After 25yrs of compiling loft reports and articles on various subjects I feel that we have now come to a stage when we can present an article well worth reading. To achieve that goal you need the input of the person that you are writing about and that is what has happened with this report. I always like to think to myself "Yes there is something in this for everyone" that does not happen in every report but on this occasion this report covers more than any other. We have had many good reports and the Matt Rakes one was near to what we were looking for and now we are there. The other additional features are that we are now sectioning the report so that you can read about certain aspects of the sport and make a judgment.

INTRODUCTION

Please introduce yourself and tell us how you got started in the sport.

Born the son of a pigeon lover, I am the third generation of the Knowles family to keep and race pigeons. My first recollection of an interest in the sport goes back to being a toddler and going into the loft of my father. The attraction was a youngster, which was being reared on the floor in a nest in the corner. I can't remember any more detail than the youngster being red pied in colour and myself being about 3 to 4 years of age. That very brief memory still lives with me over 40 years on and I am still a lover of the colour red pied. I was granted the pleasure of keeping my own pigeons from about the age of 5 and other than a couple of short periods in my school life, I have kept and raced them ever since. I began to race them from being 11 years old and can clearly remember the ring number of my first ever prizewinner NU66P91392. This pigeon was a black Vandevelde which flew extremely consistently for me from all race points to Nantes and provided my first ever joy from Channel flying. I was an active club member from those early years and still value today the lessons that I learned from some of the fanciers of the old school, most of whom are no longer with us but whom I will always remember from my childhood days flying from Winsford in Cheshire.

With your pigeon work do you have a silent partner i.e. wife, partner or friend, if so what part do they play.

There is a simple answer to your question (NO), in so much that I do everything myself. My wife Karen makes a great contribution however, by being so tolerant where my hobby is concerned. She is most understanding when I put the pigeons before other things where she perhaps does not agree. I also have a good friend who is always willing to help me when I have to be away from home. He looks after my birds and NEVER deviates from what we agree in advance (Cheers Archie!).

Do you consider there to be any advantage having a racing partnership.

The simple answer is yes! Many hands make light work and two pairs of eyes are better than one! I have raced in a very successful partnership, where my partner was there almost by name only but was a good partner and results were good. I have managed to carry on the success but as I grow older and the game gets harder, I would appreciate the benefits, which would come with the right partner. My advice to anyone would be, before going into partnership. Think every aspect through and consider them carefully. Then find the right person/persons and make it work. Many top outfits today have at least three working partners, allowing them to compete at top level and specialise with both old and young birds.

Are there any points that you disagree on and if so how do you compromise a situation where there is a different viewpoint?

I think it is important to decide in advance who has the casting vote, perhaps rotate the responsibility but above all talk things through before and after any decision/race.

Do each of you have an area within the partnership where responsibilities take control regarding a decision?

The answer to this question is contained in and is the essence of the one above. Clear lines of responsibility are the key. Sharing decision-aking will cause both/all partners to learn both about the pigeons and the sport and themselves.

Give the readers the most memorable results that you have achieved flying as a partnership and flying on your own.

I no longer fly in the partnership for which I became recognised in the Nineties when flying with David Hulme as Hulme and Knowles. I have flown in my own name since restarting from scratch at my home address in the Stockport area, for the past 5 seasons. I will list some of the highlights from my partnership days and also recent results flying solo. It has been important to me to demonstrate that I was able to leave such a successful partnership, restart from scratch with totally different pigeons and achieve the kind of results that we all seek as fanciers of the new millennium. Before I list the results from my partnership years, I would like to take this opportunity to point out that it was myself, who did all the planning and day-to-day management of the "Highview" Busschaert's in the Nineties. With the exception of some daily loft housekeeping up at the race loft in Gee Cross, which was done by my old friend Archie Hall, it was I who tended to the stock birds, which were housed at my home and I who attended to the race team morning and night. The reason that I make this point is simple; it clarifies why I have no problem in referring to those results as my achievements. I did the planning and also the hard work.

