# smash races



## fadedracer (Jul 8, 2011)

worst year for racing so far for my club. 2 smash races so far. solar flares anyone


----------



## Pollo70 (Jan 3, 2012)

People say its been linked to the smash races and training tosses


----------



## Alamo (Nov 22, 2008)

East coast NO solar flares.....But the site that has the info,there is a place they have the name as "College".....I don`t know where this is,but it`s been real bad there for 2 weeks...So If anyone finds out where "College" is,I would love to know...Alamo


----------



## Jr Brown (May 22, 2012)

fadedracer said:


> worst year for racing so far for my club. 2 smash races so far. solar flares anyone


We had two smash races the past 2 weeks also. We fly from west to east, from Harrisburg PA area to Allentown PA

Where did you races take place?


----------



## V-John (May 15, 2008)

Jr Brown said:


> We had two smash races the past 2 weeks also. We fly from west to east, from Harrisburg PA area to Allentown PA
> 
> Where did you races take place?


I was chatting with our friend and former member and he told me about some of the losses guys your way were taking. Sucks.


----------



## lawman (Jul 19, 2005)

haven't heard of any solar flares, in fact it been pretty quite. here is a link for where you can check out what's going on in regards to the planetary Kp index. http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/rt_plots/kp_3d.html


----------



## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

I really believe a lot of smash Races are due to the Fact we are selecting for RACE Birds only, and the real Homing instinct is set aside just for speed.
I used to EXCEL in smash Races, always at the Top of the sheet.
Why? I enjoyed taking my Team out when we went on day Trips, fishing or what ever, and single tossing them. with a lot of time in between.
After several tosses I would single toss in Rain, Fog, Snow,whatever.
The tougher the better. after a year or two of this type of training I rarely lost a Bird in a race, while my friends and fellow flyers would sometimes lose half of their Team. 
I guess that is why I still Breed and Love homers, but no longer race them.
The Honorable traits of coming Home, against the odds and making it, is more 
important to me than winning a race. 
in fact, the young bird race results i see here were LARGE Groups are clocking at once from one loft do not impress me... BUT......
if one Bird from a different Loft beat out that flock, THEN that is the Bird I want.


----------



## ERIC K (Mar 29, 2010)

Your racing from the North this year and I believe one East Rockford bird ended up at someone house up here . Your course is probably crossing 2 or 3 other clubs / combines / federations . That might be part of the problem.


----------



## Pigeon0446 (Apr 22, 2007)

Jr Brown said:


> We had two smash races the past 2 weeks also. We fly from west to east, from Harrisburg PA area to Allentown PA
> 
> Where did you races take place?


Our race this past Sunday was from the Lebanon, Pa area back to Long Island most of the birds made it back eventually but the winners made speeds way slower then they should have given the conditions. There was 2 races let up a half hour apart and the guy who won both races clocked the birds together. People are saying the 1st group hung but even then there was only a few birds that made that speed if they hung and came with the 2nd race there should be a group coming together. But both races are broken up pretty good with a few birds making close to the winning speeds then the rest straggling in way behind.


----------



## fadedracer (Jul 8, 2011)

shotgun race style this year. we are racing north east south. We had our one loft race with no day birds. top flier in the club has had terrible losses. started with around 60. and i am down to about 10.


----------



## lawman (Jul 19, 2005)

LUCKYT said:


> I really believe a lot of smash Races are due to the Fact we are selecting for RACE Birds only, and the real Homing instinct is set aside just for speed.
> I used to EXCEL in smash Races, always at the Top of the sheet.
> Why? I enjoyed taking my Team out when we went on day Trips, fishing or what ever, and single tossing them. with a lot of time in between.
> After several tosses I would single toss in Rain, Fog, Snow,whatever.
> ...


Very true words LuckyT,

I have said basically the same thing many times in the past, I truly believe that we have as a group (pigeon fliers in general) have concentrated more on the short fast races in money races and young birds, we have stopped breeding for the often times slower maturing birds that can come home in any weather and at any distance.


----------



## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

This Weekend Racers might have a REAL excuse! LOL!
There is a Major Solar Flare this weekend. 
PLEASE, lets take Notes on this weekends Races.


----------



## Rod Hultquist (Aug 23, 2009)

Top News of the Day: 

2014-09-14 02:34 UTC Storm Conditions Now Waning 

It has now been a little over 48 hours since the first of two CMEs passed Earth, 36 hours since the second arrived. This pair of plasma clouds interacted with Earth's magnetosphere, mostly on Friday evening, producing minor to strong (G1-G3) geomagnetic storms in their wake. 

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/


----------



## ERIC K (Mar 29, 2010)

Rod Hultquist said:


> Top News of the Day:
> 
> 2014-09-14 02:34 UTC Storm Conditions Now Waning
> 
> ...


I've heard of this K factor before but it's hard to believe in it without truly understanding just how it would effect some area and not others . We raced on Saturday with normal results. As a small club we have a few losses but nothing equal to a smash race. How can one bird home while the next doesn't on the same day ? Same food, same training and the same weather conditions . I guess survival of the fittest applies to pigeon racing as well as any other animal.


