BILL TADLOCK
I started with pigeons in 1958 with my first birds from Sam Rice the Baseball player.
My dad was my partner with the birds for 15 years and we did pretty well with the old
time Sions and Crosses.
I then flew on my own for about 10 years before becoming flying partners with Mike
and Fay Schaefer. We did that for about 15 years with the flyers at his loft and
breeders at mine. We were happy to win IF and AU Hall of fame and up to six
concourse races in a season and many champion lofts and birds. In Washington DC
are success led to many course changes but that did not seem to hold us back!!!
We raced an IF Hall of Fame winner that won first or equal first in 8 combine races
and collected more points than the birds in bigger categories!!
After bypass surgery I got lazy and now just sent birds out to local races and friends
and one loft races
My breeding methods are unlike most people but they work for me at least for far.
My methods are as follows:
1) acquire the very best birds you can afford (make it hurt), then select from what
you get to the type that you like and only keep them no matter what you paid for the
ones you don’t like. My theory is that really really top quality birds make the breeder
look like he knows what the hell he is doing!!!
2) I remate every pair every year- in the last four years I have not sent a single birds
to a one loft race from a proven pair, but rather all new matings. At my age I don’t
want to try and create a family of related birds I just want to win now!!
3) I don’t plan matings in advance on paper but rather pick a cock and then go
looking for the hen I want to mate it to
4) I often switch matings half way though the breeding season. I have 24 individual
breeding pens and sometimes just move the hens to the next cock down the line,
such as the hen from cage one goes in cage two, two into three etc
I already know I am not smart enough to create a related family and most of us are
just kidding ourselves if we think we can and who has that amount of time anyway!
Instead of creating a family for the future and all that entails I am always looking for
better and better birds. Have you ever noticed most flyers that win a big one
immediately try and make a related family and buy or breed more birds like the
winner and the parents and that almost always starts them down the road to subpar
performances in the future. For me I take my winnings and go looking for the best I
can find that are NOT related to the big winner!
I replace about 30% of my breeders every year due to lack or performance. I select
what I like when the birds come back from the one loft races and give the rest of
them, even some big winners, away to friends.
My health program is simple, I use Ganus products before breeding season but only
treat for ecoli, worms and cocci, never canker! I also use vinegar in the water at one
glug from a gallon jug per waterer every day all year long. I don’t vaccinate for
anything. So far I have not had to replace any babies for health reasons in any race.
I feed a 16% general mix all year long and do use Ganus g\dirt, regular grit and pick
stones and in addition to grain I offer free choice 17% grower chicken pellets during
breeding.
I clean all my lofts once a year except for the nest bowls! However my lofts do stay
totally dry!! Since I never clear I do worm one a moth with Moxidextrin.
As far as the timing of sending birds to the races, I prefer to send them in the middle
of acceptance period so they don’t get to old or too dumb before getting in the air!
So in summary, I can only say what I do and what works for me so far. I think the
whole answer is quality pigeons and a simple health program. I have found that Mike
Ganus and Kenny Rhodes have the most consistent quality i am looking for. I do
also have a Schellens hen from Beiche that has been a great breeder mated to
anything!!
As far as one loft races I prefer the ones with good communication, a sense of
humor, on line clocking, and follow up after the races with information and photos of
the winners, I prefer medium sized races with about 300 birds to start to race with a
limit on entries per man. I have found that races with too many birds get huge drops
and you cannot tell much about the birds you sent.
One more thing, we all have to be realistic, the chances are that if you send to one
loft race you will lose! That right, every one is sending their best and that makes
winning tough and special when you do win!!
Now for my final tip, to work on you selection skills, do what I have done several
times in the last few years. Keep no records of who is out of what for an entire
breeding season. Just select and send out what you like to the races, if you remate
every year what is the difference of who is out of what?
Good Luck to all in 2012
Bill Tadlock
My dad was my partner with the birds for 15 years and we did pretty well with the old
time Sions and Crosses.
I then flew on my own for about 10 years before becoming flying partners with Mike
and Fay Schaefer. We did that for about 15 years with the flyers at his loft and
breeders at mine. We were happy to win IF and AU Hall of fame and up to six
concourse races in a season and many champion lofts and birds. In Washington DC
are success led to many course changes but that did not seem to hold us back!!!
We raced an IF Hall of Fame winner that won first or equal first in 8 combine races
and collected more points than the birds in bigger categories!!
After bypass surgery I got lazy and now just sent birds out to local races and friends
and one loft races
My breeding methods are unlike most people but they work for me at least for far.
My methods are as follows:
1) acquire the very best birds you can afford (make it hurt), then select from what
you get to the type that you like and only keep them no matter what you paid for the
ones you don’t like. My theory is that really really top quality birds make the breeder
look like he knows what the hell he is doing!!!
2) I remate every pair every year- in the last four years I have not sent a single birds
to a one loft race from a proven pair, but rather all new matings. At my age I don’t
want to try and create a family of related birds I just want to win now!!
3) I don’t plan matings in advance on paper but rather pick a cock and then go
looking for the hen I want to mate it to
4) I often switch matings half way though the breeding season. I have 24 individual
breeding pens and sometimes just move the hens to the next cock down the line,
such as the hen from cage one goes in cage two, two into three etc
I already know I am not smart enough to create a related family and most of us are
just kidding ourselves if we think we can and who has that amount of time anyway!
Instead of creating a family for the future and all that entails I am always looking for
better and better birds. Have you ever noticed most flyers that win a big one
immediately try and make a related family and buy or breed more birds like the
winner and the parents and that almost always starts them down the road to subpar
performances in the future. For me I take my winnings and go looking for the best I
can find that are NOT related to the big winner!
I replace about 30% of my breeders every year due to lack or performance. I select
what I like when the birds come back from the one loft races and give the rest of
them, even some big winners, away to friends.
My health program is simple, I use Ganus products before breeding season but only
treat for ecoli, worms and cocci, never canker! I also use vinegar in the water at one
glug from a gallon jug per waterer every day all year long. I don’t vaccinate for
anything. So far I have not had to replace any babies for health reasons in any race.
I feed a 16% general mix all year long and do use Ganus g\dirt, regular grit and pick
stones and in addition to grain I offer free choice 17% grower chicken pellets during
breeding.
I clean all my lofts once a year except for the nest bowls! However my lofts do stay
totally dry!! Since I never clear I do worm one a moth with Moxidextrin.
As far as the timing of sending birds to the races, I prefer to send them in the middle
of acceptance period so they don’t get to old or too dumb before getting in the air!
So in summary, I can only say what I do and what works for me so far. I think the
whole answer is quality pigeons and a simple health program. I have found that Mike
Ganus and Kenny Rhodes have the most consistent quality i am looking for. I do
also have a Schellens hen from Beiche that has been a great breeder mated to
anything!!
As far as one loft races I prefer the ones with good communication, a sense of
humor, on line clocking, and follow up after the races with information and photos of
the winners, I prefer medium sized races with about 300 birds to start to race with a
limit on entries per man. I have found that races with too many birds get huge drops
and you cannot tell much about the birds you sent.
One more thing, we all have to be realistic, the chances are that if you send to one
loft race you will lose! That right, every one is sending their best and that makes
winning tough and special when you do win!!
Now for my final tip, to work on you selection skills, do what I have done several
times in the last few years. Keep no records of who is out of what for an entire
breeding season. Just select and send out what you like to the races, if you remate
every year what is the difference of who is out of what?
Good Luck to all in 2012
Bill Tadlock
