HC

 

 

 News and Updates
May-19-2022

There was a new inventory posted on Monday with another 83 birds clocking on Tuesday.   Please check this inventory to see if you have birds that need to be replaced.  There is only 1 week left to get replacements in.  We will work on getting another inventory done Friday or Saturday so breeders will be prepared to ship next week if needed. 

As a reminder we are no longer accepting new teams of birds.  Our general intake period is closed and we will only accept replacements next week.   Our main focus now will be maintaining good health on the younger birds while getting them settled and into a routine in the loft.  

Overall the health of all the birds is good and we continue to see the younger birds become more confident in trapping and being outside.  Our weather has stabilized for this time of year which is great for the birds.  Aside for some light rain yesterday we will have sunny skies and decently warm temperatures in the coming days.  

As a reminder, there are several fanciers that have not paid perch fees.  This is very frustrating and time consuming for us.  Perch fees are due when birds arrive.  We have reached out to several fanciers over the past week.  If you know you have not paid your perch fees you will have until June 1st to get them paid or birds will be listed For Sale.  Once birds are listed For Sale you will loose all rights and any potential prize money. 

Speaking of For Sale, there are currently 122 birds that have clocked on the inventory listed For Sale. 
Birds are available from Paul Daniel, Greek Connection, Marlee Doms, Wes Lamons, Pleasant Task Farms, Big Andy, Baldwin & Tilson, Gary Wartick, Sam Younan, Jesse Seguna, Champ Camp & Mark Mourton. 

There is also 3 Kits available with 5 birds from the following breeders (1 bird per breeder):
Greek Connection
Big Andy
Baldwin & Tilson
Lamons Family Loft
Jesse Seguna

Kits are $1000 for perch fees and then buyer is responsible for activation for any remaining birds.  Any prize & Auction money will be split between breeder & buyer. 

Send an email or call the office in the morning if you are interested in a kit. 
May-15-2022
 
Thank you to all who have sent birds for the 2022 season.  We are looking forward to a great series and wish all fanciers the best of luck. 

Today will be the last day that we are accepting new entries. There are a few fanciers that are dropping birds off today.  Please do not ship anymore birds unless they are replacements for an existing team.  

We will be doing an import with Benzing hopefully later tonight or tomorrow morning (Thank you to Eric Brown for always working with our schedules and changes), and will start to get complete lists for the most recent birds that arrived and will be moving out of quarantine. 

Our temperatures this past week were in the high 80’s to 90’s mid to late week and as of this morning we are back to the 70’s.  It looks like the weather will stabilize for this week with temperatures staying in the 70’s with 1-2 days of rain. 
Apr-28-2022
BUSY DAY
t has been an extremely busy day at the Hoosier Classic. 
44 boxes this morning, 14 boxes around 10:30 am, and then 4 more at 1:30.  
In total there were 62 boxes delivered today and 14 birds dropped off. All of the birds that arrived today have been inventoried and are resting with food and water.  I was not able to get them
entered into the computer today, however that will be the first thing I work on in the morning. 

We did get the birds clocked today since we had a little bit of sunshine even though it was cold again today. We also got another group of birds vaccinated for their 2nd vaccine. 

Thank you everyone who has sent birds. 
As a reminder, we have extended the deadline for shipping until May 15th. 
That gives another 2 weeks for fanciers to ship birds. Many have stated that they bred late and youngsters were not ready. 

Please check the inventory for birds that arrived through the first week of April. If you are missing anything please send a replacement.  If your unsure of when they arrived please contact the office (tomorrow) and we can try to help figure it out.
Apr-25-2022
INTAKE DEADLINE

The deadline for accepting birds has been extended until May 15th, replacements until May 31st.

There will be 5 more 5 Bird Kits For Sale this evening.  Watch Facebook and the updates for which lofts will be offering birds. 

Let's Have Some Fun!
Apr-16-2022
APRIL 15TH UPDATE
It has been a busy week at the Hoosier Classic. We currently have over 2500 birds at the loft with more arriving almost daily.  There were 46 boxes that arrived between Tuesday & Wednesday and more yesterday and today.  I think we lost count by Thursday afternoon.  We continue to move birds from quarantine to the main loft weekly and when doing that they get another vaccine.  
We were able to get the birds out flying Sunday, Monday, & Tuesday this past week to fly during some decent weather.  Wednesday it rained hard most of the day.  Yesterday we had over 50 mph winds all day.  We are pretty sure it may have been close to 70 mph winds with the way our lawn furniture was blowing around.  Today the wind is not as bad but enough that the birds could not go out again.  We are hoping some time over the weekend we can get them out again. 
Overall the health is good and new groups going into the main loft continue to learn the traps.  
As a reminder…Perch Fees are due when birds arrive.  Many fanciers have sent birds without fees and no communication as to why.  Please get your perch fees in asap if you have not already done so.  Any birds not paid for by the end of April will be marked ineligible. 
 
