In the last update I made a mistake stating any birds activated over 1,500 will have their prize money added to 1st place. It is actually any birds over 1,000 activated will have their prize money added to 1st place.
Rick
Hope everyone has a great upcomming Memorial Day weekend!
Next week is the last week we are accepting birds. Memorial Day is Monday so the last day you can ship would be Tue. Since it is our last week accepting birds next week go ahead and ship on Wednesday if you can not get them out Tuesday. Our post office lobby is closed on Saturday but if we get any birds on Saturday they will call us early AM and we go pick them up before they leave late morning after sorting mail.
Again, health is great this year with about 2% of the birds getting sick and many of those have been replaced. Unfortunately we fell way behind getting the birds assigned in to our clocking system so we have no way of determining if you had a bird missing during settling. We have really taken our time settling birds this year ensuring that the older birds do not get a chance to pull off younger birds by keeping them separate and only merging them after the younger groups being settled get to go out for at least three times on their own and absolutely know where home is. Point being, we are very confident that if there were any birds missing due to settling they are very, very few and far between. Knock on wood, no hawk attacks at the loft this year which makes settling very easy. It really helps when you sit right in front of the loft all day the first few times the birds are out, nothing can even get close to your birds.
Please mail to our PO Box, the address is under the Contact Us tab. Make sure your loft name is on the box if you paid using PayPal, or on the check if sending a check, money order, etc.
We are sitting at 300 breeders and nearing 1,500 birds entered which we will break next week. Do not miss out on what will most likely be the 2nd largest One Loft Race in the US for this year with a GUARANTEED 1st prize of $100,000 on the final. Any birds activated over 1,500 will be added to 1st prize, so wish us luck on not loosing many during training so we can have a HUGE 1st prize for all of you on the final race!
Thank all of you so much for supporting us and for your encouragement.
Rick & Olga
We are accepting birds through May. As we have explained several times, we much prefer you send your birds on a Monday or a Tuesday so we receive all of the birds on Wednesdays and Thursdays and if they get misrouted we have Friday to get late arrivals, post office closed on Saturday. The last Monday and Tuesday you can mail birds to us would then be the 25th and 26th of this month, so if you do not have them in the mail by today then next Monday and Tuesday are your last days.
As mentioned several times, we need to get a inventory posted and are way behind in doing so. The first week we accepted birds we had a clocking issue and needed the cages that we put birds in the day they arrive to make sure they get plenty of food and water after their long journey here. We could not get the clock working properly so the birds were just put in the loft without assigning them in to TauRIS which is the clocking system we utilize. We got busy with the loft extension and that became a priority since we absolutely wanted to avoid overcrowding. Wanted to conduct a inventory last weekend but was reminded that it was Mother's Day weekend and that my teenage workers were not going to be able to break away from momma, understandable. This past weekend it rained and as I type this it is raining again. It is not just a matter of letting them out and clocking them in, each bird needs to be caught and scanned in to TauRIS, then we can run a inventory.
Since we are so far behind in getting a inventory posted we have decided to do the following.
Wait until we have all of the birds settled, assign them in to TauRIS, then run a inventory.
Anyone with a missing bird on that first inventory will be rufunded their perch fee.
Anyone with a missing bird after the inventory and before the first training toss as per our rules, will be granted a free perch the Very Next Year.
Once training starts the free perch policy does not apply, this is in our rules.
We have had very good luck this year insofar as health is concerned, less than 2% have got sick. Those who have had sick birds have been notified and most are sending replacements.
We have really taken our time this year with settling birds and suspect that VERY FEW were lost during settling. We stay with the birds the whole time they are outside and have yet to witness a hawk attack at the loft this year, other than the occasional Red Tail Hawk that just spooks the birds up high but can not catch them.
So just to rehash, those with sick birds have been notified and most are already replaced. If you had a sick bird that could not be replaced or if you have a bird show up missing on our first inventory you will be refunded your perch. Any birds that come up missing after this initial inventory will be granted a free perch the Very Next Year, no carry overs from year to year.
When you mail birds no need to call us or send tracking numbers. Just make sure you register before sending so I know where to assign the birds when they arrive, if you do not do this then it becomes very problematic to say the least especially if you have never entered a One Loft Race before. Put your loft name on the box, on the check, or on a note within the box so I know who you are when the birds arrive. The PO box address on our site is indeed the address to ship to.
