Message Pages

	News and Updates
	Apr-22-2024
2 WEEKS LEFT TO SHIP Good Evening! There are two weeks left to ship all birds..including replacements. The last day to ship pigeons will be April 30th. Please keep an eye on loft fly inventories and if you see a missing bird please let me know. We are getting very close to the end of acceptance and I want everyone to be able to replace any bird if necessary. For those that have paid for a full team of 6 birds, make sure to take advantage of the 7th free perch. The birds enjoyed another beautiful day out today. The weather has been nice, mid 60s and sunny during the day, but still chilly at night. It has been a cool spring for us and looks like it will continue through the end of the month. There are over 1000 birds here at the loft with many more prepaid. Birds are looking great and getting used to my routine. I have had jury duty March and April, so there are some days I don't get the birds out until a bit later in the day....it has been a very busy spring so far. Small groups of birds continue to get up off the loft and do some circling. No real routing yet, but should start happening soon with some of the early birds. Seems like every time the birds are out, some raptor likes to make an appearance but the birds seem to be figuring them out. The red tailed hawks are usually quite helpful in getting some of the lazy birds off the loft and into the air without panicking them. I appreciate all the support this year! I am looking forward to getting all the birds here, settled and into one group. Take Care Lucas -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac *and Ropa B*
	Apr-14-2024
GOOD EVENING! Good Evening! Today has been raining off and on all day, so the birds stayed in the loft. Everything is starting to turn green, frogs have woken up, and the spring flowers are starting to bloom. It is finally starting to feel like spring has arrived. Birds are continuing to do well. There are over 900 birds here at the loft with more than 600 going out to loft fly on good weather days at the moment. Birds are molting heavy and enjoying their baths a couple times a week. I continue to feed heavy and trapping continues to be slow. There are a bunch of birds getting up and flying well. The red tailed hawks keep them on their toes. I want the birds to think of the loft as a safe place, so they are not being locked out for very long at this point. There are 3 weeks left to ship pigeons. April 30th is the last day to ship all pigeons to this year's race, including replacements. For those that have paid for 6 perch fees be sure to take advantage of the 7 free perch. Thank you all for shipping on Mondays and Tuesdays! I hope this finds everyone well! I appreciate the support. Take Care Lucas -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac *and Ropa B*
	Apr-03-2024
GOOD AFTERNOON! Good Afternoon! Birds enjoyed a cloudy and chilly 42 degree loft fly this morning. Yesterday was a beautiful 80 degrees, which the birds and I both enjoyed. Birds did get to go out and fly yesterday, but I did not run the clock due to having to check echips on the next group of birds that moved over to the loft. Tomorrow is cold/snowy/wet, so birds will be staying in....next week looks like it should warm back up into the 60s. Overall, the birds are continuing to do well. Settling continues to go well with minimal losses off the loft. The resident red tailed hawks like to fly by every now and again to see if any youngsters will panic and go to ground. Several small groups are getting up and flying well and high. Birds are excited to get out of the loft each morning and fly/flap around on the roof. Appetites are great especially with the cold temperatures. Many of the birds are molting heavy, so I do not restrict food during this time..hence some of the late trapping that happens on loft flights. Shipping continues to be slow ranging from 2-4 days...seems to be the new norm for us. Birds seem to be taking it all in stride. The only birds that seem to have issues with these delays are birds that are way overpacked in their shipping boxes. If you plan on shipping birds in the later part of April, please make sure you pre pay your perch fees. I will fill up again this year. Thank you all for keeping an eye on loft fly inventories and letting me know if you see any of your birds missing. Definitely helps me out! Please reach out with any questions. Take Care Lucas -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac* *and Ropa B*
	Mar-26-2024