I suppose the results, which come most readily to mind are those achieved in National races. I have been fortunate enough to win 1 st Section with both the NFC and MNFC, winning 1 st Section on three occasions, 2nd Section twice 5 th Section twice plus many other positions such as 19 th Open MNFC, 30 th Open MNFC and 50 th Open NFC (Pau). The Open positions attached to the above Section slots are 3 rd Open NFC, 20 th Open NFC, 212 th Open NFC, 12 th Open MNFC and 15 th Open MNFC. The race points involved were NFC Saintes 1 st Section L 3 rd Open 535 miles. NFC Bordeaux 1 st Section 212th Open 598 miles (early next day). NFC Pau 2 nd , 12 th , 15 th & 24 th Section, 50th Open etc. 700 miles. NFC Sartilly YB 2 nd Section 20 th Open 325 Miles. MNFC Saintes 1 st section 12 th Open (14Hrs 35 Mins. on wing, 4 birds on day in Section). MNFC Nantes 5th Section 15 th Open 428 miles. The Golden year of those performances of the Nineties was 1994 when I was lucky enough to have raced "The Ace Pigeon" of the MNFC, my good red chequer "Highview Northern Pride" and the same year winning the Averages for the NW Section of the MNFC. The results, which brought these, were 330 th Open St Malo, 15 th Open Nantes, 12 th Open Saintes and 30 th Open Picauville YB. In addition to the National flying, I will always fondly reflect on the last ever race flown under the banner of "The Great Northern" which was flown from Angouleme 545 miles in a NE wind on a hot summers day. I timed three pigeons on the day to take 1 st Open 3 rd Open and 7 th Open plus a pot of pools and a colour TV. The next morning starting at 05.34 a.m. I timed another 5 pigeons, which took 16 th , 19 th and 20 th Open. My winner also won 1 st Stockport Federation and 1 st Manchester Flying Club and my second pigeon "Highview Solitaire" which was 3 rd Open Great Northern, also won 1 st Hyde Homing society. In summary I won 4 first prizes, an Open Race, a Federation and two different clubs at 545 miles on the day and clocked two different pigeons to win 1 st prizes at 545 miles on the day in a head wind, on the same day. That is why I will always remember this race so well, after all, many fanciers have never had the pleasure of clocking 500 mile plus day birds into a head wind, let alone clocking first prize winners into the bargain. As you can see from the results above, my "Highview" days were focused on the highest level of competition and at the most challenging distances. It was a great environment in which to fly pigeons and the family of birds flown were good honest pigeons.

Over the last few seasons, since restarting, I have focused on 2 bird events and North West Classic races. The reason for this has been simply to test my new family against the best fanciers/pigeons in the Northwest. In doing so, whilst only having a small team, to give myself a chance to compete on a reasonably level playing field. My idea of a good race is not a tail wind from 120 miles competing against fanciers who are sending between 30 to 60 pigeons. The results, which come readily to mind, are the North West Classic YB Open from the year 2000. From my 9 entries, I finished 1st, 2nd, 7th, 10th, 14th and 15 th Section and Open, winning around £800 plus a TV. My winner that day, a blue pied cock that I named "Classic Millennium" went on about 8 days later to win 1 st Open Northern Counties 2 Bird Specialist club with my second pigeon finishing 4 th Open. Interestingly the nest mate to the above cock, which is another blue pied, has this year 2003, won 1 st Open Champion of Cheshire from Falaise in the 2 Bird event run by Middlewich 2 Bird Club and 2 weeks later he won 4 th Section L 423rd Open NFC Nantes. His winnings for the 2 races are over £1,700, which takes the career winnings for this cock to well over £2,000 and the nest pair to well over £3,000. The Nantes race, which is my first NFC Nantes race since restarting, was very enjoyable, as I was fortunate enough to time all 3 of my entries to finish 4 th , 29 th and 49 th Section L all in the clock within 29 minutes.

Last year was a positive sign of a bright year to follow, when my small team of 9 Channel cocks won the Champion Loft of Sect A North West Classic and were runner up in the Open. They also won the Averages for all channel races in the Northern Counties 2 bird Specialist Club. If I were to pick out a result as the most memorable/enjoyable from all those above, I would select the winning of Section L in the NFC from Bordeaux 598 miles with "Highview Solitaire" who I rated as the best ever "Highview" Busschaert. This year's Champion of Cheshire win from Falaise was also memorable, when my good pied cock won flying into a head wind, when flying 17 miles further than the 2 nd Open winner and around 10 to 15 miles further than the following top 15 positioned pigeons, the furthest flyer of these flew 4 miles less than the pied cock. This season also produced a set of achievements, which I will value highly. I have won the following in the North West Classic Club; Old Bird Average Winner, Grand Combined Average Winner, Ring Nomination winner and Winner of the Pigeon with best coefficient from all three old bird races. This pigeon by the way, a 3 year old red cock, has completed the three old bird races Falaise, Nantes and Niort with a better average velocity than any Loft average in the club, Section or Open. My performances earned me the title Champion Loft in Section A in 2002 and I was Runner Up in the Club as a whole. Once again for the second year in succession, 2003 has produced the result of Champion Loft in Section A and Runner up to the winner of Champion Loft Section B as overall winner in the Open. As I have already said, I value these results very highly as when I look at the performance of my pigeons over the last two seasons on a consistency basis, they must rank as No 1 in the NWCC programmes.

Is there anything that you have not won in the sport that you would like to achieve?

Like most fanciers, I would like to win a National. I had the chance in 1993 when finishing 3 rd Open from Saintes 535 miles, when the winner was flying 194 miles less and the 2 nd Open 122 miles less. I say I had my chance as I made a mistake in having my YB's out before I thought the Saintes pigeons were due. I had listened to times around Southampton area and concluded that the Section L pigeons would be due around 19.00 Hrs but at 18.15 hrs noticed my National pigeon trying to pull out of the YB kit. The rest is history and I will have to keep trying. As times are moving on, I guess that I would have to upgrade my previous goal and say the ultimate would be to win 1 st International and I sincerely hope that International racing becomes a part of the sport in the UK.

What organisations do you race with?

