# ybs dark system



## fadedracer (Jul 8, 2011)

is there anywhere online where it teaches you how to darken your ybs? from begging till the end. dont feel like buying a 60 dollar dvd. thanks
or can someone do a write up?


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## ERIC K (Mar 29, 2010)

I have to look for my notes on the E-Z dark system and I never tried it so I'm not going to be much help but I can tell you the E-Z light system if your weaning your young end of March.


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## klondike goldie (Apr 20, 2009)

ERIC K said:


> I have to look for my notes on the E-Z dark system and I never tried it so I'm not going to be much help but I can tell you the E-Z light system if your weaning your young end of March.


I would like to know E-Z light system for weaning young end of march


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## ERIC K (Mar 29, 2010)

Keep the light natural till 21st of June.

On the 21st of June turn artificial lights on from 6an till 11pm at night . That would be around 17 hours of light equal to the longest day of the year. If your loft is bright during the day you could in fact have a timer to make the light come on at 6am and off at 9am then back on at 6pm to 11pm to save money but the light should simulate the longest day of the year, so 17 hours of light.

This should stop the molting of the body and wing. 80% of your birds will stop the wing molt and 20% wouldn't but like I said it's the E-Z system. 100% of the birds should stop the body molt. That's it. Keep the light on till your done racing. O yea, I heard that young birds on a light system will be better as old birds vs birds flown on the dark system.


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

Pigeon Insider has a lot of info you should be able to find what you want.
Dave


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## ERIC K (Mar 29, 2010)

Dark system, the basics. You need to remember that most of these systems are built around early born young birds , that would be late Dec and Jan. The dark system keeps the birds in a short daylight starting around the 10th to the 21st of March till the 21st of June . You must close up the loft with curtains over the windows and keep it dark and only give the birds 10 hours of light so you either have to be home at a certain time to close everything up or you could darken the loft all the time and have your lights on timers to light the loft for 10 hours during the day, but the rest of the day the birds stay in the dark, to molt out the body feathers. You could keep the sunrise natural and start your darken hours in the afternoon , say 3,4 or 5pm. You must make sure that they still have good ventilation while on the dark because so much of the loft is closed off with curtains. This system will help keep them from molting the wing feathers. After June 21st you put them on natural light.


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## Alamo (Nov 22, 2008)

Joe Zack light system....17+ hours of light until the end of May....When weaned,cut 9th & 10th flight....When 2nd primary flight drops,pull the 9th...When the 9th is out all the way,pull the 10th.....Birds will be moulted by the 1st race,and at the end of the season,ALL primary flights will be moulted....So that in the $$ races in October/Nov,the birds will have all their primary flight moulted etc.....Really simple...Works best with Jan/Feb hatched YB`s.....Good Luck !!......Alamo


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## fadedracer (Jul 8, 2011)

thanks alot guys


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## ERIC K (Mar 29, 2010)

David just remember if you're going to pull any flights you will need 45 day for the birds to regrow the feathers , so look at a calendar before you make any move like that.


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

I've never used any sort of light system but when you do how do you feed, do you still keep them on a high protein diet?
Dave


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## bob prisco (Apr 26, 2012)

*Why ?*

I really do not know why fanciers make this sport so difficult for themselves.
You may just enjoy it more and have more success if you:
1. BREED YOUR YOUNG BIRDS WHEN THE WILD BIRDS BREED IN YOUR AREA.
2. FLY THE NATURAL SYSTEM - BOTH YBS. and OBS.
3. BUY A QUALITY COMMERCIAL FEED MIX and ADD SOME RICE , SAFFLOWER and PEANUTS DURING RACE SEASON.
4. FEED PELLETS and GRAIN DURING BREEDING SEASON , ALONG WITH GRIT.
5. PERFORMANCE SHOULD BE YOUR ONLY GOAL IN BREEDING LOFT
6. LEARN HOW TO KEEP YOUR BIRDS HEALTHY
7. STOP BLAMING THE BIRDS WHEN WE ARE NOT SUCCESSFUL and LOOK AT OURSELVES AND SEE HOW WE CAN IMPROVE AS HANDLERS.