We hope everyone enjoys the Easter Weekend
 
There is a list of For Sale Birds that have been provided by various breeders.  These birds are available for the Perch Fee of $200 and the "Buyer" will be required to pay the Activation Fee.  Any winnings will be split between the buyer/breeder including any auction proceeds.  If the bird(s) does not go to the auction the bird will belong to the "Buyer," and it is the breeders decision as to if they will provide a pedigree. 

Current Breeders with birds available are:
Greek Connection (John Georgeopolous)
Pleasant Task Farms (Dominic Rappucci)
Flying D (Paul Daniel)
Lamons Family Loft (Wes Lamons)
Wartick Family Loft (GaryWartick)
Marlee Doms
Ricomar Llamzon
KT Loft (Kris Twardus)
PNWC (Mark Mourton)
Seguna Loft (Jesse Seguna)
Champ Camp (Tim Lucas)
Sam Younan

If you would like to purchase a bird off this list please send an email or call the office 219-733-0011
Apr-05-2022
APRIL 5TH - CLARIFYING INFORMATION
We here at The Hoosier Classic have been informed that our Kuwait fanciers who have sent birds to the USDA Quarantine will not be able to participate in the Hoosier Classic for 2022.  This is sad news for Kuwait Fanciers and the Hoosier Classic, as we always welcome international competition. This group of about 290 birds were never released from the New York Quarantine and will not come to the Hoosier Classic lofts.  There were some sick birds in the group preventing ALL of the birds from being released. 

We hope that this dispels any rumors floating around from "misinformed" individuals.  We wish the fanciers from Kuwait the Best of Luck in all the races abroad and hope to have them back in 2023 for an even Bigger Guaranteed Payout! 

As always if you have ANY questions regarding the race please feel free to contact us directly and we will be glad to answer any questions. 

Jim & Kelly
A video update of all the birds currently at the loft
Apr-05-2022
APRIL 4TH UPDATE
Thank you to all of the fanciers who have sent birds for reserved perches for the 2022 season.  We currently have over 1800 birds at the loft and over 3600 birds signed up.  There is still time to compete for the Biggest Payout in North America One Loft Racing.  $225,000 for 1st Place!!

Our weather the past almost 10 days have been rain, rain, and more rain with chillier temperatures.  We woke up April 1st to what we thought was an April Fool's joke with snow on the ground.  It melted throughout the day thankfully.  Mother nature fooled us a few weeks ago with 70 degrees and a few days in the 60's.  This upcoming week looks to be the same with rain the next few days until Friday.  Any breaks in the weather and the birds will be out.  

Please remember that when shipping to the Hoosier Classic, we STRONGLY recommend you vaccinate your youngsters 2 weeks before shipping.  Youngsters do not need to be here when they are 35 days old.  We would prefer at minimum 45-50 days old.  The older they are the better immunity they have especially if they have been vaccinated prior to shipping.  Vaccinating the day before you ship can cause some stress on the birds, and also doesn't allow time to build immunity. A strong immune system is what will help the youngsters thrive in a OLR environment.  If anyone has any questions regarding vaccines or shipping, please feel free to call the office and we are more than willing to answer any questions. 
 
Breeders Connection

Again in 2022 there will be birds available For Sale from some of the Top Breeders in our sport.

Paul Daniel
Tim Lucas
Wes Lamons
Mark Mourton
Big Andy
Sam Younan (On the Drop 2021)
These fanciers will have birds available For Sale or you can reach out to them directly if you would like to enter birds bred by them

Frank & Dan McLaughlin
McLaughlin Lofts bred the winning bird twice at the Hoosier Classic
After speaking with Frank this week, he still has youngsters available for the Hoosier Classic 2022 Season.
Currently we do not believe there will be For Sale birds listed by Frank/Dan.  If you would like birds entered on your behalf from them, you will need to contact them directly. 
Mar-28-2022
$1,200,000
GUARANTEED PRIZE PAYOUT
This past weekend brought the cold temperatures back with very strong winds.  We will show our first inventory today or tomorrow of the first 3 groups (weeks) of birds.  Hopefully the wind lets up today and the birds can go out.  
Overall the health is holding quite well.  We did remove a few birds and fanciers have been notified.  Before we move birds from quarantine they are vaccinated for PMV-Rota virus & pox.  Three weeks later they are given a booster vaccine for PMV.  Although we vaccinate, we strongly recommend giving your champions an advantage before arrival.  Providing at least 1 PMV vaccination 2-3 weeks before shipping to any one loft race provides a jump start on their immunity.  Shipping to a OLR, getting a vaccine after arrival, and being put into quarantine with many other birds in a new environment can be very stressful on the birds. 
As a reminder we ask to please include payment in the box if you have not pre paid, and include loft name for reference.

