Journal & News from the Loft Managers:
July 28th, 2010
Training is now just starting and I should be able to start posting tosses to the website by Sunday or the beginning of next week. We are starting training a little earlier than we did the last couple years which should help to give the birds a few more short tosses in the 20 to 30 mile range to slowly work them up the mountains. In training my own birds I did find a couple of new spots at 10 Miles and 20 Miles that were really well elevated and seemed to really help bridge the gap from Georgetown to the higher elevations which can be a problem. I am still in the process of getting all of the TIPES One Loft Software and Equipment working again this year. I also just found out when I went to scan my own young birds for the first time that my reading unit on my personal clock has something wrong with it (despite being in perfect condition and fairly new) so it's always something with these clocks. On the one loft race system everything should be complete and ready to go by the time we get to Georgetown (6 Miles).
Jon took the birds the day before yesterday over the hill to the High School (1.75 Miles) and they took quite a while to get home and came in broken up. There are still a few birds missing too, so I am not sure what happened but it appeared they got hit by a hawk or got together with another group of birds and got too farm from the loft. It was good experience right away for a lot of them. Prior to this toss he got the birds used to the crates by releasing them at the end of the driveway a few times and then over the weekend he took them twice to the top of the hill across the canyon which is about 2/3 of a mile. Those little trips in the crates also helped to try and get a few of the lazy (roof-sitter) birds to fly more. It appears to have helped with two big birds that did not want to fly before but now show promise and should be ok.
95% of the birds fly very well in a flock for quite a while in the morning. With the cooler weather lately they have been flying for well over an hour and still leaving the area while routing. All of the birds in the loft look healthy and good portion of them are done with the body moult. The 10th flight has now grown completely back in on all of the birds it was pulled on.
I updated the inventory tonight with a physical inventory that was done recently and the birds lost/missing are noted. There are birds gone for various reasons. Some of them are missing from a male hawk that was giving us problems, a couple were eliminated because they never fully recovered from being sick in early June, one hit a wire, and recently a few more disappeared just from fly-aways while the birds were routing and gone for a long time. Every year we seem to have a fly-away with the birds while they are out routing and they presumably get tied up with other birds and get too far away from the loft to make it back. I've never had this problem with my own young birds, so maybe they route better or worse? I have heard of it happening numerous times in other one loft races so maybe it has something to do with all of the different families of birds being together and the birds with a better compass taking the birds with less too far from the loft.
As soon as I get the Tipes Equipment all squared away I will start posting the training tosses to the website so look for one of the 6 Mile tosses to hit the website around Sunday or Monday night. Hopefully this nice cooler weather holds up as it has been great for loft flying and training the birds.
- Matt
July 9th, 2010
All entries and replacements have been in for a while now and the birds look good. Jon pulled the 10th flight on most of the birds 3.5 weeks ago and the 10th flights have now grown close to 2/3 of the way back in. They should finish within 10 days or so. It should be noted that we only pull the 10th flight and not the 9th as some people do. Pulling both flights at the same time is a lot of stress on the birds system as they are already moulting other feathers and it makes them almost unable to fly.....so we only pull the 10th. I do the same with my own YB team as I have found over the years that the 9th flight has not shown to have any effect on performance. I think the same can be said for all of the flight feathers except the 10th (since it's on the end of the wing and unprotected). What does have a much bigger effect on performance is the body moult. At this time close to half of the birds are completely done or nearly done with the body moult and look like yearlings. The rest are in various stages of body moult ranging from a heavy head moult to just starting on some of the younger birds. As is the case every year we hope to have most of the birds through the body moult before the longer training tosses occur but with so many different ages and families of birds in a one loft race it seems like there are always some that get stuck in a heavy moult during training.
Training will begin around late July to early August depending on how the birds are loft flying and how the body moult is going. I am flying young birds this year and am just now starting training, so I will be scouting for any new spots early in the course that may be better than locations we have used previous years. As many of you know the terrain for this course (especially where we live several miles from both major freeways) is pretty rugged, so finding suitable training locations can be a challenge. The key seems to be finding spots that are elevated. With all of the satellite technology on the internet such as Google Maps and Google Earth you can really get a good view of what the birds are flying over.
We will be doing a physical inventory update sometime within the next week after going through all the birds as there are 4 or 5 birds that have gone missing over the last few weeks due to a persistent resident male cooper's hawk. This same male hawk at one point got 2 of my own young birds and injured 4 more during a two week time period. One of those injured had major talon damage to her upper neck (she was nearly killed and almost lost an eye to a talon puncture) that I had to have her taken to the vet and sewn up under anesthesia. The hen was under anesthesia for almost an hour and the bill was $195 but it was well worth it as that is actually my favorite bird on my team. She is back out flying again, albeit with a lot of crooked feathers.
