# Late birds



## raftree3 (Oct 16, 2010)

I'm usually disappointed in birds that are late on race day or the next. Do any of you give a bird a little credit when they come as much as a week late. Last fall I had a hen come back a week late with the next weeks racers, and yesterday I had a cock come with this weeks racers and he was gone from the previous week. Haven't raced the hen since but I guess I'll keep letting them try and see what happens. I saw an older post that a guy said if a bird comes back months later you should treat it like gold?


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## Lovelace (Jan 10, 2008)

you can look at this two ways, the bird does have good homing ability, and he could have been trained to follow other birds, could be a good bird and could be a bad bird.
I would look at his brothers and sisters and if they are winners, then it possable he could produce winners. but if his brothers and sisters were no good then the rest is history.


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## Matt Bell (May 5, 2010)

I had a bird like this, he arrived about 6 months after being lost in a yb race. He looked so much different if it weren't for the band I wouldn't have known it was him. But I opened the trap and he went right in. He then became the dominant cock in my loft. I raced him for the next 3 or 4 years before he was retired. He never was very good on fast race days. However, on those 'mudder' type days, races won at 1100 ypm or slower he was always my first bird home. He never did win any races but I could always count on him to be in the clock. I think there is something to be said for consistency. I decided to stock him because his siblings were racing well. His sister is probably the best bird I ever owned. She was 10th at the 600 as a yearling, racing to 10 day old babies. I hope that when I am able to get back into birds that I am able to get some of these birds back from the guy that I gave them to, really enjoyed them.


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## HmoobH8wj (Apr 7, 2011)

What are late hatch ? I fly for fun is thee every late hatch for me?


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## raftree3 (Oct 16, 2010)

Lovelace said:


> you can look at this two ways, the bird does have good homing ability, and he could have been trained to follow other birds, could be a good bird and could be a bad bird.
> I would look at his brothers and sisters and if they are winners, then it possable he could produce winners. but if his brothers and sisters were no good then the rest is history.


I guess I'm looking at it as far as future racing career.


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## Hareloft (Jun 26, 2011)

Sounds like they were in another loft and they were let up on race day, by whoevers loft they were in. Its not sportsman like to lock down other peoples birds but it does happen.


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

Who ever wants to treat that bird like gold send it to them. You do not reward a bird for being late, a bird does not make the stock loft till it proves itself.

But then what do I know Ganus made Millions on a late bird, Mr Sure Bet.
Dave


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## ERIC K (Mar 29, 2010)

There is one hundred reasons why a birds comes home late and we will never know all of them. I look at it like this: a day or two I think the bird just made a mistake or trapped in a different loft because it knew there was water and food inside. Up where I live you have about two days to get your birds home so if one takes a week thats great. It could have been hurt and when it felt better it came home. Only time will tell for sure. You can think that on a tough two day race that bird will have the ability to survive and make it home the second day. Young birds make many mistakes and I never judge a bird on just one mistake. I would keep flying it and time will tell you what to do.If its always late after this year I don't think I'd keep it.


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## Jaysen (Jun 21, 2010)

I think you have to look for the pattern. A bird that is _always_ a day late is either unmotivated or a rock with wings. But a bird that is late from a new release, or a smash, or only once in a great while, may just be having a bad day. You need to figure out the pattern and adjust. 

On the other hand, i have a pair that are rocks with wings. Take them on a toss and they will show up a few days later. Every single time. Because I they were YB and I had space I held on to them. As OB they were the same except for one thing. They will feed any baby they can get to. These birds are absolutely useless as flyers, but perfect for pumpers/fosters. 

For the record, their kids are just as useless for flying. I'm seeing if they have the "parenting" gene this year. So far no.


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

raftree3 said:


> I'm usually disappointed in birds that are late on race day or the next. Do any of you give a bird a little credit when they come as much as a week late. Last fall I had a hen come back a week late with the next weeks racers, and yesterday I had a cock come with this weeks racers and he was gone from the previous week. Haven't raced the hen since but I guess I'll keep letting them try and see what happens. I saw an older post that a guy said if a bird comes back months later you should treat it like gold?


Just because a bird is late once doesn't mean you should stop racing it  If a bird is in condition it should be shipped unless its a 500 mile race and you want to save that bird for the 600 the next week or something like that. What is the point of owning a bird and keeping it in the loft if its not being raced because it was late once. I read somewhere if it spends more than 6 hours on the wing spend the next week training and loft flying then it doesn't race the next week, but the week after.