GOOD EVENING! Good Evening! Birds are continuing to take everything in stride here at the loft. The weather has been a bit sporadic with winds, rain, and sunshine. Temperatures have cooled back down into the 50s for highs and 30s for lows. The first two weeks of birds (white and red group) are enjoying their time out of the loft. They are learning a lot and are figuring out which birds of prey they need to be wary of and which they can ignore. A few small groups are starting to get up and do a few loops around the loft. Overall, the birds are doing well. Appetites are good and the birds are excited to get out of the loft and stretch their wings. Please keep an eye on clocking and let me know if you see any of your birds missing. I know I have stated this before, but it helps me immensely during intake since I can't run a lost/missing report each day. The more eyes on these loft fly inventories the better. There are currently 567 birds here at the loft in the first 4 weeks of intake...with another 6 weeks to go, it looks like we will be plenty full again this year. Thank you all for the continued support! Birds continue to receive Kastle Young Bird Developer on arrival and a few times a week, along with Primalac and/or Ropa B in the water. These products seem to really help the birds build immunity to all the different strains of disease that come from so many different lofts around the country. Thank you all! Have a great week and always feel free to reach out with any questions. Lucas -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac *and Ropa B*
	Mar-19-2024
GOOD EVENING! Good Evening Breeders! The weather has been beautiful the last few days. Sunny and temperatures in the high 60s low 70s....it has been glorious. The birds and myself are loving it. Looks like we will have a few more days of this before it cools down again and rains at the end of the week. I have been very busy with the birds. I had over 180 birds arrive last week and they all seem to be settling in well. The first group of birds (white group) got go out on their first loft fly on Saturday and they were very excited to get out and stretch their wings. I love watching these youngsters start to fly...very nerve wracking but exciting for all involved. They are building confidence fast and had the chance to go out again yesterday and today. They will go out every good weather day possible. Red group has moved over to the trapping sections and should be joining the white group in a few days. Please keep an eye on inventories now that the birds are getting to go out and fly. I don't have an easy way of keeping track of missing birds while settling. The way I run missing reports only works with wincompanion once all the birds are here and in one group. If you see something missing or have a question please shoot me a message. Birds usually will be out on loft flights about two weeks after arrival. Thank you all for not overcrowding your boxes and shipping on Monday and Tuesday. All boxes arrived by Friday last week. I hope this finds everyone well! Have a great week. Lucas -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac *and Ropa B*
	Mar-11-2024
GOOD MONDAY MORNING! Good Morning Breeders! Almost 50 degrees today! Slowly warming up, should be hitting 60 and sunny by Friday. Birds and I are looking forward to some sunny warm weather. Last week I had 110 birds arrive here at the loft and they are all settled into quarantine...except for a couple that are struggling due to overcrowding and delayed shipping. Birds tend to do just fine with delays in shipping, as long as they have enough space in the shipping box. This is a good reminder to not overcrowd your boxes...USPS is struggling this year to get birds here in 2 days. Please ship Monday and Tuesday only. First weeks birds are enjoying the main loft and spend the majority of their day out in the aviaries. The first group will be trap training this week, so I will post those on wincompanion as they happen. First group should be able to have their first loft fly by the end of the week, as long as the weather allows. Birds are continuing to receive Kastle YB developer on the feed most days and Primalac or Ropa B in the water. Thank you to everyone that have sent birds already and to those that are planning to do so! If you have any questions please feel free to reach out. Take Care Lucas -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac *and Ropa B*
	Mar-04-2024