----------



## orock (Mar 28, 2011)

Young Bird Sickness? (Adeno)


----------



## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

In my Opinion, the main unseen factor is Air Pressure changes.
I do not necessarily mean Storms, or Rain Ect.
When the Birds go through a Front, Air Pressure change, whatever you want to call it, there is NO Question it could cause a Smash.
BUT,  Weather Maps, Ect. from the Day of the Race, should or would Show this. 
I am Super sensitive to air pressure changes and they mess me up!
I have been on training tosses were right after release that tell Tale Air Temperature change Hits and Wala! they are slow to return.
Not such a Big Deal after the Birds have had a lot of Road training, but if it occurs on the first few tosses, or the first Races those Birds are on, I Think it could be a Disaster. 
I may not be currently Racing, but I still Road train a small Team, and I do know Pigeons as well as anyone


----------



## ERIC K (Mar 29, 2010)

orock said:


> Young Bird Sickness? (Adeno)


You might be right on with that my friend. Some people could have it and not even know it unless they see birds barfing up their food.


----------



## Alamo (Nov 22, 2008)

Adeno Virus is easily found....Slimey Green Droppings...And ofcourse,up-chucking feed at night...I have found that if you feed no later the 1pm,and feed only SMALL grains,(brown rice,safflower,pearl barley,flax seed,and either finch/canary/parakeet seeds),they will not throw up,or very little...I think it`s the lack of water in the crop,that makes them throw the feed up...Especially if your feed large heavy grain.....Amoxicillan 10% in the water 5 to 7 days......Alamo


----------



## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

Stress will also make Pigeons try to throw up, or throw up.
I have seen this mostly in Young Birds. after a Rough Toss or a close call with a Hawk Ect. 
I do not think a Virus would cause major losses in a Club or Combine.
Most experienced Flyers would see their Team had Problems and not Ship.
P.S. I feed a LOT of whole Corn, even to my Rollers, and have NEVER had them throw up from it.


----------



## conditionfreak (Jan 11, 2008)

My combine is in its second week of racing. The losses have been so great, that we are contemplating ending the season now, because of the loss of revenue from birds being sent, versus the costs of transporting.

It is a bad year for losses. Some are even suggesting changing who the "liberators" are. Opting instead for someone that not only checks the weather, but checks the solar flare activity, before releasing the birds.

I don't think the birds are less capable and I don't think the flyers suddenly went dumb.

There is something else going on. I know that solar flare activity has been at all time recored highs, and I believe that cell phone usage/towers also contributes. Plus, the predator bird populations are high also. They can't catch and eat that many. But they can panic a whole lot of young birds into flying an hour in the wrong direction.

I think it is a combination of phone towers, solar flares, and high predator activity.

The alternative being that all of these flyers with years of experience, suddenly got dumb or lazy. And that our breeders that produced good birds three years ago, are no good any more. Possible, but highly unlikely.


----------



## Flapdoodle (Nov 8, 2009)

Looking at combine birdage (is that a word?) for the first four races:

8/23 912 birds shipped
8/30 944 birds shipped
9/6 807 birds shipped
9/13 480 birds shipped 

It looks like 9/6 could of been a smash race. It ended up one club decided not to ship due to the conditions. I believe that was the case for the entire Bay Cities Combine as well. I think it was based on heat, sun and wild fires. 

The crazy thing, with the solar flares, wild fires, 100+ temps, cell phone towers the top flyer by knock off had all his birds back in the A race and was missing just a few in the B race. 

Overall the guys I talk to say it has been a normal year as far as losses go.


----------



## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

I have been checking local Reports here (Chicago Area) Seems like normal / Good returns. The Combine I used to fly with was FAST (150) week before last.


----------



## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

I would request, or demand one or two observers at the release Point.
Maybe the Problem will end.


----------



## Kastle Loft (May 7, 2008)

conditionfreak said:


> My combine is in its second week of racing. The losses have been so great, that we are contemplating ending the season now, because of the loss of revenue from birds being sent, versus the costs of transporting.
> 
> It is a bad year for losses. Some are even suggesting changing who the "liberators" are. Opting instead for someone that not only checks the weather, but checks the solar flare activity, before releasing the birds.
> 
> ...


Walt, as I mentioned to you in a previous discussion, our club had a race the same day as one of yours about ten days ago. We were both releasing from fairly similar points in Tennessee. Our station was probably 50 miles NNW of the Cincy Combine release.

I spent nearly four hours monitoring the weather from my house and in constant communication with our liberator. His observations on the ground (foggy and drizzle) were different than those observing from Knoxville (part sun I think?). Conditions in Lexington where I was were pretty nice.

What was very clear to me, and would be clear to anyone who would have looked, was a band of rain and fog holding tight between our release points and home. It was on the maps. I watched it from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. We brought our birds home. There is no way I would blame the birds for not returning home from a day like that. Can't blame the birds, can't blame the cell towers, can't blame solar flares or K-factor. Can't blame the weather maps and radar. A human decision was made to release the birds without deliberating the easily available information. This is information available to anyone with a smart phone. 

Is human error or bad judgement to blame in every case of a smash race? No, I don't think so. I do think there are many factors involved as you mention above. But I do believe that we need to look hard at ourselves, too. Are we breeding properly? Training properly? Feeding according to expected race conditions? Checking the weather at release, at home, *and in between*? Do we keep good diaries of weather conditions vs. returns so we can learn from our mistakes? Those are the things within our control.

I realize that breeding/training/feed isn't going to change dramatically across the board in a short period of time, so it isn't likely that we can pin-point poor handling as the cause for losses across the country in one year compared to a previous one. I for one certainly wish I knew the answers. I hate losing birds more than anything. Not to cop-out, but I truly believe it is a combination of all these things that is hurting our returns. Some of it we can't control. But the things we can control, I think we need to be diligent about working hard and using all available information.


----------