We currently have over 1,300 birds in the loft and expect over 1,500 when it is all done and said after next week. So if you have not already sent your birds do so no later than next Tuesday please.
We are accepting birds until the end of May.
No need to contact us before you ship.
Mail on Monday or Tuesday please, not after Tuesday.
The PO box on our site under Contact Us is the correct address to ship to.
Make checks out to Apple Cup. We also have a PayPal option.
Make sure you register before sending so we know where to assign your birds when they arrive, if you do not do this it gets very confusing.
We currently have nearly 1,200 birds and expect 1,600 +, maybe more. We will not run out of room. We are adding on 60' more on the west end. The loft will hold 3,000 birds so the birds will have a lot of room this year.
We do pull the 9th and 10th in late June early July.
We have a few more days of loft construction before the new 60' extension will hold birds. We did not plan on getting 26 boxes in the mail today and have no idea how many we will get in the morning. After the birds are processed we work on the loft until dark. Hopefully tomorrow we will not get as many birds and can really put in a full day on the loft, which only needs another 10-12 hrs before it can hold birds, then we will do all the little stuff. Plan was to get a inventory in this weekend then I was reminded it was Mother's Day. My teenage workers have to be home over the weekend so it will not be until not this weekend, but next weekend before we can do a inventory for all of you. Sorry it has taken so long, got behind now we have to play catch up.
Health has been very good this year with sickness being around 2%, we will take that any day! Any birds needing to be replaced due to sickness we have notified the owners. There may be a few birds that we are not aware of that were lost during settling, but if there are any they are very few. When we post the inventory those few pigeons will be identified, we appologize again for not getting this done earlier.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
The loft extension is about a week from completion. This will give us another 60' and will insure no overcrowding for this year's birds. We all know the worst thing you can do is overcrowd your birds, especially in a One Loft Race where birds are coming from hundreds of different lofts and being put all under one roof. Like a wise man once said, if you want a challenge start a One Loft Race, I dare ya!
We are way behind on posting our first inventory. We had a glitch in our clocking system and we think we have it figured out now, inventory will be posted shortly we promise.
Please make sure that somewhere on your box, on your check, or even just a note taped to the inside of the box, that your Loft Name is indicated. Sometimes it is impossible to figure out where to assign incomming birds especially if you have someone ship your birds for you and that person's name does not match any names signed up for the Apple Cup, or on Wincompanion. Please register for our race before sending, especially if you have never sent birds to a One Loft Race before. If you do not do this then we simply do not know where to assign your birds.
Make sure your Wincompanion account is 100% accurate and up to date. If we need to contact you we will use the address and phone number under your account. When we ship birds back we use this same information, so if it has changed please update.
Health of the birds is excellent this year, lets all hope it stays this way the duration of the race series!
Our shipping address is indeed the PO Box posted on this site under the contact tab, we have no other address to ship birds to.
Apple Cup
PO Box 313
Moxee, WA 98936
254-247-9504
Make sure you write your phone number very legibly on your shipping label. Some do not include their phone number, or ours, not a good idea everyone.
Currently we have over 1,800 perches reserved and close to 400 breeders with new breeders still signing up. Do not miss out on one of the largest One Loft Races in North America for 2020 with one of the largest payouts!
Thanks again everyone for your continued support!
At the moment we have 368 birds in the loft, 350 breeders signed up with more signing up daily and 1,650 perch reservations. Do not miss out on one of the largest One Loft Races in 2020!
PLEASE, do not mail past Tuesday. We had another individual who decided to ship on Wednesday, it is now 3 PM and we still do not have his birds. If we do not get a call in the next few hours it will not be until Monday that we get to pick up his birds. Please read the rules folks. On our site our address is on the Contact US tab and it clearly states, mail on Monday and Tuesday only. So if you ship birds to us you have to see this suggestion in bright red letters, it is there for a reason folks.
Hope everyone is staying safe amid the current crisis our country and the world is experiencing. Hopefully this virus will burn out quickly and we can all get back to normal.
We brought in 61 birds Wed, 60 Thur, and 5 birds today which were late on delivery. Thank you very much for shipping on Monday and Tuesday as we have requested.
