Looking back on 2025 - lessons learned?

General Discussion Stories & Memories
1

As 2025 winds down, curious what lessons others learned this year.

My biggest takeaways:

  1. Don’t overtrain young birds. Lost more to exhaustion than I should have.
  2. Trust my gut on sick birds. Twice I hesitated to isolate and twice it cost me.
  3. Quality over quantity - my small team of 30 outperformed my neighbor’s 80.

What did 2025 teach you?

2

Good question.

My lessons:

  1. Weather forecasts matter. Got caught in a storm I should have seen coming.
  2. Don’t basket tired birds just because it’s race day.
  3. Keep better records - I was relying on memory too much.

Overall a decent year but room to improve.

3

Biggest lesson: listen to experienced fanciers.

I was stubborn about some things early in the year (thought I knew better). Cost me birds and results.

Now I take advice more seriously. Still learning after 6 years.

4

At my age you’d think I’d have nothing left to learn. But this year taught me:

  1. New technology isn’t always bad. Finally upgraded my ETS system and wish I’d done it years ago.
  2. Young fanciers have good ideas too. Learned a feeding trick from a guy who’s been racing 3 years.
  3. Enjoy the journey. Stressed less about results this year and had more fun.

42 years in and still learning. That’s what keeps it interesting.

5

Great thread.

2025 taught me to appreciate what I have. Lost my foundation cock in February - not to illness or hawks, just old age. He was 14.

Reminded me that these birds are more than racing machines. We form bonds with them.

Here’s to 2026 everyone. Good flying.