Elite Pigeon Auctions

Rod Sparkes | Secrets Revealed DVD

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 16:14:49 +0000

Rod Sparkes | Secrets Revealed | Racing Pigeons DVD

PROMOTIONAL LAUNCH OFFER

Feeding program chart included at the end of the DVD free of charge. This is to summarise Rods Feeding System

To all them Fanciers who don’t know Rod, he is known as one of the best Sprint Fanciers in the UK his results over the years can only be described as breathtaking. Rod Has won 5 RPRA Awards and 2nd National Ace Pigeon all Uk RPRA. Rod averages over 100 Federation cards a year in the top 15 up to 4000 birds he has been 7 times Federation Champion and 5 times runner up. In the 16 years rod as raced in his club the Cleethorpes Imperial Flying club, he has been 12 times Champion Highest Prize winner. One of rods best years was 2019 where he won an incredible 35 x 1sts and 26 x 2nds rod smashed the club record that year winning 17 x 1sts Clubs out of 21 races inc 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,10,11,12,13,15 Federation 2637 birds 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,10,11,12,13,15 East Sect 1439 birds Rod usually has 7 or 8 in the top fifteen of the Fed most weeks and often he will win first 6 first 8 first 10 first 13 most weeks in his club with 20 members sending up to 400 birds a week.

Rod has had numerous first 5, first 4 in the fed up to 6000 birds. Rod’s Results were that Impressive Versele Laga got in touch with him and have sponsored him under contract for 2020,2021, and now 2022. Rod, like most fanciers, has scouted Europe for the very best pigeons and gears his self-round top performance pigeons and champion breeders. I think most fanciers who race against rod will admit he is a Force to be Reconned with.

Racing Pigeon DVD 2022

Rod Sparkes

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 02:12:34 +0000

Rod Sparkes

7 x Fed Champion

In 2006 Rod stopped racing due to domestic reasons and went 7 years without racing. In 2013 Rod’s girlfriend, Claire, asked “why don’t you start racing again and I will help you” after which, they had a good talk and in 2013 Rod decided he wanted to bring some new families into his shed to blend with his.

Rod spoke to Ad Shalakkans on the Internet and he recommended a real champion flyer in Belguim called Luc Van Mechelen. Rod ordered 20 directly, and at great expense. He also went for the Lambrechts from J&G Dutton and some good Van Loons from Darren Burton. They bought the best Herman Cuesters from Premier Stud and Gary Cox, as well as 20 ybs to race from Victor de Belser of Belgium.

Since introducing the new families, Rod has never looked back. Rod and Claire started racing young birds that year and won 5 out of the 8 young bird races, with some real breathtaking results. They got 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, club 367 birds. 2014 was another fantastic year, but in 2015 their results can only be described as world class. They won a massive 120 federation cards in the top 15, with up to 5,600 birds, which is a new federation record. Another of their outstanding results that year was getting 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, East section 2,168 birds including old birds.

Rod has raced from may street for 11 full years, and from those 11 years, Rod has been federation champion highest prize winner a staggering 5 times, with 4 times runner up. No one in the federation can match this – FACT.

What a year Rod and Claire have had there best year ever, 35 x 1sts and 26 x 2nds, breaking many RECORDS again holding the Club Record for most firsts ever won. 17 x 1st Clubs against big birdage at over 400 birds most weeks. A new Record in East Sect Fed winning the first 7 and 12 of the possible 15 Sect Positions.

This is racing from just a 19ft loft. Rod’s hen section is a mere 2’6″ wide and his stock loft is a mere 4′ high. Seeing is believing and many fanciers from all over the country have visited Rod’s setup and have left in amazement with just how small it is.

Rod races the birds with help from his girlfriend Claire. Rod has travelled all over Europe buying the very best pigeons from some of the best performance lofts in Europe, including: Luc Van Mechelen, Curtis Wall Lunt, Gwp Macalony, Darren Burton, Adam Wealthall, Gary Cox, Premier Stud, Steve Foster, Gibb & Bryn, etc. Since they started racing they’ve smashed many records in the Clee Imp F.C, taking first 10, first 11, and first 13. In the Lincolnshire Federation for 2015, Rod won a breathtaking 120 fed cards, which is a new fed record.

Angwin Family Pigeons

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 02:01:12 +0000

Angwin Family Pigeons are one of the leading breeders of Dirk Van Den Bulcks & Leo Heremans pigeons, set in the stunning countryside of West Cornwall.

The Angwin Family pigeons have evolved over the years.

It began with Mick at the age of 6, collecting strays with his brother & keeping them at their Uncle’s farm.

In 1974 Mick built his first loft.

He first raced with Penzance RPC from Dervel Cottage in ‘77.

His early successes came from the Jannsen pigeons (Andri Bert), winning in the late 80s with his star birds, Thunder and Lightning.

In 1991, Mick’s first loft developed into Angwin & Son, with John also taking an interest in the sport.

They raced as father and son in the same loft for 15 years, until going to a sale in Doncaster, where they both bought their own pigeons.

John built his own loft to put them in.

They continued to race as Angwin & Son from the two lofts, just up the road from each other, between 2004 – 2007.

In ‘05, John raced his first young bird season with some success, and grew keener and more competitive from thereon in.

After 3 successful years, they made the decision to transform Mick’s lofts into an area for breeding the stock pigeons & used John’s loft primarily to race from.

