This is a joint report because there are 2 lofts where the Bowyers fly to in Northwich first being at Marston where 4 times South Lancs Combine winner in 1980 Ann Bowyer lives and down in Rudheath where Annes husband fly’s with his brother Joe as Bowyer Bros. Most of what is done is done jointly even though at 2 different addresses. One thing that Joe did point out about the cost of racing nowadays was that fanciers expect to race pigeons as yesteryears prices and pointed out that quite a number of years ago in Middlewich 2 bird it was £9 to send two pigeons. Now at that time one was only getting £5 a week wages so it meant it was costing two weeks wages to send two pigeons in this two bird club and it is still only £10 today and people are earning £80 -£90 per week so there is no comparison, its not gone up as it should have done. Joe still says that to the clubs we should be paying at least £1 per bird even for transporting across the channel and to this Joe said “I wouldn’t mind paying something like this price if the pigeons could go in comfort at around 15 per basket instead of 20 odd that is put in them now”. Also Joe thinks that the majority of fanciers still want to fly pigeons on a shoestring and you just cannot do it nowadays, there’s no kid about it. Joe first brought the pigeons to his present address in 1962 but before that had them just down the road in a field.
In Joe’s opinion Pigeon Racing hasn’t gone forward it has gone backwards, his opinions with regards to transportation is that we were far better sending our birds by rail but now it has gone ridiculous that the price of the return of a stray as three parts of the birds reported are not worth the cost of returning them. If Joe had his way the only bird that fanciers want returning should be stamped and if not then if the fancier who has the stray and has given a pigeon a far chance to go and it will not then he can report it stating it has no stamp on and he would like to keep it. The majority of people who report pigeons do so because they want the pigeon because it is probably a fair looking pigeon. A lot of pigeons are reared because rings are too cheep and some fanciers will put rings on anything that hatches out, Joe said he even known pigeon men to go and put them on ybs in the nest in garden sheds and factories.When I went to see about compiling a loft report on the Bowyers of Northwich it was at first to be a joint effort between the p/ship mentioned and Mrs Anne Bowyer who flies pigeons at Marston with her husband Richard who is one of the brothers from the/ship. But in doing that I thought perhaps a bit would get missed so I am giving most of the info in this article then a little more on Mrs Anne Bowyer in the next issue with if I can get hold of them the pictures of Mrs A’s four 1980 combine winners.
Anyway here goes with Bowyer Bros who were born into a family of pigeon fanciers the first real interest was about the age of eight but have flown pigeons as Bowyer Bros since 1927. At this time there first stock were obtained from several local fanciers, these pigeons lasted until the war broke out at which time they were disposed of. Of those early days Joe said they made as many mistakes as the next men and in the end learned the hard wayI shall get on a bit more to there present day team that consist of 16 pairs of racers (with the stock birds being at Marston) these rear on about 24 ybs for the p/ship who pair there birds up around the middle to end of February depending on the weather at the time. On how these birds are reared Joe said “I have raced both natural and widowhood so it is a lot to be said about both methods. The one disadvantage with widowhood is that on race days it is all over too quickly. If you have a team of cocks on the ball then its all over in about a few mins, where as with the natural system you could have pigeons coming all afternoon”.With Joe being a gentleman of leisure as he describes himself because of having to retire to ill health, he is thinking of going all widowhood in 1981 as this is the easier system of the two. The present day team are all Van Hees, the parents being purchased from Luella Lofts as late bred in 1975, pigeons that have been there weight in gold as they have bred hundreds of prize winners at Club Fed & Combine level all raced on the South Road. The Van Hees have proved there worth at all distances from the short to middle as well as from across the channel as they proved in1980. Van Hees themselves fly their birds up to something like 600 miles with success.Joe said about there best performances “I have had many outstanding birds over the years but one that stands out is the old dark one. This cock won right through the programme Worcester to Nantes he won 4 Weymouth races also 1st Middlewich 2 Rennes only time on the day 13hrs 8mins on the wing 2nd Middlewich 2 bird Rennes plus 5th Warrington 2 bird Nantes. When this bird won Middlewich 2 bird I got his most thrilling moment in the sport as he timed him in at ten to nine on a very bad day. If one is going to win the birds must be in super condition, every fancier had his own ideas and little tricks on how to make them fly faster.
