•A great gift idea for that special fancier is a Siegel's Gift Certificate, available in any amount, for a holiday gift, a birthday, Father's Day, or any other occasion. Just phone us at 800-437-4436 and we'll make up a nice certificate and mail it to your recipient. He or she will be able to apply it to a new book, a great new training basket, medications or supplements, or any other purchase from Siegel's.

•Congratulations go out to Art Hees of Spring Hill, Florida, for the honors that his flying of "Miss Artesian" garnered from the Racing Pigeon Digest. "Miss Artesian" won 1st Overall Ace Pigeon of America as well as 1st Overall Ace Sprint Pigeon of America.
"Miss Artesian" (AU 05 A 25102) was bred in our lofts out of "Witslager I" (99-3236902) and "Het As Duifke" (00-3091215) from our Musketier Family. Her mother, "Het As Duifke," was 2nd National Ace Sprint Pigeon "Ave Regina" Belgium in 2000. Her sire, "Witslager I," flew 15 races as a young bird, scoring 13 prizes, 7 x top ten, including 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th. He is also the sire of five 1sts in Belgium.

The timer revolution
When split seconds count, make sure you're counting split seconds accurately! Benzing electronic timers have quickly become the new standard in our sport and are more popular than ever! The best has gotten better! Benzing's new M-1 clock and "Lazer" antennas are now in the States, and full distribution is now available. They are the most accurate, sensitive antenna in the world today--with the most antenna coils per square inch of any pigeon scanning antenna available!

It was a kick to sit at our computer monitor and "watch" the birds clock in the World Ace Challenge races!

The biggest races rely on the Benzing tradition of accuracy and speed, and the Benzing M-1 system is revealing itself to be heads above the competition.

A Benzing M-1 "Lazer" system recently clocked the Lou McElroy Race. Among the other major one-loft races using Benzing Lazers are the Colorado Goldrush Race, a 300-mile race flown from Elm Creek, NE, released on October 14, 2006.
the East Coast Classic, the Gulf Coast Classic, the San Diego Classic, the San Jacinto Classic, America's King Cup, the Snowbird Classic, and the Caribbean Classic.

Other members of the Benzing "family" of futurity races and racing combines include the Texas Shoot-Out, American Showdown, Desert Classic, East Coast Challenge, Flamingo Race, Caribbean Classic, Queen City Memorial, Boundbrook Futurity, and Paterson Air Derby, among many others....
Tell me more...

In News & Views:
Stefan Mertens takes us this month into the lofts of Theo Janssens and Gerarda Boen of Mol, Belgium, who recently won the National Championship K.B.D.B at the Great Middle Distance.... Mertens filed his report last month on the championship Belgian team of Frans and Louis Nijns, winners of the 1st National Ace Pigeon Middle Distance K.B.D.B. 2007.... Mertens himself is the 2006 1st National Champion KBDB Middle Distance Youngbirds.
For these reports, and many other archived features, click here...
Read on for all the news!

Where's Ed?

Siegel's Ed Minvielle on the road...again!
Siegel Pigeons prospective travel schedule for 2008:


Texas Center Convention- July 10-13, Phoenix, AZ


American Racing Pigeon Union Convention - Oct. 14-18, St. Paul, MN


California State Racing Pigeon Organization - Nov. 6-8, Bakersfield, CA


National Show, November 15, Stamford, CT


Dixie Southern Convention,
Nov. 20-22, Jacksonville, FL



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Tips for the fancier:
July
in the Loft

Let's take a look back at what we have done in the loft over the last four weeks, and then I'd like to share my ideas about training for races and caring for breeders. Our birds have been vaccinated in June for pox and PMV, have been given tablets for worms and for canker, have had their ninth and tenth flights pulled, have been dipped in a 57 percent Malathion solution for external parasites, and have had a follow-up worm tablet. We have semi-darkened the lofts and left the birds undisturbed to begin a good molt. In the third week of June, we have given the birds a three-day canker treatment, followed by one day of Digestal and Pigeon Power or Ferro Prodol on the feed.


I have started letting the birds out to start "getting their wings back under them" by the end of June or early July, and at the same time, I have begun a 14-day respiratory treatment using Doxyvet or Doxy-T and Suanovil. I have also started a 30-day treatment for malaria immediately after the respiratory treatment, with Quinacrine.


We don't do the "30-miles-first-toss" or the "train-in-all-directions" thing, because we train our pigeons to be racers, not homers. I know some fanciers who do this, and some of them are quite successful, but the method I choose is different. I want to keep the birds as confident as possible by training them along the general direction of the race-course, so that they become somewhat familiar enough with the terrain to head for home straight out of the box.


