Rain, rain and more rain ~~! Is this really Arizona? Not complaining - our dams are filling up with the much needed water !
We will start a hand inventory this weekend -
Great weather to get those entries in - much, much cooler ~!
Cooler temps and we have finally started to dry out - we had more rain in 2 weeks than we had in many years combined ~~!
Continue to ship - we are taking birds until September 3rd. Training starts in mid to late December - so ample time to get through a good moult.
Best regards
Steve
We are just at 200+ entries with about 6 weeks to go - expecting about 350 entries - which is a good manageable number.
Some cleanup still remaining from the storms - and the birds will be back out in full force.
Lots of rain with slightly cooler temperatures - weather patterns everywhere has been unpredictable.
Until next update -
All calm today after 2 nights of strong storms up to 70mph winds. Several lofts flipped on both nights close to us ~!
Fortunately the OLR is ok - just a few birds still flying around outside after the excitement. They escaped through the loading dock that blew open. We have to make adjustments to one of the OLR lofts that shifted with the winds - but super thankful that nothing catastrophic happened to the OLR.
Thanks to the great guys in my club that loaned me 2 lofts for my local youngbird team and brought them over and setup this morning. Now to get my local team to trap in there -
WE had the worst monsoon storm came through last night that I have experienced....
For the OLR, the loading section(where we load birds onto the trailer) was blown open and off the blocks. The feed storage area roof was blown off - 20 birds from that neighboring section that we were in the process of settling got out through the open section and are outside flying around still. Those birds have only been outside twice. The rest of the One Loft is intact and those birds are all in and safe.
Not so lucky on our local loft and widowhood loft where we fly the local Arizona races - those two local lofts were destroyed ~!
Looks like a microburst came through the area - downed trees everywhere!
Update later once we get through the cleanup~!
Hope everyone had a great July 4th.
All good here at Arizona Classic Derby - we are in the process of settling all the birds on the property.
We are expecting a sizeable group of birds from Canada in the next couple weeks- if you need to get on board, contact me for the next shipping specifics. The Canadian birds have done extremely well here in Arizona over the years.
After yesterday's count, we are missing 2 birds - breeders will be notified shortly.
Hot hot hot - it's been hot but the birds seem to be acclimatizing nicely ~!
Different things in the water on different days for healthy stomach and gut - Entero Plus, Primilac, ACV, Ocean Fly King products, Oregano-based extracts....
Accepting birds through September 3rd - send your late hatches. Several breeders have called and indicated they will be sending birds in July - we are expecting 300 - 350 birds.
All good here - a little on the warm side. Birds are starting to come in - with many more promised than signed up ~~!
Various products in the water to keep that gut healthy during these months - have not seen any issues yet.
All birds vaccinated now for PMV/Adeno/Circo, quarantined by arrival week - looking healthy and alert.
Now that the bigger races are almost closed - we should see the bulk of birds starting to come in -
Best of luck in what will be a super series ~~!
All good here at Arizona Classic Derby. Accepting all your late hatches through September 3.
Some of the bigger races have extended their acceptance/replacement period - Consider sending your late hatches to Arizona Classic Derby. We will start training in December (training schedule will be published shortly as the International Races do.....) folowed by a race schedule starting in February. We have extended/buffered the training period to make sure we are on track for Feb start to the races.
Updating the bird list today for the birds that were shipped in this Memorial Day week - they all healthy and acclimatizing - starting Section #2 Quarantine (we have 7 sections).
Best regards ~
Our race is a late hatch race ~! Send your birds now thru September 3rd. The response has been phenomenal to our $80 perch fees ($75 for 10 or more) AND Entry fees due 10 days before the Final Race. Many breeders have contacted me to send 10+ entries.
We do not have several hundred thousand $ guranteed payouts as we are a small operation but with a big 800 bird capacity -
Be sure to use a lot of probiotics, minerals for these late hatches, and vaccinate your birds at weaning before sending to us. Send healthy, strong, vibrant birds with a lot of vigor and tenacity. You do your part to send healthy birds - we GUARANTEE the following:
1. We train HARD BUT SMART - birds need to be routing 1.5 hours BEFORE we take them down the road. Typically 1,2,5,10,10,15,25,25,25,40,50,50,50,50,50,75,75,75,75,75, 90, 100 - mile training tosses. Any time they struggle, we RESET ! This get us 20-25 tosses before the 1st race and also 50-75 mile training between races and once the races start 5-7 days between races. Healthy birds will fly this routine - any sick, stressed or weaker birds will be weeded out ~! Thease are my decisions as an experienced successful handler - you agree to these by entering the race. The decision of the loft manager is final.
The goal of training is conditioning - not just crating up and driving down the road - anybody can do that ~!
2. Your birds get to fly at least 3 races with at least 3-4 hours on the wing BEFORE any entry fees are due. Too often, we see birds lightly trained to 100 miles and a request for Acitivation money. I am not slamming any race - just stating that we minimize that scenario at Arizona Classic Derby.
If your bird cannot fly this regimen - it's good you did not have to prematurely pay an Entry fee. Not all birds are bred equal - some great breeding stock will breed a weaker or less than desirable bird at times that may not fly our regimen.
3. We vaccinate on arrival for PMV/Circo/Adeno. We will do a PMV booster once all birds are in house and settled. This year will use a different manufacturer for the booster vaccine.
4. We guarantee to start training early in December with race start early February. My local team is on the same routine and so I get to cut costs by training both along the similar course. Our Federation schedule is early February races - so we will be on track.