One of Joes better pigeons of today had some what of an accident during the winter months when he got his tail stuck in the door as Joe was closing it and before the door could be opened again the bird flapped and went away without his tail. Whether it will affect him for this year we will have to wait and see as he will only be a two year old this year and has already had five club prizes which all brought Fed cardsJoe has raced and won from Angoulene, which is 539miles with his old birds and has flown yearlings through to Nantes 420miles with most of the ybs going to the coast, which is just over one-eighty miles. Even though Joe has raced his youngsters to the coast he still believes that if a yb has two or three races and it is stopped it makes a better O.B in later life. Joe is not one for over training any of his pigeons he just gives them what he considers is good training and said that there is thousands of fanciers who do not know how to train there Ybs instead of educating them they ruin them for the rest of there racing days. When they are racing it doesn’t matter if they are sitting eight ten or fourteen days even hatching out as long as the bird itself is in perfect condition, even an old bird will win if it is right.It is hoped to have the birds fairly tame but the p/ship have had some good pigeons that were extremely wild for there selection of producers the bird must look right handle right and bred right. If a bird has all these qualities they have no fear about it producing the goods. They have done a little in breeding but say one has to be careful and watch that you don’t go too far with it.For a pigeon to fly well the following year it must have a perfect moult, Joe doesn’t think it calls for any special feeding as long as the food is good and plenty of it also plenty of rest. They are not great believers in late breds but in 78 Joe bred one for the first time in a good many years. The way this came about was because his sire had won 2 races and been 2nd fed two weeks running and when he won his second race the late bred was in the nest, so Joe rang it thinking it might make a stock bird. Anyway this last year he decided to train him up with the result he won Lostock Minshall and topped the Wrekin Fed and was only a late bred which Joe thinks will only make a better bird on widowhood. They have bred late breds over the years but without the one mentioned have not had much success with them racing, but are defiantly not against them for stock.
The loft is 27 x 10 split into two compartments with a corridor running from front to rear, which is also used to catch the birds in. There are 19 nest boxes in one side with about 60 perches in the YB side where there is as with the old bird side plenty of room, more than any loft I have ever seen Joe believes that there is to catch the birds too much room this is why they are caught in the corridor but never the less he still likes the birds to have plenty of room. Set in the roof there are fine funnels set in the roof to allow air to flow freely through as Joe is not too good health wise where the birds are. Here’s one for everyone to think about on fly a ways the p/ship says “Years ago no body had more than 18 youngsters and at that it was then a big team and they use to fly maybe 12-14 of these to Weymouth. We haven't had more than one or two fly a ways since 1946 now you can look around and see the fanciers who loose there youngsters year after year it only because they have too many pigeons in the loft. Too many youngsters are being bred today it would be far better if fanciers cut to half the amount he does breed as fly a ways one may make when a fancier pack forty –fifty youngsters into a loft that is only big enough for about twenty. It only logical the youngsters will fly off and try to find a roost with a bit more comfort the same people every year have fly a ways it is very rare that the good fancier in troubled until fly a ways. “Another point in this, that when a pigeon gets to ten weeks old and goes through a change of eye and at one period he is very nearly blind and that’s when you get your fly a ways “. The first time that your pigeons start acting edgy which is usually about ten weeks old you will let them out one day and instead of coming down all together they will come down in twos and before they have all got down they all strike up again. Once they start doing that, they you say to yourself right I am not going to loose them once you do get them in leave them there for 2 weeks at least and give them as much corn as they want to eat it doest matter if they eat twice as much, let them get fat. Now in that period the eye sign will change and you will get a good clear eye and by the time you let them out they will have a job to get around the loft because they are that fat and it takes at least a week or a fortnight to get them going again. “Now you are safe enough because that danger period has passed, that is when your danger period is between 10 & 12 weeks old when that eye is changing they are nearly blind not frightened with cats or anything like that as people think, its because they cannot focus to get down to the loft they might get down but usually that’s when you get your fly a ways as they get into there head to go. You try this next year when your youngsters start acting even if they don’t at 10 weeks old when the eye is changing that is when it is not clear leave them in the loft, you will not get any fly a ways providing you do not over pack the loft On this method we have never had a fly a way for years.” “I cannot understand why fanciers take there birds to the short tosses of 1 – 2 miles and so on because they are what take up your time, get them up the road about 10 miles and save yourself that time,” One thing that Joe pointed out about the cost of racing our days that fanciers today expect to race pigeons on yesterday prices and pointed out that quite a number of years ago in Middlewich 2 bird was £9 to send 2 pigeons Now at that time one was only getting £5 a week wages, so it meant that it was costing 2 weeks wages to send 2 pigeons in this 2 bird club and it is only £10 today with earning around £100 per week so there is no comparison prices have not really gone up as they should have done. Joe still says that to the clubs we should now be paying at least a £1 per bird even for transporting across the channel and to this Joe said he wouldn't mind paying something like this price if his pigeons could go in comfort at around 15 per basket instead of 20 odd that is put in them now. Also Joe thinks that the majority of fanciers still want to fly pigeons on a shoe string and just can not do in nowadays, there is no kid about it. LJP. I wonder what Joe would think about the costs incurred today.