With a new dynamic came the time for a new name, Angwin Family, as John’s 3 daughters & wife, Alison, had all began to get involved with the birds, helping out with scraping the lofts and training the pigeons.

Our biggest achievement as Angwin Family is winning the first 10 positions in the Cornish Combine, setting a record which has not since been beaten. Since this achievement, they’ve developed an interest in breeding the bloodlines of some of the world’s leading racing pigeons. Owning descents of some of the best Dirk Van Den Bulck and Hereman Cuesters in the UK whose children have gone on to produce top results.

Elite Tips – Race Day & Recovery for Racing Pigeons

Thu, 07 Oct 2021 12:21:55 +0000

Basketing day

As the day of basketing approaches, it becomes increasingly important that everything is done correctly. An error now means that there is little time to correct it or for the pigeons to forget. Fanciers should walk into their basketing centre with healthy, fit, motivated pigeons that are calm and ready for the task at hand. The fancier’s efforts during the week culminate on the day of basketing. The result on race day is a direct quantitative assessment of these efforts.Racing Pigeon Basket

What to drink

Of prime importance is that the birds drink well during the day. Often, clean, plain water is the best. Many medications are bitter and these are best avoided. Anything added to the water should be familiar to the birds and very palatable. Benefit can be obtained in some birds by giving probiotics or multivitamins. Do be careful, however, as sugar-based or electrolyte preparations put in the water at too concentrated a level can actually dehydrate the birds.

What to feed

Carbohydrates and fats are the energy sources during flight. This does not, however, mean that the birds should be gorged with these types of seed. This only leads to the accumulation of body fat, which is a hindrance. The diet should be based on these grains but should be fed at a level matching the birds’ exercise to allow them to become full and buoyant but not heavy in the hand.

A grain mix based on corn, safflower, milo, wheat and rice is good. It makes no sense to feed more than approximately 25% legumes
(peas and beans) now. Any grits, pick stones or other supplements that contain excessive (more than 2%) salt should be removed one
to two days before basketing but returned to the loft before the birds return.

When to exercise

Some fliers prefer to keep the birds in the loft on basketing day. This prevents the risk of the birds overflying due to their race readiness or a loft scare. The last thing anyone wants is for the birds to fly their race around the loft on basketing day. Keeping them in also allows for controlled feeding.

With the birds in the loft, there is no chance of the first birds through the trap eating substantially more than the last ones in or getting more of an opportunity to selectively eat more of the tastier grains (such as safflower). If kept in the loft, the birds also cannot get wet if it happens to rain, although I know of some successful fanciers who bathe their birds on the day of basketing. It is nice to send birds covered in bloom and definitely bad to send birds that are damp.

The decision to keep the birds in or not is more important for sprint racing. The advantage of letting them out is that the birds stay in their loft routine. All pigeons, particularly youngsters, get a feeling of security from a daily routine that is predictable for them. A day that is relatively normal puts them more at ease. If accustomed to a fly and not let out, the birds can often be extremely restless in the loft. If flown normally, they are more likely to drink normally and rest properly in the loft as basketing approaches. A moderate fly also allows them to stretch and tone their muscles.

The act of basketing itself should proceed routinely and calmly. Remember to be kind and quiet with the birds and to conceal any excitement you may be feeling. Any motivation techniques used can be negated by a rough basketing, which in turn can result in a bad trap on race day.

Race day
What happens as the birds arrive from a race very much affects subsequent race results. It is easy to be distracted by the excitement of the moment, with people phoning to compare clocking times, etc., but it is important to remember what is happening from the pigeon’s point of view. When a bird returns from a race, it must be given the opportunity to recover physically and also to be rewarded for its effort.

Physical recovery
When a bird returns, it is hungry and thirsty, its body energy and electrolyte reserves have been depleted, and it is tired. Poorly managed, this means prolonged recovery, decreased opportunity to race the bird and decreased motivation on subsequent races. Correct management means the race can be a positive experience, adding to the bird’s fitness capability and also its keenness in subsequent races. For physical recovery to occur, the bird must be provided with several basics: food, water and electrolytes and rest.

Food
Obviously food must be available to the returning birds, and so much the better if it is the right type. The aim here is to quickly restore blood sugar levels and start to replace organ glycogen reserves. Basically, the birds initially need a mix that is high in energy and calories and low in protein, a mix that is often described as a ’light’ mix. The mix needs to contain carbohydrate- and oil-based grains that are readily digestible, such as milo, safflower, wheat, rice and corn. In addition, there is advantage if small seeds with similar composition, such as white millet, canary, canola, hulled oats and linseed, are used. These have a larger surface area compared to their volume on which digestive enzymes can act and so their nutrients are released more quickly to the birds.

There is also advantage in adding a small amount of blended conditioning oils, such as canola or hempseed oil to the seed. However, several hours after return or the next day after the birds have rested, depending on the type of race, a more substantial mix with peas and beans should be offered. These are protein-based foods. Proteins are the building blocks for healing and tissue repair.

For distance racing, the practice of feeding a high-carbohydrate mix, often called a ‘depurative’ mix, for several days after the race, should be discouraged. A person working physically hard all day does not want to sit down to a piece of cake but is looking for a steak, and pigeons are no different. Essentially, we need a quick replacement of lost calories and energy, followed by access to foods that will rebuild the body’s energy reserves.