It really is not a difficult sport -stop trying to make it one and enjoy it !


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## ace in the hole (Nov 27, 2007)

bob prisco said:


> I really do not know why fanciers make this sport so difficult for themselves.
> You may just enjoy it more and have more success if you:
> 1. BREED YOUR YOUNG BIRDS WHEN THE WILD BIRDS BREED IN YOUR AREA.
> 2. FLY THE NATURAL SYSTEM - BOTH YBS. and OBS.
> ...


*I would not have more success if I did #1 and #2 on your list. Straight up fact...*

I did it that way twenty years ago. Now things have changed and I would like to win the races and not just be some guy who also flew...


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## bob prisco (Apr 26, 2012)

*Why ?*

And you know that why ? You have tried it?


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## ace in the hole (Nov 27, 2007)

bob prisco said:


> And you know that why ? You have tried it?


It was 24 years ago the last time I flew the natural system. Our first race for young birds in Michigan was around July 18th. If I waited till spring to breed up there I could have only gotten in one round of young or they would be to young to race. 

I have my own systems of the light and dark as well as training and feeding. My birds have no free loft time, they never route. With my system and training they become true racing machines. No Brag, Just Fact...

Will I tell you all what I do and how I train? Sorry, you will have to wait for the DVD.


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## bob prisco (Apr 26, 2012)

Sounds like you are a great flyer - would like to see some results.
But even more it is a shame you do not want to share your system WITH OTHER FLYERS. 
I guess that is where we differ - we don't mine sharing information.
You can see and have it for free at www.priscoracingpigeonloft.com
Our results go back to 1985 - "MULLIGAN'S PLACE LOFT ,S.I. and most recent BROTHERS LOFT , NJ ".
Really ,I do not see much changing in the sport as you indicated over last 30 years. We must still fly the race and the results are their for all to see.
Never had a racing machine , your lucky you have a loft full.


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## akbird (Apr 29, 2010)

IMO everyone must find what system will work for them and go with that. What works in NJ may not work elsewhere. I bought some birds from Brothers Loft, tried their system here in OR and it didn't work--lost all the birds I got from them. That is not to say the birds from them were no good, they just didn't cut it here. Same for the system they use. It just didn't work for me. I lived in Alaska for almost 20 years, if we waited to raise YB's there until the other birds were breeding we never would have been able to fly. As I said before, everyone needs to find what works for them. JMHO, but I sense some hostility in several of these posts (Bob Prisco) and I don't think that is called for.


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## bob prisco (Apr 26, 2012)

Sorry , to hear you didn't have any luck . Would like to know what birds you got and when. Please take the time to e-mail with information and details.
As far as my comment's , our only goal is to offer help and information to fanciers. I have always been straight forward with my remarks and only intention is to offer assistance. Sorry , you feel differently.
When fanciers tell me it works for them than I EXPECT THEY CAN SHOW RESULTS. That is how I judge success. Talk and no results just does not do it for me !


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

A lot of good reading Bob, it seems like you base every thing on Taiwan racing witch is very different than here. We don't control the age for the race or fly over water.

During the breeding season you give them 20 + % protein , at what age do you change that? I'll have more questions later.
Dave


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## Pigeon0446 (Apr 22, 2007)

Crazy Pete said:


> A lot of good reading Bob, it seems like you base every thing on Taiwan racing witch is very different than here. We don't control the age for the race or fly over water.
> 
> During the breeding season you give them 20 + % protein , at what age do you change that? I'll have more questions later.
> Dave


He flies in the CJC the biggest combine in the country and is always up there on the race sheets. On his page there's plenty of good race results but one that stuck out to me was a race in 2010 where he was 1st thru 5th against 199 lofts and 2882 birds. There isn't too many ppl who can say they ever did anything like that. Just this past year he had 9 IF Hall of Fame OB's and ended up 2nd IF Champion Loft so he isn't basing everything on Taiwan.