So sometime next week the inventory will be updated with the missing birds and I will advise here as to the progress towards training.
- Matt
* May 5th, 2010 * (Updated Again May 7th)
Entries have been coming in regularly and we now have a good amount of entries for this year's race series. Remember entries are accepted until June 1st and replacements until June 15th so you still have time to get your entries in. People tend to think the later entries don't do as well, but every year some of the youngest and last entries to the loft have done very well and been among the top ace pigeons (including one year in which the 1st Overall Ace Pigeon was actually the youngest pigeon entered).
Well over half of the birds are now out flying regularly and the recent nice weather has helped to get them out even more. The older birds are in a flock, flying well, and they have routed some and routinely fly for quite a while. We have lost a few birds to hawks but the hawk problem has actually not been too bad this year. At one point we had two female coopers both bothering the birds in the span of a couple weeks but both have since moved on.
We have not had as good of luck with the health of some of the birds as there has been some sickness and we have lost 12 or 13 birds total. Breeders have been contacted and the birds have already been or will be replaced. It started with some of the birds in one section about 4 weeks ago and after some birds were lost it took about 2 weeks before all of the birds in that section were healthy again. About a week ago a handful of birds in one of the other sections started to look sick and a couple of those were lost and the other 3 are currently in the sick loft. 2 of the 3 sections appear to be completely healthy with all of the birds looking good in those sections.
Unfortunately sickness is a part of one loft racing every spring and it's something all one loft races go through. Some years are better than others and it really seems to be a lot about chance as you are at the mercy of what specific diseases people's birds carry into the loft and the timing of when those carrier birds enter the loft. There is one common and major underlying cause (a virus) that I will get to with more information below.
Now for some important information on Health and One Loft Races in General ...
Recently one of the other big one loft races has been going through a lot of sickness. We have been hearing comments from people saying things such as "Did you know that his race has Circovirus?" or "I'm not entering birds into that race because he has Circovirus". These comments are said as if the person is surprised that the other race has Circovirus and that it's some kind of big news. Even worse in a couple of cases the comments have had the tone as if it's that loft manager's fault that the birds have Circovirus.
For anybody that has ever hosted a one loft race and/or knows anything about Circovirus, this is anything but a surprise or some kind of major news....it's actually a given. All one loft races have birds infected with Circovirus. Let me repeat that again, all one loft races (including this one) have Circovirus. The well known local avian vet that works regularly with pigeons (Dr. Jeanne Smith) can confirm this. She (along with the lab at UC Davis) confirm Circovirus every year from every one loft race that visits her practice. Anybody who tells you that their one loft race doesn't have Circovirus is either not telling you the truth or they are very naive and don't know the facts about the virus. Before I get into the full nature of the virus it should be noted that most of the birds in the loft will never show any actual signs of the disease and normally by the time you roll into June and all of the birds mature (and the weather warms) the birds get over the virus before training begins.
Circovirus (aka "Young Bird Disease" or Pigeon AIDS)
There seems to be a general lack of knowledge among most pigeon fanciers about Circovirus. I attribute part of this to the fact that 90% of the advertising revenue in the various pigeon magazines and newsletters is directly related to one loft racing and/or sales of birds based on one loft racing. So it's not in their best interest to devote entire articles to a disease that could potentially hurt their ad revenue. Unless you've hosted a one loft race and/or been entered in a lot of them you may have only heard very little about it or maybe never heard of it at all. Quite a few lofts probably have it and don't even know it as it is much more of a problem in one loft racing where you are mixing several different birds from several different lofts/areas that all bring their own resident diseases with them (that they are normally resistant to). One Loft racing has been the major avenue for the spread of this disease and the nature of one loft racing is probably the reason for the existence of the disease to begin with.
Circovirus is a virus that essentially only effects young birds (between the ages of 4-12 weeks old) and it damages their immune system. Since it is a virus that means there is no cure or actual treatment for the virus itself. It has to run it's course and the bird has to beat it itself. At this time there is also no vaccine for the disease (like we have for PMV) as scientists have been unable to get the virus to replicate in a lab. The strain that pigeons get is pretty specific to pigeons which unfortunately means there is a lack of funding to help speed up the process to get a vaccine. It is extremely contagious and can be spread through the drinker, the feeder, and on the droppings. From what I have read they think it may also be airborne in the breath of a bird. In a one loft race every bird will be exposed to it fairly quickly as it's completely impossible to keep the carrier birds from spreading it since often times the carrier birds look fine and don't actually show any signs of being sick.....but they can spread it like wild fire. While all of the birds will be exposed to it, not all of them will actually become infected and many of the birds that are infected stay strong enough to where they never actually show any signs of being sick (although these birds do become carriers and some of them stay carriers as breeders). Weaning is a stressful time for youngsters, especially ones that are shipped or driven to one loft races. It is that stress that makes them more likely to become infected and unable to fend off the initial contact with the virus.
