Keith Mott Writes...

JOHN PUDDEPHATT

of Ferring

John Puddephatt must rate as one of the best long distance fanciers in the U.K. today, achieving a wonderful record in National and Classic racing over many years. The 2002 season saw him have a brilliant year racing in the National Flying Club, recording: 17th. section A, 165th. open Nantes (252 miles), 2nd. 8th. 29th. 36th. 44th. 45th. section A, 28th. 97th. 309th. 461st. 466th. open Pau (516 miles), 2nd. 9th. 27th. section A, 50th. 174th. 340th. open Saintes (351 miles), with only small teams being sent.

Through the years John has had many outstanding performances flying in partnership with his brothers, Colin and Sid, but since moving down to the south coast, several years ago, he has raced on his own. John started in pigeons at the age of 12 and the brothers obtained their first birds from Club Row Market in London. The first pigeon, a red pied cock, cost 2s.6d. and was kept in a rabbit hutch, but when they let him out he cleared straight off, back to London. Their first racing stock were obtained from local fanciers and their first winner was a blue chequer cock, NU 50 D 6308, which won 1st. club, 3rd. Surrey Federation Dorchester as a young bird. John loved playing football, but gave it up when the pigeon bus arrived. The first fanciers who drew John to their performances were Charley Langley and George Payne of the Hackbridge D.H.S., when he came into the sport 56 years ago. The Puddephatts' first racers were from Charley Langley, whose base family were R.W. Beard of Kenley and started racing in the Hackbridge club, which at that time was the strongest club in the Surrey Federation. The brothers' first loft was built from second hand timber and John recalls the outside walls were made from old four-panel doors, which were all painted different colours.

After racing many years at his home in Crawley, John has now moved to Ferring, near Littlehampton, on the south coast. His present loft is a 20ft. x 6ft. wooden structure, which has three sections and a tiled roof, which John likes because it lets out the stale air. He thinks the ventilation is very important and has vents at floor and roof level in his very smart loft. Although he thinks a dry loft is very important, he also maintains the inmates need plenty of room, so as to stop too much bickering. Regarding deep litter, he says it works for many good fanciers, but he prefers to clean out as often as possible. John has always raced on the natural system and keeps approximately 20 pairs of old birds, which includes a few latebreds, kept in the loft for breeding purposes only. He keeps his birds as near to nature as he can and pairs up in the second week in March, with the long distance National races in mind. His racing team is more or less 30 birds strong and they are not over trained, and get very little road work. He says the birds do their best training work around home, they get in excellent condition, with his feeding and exercise system.

His feeding is very complex, with him feeding mainly outside the loft on the grass, after exercise. He sprinkles linseed around the garden, keeping the birds busy looking for it and they get groats to follow, but not every day. The main corn used is Natural de Scheemaecker breeder mixture, with French maize, which is hand fed outside the loft. He uses Hormoform two or three times a week. The old birds are raced through to Pau (516 miles) and this includes yearlings, which are in excellent order. John says he has had some good results in the Pau national with yearlings, but they are not 'caned' on their build up to the race and don't race inland. The birds are never abused in racing or breeding and early channel races are picked out for stepping stones into the Pau Grand National. Sometimes he will ask them to fly Pau twice in four weeks, with outstanding results, and he maintains this comes from the good long distance pedigree, followed by super conditioning. Regarding birds for long distance races, John likes cocks calling their hens to nest, after a few days separation, cocks looking at their hens after feeding a big young bird and hens sitting 7 to 10 day old eggs. He never races his birds to small youngsters.

John's own strain of long distance pigeons has been cultivated over his life time in the sport. He doesn't keep stock birds as such, with all the birds racing in one form or another. He hasn't the room for stock birds, with the 16 pairs he brought with him to start up at his new address at Ferring now being housed at a close friend's loft. If John brings in a new bird for a cross, it firstly has to come from a top loft that has done well over many years at long distance classic and national racing. He says he will go for a hen from a fancier's best long distance cock and likes medium to small pigeons with good feathering and balance in the hand. John's number one stock hen, a dark velvet chequer, bred by his good friend, 'Gentleman' Jimmy Shepherd of West Sussex and her sire won 1 st. Barcelona B.I.C.C., only bird on the winning day. She is also a direct daughter of Jim's 'Lady Di' winner in the B.I.C.C. Marseille race, also only bird on the winning day. There have been many premier introductions over the years and John says his brothers have played a big part in forming the Puddephatt long distance strain over the last 50 years.

John keeps about 30 young birds each season, because that is the number he can house comfortably and gives some to charity sales every year. The Puddephatt youngsters are raced from France to get some experience of the English Channel. He holds a few back and these are not raced, only trained along the south coast. He feeds heavy on Natural Breeding Mixture, the same as the old birds and is not interested in young bird race results, apart from the N.F.C. race. John says the feeding has to be the best mixture he can afford. Training of the youngsters is from the about 30 miles west and 20 miles north, as he lives on the south coast. Regarding the darkness system, he says it seems to work well in racing, but he wonders if the birds are any good in the future life.

John is a semi- retired painter and decorator and says his family take an interest in the pigeons. He has put up some brilliant performances through the years including: 1st. section A, 2nd. open Pau N.F.C., three birds clocked on the day of liberation, out of the six sent. In the N.F.C. Bordeaux race he sent 10 birds, clocked eight on the day of liberation and recorded four in the first 100 open result. He recorded three times 1st. open in the East of England Continental Club, twice from the longest old bird race and other positions in the N.F.C. are: 1st. section A, 4th. open Guernsey (12,000 birds), 6th.section A, 36th. open Pau, 2nd. section A, 28th. open Pau, 8th. section A, 97th. open Pau and 2nd. section A, 50th. open Saintes. A brilliant fancier!

The Puddephatt pigeons have won at all distances and include Combine winners, and 1st. federation winners from France. John told me that his brothers have made a tremendous contribution to the success of the Puddephatt strain over many years and both are outstanding fanciers in their own right. He says he hasn't got any pet theories regarding long distance pigeon racing, but thinks it takes a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication to gain success in any sport, at the highest level. John's biggest thrill was when he won 2nd. open N.F.C. Pau, but has many good memories around his Pau Grand National performances. He has an open mind on the eyesign theory and maintains that 'one man's meat is another man's poison', and eyesign works for some and not for others. He enjoys going to the winter shows in a judging capacity and likes a good get together at these events, with his friends. John has never held an office in the club, but works hard on the basketing of the pigeons, which he enjoys very much. He tells new starters in the sport not to run before they can walk and get some experience with the best pigeons they can afford. John says there are a lot of good fanciers who he respects, but thinks 'Gentleman' Jim Shepherd is the best in the West Sussex area. His record in classic long distance racing has been first class over a long period. John is a firm believer in line breeding and some inbreeding, as this is the only way to maintain a good family of racing pigeons. 'Pair the best to the best' John told me. Linebreeding is ideal for a small team fancier, as they can't have a lot of crosses and the latter don't always work. John tells me he tends his pigeons from the first day to the last day of every year and that's why he has been one of the best long distance fanciers, for many years. There you have it, John Puddephatt, ace pigeon fancier and one of the sport's gentlemen!

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT.