<p><img alt="" align="left" width="220" height="181" src="http://www.caxtonmags.co.za/data/content/Image/Farmers/15Dec06/pigeon.jpg" /></p> <p>Racing pigeons are a fascination and a passion,” says Gavin Dargie, chairperson of the Border Homing Union in East London. <br /> <br /> “It’s amazing that these tiny animals can travel faster than you can by car, through winds, fog, dust, snow and electrical storms, ducking power lines, hawks and fences in a determined attempt to get home.” To Thys Greyvensteyn – secretary of the Elliot Homing Club for over 30 years – it is the pre-race assistance – the training, feeding and medication that the fancier manages and administers in an attempt to give his or her pigeons the edge – that is captivating.<br /> <br /> “The joy is in the management of these small super-athletes.” The fact that enormous odds are stacked against racing pigeons in their lonely flights back home is what makes the sport unique for Charl du Plooy, 2006 Queenstown Homing Club champion with the third-best bird in the Border in 2006.<br /> <br /> Mike Engelbrecht – three-time East London Combine and Union champion, with the best bird in the Border twice including 2006, and Sun City Million Dollar Pigeon Race competitor – says he simply couldn’t imagine life without pigeons, having had them since the age of five. It is such intense fascination and dedication that has seen the Border Homing Union – home to 120 fanciers and a member of the South African National Pigeon Organisation – remain active and extremely competitive, with a 21-race programme including sprint, middle- and long-distance races. But building lofts of pigeon families to compete successfully can take decades, demanding the balanced management of diet, disease and lofts. <br /> <br /> <strong>The importance of pedigree</strong> <br /> “Pedigree is vital, as champion racing pigeons will produce champion racing pigeons,” explains Charl. Thys, Gavin and Mike agree, and have therefore all acquired pigeons at private sales and single-loft race auctions, from pigeon families like the Janssens, Putterie, Oscar de Vriendt bloodlines and many more. Mike has used birds from China, Belgium, Holland, Germany and North America to help him achieve his recent dominance in the Border area. It’s taken him decades to start winning. <br /> <br /> Although Mike admits that feeding, training and medication regimes play a significant role in producing winners, he says you have to have the genes to manage in the first place. Harry, a Janssens cock and Mike’s pride and joy, is living proof of what pedigree can do. Harry, bought at the Sun City Million Dollar Race loft auction, has produced some fantastic medium-sized racing pigeons and race results. The highlight was in a recent Prince Albert Road Race, when, Mike says, “took first, second and third place. In first place was a pigeon bred from Harry’s son, in second a pigeon from another of Harry’s sons, and the third from Harry himself.” But Mike adds that the best pigeon is not always the most expensive, and says that some of his best pigeons were donated to him. <br /> <br /> <span style="font-weight: bold">Medication and feeding requirements </span><br /> Racing pigeons are magnets for an array of ailments and diseases – specifically crop canker, coccidiosis and pseudo-malaria – because of the communal environment they live in, and the stresses racing puts them under. According to Gavin, if you don’t treat enemy number one, the fungal disease crop canker, what follows is respiratory diseases attacking the lungs and airways, while alimentary canal and digestive disorders – including internal parasites – must be continually managed. <br /> <br /> The art of being a good fancier, says Mike, is to a large degree the identification and management of diseases through medication and good loft care, such as keeping water clean. He says 70% is management and 30% is the pigeon. <br /> <br /> Charl says, “Your season is only as good as your off season.” A good moult and feather growth (for which seeds with a high oil content are recommended) is vital to ensure pigeons remain competitive. Thys stresses that in the off season you breed and rear your future champions, which are often most competitive in their first few years of life. Diet is critical. Everybody has their secrets, but feeding generally includes barley, maize, peas, sunflower and sorghum types. During racing, protein- and carbohydrate-rich rations are fed to ensure sufficient energy reserves and muscle tone by race day. <br /> <br /> Contact Gavin Dargie on 082 870 4052.</p>
Racing pigeons flying high in the Border
The joy is in the management of these small super-athletes. The fact that enormous odds are stacked against racing pigeons in their lonely flights back home is what makes the sport unique for Charl du Plooy, 2006 Queenstown Homing Club champion with the third-best bird in the Border in 2006. Issue Date: 26 February 2007