So what does Circovirus actually do to the young birds? Visibly Circovirus doesn't have many symptoms that it creates itself. The only symptoms created by the virus that I seem to see continually in the various articles are that the birds tend to become lethargic, they huddle up, and they stop eating. These symptoms are pretty generic for most diseases though. The real problem is what Circovirus does internally as it's basically the pigeon version of AIDS in that it damages the birds immune system to where they become infected with one or more secondary diseases that they would normally fight off on their own. Circovirus attacks the bursa which is a small organ in developing young birds near the rear of the birds. The bursa plays a major role in the development of a young bird's immune system. When the bursa is destroyed or damaged, the young bird loses much of their immune system and ability to fight off other diseases. This means other diseases ranging anywhere from canker to e-coli to PMV are much more likely to infect the bird. In relation to the Circovirus, the other diseases become known as "secondary diseases" and it is actually the secondary diseases that cause the real disease (and sometimes death) in the young birds.
Continued Below on Friday May 7th
It is also important to note that vaccination for diseases like PMV and Paratyphoid may not work in a bird whose immune system has been heavily damaged by Circovirus. Vaccinations require fully functioning immune systems in order to be effective and to form antibodies. When a pigeon doesn't have a functioning immune system because of Circovirus, the pigeon is not able to form antibodies from the vaccine and the vaccine becomes almost useless for that particular pigeon.
When you run a one loft race, it's a given that the birds will be exposed to and infected with Circovirus. It's just a matter of how many birds are going to bring it in, when they are going to bring it in, and how many birds is it going to effect. I know for sure that it's never just one or two birds bringing it into the loft.......it's multiple birds from multiple sources shedding the virus. You can quarantine new arrivals and separate the birds by section early on but remember the actual carriers may not show any signs of sickness and that makes it virtually impossible to determine when it will come and where it will come from.
One Loft racing itself creates a vicious circle in the spread of the disease as some birds apparently never completely clear the virus from their system and remain carriers as adults. If these carrier adults are bred from, they then pass the virus on to their youngsters. The youngsters from the carrier breeders may become fully infected themselves to where they become sick or they too may become carriers but not show any outward signs of disease. Many fanciers that participate in one loft races breed from their one loft entries the following year and in doing so they run the risk that their particular bird may be an adult carrier of the virus and it may transfer the virus to its youngsters. This is where the vicious circle comes into play as one loft races spread the disease initially within that loft and some of those infected birds go on to become breeders and thus spread the virus even further the next year. At that point the cycle is complete and one loft races are basically supplying each other with Circovirus every year.
The big question is how many birds remain carriers as adults? There doesn't appear to be an answer as of yet as it's practically impossible to confirm the virus in an alive adult bird. Normally the only way to confirm a circovirus infection is to have an autopsy done on a dead youngster and have tissue samples from the dead youngsters sent to a lab such as (UC Davis). It's even more difficult in an adult carrier bird as by that point the bird looks completely normal (as the virus has gone dormant in a carrier state). Again we do know that while all of the birds in a one loft race are exposed to the virus, not all of them actually become infected. Many of the youngsters have strong immune systems that fight off the virus before it can ever infect them and do any real damage. Some of the birds that are actually infected also never show any outward signs of sickness and presumably get over the virus very quickly. Then of course you have the birds who become fully infected with Circovirus to where damage is done to their immune system. I would have to assume that the birds that survive a full-blown circovirus infection (to the point of being sick) are the most likely to become carriers as adults but nobody knows for sure.
I do know that based on how many lofts are breeding from birds previously flown in one loft races that numerous lofts probably have the virus among their breeders and in their own young bird team. That means Circovirus is not going away anytime soon. The one good thing is that the birds with the absolute strongest immune systems are the birds that fight off the virus very quickly and never actually become infected or show any signs of being sick. Hopefully these are are the birds that go onto perform the best in the races. Birds with very strong natural immunity that are resistant to circovirus and other ailments have the most value going forward because as breeders they will pass this natural immunity on to future generations.
Another piece of good news is that as the young birds mature the ones that are actually infected with Circovirus eventually get over it and go on to perform well. Usually by the time a one loft race gets to training all of the birds are healthy and the virus is no longer causing immunity problems. So far I have yet to see Circovirus and all of it's associated secondary diseases be an issue past the month of June. As the weather heats up and the birds mature going into summer, the problems with Circovirus tend to fade away.
