# Post Office Pigeon Racing



## shorty2 (Jun 3, 2012)

*link no longer available*

link no longer available


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

So you wouldn't really even need to call you could just text. You would need 2 or 3 people to do this, if we sent our birds to some one on the east coast my birds would have to fly 1000 miles, and your birds 2000. I have birds that could do it, most people don't.
Dave


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

I've only done it once, I sent 3 birds to Tucson on a bet and they made it home in 3 days. 
Dave


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## njhntr (Jun 5, 2012)

Great idea and I would like very much to hear more about this.
I live in Bracey, Southside Virginia 23919 and would be willing to accept birds and realease Tell me more.


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## njhntr (Jun 5, 2012)

*post office racing*

Thanks for the replies and yes interested and sounds like fun
Ideas= I can buy snap on bands and record numbers or letters which ever they ship me.
I think its entirelly to hot in sum parts of country in July or Aug , so I would suggest Sept at the earliest release date.
Plus we have to work out more details.
Up to owner to look up air miles from my home to theirs
When bird comes home post on here and sent me text message right away so I can log it in book, You must call with number or letters from band.
I would accept and hold birds for no longer then one week as I would have to feed and water birds
How does $2.50 per bird sound as cost of feed is going up. [BG]
Shipping no more then six birds for release.
Il wait to see how many are interested before I buy bands.

Ill post on what time and date of release.
Look up air miles to your home
167 fox den drive
bracey va.
23919
Anyone else have any ideas or thoughts about this
[email protected]


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

This is not some thing you can just jump into. My birds were 4 yrs old Fabry Sion cross, I used the old bird race season for conditioning, I only sent bird that have been to 600 miles the previous year. I don't think I could have birds ready this year, it takes at least 2 months to get them ready for such an adventure. You would have to fly your birds out to 500 miles, them give them 2 weeks of rest and short training tosses.
Dave


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## raftree3 (Oct 16, 2010)

Crazy Pete said:


> This is not some thing you can just jump into. My birds were 4 yrs old Fabry Sion cross, I used the old bird race season for conditioning, I only sent bird that have been to 600 miles the previous year. I don't think I could have birds ready this year, it takes at least 2 months to get them ready for such an adventure. You would have to fly your birds out to 500 miles, them give them 2 weeks of rest and short training tosses.
> Dave


I'd sure agree with Dave. Birds don't just magically get into the condition it would take to do this. It would take very special birds in the very best condition otherwise you'd have no chance. My OBs have been through the season and very few are at the point that I feel confident about a 600 much less a 1000.


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

shorty what kind of birds do you fly?
Dave


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## Josepe (Jan 10, 2011)

Good luck to anyone who enters .Hopefully you have some Top birds, in Top Condition and Health. With a Few years Wing Time and Consistent Good Clockings behind them at atleast 600,then It'll still be a Long Shot. I believe most will send birds that just want to see If their birds can make it rather then acutually believing their birds can make it. Probably going to be some Dissapointed flyers.But Good Luck anyhow!


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## raftree3 (Oct 16, 2010)

Very nice web site. I'll have to say you get right at things. I admire your "get it done" attitude . I hope no one takes this lightly and just sticks unprepared birds in a box to just see what happens. I'm afraid that if I had the valuable birds that Josepe describes I wouldn't chance their fate this way, it will take far more than good luck.........I wouldn't take part but I'll watch with great interest.


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## V-John (May 15, 2008)

raftree3 said:


> Very nice web site. I'll have to say you get right at things. I admire your "get it done" attitude . I hope no one takes this lightly and just sticks unprepared birds in a box to just see what happens. I'm afraid that if I had the valuable birds that Josepe describes I wouldn't chance their fate this way, it will take far more than good luck.........I wouldn't take part but I'll watch with great interest.


x2. I wish everyone the best of luck.


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## Al X West (Sep 10, 2012)

*Super Idea*

I am located in PA.

I have only had homers for two and a half years so I am a novice compared to y'all. However, my ovearching goal from the start has been to have some birds that have homed from 1000 or more miles. 
My game plan is to fly my birds every year for 4-5 years at which time I will have some birds that have been out to 600-700 miles. The following year I plan to fly these birds to 200 miles, road train for 6-8 weeks, select the best conditioned and fly them to 1000.

I originally planned to drive my birds out 1000 miles or so out from my loft and release them. Your idea is much better than me going solo !!!

Unfortunately, It will be a couple of years before I will have any birds to ship to such a race. I really want to see this concept continuing to exist when I have birds ready to ship. So if there is anything I can do to help you get this up and running let me know.


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## ozarkbill (Aug 17, 2008)

*breeding toward this*

I am starting with Mainly a Trenton strain and some Meuelman. I am starting with 8 birds and shooting for late next year for a long race. A lot of short conditioning this year and then longer next year. Everything I find out about Trentons is that they develop slow and while not fast have huge endurance. I have a more down home approach to training them. I have long haul trucker friends who will let them off at certain stops. Like from me, by Chicago from the east, and Oklahoma City or Albuquerque from the west and amirallo and Minneapolis from other directions. just part way at first them further if they work out. My loft is the highest point in 30 miles so short tosses have been easy. Try your distance from Fristoe, Mo to see how far you are from me. 3 pair of the 8 are on eggs now and some are pure Trenton and some crosses with Muleman hens. My Trentons have a lot of chocolate red in their color and run recessive red faintly over white in some.Supposed to be from racing stock from Arkansas.


