look at my "rejects". He came out with one in his hand and said that I should send it to the next race, as it was "ready". The bird had never done anything good up to that point. Not in training or young bird races. It was an offspring of the bird mentioned above that won my first two hundred mile races (IF-77-NRC-2153). Since it was a "reject" and appeared to me to "not have what it takes" to win, I figured what the heck, maybe she will find a home somewhere else if she doesn't come home, so I sent her to the next race, which just happened to be the big race of the year, the "Memorial Race" of the Cleveland Southwest Concourse.

To make this long story shorter, She took second place in the Memorial, against 531 birds from 56 lofts. Unfortunately, I had not entered her into any pools. I will never forget old "672" and the story behind her. I do not remember what strain she was, but probably a Fabry.

I had to give up birds shortly after that as I developed "Pigeon Lung Disease" and the doctor told me to give them up or die. I had been taken by ambulance to the hospital, after cleaning the loft one day. He said that there was no cure.

Many, many years later, I am retired now, getting back into racing pigeons, and have done extensive research into how to lick this disease problem. I have an open air loft (similar to the old dog kennel , and have made some other considerations, and will fly again, come hell or high water. I have missed it.

I won my first two races and took second in my very last race. What are the chances I can do it again? Was I just lucky? Wanna bet?


----------



## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

*Semper Fi*

HI CONDITIONFREAK, Welcome and a big SEMPER FI from one old MARINE to another.Wish you the best of luck in racing. Where do you live are you still in OHIO? .GEORGE


----------



## conditionfreak (Jan 11, 2008)

Hi George. I moved from Cleveland to Hillsboro, Ohio, which is about 50 miles east of Cincinnati. Semper Fi.


----------



## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

Great story. Thanks for sharing.
Once you have pigeons you know you can't live without them.

Reti


----------



## Feather (Dec 8, 2005)

Welcome Conditionfreak,

Best of luck with your pigeons. I am a sore looser, and I wouldn't bet against you.


----------