Circovirus and sickness are a major part (the worst part) of one loft racing. It can be incredibly frustrating to do everything you can to keep the birds healthy and prevent sickness only to watch a youngster that you know came in healthy get sick and die anyway because they picked up circovirus that another bird brought in. It's not easy and nothing is worse than having to call someone and tell them that their bird died or was killed by a hawk.
Hopefully all of this information clears up some of the misconceptions and lack of information in general about Circovirus. This is now the 6th year that I (Matt) have been involved with a one loft race. In that time through a lot of reading, talking to an avian vet, and from personal experience I have become somewhat of an expert on Circovirus. I say somewhat because there are still some lingering questions about Circovirus that remain unanswered (such as will a vaccine ever be available in the US and what percentage of birds become adult carriers?)
Next time you hear that a one loft race has Circovirus remember that actually isn't news at all since all one loft races have Circovirus. Be aware that if you enter birds into a one loft race they will inevitably be exposed to Circovirus and they may possibly become infected and have their immune system damaged from it (possibly leading to death). Also be aware that if you breed from your one loft birds there is a small chance you could be bringing the virus back into your loft and if you send youngsters back out off those you could be one of the suppliers of Circovirus. This probably isn't something that a lot of people want to hear but it is the reality of what happens when you mix hundreds of birds from many different places and loft conditions.
We will keep doing all that we can to keep the birds as healthy as possible and as always get them to perform well in the races. When hosting a one loft race this time (when birds are coming in) is actually the hardest time of year and it only gets better from here. I will update in the near future with the status of the birds loft flying and their moult (several birds are on the 6th flight already).
- Matt Hans
February 28th, 2010
The birds are now going out every day that it doesn't rain and they are doing really well. Today (Sunday) Jon let out 16 of them and they did really well. They fly a little bit around the property and in front of the loft and they trap well when it is time to come in. We have been letting the new entries out for the first time within 7 or 8 days of receiving them and getting them out young definitely helps as they seem more likely to stay put and learn their surroundings before taking off.
So far no hawks when we have let them out which is very fortunate as there are usually a lot of hawks at this time of year. I know they are around though so have to be careful. We are supposed to get 3 or 4 rainy days this week so they probably won't get out much other than (Monday and Thurday) but hopefully next week brings clearer weather.
If you have not sent your entries yet, you still have plenty of time. We started accepting entries a month earlier this year but the window last's all the way to June 1st. In 2007 the 1st Overall Ace Pigeon was the youngest bird in the loft and over the last few years the top ace pigeons and race winners have all been of varying ages from early entries to last minute replacements and everything in-between.
- Matt Hans
February 19th, 2010
As I write this there are now 17 birds in the loft and the first group of 8 has been let out a couple of times. They have flown around a little doing little circles around the loft and out in the flat. They trap very good when it's time to go in. So far no hawks have been around when we've let the birds out but we know they are here so have to watch for them.
Tomorrow (Saturday) 14 of the birds will go out (all except the last 3 that just came in). All of the 17 birds that are in so far are very healthy and look good.
- Matt
February 1st, 2010
February 1st is here and we are now accepting entries for the 2010 Gold Country Challenge Race Series. The first 3 birds are already in the loft with more to come in the mail tomorrow. We are accepting entries this year from February 1st until June 1st, so you have plenty of time to get them in. I updated some aspects of the website tonight, including the 2010 Payout and also on the main page you will see a link where you can download the 2010 Ad for the race. This is the same ad that some of you received in the mail and it will also appear in the CSRPO Spring Newsletter in a few weeks.
Also later in the week I will be adding the information to the website regarding the 2010 National Breeders Championship and how it relates to our race series. Essentially we are one of (6) participating one loft race series in the National Breeders Championship. Breeders that participate in (3) or more of those six race series are automatically eligible to win prizes in the National Breeders Championship and it doesn't cost you (the breeder) any extra money. More information to follow...
In the coming weeks I will also be adding new photos of the loft to the website.
If you have any questions about the race please give us a call or send me an email
Thanks
Matt Hans
January 1st, 2010
Happy New Year Everyone. Today I am in the process of updating the website with the rules and dates for the 2010 Race Series. Most of the race series is the same but there are a few small rule and fee changes (Please see the Race Rules Link). We have moved up the date we begin accepting entries this year to February 1st.
You can send your entries anytime between February 1st and June 1st. Remember Perch Fees must accompany your entries but the actual race entry fees are not due until before Race 1.