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## Al X West (Sep 10, 2012)

*Shorty*

Yes, I am willing to host a race. 

Would want a seperate loft for the racers to maintain some semblance of biological security. 

I am thinking that with present projects, work etc. I will be able to start construction, sometime this fall, of a small loft with outside aviary capable of housing some race birds for 2-3 days . I suspect that would be enough time for them to rehydrate, feed up, rest and get limber after shipping.

That would mean I could do it for next (2014) old bird season.

PM me on details.


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## ozarkbill (Aug 17, 2008)

*my distance hopes*

Here are some pics from a winter day. Chocolate red is a Trenton hen. not in pic are 2 Trenton cocks, one chocolate splashed and one blue with white wing tips.Tpo right is mueleman -trenton hen and also the one on left and red bar by her.
I won't know until I fly them a bunch but wind is usually from SW so will start there for distance then North to give them a battle with the sw wind. Will see. I like your idea and it's perfect for the little guy who is priced out of most of it.


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## ozarkbill (Aug 17, 2008)

*Info on Trentons*

Here is a good site on long distance racing birds.
http://thenational.us/cms/node/75


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## njhntr (Jun 5, 2012)

*post office racing*

[
Good moringing all,
Must check out
Everyone go to Yahoo and click ABC new search news stories trans pacfic flight pigeon
On todays yahoo main page.Very interesting
let me know what you folks think


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## johnnyksspeedshop (Oct 12, 2007)

Hi everyone, just came across this thread and though I would chime in. I am a moderator on the Minnesota Pigeon Forum (MPF) and we utilized this system last year for a forum held race. Im not talking about the post office shipping system, more the numbered/lettered band-call back system. Being in Minnesota, we have a large Hmong population many of which are backyard fliers who would like to try racing their birds, and also people who just cant afford to race pigeons in a club competitively especially the very young kids. We had a forum member who let us use his shop space for shipping, so everyone brought their birds they wanted to enter in the short sprint race (100 miles). There was absolutely no regulations on seamless bands, in fact, the birds didnt even have to be banded since were countermarking the birds with a unique numbered and colored band before we crated them (after all the participants left). We had the participants bring in a drivers license or another form of mail showing there address of which we took the GPS location of. Each participant picked a ticket our of hat with one of he admin team members phone numbers on it, and they were instructed to call with color and number of the clip on band as fast as they could after the bird returned home. The admin team all met at a central location with a race clock present, and the time of each call was marked according to the race clock just incase the cell phones varied slightly in time. The system worked very well and got alot of backyard fliers, and a few kids around the age of 10 to race their pigeons for a couple bucks a bird (all went to prize money, the forum covered the gas cost for shipping). I think this would work well for your long distance racing ideas. I think the biggest hurdle would be deciding how long and what process to let the bird recover from being shipped. Everyone knows that the post office is not exactly the most consistent in shipping pigeons.


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## johnnyksspeedshop (Oct 12, 2007)

Thanks for the kind words Shorty! This year we actually are trying another system, so I dont have a link for you for a countermark style race. One of the admin team members was not planning on flying his own birds this year, so he is flying forum members birds in a federation, kind of like a one loft. So the forum members will be flying against each other, from his one loft, but he will be shipping his birds in the federation. I think next year we will be doing both systems the one-loft style and the countermark style. Its nice because both styles give those who dont have hundreds of dollars to spend on shipping and a thousand on a clock, a chance to race. Even though we dont have a ton of members or pigeons in these races, it really does take alot of planning to esnure that no one cheats and the finances as well. I forgot to mention that we had two classes in the countermark style race, the "competitive class" where people who fly in clubs (and those who dont) could enter birds, and the "noncompetitive class" where only the backyard fliers or those who do not belong to a club could enter birds. The two races were released an hour apart. Here is a short video the liberator took of the shipping night and liberation. 
http://youtu.be/p8KuNfFyycA
While I was reading that Trenton article, it made me ponder a question. This might not be the correct place to ask it, but when I was younger I had Trentons and always remembered them being large robust pigeons. Now there is a guy in my club (Paul Rudolph) who specializes in the long distance races we have here (600+ miles). His birds are uniformly smaller in size, and all have the same compact body type. He is always getting day birds on the 600+ mile races, and he is even at the top of list during YB season as well, even though he does not care too much results in YB season. But it just seems weird, the size difference in old long distance strains and his distance strain.


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## johnnyksspeedshop (Oct 12, 2007)

No problem! 
Im not sure, he is a great guy but is serious about his distance birds . . . meaning, if it was AU sanctioned, so he could beat the previous 1000 miles speed record, I think he might, otherwise he probably would not! I dont want to speak for him however, he does have a website! http://www.rudolphfamilyloft.com/ 
Paul and another local named Vic Hennig are absolutely excellent at the distance. Unfortunately I dont think Vic is flying this year due to medical problems.


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## johnnyksspeedshop (Oct 12, 2007)

Yeah, I will ask Paul! It would be interesting to see what he says, I have no doubt in my mind that his birds can do 1000 miles in good time.


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

One of my 1000 mile birds.
Dave


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## JasoninMN (Nov 5, 2005)

This is very interesting! Another alternative for shipping over night for those in MN, ND, SD, and IA is Spee Dee. They are cheaper too.


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## Remarc Lofts (Nov 13, 2007)

I'd also be happy to host a race from the west coast 97056.


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

shorty2 said:


> Nice !!!!!! Are you still flying him?


Yes I do but he is getting old probly wont go past 400.
Dave


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