GOOD AFTERNOON! Good Afternoon Breeders! We have another chilly and windy day here in Central Oregon. The weather has been up and down all last week and it looks like it will continue to do the same this week. One minute it is snowing and the next it is beautiful and sunny. Day time temperatures have been in the low 40s with night time temperatures in the low 20s. First week of shipment I received 123 birds. Those birds seem to be taking the cold weather in stride and are eating like champs. I am keeping a close eye on them in quarantine. There were a couple birds that arrived with some respiratory issues that are being addressed, so please make sure to look your youngsters over well before shipping. USPS update. Last week there were several boxes that took more than two days to arrive here at the loft. USPS informed me last week that express shipments will only be sent from Portland airport once a day in the AM (I used to get an AM and PM shipment). Please make sure to ship Mondays and Tuesdays only. There is a high possibility of birds sitting at the airport in Portland over the weekend if shipped later in the week. Thank you to Tony Cuevas, Eric @ Benzing, and Terry Gilmore for helping me get rolling with Benzing. The system has been easy to get set up and assign bands. First weeks birds (white group) will be moved out of quarantine at some point this week and bands will be scanned to make sure they are correct before moving to the race loft. I color code echip rings to the week in which birds arrive, this year's bands are color coded with my phone number in case they get lost and picked up during training. Here is a link to the phone number stickers, if anyone needs any. Echip Phone Number Stickers Birds are getting Primalac in the water daily, along with Kastle YB developer on the feed, and fresh Jovati Grit...plus some other free choice mineral options. Lots of food and probiotics to start! Have a great week. Lucas -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac *and Ropa B*
	Feb-20-2024
FEBRUARY 26TH FIRST DAY TO SHIP! Good Morning! Just a quick reminder that next week, February 26th is the first day to ship birds. This last week has been very snowy here a the loft. Today we are suppose to get up to 52 degrees, so the melt should start in ernest. I am looking forward to seeing some youngsters next week. You are welcome to send me a text or message when you ship for a heads up, but not necessary. Have a great week. Lucas
	Feb-13-2024
FEBRUARY 26TH FIRST DAY TO SHIP Good Morning! Beautiful chilly morning here in Central Oregon. We are two weeks away from seeing the first birds arrive here at the loft. First day to ship birds will be February 26th. Quarantine loft and racing loft have been scrubbed and pressure washed. New traps for the Benzing system have been installed. Lofts will be sprayed again with Virkon before birds start arriving. Vaccines are here and birds will receive a PMV/Rotavirus vaccine on arrival. Please make sure to vaccinate your babies at least two weeks before shipping them. Once the birds arrive here at the loft I take a picture of birds and send a text message confirming receipt of your birds. Please make sure to have your loft name (cell # is also helpful for me and the post office) on the box. Birds will be chipped upon arrival and entered into wincompanion. Please make sure to review the 2024 rules before sending birds. 2024 Rules Please do not overcrowd your shipping boxes and be sure to put some absorbent material in the bottom of your boxes. Monday and Tuesday are the best days to ship, especially since our post office is closed on Saturday. Please check your babies over carefully before boxing. Do Not ship birds with Pox, Canker, or Respiratory issues! I am looking forward to the start of the season! Please reach out with any questions. Lucas Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac *and Ropa B*
	Jan-14-2024
GOOD MORNING! Good Morning! Good morning breeders...2 degrees here at the loft and about a foot of snow. Beautiful winter wonderland. I had my first round of babies hatch over the last few days and the parents are sitting tight on these cold days. This is always an exciting time of the year for me with new babies hatching and looking to see what races I will send them out to this year. There are some new ones that look promising this year and of course there are several that have shown their worth through the years. Crooked River Challenge will start accepting birds for the 9th season the last week of February/first week of March. For those that are new to the race this year or are thinking about entering this year, here is a bit more information. 1000 plus miles of road training before the 200 mile race. Competitive Payout...average last 4 years has been $349,000. Entry fees due after 150 mile activation. Daily loft flight inventories Competitive series through the mountains and high desert 200 miles, 250 miles, 300 miles, and 367 miles. Optional Sprint Series. Live GPS on Trailer for all training and racing. Birds are watered on the trailer during training and racing. Birds are settled to loft about 14 days of arriving. I have switched to the Benzing system for th 2024 season for quicker upload speed to wincompanion. Here is a link to the Rules page to review RULES Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns. Stay warm. Lucas -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac *and Ropa B*
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