I had a bird come home the next day, went on to be my clock bird in 3 out 5 races she flew, another one took a whole day to fly 150 miles went and won me 9th at 300+ miles in our money race


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## raftree3 (Oct 16, 2010)

First To Hatch said:


> Just because a bird is late once doesn't mean you should stop racing it  If a bird is in condition it should be shipped unless its a 500 mile race and you want to save that bird for the 600 the next week or something like that. What is the point of owning a bird and keeping it in the loft if its not being raced because it was late once. I read somewhere if it spends more than 6 hours on the wing spend the next week training and loft flying then it doesn't race the next week, but the week after.
> 
> I had a bird come home the next day, went on to be my clock bird in 3 out 5 races she flew, another one took a whole day to fly 150 miles went and won me 9th at 300+ miles in our money race


Good points!


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

I race my birds as long as they keep coming home. You never know what happened to make them late. It doesn't mean they are bad birds. Many times they have been in someone's loft. You'll know that's the case when they are in perfect condition when they come home. Healthy weight, bright eyed - the works. I had a hen come home 6 months later and she was perfectly fine. She's a beautiful grizzle. I guess they tried to keep her.  Last fall I had a hen come home a few weeks later. Now she's one of my most consistant clockers. Always fighting for first bird home between my other two good clockers.


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## realtalk72 (Nov 7, 2009)

I also have a hen that is always the last one in every training toss and she been to 3 races so far and always comes home the next day...I dont know why but next week she be flying the 300 mile race I hope she can pull it off Im hoping she just a late bloomer..or more of a distance bird ..we will see..


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

raftree3 said:


> I'm usually disappointed in birds that are late on race day or the next. Do any of you give a bird a little credit when they come as much as a week late. Last fall I had a hen come back a week late with the next weeks racers, and yesterday I had a cock come with this weeks racers and he was gone from the previous week. Haven't raced the hen since but I guess I'll keep letting them try and see what happens. I saw an older post that a guy said if a bird comes back months later you should treat it like gold?


*Hi Raftree,My guess is your late birds traped to someone elses loft and they held them for a week and put them on the truck for the next race. Looks like there is someone playing games with you thats my opinion. GEORGE*


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## Granny Smith (Jul 16, 2011)

george simon said:


> *Hi Raftree,My guess is your late birds traped to someone elses loft and they held them for a week and put them on the truck for the next race. Looks like there is someone playing games with you thats my opinion. GEORGE*


*


This is an interesting explanation. I would have never thought of it, but you are probably right.*


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## JRNY (Nov 17, 2009)

Hey I had a bb splash that always came late on race day. But it always did better. On one of the young bird races a 150 mile. About the 7th race. It came in 4th. So you never know.


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## Pigeon0446 (Apr 22, 2007)

The bird that won the IF Hall of Fame for me last year was in the top 9 in 7 races but in a 300, the week after she flew a 300 and a 250 on back to back days and endign up int he top 6 in both of them, she took 4 days to come home then i shipped her to a 200 mile race 3 days later and she came in 2nd. Also my hen who is a 2 time winner and 2 time IF Hall of Fame bird once in the 2010 ybs and then again in the 2011 OB's took 3 weeks to come home from the first 100 mile race inthe 2010 Yb's but once she got back she cloked like crazy. So all you can do is race it to see what it has you can't tell what a bird has from one race.


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## raftree3 (Oct 16, 2010)

Just as predicted. The bird that came home a week late was my first bird this week. Didn't win the race but was top ten!


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## realtalk72 (Nov 7, 2009)

I also have birds that got lost for a few days and seem to learn how to get around better ...idk..


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## bigmalley (Dec 6, 2011)

i found a bird about 3 wks ago beaten and missing feathers. cared for the bird for 3 wks after tail feathers were back i let it go. (tail feathers can grow in full kin 3 wks) just figured that out


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

raftree3 said:


> I'm usually disappointed in birds that are late on race day or the next. *Do any of you give a bird a little credit when they come as much as a week late. * Last fall I had a hen come back a week late with the next weeks racers, and yesterday I had a cock come with this weeks racers and he was gone from the previous week. Haven't raced the hen since but I guess I'll keep letting them try and see what happens. *I saw an older post that a guy said if a bird comes back months later you should treat it like gold?*


 I had a bird return once a little late.....two years late, and in perfect condition. Funny thing was it had a new counter-mark on it's leg, but I don't use counter-marks, I use chip rings. So, what kind of credit should I have given this bird ? 

I figure he went into another fancier's loft, and being a really neat looking silver the fancier left him stay. Some where along the line he must and been road trained and then was entered into a race. During that process, something clicked in his head and he returned to the Mother Loft. It certainly was a surprise, but I will always wonder if he had flown other racers and returned to the foster loft, but then on his last race something different happened and well....ended up back home ?


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