This I call "training to race," which means a lot of short tosses in the general direction of the race station. I've had discussions with fanciers who have told me that they do the "around-the-clock" type of training to teach the birds how to think. My response is that first, I want racing pigeons, which means race winners. The old adage "think long, think wrong" can be like an anchor to a racing pigeon that cannot decide which direction to take on race day.

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Our pigeons have ample homing ability, thanks to the many generations of breeding behind them. When they need to use it just like migrating geese, they'll know how. If they've made a mistake and gotten off course, chances are they have already lost the race, so it doesn't matter how long they take to come home. I have to trust that the class of their breeding will eventually bring them home to race again. We want our birds to race home, every toss if possible. I believe that practice makes perfect, and practice racing makes for fast pigeons, as long as the distance of the tosses doesn't take the race out of them. Then on race day, they'll be coming home fast, because they are accustomed to doing it.


I've been fascinated for years by the Cornell University research on homing instincts and training techniques. I've spent many hours studying it, and I am well aware that pigeons develop habits, even in homing. If taken in a specific direction often enough, they will begin to head "home" by taking the same route all the time. If taken in a completely opposite direction, the birds will still head out in the same direction that they are accustomed to, before they eventually figure out that they've been tricked.


My thinking, therefore, is that I want my team to separate from the flock right from the release, if that is possible. So if the flock is circling a few times to figure out where it is, my hope is that mine are the birds that invariably leave the flock early. The theory is that my birds have been trained so often from the same direction that they just take off, without having to think about it. Because my birds have been "trained to race" if they get a jump at the start, they should be hard to catch during the race. This method has worked successfully for us and for quite a few other lofts around the country that have asked about our training techniques.


My most frequent recommendation to fanciers at this time of year is not to neglect the breeders during these months. It would be quite easy to let them slide since the young birds need a great deal of attention now. Also, in some areas, old bird racing is still going on. These circumstances can demand long hours in the loft, but when the breeders are separated, it is always a good idea to treat them for canker. Trichoron Forte, Pegosan Tablets or Pegosan Powder are all effective for canker. Dipping the breeders in the same solution of 57 percent Malathion (mixed 1/4 cup per one gallon of water) that I use on the young birds will kill any external parasites that they may have picked up during the breeding season. This Malathion dip also promotes a great start for a good molt.

In my opinion, many lofts around the country keep their breeders much too fat in the off season. Overweight breeders could be one of the underlying reasons that so many fanciers have fertility and laying problems once the breeding season begins. Current studies of animal health in many species are proving that animals kept on a somewhat restricted diet live longer, are more energetic, and are fertile longer. Proper nutrients must be given, of course, but heavy feeding is detrimental. There are so many good dietary supplements available today that it is not necessary to give huge amounts of high carbohydrate feed to our birds.


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I have been in many European lofts whose managers have told me that the breeders are put on restricted diets for weeks. Some make only water available to their breeders for an entire week. Though some might think that this is a bad practice, the evidence points to healthier pigeons as a result of this restricted diet. None of the lofts that I know who do this have ever had a bad breeding season. Our breeders receive a diet made up like this: ¼ barley, ¼ wheat, ¼ milo and ¼ Purina Nutra Blend pellets for up to six weeks just after the birds have been separated. Then we give them a regular breeding mix, measured, so that the birds don't put on any extra weight during the winter. This "purging mixture," as I call it, is given for varying periods of time, depending on the weather and the state of the moult. This kind of diet will certainly ensure that the breeders will not pack on extra fat, and it also helps to jump-start the moult.


Many European fanciers use "moulting seeds" combined with tea as their breeders are coming into the moult. The theory is that a special combination of herbal seeds, when boiled into tea and given in the drinking water, will actually stimulate the hormones that control the shedding of feathers. The most popular one of these products that Siegel's carries is Colombine Moulting Seeds. This product is really helpful in setting the tone for shedding old down feathers and the promotion of a healthy moult, especially when it's used in combination with tea.


It's the condition of the breeders starting from the time they are separated at the end of the spring, throughout the summer, and into the fall, that is most important in producing a first-rate group of young birds for the following year. Don't neglect your breeders during that six-month period from the end of May to the latter part of November. Fanciers who take extra care during this time are the ones who most often enjoy the best breeding seasons. I also should mention a product called Cometabol Drain to help you achieve optimum health for your birds. It's from the Comed company and provides the perfect amounts of minerals, trace elements, iron, sulfur, silicon, and vegetable extracts-essentially all the nutrients that I've been talking about. I've tried the product myself and was very impressed at the effect it had on my birds.



Yours in the Sport,

Ed

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Featured
Products for
July:


With young babies in the loft, it's time to give them and your breeders the supplements that will keep them robust and healthy throughout this season.

Optimum nutrition for youngsters now will maximize their racing potential! Ed's suggestions follow...


