We would like to congratulate Anton Van Den Heever from the Canberra Racing Pigeon Combine for winning the first race of the season from Boorowa, 111km and a velocity 1,418mpm.

The mother ELITE is all Alwin Petrie from our imports Santana x Maid.

Landing with the winner was also a pigeon breed from another Winners1 hen MAGIC LIGHT, this time from our Alwin Petrie imports Magic x Light Speed.

Rod Simmons

Winners1

www.winners1.com.au

It was also very pleasing to see astute Sydney flyer Bill Eastcott from the Southern Racing Pigeon Federation Sydney also win this week with another hen breed from Winners1. Called SUPERIOR EURO from our Heremans – Ceusters imports National Euro x Grand Dion.

His Blue Bar cock coved the 268km in a fast velocity of 1,826mpm and beating 2,416 pigeons. 

Rod Simmons

Winners1

www.winners1.com.au

Winners1 would like to congratulate first year flyer Alex Diaz for a great effort in today's race with his 2016 rung Blue Bar hen. Placing in the WPF 1^st club and 2^nd federation from Deniliquin 256km and against 2,628 pigeons and a super fast velocity 2,433.17 mpm. The winning hen is bred from Daughter Champion, a hen Alex purchased from Winners1 last year. She is from our Falckenborg import CRACK and our top hen and my wife Maggie’s fed winner LITTLE CHAMPION, Goodger.

Little Champion record is

1st Fed Griffith 390K Vel 938mpm

Mother Blue Maggie

1 fed Denilliquin 236k

G/mother to

1 fed Condoblin1 539km

Great grandmother

1.club Birchip

1 fed Birchip 267km 2,263 b

1.club Deniliquin

2 fed Deniliqin 256km

Vel 2,433 & 2,628b  

Crack is now the father to

8 fed Cobar 687km

Grandfather to

1.club Deniliquin

2 fed Deniliqin 256km

Alex holding his Winning hen.

Rod Simmons

Winners1

www.winners1.com.au

One very good introduction to our racing management program last year was the Cold Fogger.

Our weekly routine was to fog the loft with Virkon-S on the day of basketing for a race. This was done with the pigeons in the loft after they had their loft fly.

The main aim in fogging the loft was to help fight against bacteria and respiratory issues with the pigeons. This in turn reduced medicating the pigeons.

 We are selling the Cold Fogger for $400.00

The second item we have used over the last year is a simple to use Vaccination gun.

With filling direct from the bottle, it’s easy to use, well made and with an adjustable racket mechanising you get an accurate dosage every time.

The vaccination gun sells for $49.00

Feel free to call me anytime on 0423 512 264 if you have any question on either of these items.

Rod Simmons

Winners1

www.winners1.com.au

To all our valued clients.

Pigeon products.

With all the problems with the Rota virus, Winners1 will not bring in another shipment of products until a vaccine comes available. We have been in total lock down since the virus was diagnosed in Victoria with nobody coming to our place. We have taken these steps to try and protect all our pigeons.

Although with many lofts around us succumbing to the rota virus, so far with our current bio security we have been able to keep the virus out of our loft.  

Winners1 is now out of stock of many products but still have a few lines available. If any customer is after any item listed on Winners1 website, before placing an order, just drop us an email to confirm we have the item in stock. If any item is to be sent out, even though they are kept in a separate shed away from any pigeons, part of our bio security is to spray any items with Glen 20 before they are boxed. Email us at: rsimmonsfamily@winners1.com.au 

Pigeon Sales.

The same with the pigeon sales. We can still take orders with the understanding all pigeons can't be collected or sent by commercial transport to other Sates, not until later in the year once all pigeon have been vaccinated for Rota virus.

On a brighter note:

As we did breed for the 2017 race season from all our best stock birds, Winners1 will have available for sale some outstanding pigeons for sale.

This will give many flyers an opportunity to purchase top quality pigeons at a special discounted price.

Details of pigeons for sale will be listed in the coming months, but I can say we will have 200 pigeons with photo and pedigree on Winners1 website under the link PIGEON SALES.

30 pigeons will be shown at any given time and as each pigeon sells, another will take its place. Most of the pigeons are breed from birds just one down from our imports and instead of the standard $500.00 we will have birds for sale from $200.00 to $400.00 per pigeon. Any interested buyers can also contact me directly to discuss any pigeon on 0423 512 264.

For pigeons direct from our imports, interested buyer are directed to to the link PIGEONS on our website, prices are indicated next to the pigeon.

Rod Simmons

Winners1

www.winners1.com.au

Two years ago, late in the 2014 race season around the start of October. I had about 20% of the race team showing signs of Mycoplasma . They handle great, tossed fine but when put to the acid test of racing would either be behind the healthy pigeons in the loft or we would lose them.

As certain types of Mycoplasma can’t be detected with a microscope, I was lucky to be shown how to detect it by visual observation.

It was in this time I visited avian vet Dr Phil Sax from Burwood, Melbourne. Phil suggested we should take a leaf out the chook industry and fog the loft.

Now his words of wisdom sat in the back of my memory bank for the next 6 months until I can across a video of a successful racing pigeon flyer in Europe who had a state of the art loft. Now like a blow behind the ears Phil’s advice came to the fore when in the video the flyer had a ducted fogging system in this entire loft.

So the time had come to start investigating the possible use of a fogging machine.

First thing was to research what products I could use and how it may benefit the pigeons. I contacted the manufacture of Virkon-S as I know this product is rated one of the best disinfectant on the market.

There was also underground data out there the product helped the pigeons total health when absorbed by the bird by breathing it in.

I was by then convinced to go down this path and purchase a fogger and test it out for the 2016 race season. As it also turned out, the week of making this decision I happen to be talking on the phone to Dr Colin Walker, and as we all know Colin as a vet is highly respected around the world. I told Colin my plan and he did say it wouldn’t work for Cocci. He did mention if I purchased a fogger I could if I wanted treat the pigeons using the fogger.

I didn’t realise I was going to open Pandora’s box when looking to purchase a fogging machine, to filter through the maze of products on the market, from dance floor hot foggers with electric element that heats whatever you put in to eliminate a fine mist, as well as petrol and butane hot foggers used for pesticides and herbicides.

Besides the droplet size of many of these not being small enough, I was concerned by heating the Virkon-S how it could change the chemical structure of the product and could this affect our pigeons when they absorb it into their airways.

My direction was then focused to using a cold fogger. I found one that had a particle size of 10 – 150 microns, 10 being fine enough for my purpose.

I tested the fogger while racing, using it on the morning of basketing for a race, then on Sunday after the race pigeons where home and the pigeons had arrived from road training. Later in the race season I only used it on the morning of basketing.

I treated the pigeons with antibiotic when the race birds arrived from a race, this was on Saturday and Sunday. All other race birds would go treatment free until after they went to a race. This could be up to four weeks for some pigeons.

I tested a few pigeons mid week by taken a crop flush and random dropping. This showed Dr Colin Walker to be correct as at times the pigeons did show some Cocci and wet canker, but at no time did I see any respiratory issues. I did though find a very small group of pigeon very close to the end of racing having some signs of Mycoplasma.

So all in all I found the fogger to be beneficial in our overall loft management while racing. In the off season when our loft has no exposure to outside lofts, I reframe from using the fogger as well as medicating all pigeons in the loft.

As a foot note: In the 2016 race season out of 20 races, our top 3 federation results were Two 1^st federations wins, Three 2^nd and Three 3^rd fed placing. With the 1^st fed wins, both times we landed 3 pigeons together. We won the Short series aggregate and the Combine aggregate.

Rod Simmons

Winners1

www.winners1.com.au   

• Deadly Virus: From VRPU website.
• A readily transmissible viral disease has been identified in racing pigeons in Victoria this week. Affected lofts experience mortality rates of approximately 30 %. Initial testing has ruled out Adeno, PMV and Herpes virus infections. The virus is likely, however, to be the same virus that affected WA racing lofts earlier this year. Testing has identified a number of virus’ as possible causes with one in particular being most likely. It may be that some poultry vaccines will be able to protect pigeons. Diagnostic work continues. In the meantime every effort should be made to avoid the movement of birds between lofts. Some fanciers may wish to keep their birds locked down. Similarly flyers should avoid visiting other lofts. Further information will be posted as soon as it is available. Affected birds develop green diarrhea, start to vomit , become hunched and usually die within 24 hours. Fanciers who think their birds may have the disease should contact the Melbourne Bird Veterinary Clinic on 03 9764 9000.
• Rod Simmons
• Winners1
• www.winners1.com.au

It was pleasing to receive a call from David Wetering to inform us of the great results by his son Jack in the Victorian Homing Association.

David purchased 2 pigeons from Winners1 Sydney auction MIGHTY TIPS and GOLDEN TIPS, both full brothers bred by our best imports Last Tips and Mighty hen. They are some of the best G & S Koopman pigeon to ever come to Australia.

Jacks results with his Blue Bar hen VHA15- 20470 off Golden Tips is a convincing 13^th federation Narrandera 385km 3,365 birds, and 11^th Mount Hope 10 bird 579km 830 birds.

A double fed bird against very strong competition as well as astute training by the Wetering family.

Rod Simmons

Winners1

www.winners1.com.au

In last week’s race from Broken Hill, the partnership of John Ferraro and Robert Taylor finished 13^th federation with a Blue Bar cock VPU15-10331 breed from a cock purchased from Winners1. The father of 10331 is Aus14-309, his full sister Miss Euro also owned by Robert a few weeks ago in the VRPU $10,000.00 classic race, produced for the Share family 4^th, 6^th 7^th and 8^th place. The parents of V8 is our (Heremans – Ceusters) imports National Euro & Grand Dion.

WInners1 placed 17th place with VPU15-8843 Blue Bar hen BLUE GHOST. This very good hen also this year won 1st Federation Mildura Produce 466km
Her father is GHOST RIDER. A son of the very good producer Night Rider, out of our (Alwin Petrie) imports Santana x Daughter Sanne. The mother of Ghost Rider is Sablon’s breed from our (De Rauw-Sablon) imports Overdrive x Young Dreamer. The mother of 8843 is BLUE LIGHT. Dream,A daughter of our (Alwin Petrie) imports Porsche x Party Girl.

Rod Simmons

Winners1

www.winners1.com.au