As we have mentioned countless times, our post office is not open on Saturday. If you ship past Tue you are really taking a unnecessary risk in having your birds sit in a place over the weekend where we will not have access to them. We also much prefer that all birds arrive on Wednesdays and Thursdays so that they can all be started on medication on the same day. The birds go in cages for a day or two with feed and water right in front of them at all times so we can make sure they drink and eat before getting put in a section of their own. Birds that arrive in a given week are kept in their own section for at least 2 weeks where they get to know eachother, learn the loft and trap, and are treated for bacterial and canker. After 2 weeks they get their booster shots and are allowed to go outside for the first time. When we settle new groups they are settled on their own and only after they seem to have the system down are they merged with birds already settled.
In the past we always called breeders to let them know their birds arrived safe and sound. This year we have a lot more birds coming in than before and it just eats up too much time calling everyone, especially when we get some of you on the phone who like to talk pigeons! I say this tongue and cheek, because nothing I like more than to talk about pigeons. The day your birds arrive they will be entered in to Wincompanion under your breeder name, so before calling please check Wincompanion to see if your birds have been entered before calling, texting, emailing, instant messaging, there is just so much daylight everyone.
Thanks everyone and keep those healthy little baby racing pigeons coming. Thus far they all look great and we really appreciate it!
Just a few reminders and comments folks.
We will begin accepting birds starting next week, birds and replacements through May. If you are sending a check/money order/cashiers check, make sure you write your Loft Name somewhere on the check so we know who you are. Some of you have your partner, spouse, or family member fill out the check and there is a different name on the check, this is why it is imperative that your Loft Name goes on the check.
If you are printing your own shipping labels make sure you put your phone number, as well as ours on the label. Some of your programs do not print phone numbers and I do not think I need to go in to why it is a very bad idea not having your phone number and ours on the label.
We do pull the 9th and 10th and let them grow in before we begin training in August.
Activation Race most likely the week after Labor Day with the final race being around mid October. All dates are tentative and based upon how the birds are responding to training and returning from previous races and of course weather.
We are over 300 breeders and 1,500 birds at the moment and those numbers are growing daily. Our goal is to bring in 2,000+ pigeons and get at least 75% through activation.
Payout posted is based upon 1,000 birds activated and first drop on the final is $100,000 guaranteed. Any birds over 1,000 activated will have their prize money added to 1st place on the final. If we for example get 1,500 birds activated 1st prize will be $235,000. If you do the math we keep a smaller percentage than most races, especially the ones offering $100,000 or more on the final. Perch fee is $100 and entry fee is $300, this is the cheapest race for the amount of money we will be paying out.
We are expanding the loft to accomodate the birds this year, no overcrowding. Once the loft is completed we will post pictures and a video for all of you to see. There are pictures under our photo gallery on our site inside and out. The extension will look exactly the same as the current loft, total loft will be 168 feet long X 15 feet wide. The loft faces south for maximum sun exposure. It is very dry and warm here in central WA out in the high desert, fairly easy to keep the birds happy and healthy.
We are wide open out here in the desert and we have few trees, therefore very few birds of prey. Since we are wide open we have very little trouble settling birds, even older ones. We prefer birds in the 40-45 day old range, however have had good luck settling birds much older. We mention this because we get asked every year if we will accept older birds. My suggestion is if you are going to send older birds send them as soon as possible, not at the end of May. This way if your bird does get lost during settling you can send a replacement. We will not accept birds past May.
Upon arrival birds will be entered in to Wincompanion and assigned a chip ring, vaccinated for PMV, 10 days later for Paratyphoid, then 21 days after arrival they will be given a PMV booster. They will also be treated for internal/external parasites, canker, and treated for respiratory before training begins and before the Activation Race.
This is our 5th year of hosting the Apple Cup. We feel that we have learned a lot over the last 4 years prior to this year and are prepared to have our best year yet! So let your friends know about our race this year, together lets make this one of the largest races in North America with one of the largest payouts!
Rick & Olga Mee
We have been asked by several of you over the last few months whether or not we pull flights, the answer is ABSOLUTELY!
We accept birds March through May. By mid June we will have all of the birds settled and by 1st of July they will really be flying well and routing. On or about 1 July we will do a chip/health check and pull the 9th and 10th flights, the birds will be allowed to exercise but we will not force them until the 9th and 10th flights are completely in. We will start road training in August and the activation race will be held after Labor Day weekend. Opening dove season starts that weekend so we will not road train that weekend for obvious reasons.
Our weather has been absolutely georgeous here in central Washington, more like spring than winter. Lets all cross our fingers that it stays like this so that we can continue getting the loft ready for new arrivals next month and working on our loft expansion project.
Hope you all are having a great breeding season!