Ecol-Tonic – An all-natural product fortified with ten special organic acids and proven in the loft to be effective in boosting immunity and promoting health and vigor, and bringing the droppings back to normal in racing and show pigeons. 16 oz. will dose 32 gallons of water. Always remember to follow the use of Ecol-Tonic with a good pro-biotic.
16 oz.   
$19.95
Item #5673
SW 2.70 lbs




Tobacco Stalks –
Back in Stock!
What many fanciers consider to be the ideal nest material, enhancing the breeding results. Provides a soft natural bed for baby birds. Parasites stay away. A natural product that is easy to use. Also ideally suited as floor covering in baskets.
2.5 kg.   
$7.95
Item #5602
SW 6.00 lbs

Pegosan Tablets – Canker/ Coccidiosis individual tablets. Also effective against crop mucous. Administered in the drinking water. Instructions inside top cover. (Pego – Germany)
50 tablets
$11.95
Item #5502
SW 1.70 lbs.




Pegosan Soluble Powder – Canker/ Coccidiosis product. Also effective against crop mucous. Administered in the drinking water. Instructions inside top cover. (Pego – Germany)
100 grams
$15.95
Item #5501
SW 2.20 lbs.




Trichoron Forte Liquid - For prevention and treatment of Canker, to be mixed with the drinking water. To prevent an outbreak of Canker during the breeding season, use Trichoron Forte after eggs have been laid. To prevent canker in adult birds, Trichoron Forte should be given three weeks before mating and before and after the racing season. During treatment, birds should not have access to other sources of water. For flock or individual treatment. (Pego -- Germany)
250 ml.
$11.95
Item #5503
SW 2.20 lbs.



Malathion Liquid – 57% concentrate.
1 gallon   
$69.95
Item #0076
SW 9.30 lbs




Colombine Moulting Seeds – A special mixture of herbs and seeds which promotes a good moult. Always use during the moulting period. Promotes releasing of the down feathers. Good served with Colombine tea. (Colombine – Belgium)
300 grams
$10.95
Item #0390
SW 1.95 lbs




Digestal – This product contains helpful lactobacillus bacteria, which are essential to maintaining good digestion. Digestal replenishes these bacteria which are destroyed during medication. (Colombine - Belgium)
250 grams
 $16.75
Item #0372
SW 1.95 lbs




Pigeon Power – This chelated liquid mineral mixture is readily absorbed through the intestines into the bird’s system. Use it extensively during racing and breeding, often spraying it onto the feed. Works extremely well as a bonding agent for brewer’s yeast and vitamins. A Siegel’s exclusive, considered by many as the best mineral supplement available.
16 oz.
$7.95
Item #1137
SW 2.20 lbs


32 oz.
$14.95
Item #1138
SW 3.45 lbs


Gallon
$36.95
Item #10110
SW 9.70 lbs




Ferro-Prodol - An organic iron and oxygen supplement which supplies iron, calcium, sodium and fructose in an oxygenated form. Aids in maintaining optimum health during times of extreme stress by acting as a catalyst for healthy blood and cell renewal. Use during times of increased performance demands such as racing, breeding, and moulting. (Pego - Germany)
1000 ml.
$34.75
Item #5676
SW 4.00 lbs



500 ml.
$17.95
Item #5677
SW 2.00 lbs




Cometabol Drain - Indispensable in promoting absolute optimum health. Given all year long, this supplement with minerals, trace elements, iron, sulfur, silicon, and vegetable extracts will make your birds shine with health.
500 ml.
$23.95
Item #7002
SW 2.45 lbs



Health Gard -- A pro-biotic water-additive formula made from specially cultured, naturally occurring microbes and a unique catalyst, which increases blood-stream absorption by ten times. Use one teaspoon per gallon of water. One quart covers 60 to 80 birds for six months.
1 quart
$29.95
Item #0097
SW 3.80 lbs



1 pint
$19.95
Item #0098
SW 2.80 lbs



1 gallon
$99.95
Item #0096
SW 9.30 lbs




M.B.L. Pox Vaccine – Brush-on (Maine Biological Labs) Refrigerate, but do not freeze!
Note: Be sure when ordering vaccines to specify overnight or two-day shipping!
When you specify two-day shipping (which is the most cost-effective choice for vaccines), we ship them only on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Vaccines shipped on Thursdays must be shipped overnight. We do not ship vaccines on Fridays unless the customer requests a Saturday delivery.
100 doses
$10.95
Item #0040
SW 1.20 lbs



PMV – 1 Vaccine – Pigeon vaccine (Maine Biological Labs) Refrigerate, but do not freeze!
Note: Be sure when ordering vaccines to specify overnight or two-day shipping!


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