Keith Mott

Writes about winning fanciers past and present

JOHN SALT

OF KIMBERLEY

I was so pleased to meet John for the first time on one of my visits to the Midlands as I had admired his fantastic performances from afar for a long time. When I called him a racing pigeon 'master', I wasn't using the term loosely, as his whole outlook and application with his fantastic pigeons is so professional.

John was born in Bulwell. It was his father, Fred and his brother, Tom, who gave him financial support on starting up in the sport, so since their deaths, the racing name has been kept as F. &T. Salt Brothers & Son. John has been in the sport for nearly 50 years now. His first club was the Bulwell North Road and for ten years between 1969 and 1979, he was top prize winner. In 1980, he moved into his present address in Kimberley and erected three lofts. John says his biggest thrill so far in pigeons was in 1975 when he recorded 1st open Berwick (Young Bird) North Road Championship Club and his most disappointing experience was twelve years later, in 1987. Having won two federation championship races that season, from Fraserburgh and Perth, he sent a team of five red cocks (which had previously won 30 x 1st prizes between them and had also won Thurso), to the last Old Bird Championship race from Thurso and they were never seen again, on an average racing day!

This fantastic loft has won, since 1975, a total of 13 gold medals (12 of them since 1987) and many federation championship races, 1st open Berwick NRCC; 2nd and 6th open Perth NRCC; 14th, 14th and 31st open Lerwick NRCC; 1st open Great North Road Combine Berwick (Young Bird). Through the years the Salt loft has won the federation countless times including 1994: 10 x lsts, 1st federation. 1995: 5 x 1sts, 1st federation. 1997: 9 x 1sts, 1st federation. 1999: 8 x lsts, 1st federation and many premier positions in the mighty North Road Championship Club. In the 1999 season the champion blue cock, 'Kasino', won his second gold medal, topping the federation twice. I really can't cope with all John's federation positions won in recent seasons; there are far too many to list. A fantastic loft performance!

The origins of John's race team are Jan Nauwelaerts and Soontjens with a little of Marc Roosen and Stoces blood. He says the old sprint family of Nauwelaerts have won through to Lerwick but the Soontjens as yet have only won through to Thurso. He races only 18 widowhood cocks which are paired up at the same time as the stock birds on February 4th, and likes the widowhood system because very little training is required with the racing cocks just going on the basic method. The birds are allowed to breed a pair of youngsters and are parted after sitting 10 days on their second round of eggs. He feeds his birds Bosmolen PLX and Diet 1000.

The cocks race through to Thurso, 400 miles, each year and occasionally Lerwick 500 miles. Cocks are shown their hens on marking nights and are given their females for about three hours on their return home on the Saturday afternoon . The race cocks are broken down at the beginning of the week and don't fly out on a Friday. The old birds and yearlings are given training flights of no more than 20 Miles when feeding young birds in the nest and sitting the second round of eggs. After the hens are removed the cocks are trained on widowhood about five times from 16 miles if the weather is OK before the first race.

One of the star birds in the Salt loft in recent seasons was the Soontjens blue cock, ‘Fair Cop', which, in 1995, won 1st federation three times, 2nd federation three times and 9th federation. All these prizes were won in races of about 150 miles with approximately 2,000 birds competing. In 1994, 'Fair Cop' won 1st federation, 2nd federation, 3rd federation. When he won three times 2nd federation in 1995, he was beaten twice by loftmates and the third time by only six seconds. A fantastic pigeon!

John races 12 yearling cocks in a separate loft. In their first year on the widowhood system they are tested and if they are one hour behind the first bird three times, they have to go. He is quite happy if he puts just one yearling in the old bird loft at the end of the season and can't put 12 yearlings in the old bird section because he hasn't got the room, so they have to sort themselves out. His 22ft young bird loft has two sections with super traps, and his shed houses a maximum of 60 youngsters. The loft has grilled floors and John splits the sexes, running them together on the Friday afternoon before they go to the race. Youngsters are given a 20-mile training toss to start them off, then they go to 40 miles and after the first race they get no more training. John Salt has a wonderful 24ft x 10ft stock loft, which has bags of room for its very contented inmates. Father of the loft is the blue chequer 'J. L.', this champion old cock being an original Nauwelaerts, responsible for over 13 gold medal winners, a once-in-a lifetime pigeon. The stock loft houses a lot of the retired champion racers. Another great old timer was the Nauwelaerts blue cock 'Old Tom', this champion racer having won 17 times 1st prize, nine being won in his last season racing. When selecting breeders, John must have conformation, good eye, personality and above all, good breeding.

The main widowhood racing loft in the Salt set-up is 18ft long, with three sections and open-door trapping. John never has all the nest boxes in the loft full, with about six cocks in each section. I must say his pigeons looked in brilliant condition on my visit. The name John Salt is very big in the Midlands fancy, and I'm very happy to have had the chance to visit his great loft.