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

The race results are all here just when you click on the articles a lot of them are about Taiwan racing, at least the ones I've read so far.
Dave


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## ERIC K (Mar 29, 2010)

Not to try to take anything away from anyone who has accomplished great race results but you also need to look at where that person lives in the club, combine , concourse , federation etc. I know several fanciers who win many awards and have many AU champion birds and loft awards but in respect to there loft location compared to the rest is like night and day. I guess if your not the #1 pin in the bowling alley and win consistently you really have something .


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## Pigeon0446 (Apr 22, 2007)

Crazy Pete said:


> The race results are all here just when you click on the articles a lot of them are about Taiwan racing, at least the ones I've read so far.
> Dave


Probably because he sells his HVR's to Taiwan. When they see your name on top of the Champion Loft and Hall of Fame they want your birds. I've had a couple guys from over there offer to buy my Hall of Fame winner for good money but I wouldn't even think about selling her.


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

Pigeon0446 said:


> Probably because he sells his HVR's to Taiwan. When they see your name on top of the Champion Loft and Hall of Fame they want your birds. I've had a couple guys from over there offer to buy my Hall of Fame winner for good money but I wouldn't even think about selling her.


Now that makes sense.
Dave


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## Pigeon0446 (Apr 22, 2007)

ERIC K said:


> Not to try to take anything away from anyone who has accomplished great race results but you also need to look at where that person lives in the club, combine , concourse , federation etc. I know several fanciers who win many awards and have many AU champion birds and loft awards but in respect to there loft location compared to the rest is like night and day. I guess if your not the #1 pin in the bowling alley and win consistently you really have something .


I'd be the 5 pin since I'm pretty much right in the middle I've got guys 50 miles short of me and 60 miles past me. Guys 10 miles north of me and 6 miles south of me. But just about the same number of the lofts are south of me as north of me. So when I win a race my bird did something because there's always half the combine with an advantage on me. I don't know where Bob is in relation to the rest of the CJC so I can't speak for him.


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## bob prisco (Apr 26, 2012)

I will try to answers all questions in one response.
1. The fancier who said he got birds from us and lost them - they were not our birds as he sent me band numbers of the birds. Hopeful he will a state that in a post.

2. Yes , we feed high protein during breeding season . We want our birds to develop early. They get peanuts the day their hatched and right through racing season. We do not control our birds by hunger- but by management and peanuts. 

3. We fly in the "CJC COMBINE" we have a 90 mile front from north to south lofts. Wind plays a big factor in results. WE FLY FROM WEST TO EAST. We don't fly in a bowling alley , with a 90 mile front.

4. Yes , many of the articles attention is Taiwan. They were published in the magazines in Taiwan. There racing is like "series of races "and are all young birds. You must make a minimum speed for that race -if you don't your out of series. BIRDS ARE ALL SAME AGE AND CONTROLLED BY BAND SALES.
Bands are sold for 1 week for a race, so all birds are same age. Bird is banded for only that series and his racing career is over.

5. Yes , we do offer our racing CHAMPIONS FOR SALE - have been doing so since 1991. We have a family of birds and breed and race what we breed.
We have a saying "We will sell the sweet apples from the tree , but not the tree".

6. We have a website and try to offer help to fanciers in the way of articles .
We have no secrets and list all we do for others read. The sport has been good to us and we try to give something back. May be hard for some to believe - but it is the truth.


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## bob prisco (Apr 26, 2012)

*Akbird - Sorry.*

Just received e-mail from "AKBIRD" and the birds were banded with his bands.
So , we did breed them.


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

A 90 mile front seems kinda small where does your loft sit in that? I say small as the Husker Hawkeye Combine is well over 300 miles wide. We fly South to North and only in old birds. I'm on the East half and the shortest loft in the combine.
Dave


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## bob prisco (Apr 26, 2012)

We are in the APP. IN THE MIDDLE.
How many fanciers in the combine and what is short / long distance ?


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

We have 55 lofts and on the 600 I'm 540 and the longest is 689 that is North to South. We don't have the biggest combine as in lofts just the biggest area most spread out. As far as club racing goes champion bird or loft I don't think we have reported to the AU since the mid 1990's most of us just like to fly.
Dave


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