We currently have over 3400 perches reserved for 2022 and almost 1600 birds here at the loft.  Many birds were delivered over the weekend by fanciers close to our area.  There are currently 5 weeks left to get birds shipped to the race.  Come fly against the "ELITE" fanciers in the sport for a GUARANTEED prize of $1,200,000.  The BIGGEST PRIZE in North America.
Come out for race weekend events and let us show you some "Hoosier Hospitality"

Beginning Saturday, one of the hottest auctions of the year hosted by Ganus Family Loft at their hunt lodge.  Mike & Debbie provide a great event including a cookout, drinks, and a selection of world class pigeons at the annual Ganus Family Live Auction. 
Sunday, shipping of the birds at the Hoosier Classic Loft in the afternoon including lunch and drinks, followed by the Hoosier Classic Banquet at Blue Chip Hotel & Casino with an all you can eat buffet & open bar.  After dinner will begin the Loft Calcutta (new for 2022, must be present to participate), followed by live music so bring your dancing shoes. 
Monday - Race Day, will start with another elite auction by America's Dream Loft (Jim Gabler).  Jim has never held back when purchasing some of the Best Families of Pigeons.  He has also stated that some of his "key" breeders will be up for sale in this auction. 
A full buffet & open bar are also provided at the Hoosier Classic Loft on race day, along with raffles and the opportunity to purchase products from Vita King. 
- $1,200,000 Guaranteed Prizes
- 1st Place - $200,000
- 250 Paid Prize Positions
- 4 Race Average Speed
- Knockout Competition
- Ladies Competition
- Over 4,000 sq ft of Quarantine
  Space
- 8512 sq ft of Loft space
- Over 7,000 perches
- Monthly Veterinarian Testing
- Any paid entries over 2400 will      have 80% added to prize money
- GPS Tracking on all races
- Live Video Stream of all races
- 24 hr Loft Security Monitoring by Pro-Vigil
Feb-13-2022
Don't Miss Out On The
GUARANTEED PAYOUT!!
$1,200,000 In Prizes
Ready. Set. Ship!!

The Hoosier Classic 2022 Kicks Off this upcoming week with the start of birds being accepted. 
We would like to take a minute to remind participants of a few rules & tips before shipping. 
We will start accepting birds February 17th.  There have been several phone calls with breeders saying they will be shipping on Monday (2/14).  Birds should arrive between Wednesday & Thursday, however occasionally we see birds on Tuesday.   
We ask that all birds shipped have the perch fees included in the box.  Perch fees are $200 per bird for the 2022 season.   There is a link available on our website to print the Registration Form to include in the box. 

We have again provided the shipping tips below for shipping youngsters.  We can not stress enough to please not overcrowd boxes.  

The shipping address is
Hoosier Classic
10258 S 1150 W
Wanatah, IN  46390
Recommended Shipping Boxes
Available from Vita King Products
 
 
 

Feb-08-2022
We have seen several posts on Social Media regarding the cost of shipping birds.  Over the past few years the postal rates have increased substantially for "Express" packages.  In an effort to combat those rising costs, the box companies have made adjustments to their shipping boxes.  
For all of the birds we ship, whether it be returning birds from the Hoosier Classic or shipping our own youngsters out we use the shipping boxes made from Horizon Microenvironments.  These boxes have been redesigned to stay within the USPS limits for shipping. 

In an effort to help breeders pay reasonable shipping fees vs. high shipping charges we are providing information to help.

First, we recommend that you print shipping labels at home.  There are several services available to print at home such as: "Click -n- Ship"on the USPS website, Stamps.com, Shipping Easy, Shippo, Pirateship.
All of these services allow you to enter information yourself and offer a small to medium discount on shipping depending on which service you use and the qty of boxes you ship.  All of these services will more than likely require an account to be created but in the long run should save you money. 

Next, for the boxes that we use (I can't speak regarding boxes from other companies), I suggest using the dimensions provided below.  Do not leave it to a Postal Employee to measure the box for you.  They will more than likely over measure.
2 Bird Box - 18 x 8 x12   
Initial Weight should be 3 lbs for 1 bird and add a pound for each additional bird.  
This box is not designed to hold 5 birds, please do not overcrowd boxes.

3 Bird Box - 12 x 12 x 10
Initial Weight should be 5 lbs with 3 birds in it.  Without dividers, holding young birds you could put 4 birds in the box. 
This box is not designed to hold 6 birds, please do not overcrowd boxes. 

The Key To This advice is to PRINT LABELS AT HOME.  It will save you time and money. 

The boxes shown below are available from Vita King Products

Hopefully this information is helpful for anyone shipping birds in the coming weeks/months. 
2 - Bird Box
Dimensions 18 x 8 x 12
3 - Bird Box
Dimensions 12 x 12 x 10 
 
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