| 2002
Young Bird Champion Loft
The
Chadbourne family, Jim, Carol, and Bruce fly with Biddeford Flyers Club
in Biddeford Maine and the Northeast Concourse. They live at 7 Oregon
Ave., Trlr Park, Old Orchard Beach, Me. 04064 from April to October, which
is where the family fly’s the young bird season. During the winter months
they reside at 357 Detroit Way, Rockledge, Florida 32955 .
They travel every year between Maine and Florida and stay out of
the deep freeze and snow in the north. The people of Florida referred
to them as snowbirds. Jim thought this a great loft name hence, the name Snowbird
Loft was born. Unable to fly Old birds because of there situation living
in Florida, they sell or give away most of there young bird team at end
of season. Jim
being a relatively newcomer to the sport started flying for the 2000 young
birds season, and was fortunate to win two combines, a 150 and a 300 with
IF-00-BID-6071, which he gave the name of Einstein.
This 2002 young bird season is Snowbird loft’s third year in competition
flying young birds. Jim is 67 years old and retired.
The sport has become a family sport with his wife and son getting
involved. Jim entered into
the sport of racing Pigeons after his retirement. His link to the sport
was with his brother Dick Chadbourne. Dick was one of the Biddeford club
members and competed in the sport for years. Dick has since given up racing,
so Jim has in a way, taken his place in club. Snowbird
loft breeds their team in Florida. And brings them back to Maine when
they are 30 to 50 days old. Settling them there is no problem and they
suffer very little losses. Jim’s dark team consists of about 40 young
birds. Bruce has built a 12 foot by 24 foot breeding loft at his home
in Orlando, Florida, where he oversees the pairings with the help of Freddie
Rivera of Spring Hill Florida with his grading of breeders wizardry. Jim
likes to breed a medium size bird because he believes this size bird fly’s
better in the northeast. Snowbird loft breeders were bought and given
to him by Bob Steniford of Mass. who was leaving the sport due to illness.
Since Jim is new to the sport he does not have a original family
of pigeons but he tries and keeps the Steniford Jansen blood intact. His
14 pair of breeders is bred in individual pens.
Prior to breeding he treats for canker, using Ridzol 10%, one teaspoon
per gal. for five days. They also de-worm using Ivomec Drench, 3cc per
gal for one day, repeated 10 days later. Medication products are purchased
from Foy's pigeon Supply. To set the birds up prior to breeding , the
lights are on for 18 hours a day, two weeks before pairing . This is done
to activate bird’s hormones. Snowbird
Lofts IF-02-BID-0671 blue check hen, has competed in the Biddeford Flyers
club and in Maine’s Northeast Concourse, a 65-member combine with a 20
bird-shipping limit. 0671
flew the following races, Winning
first at 150 miles Due
to three bird clocking limit, this great bird lost other positions. Jim
has not formed an honest opinion yet on clocking limits 0671
brother flew just as good and is her Nest Mate: IF-02-BID-0672 Blue Check
Cock was equal 1st in combine twice. These champions are bred out of a
pair purchased in fall of 2001 by Bruce, from Jeff Travers of South Carolina.
. They also had six other
birds bred from there Steniford Jansen blood which clocked equal 1st in
Combine from three to five times. The three bird-clocking limit kept these
birds off the race sheet. Snowbird
loft won six of the eight Club and Combine races this past 2002 young
birds season plus a third club and combine in another. Champion
IF-02-BID-0671 was raced every weekend except last 300 mile race.
She was treated just like the rest of the team and was trained
or raced every week, if healthy and not injured either by hitting wires
or hawks attacks etc. Last
year Snowbird Loft followed the information supplied on the “Mike Ganus
Darkening Video” as best Jim could. From the information on this video
Snowbird loft had a sensational season, winning out of turn. This tape
had all the advice Jim needed to win. Snowbird
loft is a smaller version of the America's King Cup loft in Brooksville,
Fla. as seen on their web page www.americakingcup.com. The
loft also has intake fans located at back & bottom of the loft, and
exhaust fans at front-top of the loft.
Loft lights were set to go on at 8am and out at 3pm. The birds
loft flew as Jim had time within this period of light. The birds were
fed 100% Nutreblend green 18% Protein pellets, until he started training.
Once training started he then switched to 75% racing grain, 25% Eukanuba
small breed puppy chow, and small amounts of peanuts as treats and for
tough races. Jim
followed Pete Pobor's advice on how to feed and when to feed as described
on his web page. When it
came time to road train he again, followed the advise on Pete Pobor's
web page. As the season progressed Snowbird went on the health program.
Advise on medicating before and during race season came from Dr.
Colin Walker's “The Flying Vet's Pigeon Health Management book”, published
in 2000, and purchased at Foy’s pigeon supplies-1-877-355-7727. Jim
tells me as a new flyer, all his club members have helped him and his
wife Carol in one way or another. Jim would especially like to thank his
son Bruce for all of his help and support. Bruce was constantly calling
top pigeon flyers in the USA for advise on how to condition and maintain
the birds. Jim also gives a big thank you to his wife Carol for pushing
him to keep birds trained, fed on time and having the loft cleaned daily.
All this was done because of her love for him and the birds Snowbird loft would like to let everyone know there is a tremendous amount of excellent information on the I. F. web page www.ifpigeon.com and he urges all fanciers to visit there. As a new flyer, he still has plenty to learn and he wants to learn all he can. Jim relates to a question that he always hears. What is the percentage, pigeon or handler to make a winning loft. Jim would have to say over 90 per-cent is the bird and the 10 per cent the handler. To contact Jim his Internet address is jchadborne@cfl.rr.com. |