I race with my local club, which is part of the Staffordshire Moorlands and District Federation, The National Flying Club and The North West Classic Club. I am also a member of the Midlands National Flying Club and the Northern Counties 2 Bird. The latter two, I have not flown with in 2003, as I am not in agreement with their policies at present. I am not a lover of local club racing although I do recognise the part it has to play in the sport overall and I support it when I can, using it to prepare my pigeons for chosen specialist events.

Do you hold any official position and if so do you take an active part, if no what are your reasons.

This season, I acted as the race result secretary for Old Bird races in my local club, just to help out. I hold the post of Chairman with the North West Classic Club, a post of which I am proud and that I have held for the last few seasons. I put a lot of effort into my NWCC role and I would like to think that the club is a progressive organisation, trying very hard to bring a high standard of competition into the North West of England. One where ALL fanciers are welcome to compete and NONE are excluded by contrived boundaries, an organisation where the best can compete against the best on a level playing field. I think that this is a rare set of criterion in this day and age, and one, which because of Geography can't be achieved at National level and I feel, that this level of Regional Specialist Racing plus International Racing, is the future of our sport.

What are your lofts made of and how big are they.

My Old bird race loft is 36 ft long and 9 ft wide with a 3-ft corridor running full length. It is split into 6-ft sections, with 4 sections for racers, 1 for hens and 1 for 4 pairs of stock. It is constructed of shiplap board with a steep angled roof, which is doubled skinned with board/felt, and overlaid with corrugated metal sheet. Running the full length of the front, the top 30 inches is Perspex, which angle sunlight onto the floors through false ceilings, which are meshed. The front was made higher to create this effect. My YB loft 12ft Long and 6ft wide and has a 4ft 6ins wide aviary running the full length of the front. The youngsters trap via a trap built into the front of the aviary. The loft is built of ply and has a felted pent roof covered with bitchumen-corrugated sheeting. I have two stock lofts with small aviaries, one 10ft x 6ft and one 8ft x 6ft which can house 20 pairs between them, they are wooden and the roofs are covered like the YB loft.

Do you attach any importance to having a tiled roof on a loft, if so are there any benefits.

I have visited many lofts and handled many champions and cannot honestly say that the best are to be found at any specific type of loft. I find tiled roofs an attractive design and they definitely play a part in ventilation but I know from experience that a well thought out loft with a pent roof can and does produce top performances just as much as tiled roofs. In conclusion therefore, I would say if you can afford a loft with tiled roof, go for it but if not don't worry because you can win just the same from other designs.

Do you use any form of heating system in any of your lofts. Do you think it would be advantages for the birds?

I have never used heating but I am sure that if it were used in conjunction with a climate-control system to ensure constant temperature and humidity, the pigeons would benefit significantly. It is not practical for me, so I haven't gone down that road. This is perhaps why I have always favoured the longer races, which occur in June and July, when our climate is more stable and suitable to conditioning pigeons. This also applies to the time of young bird races. For anyone interested in such advancements in climatically controlled lofts, there are good articles on the subject by Steven Van Breemen.

Do you have any grills fitted in the floor or in the boxes, are there any advantages to using them.

I have grills in my YB loft, which also has a large aviary, which I also use in winter to house my hens. I also have one section of my stock loft and widow hens, with grilled floors. The only reason I do this is to save time, which is limited due to my work life.

What families of pigeons do you keep?

My family is my own now but is made up from the following strains; Wildermeersch and Verheye from my old friend and ace fancier George Gregory of Stoke, Verheye/Geerts from Tom Shaw of Stoke, Old Grizzle family (English) from the late Colin Brough with a touch of Janssen and Marcellis also added for speed. I have recently introduced some new blood from Belgium, all being based around Barcelona pigeons but I will not introduce these into my own family until I am happy with their performances from the Channel.

Easterly or Westerly do you set any stall by the position and if so why.

If you race South Road, I think it is fair to say that the majority of winds are prevailing Westerly of one kind or another. Therefore, it has to be an advantage to be in an Easterly position for the organisation with which you compete. The other factor, which comes into play, is that of drag i.e. the line taken by the majority of the convoy. The debate of whether wind or drag affects the race results the most, will always be debatable and depending on the distance being raced and the conditions on the day, both play a part. Nothing is surer than when the drag is in the East and wind is in the West, the winners will be on the West Side. Anyone who doubts this theory needs only to read the results of the MNFC in recent seasons. I will say no more!

BREEDING AND RACE PREPARATION/PLANNING

How do you go about bringing in a new family and what do you look for.

Always based on performance at a chosen distance and level of competition. The birds I select have to conform to my requirement of type and be genetically sound from a breeding aspect. The main criterion is consistency followed by character. By this I mean pigeons that can succeed in hard long races time after time and a family which does it generation after generation.

When you bring in that new family do you think that they need time to acclimatise, if so how long.

I would expect to see positive results right from the start, as the climatic difference is small. It is all down to the quality of the pigeons and my ability or lack of it.

When looking for new pigeons do you look for a particular family, one for specialist races or club races or just by name.

The designer strain name does not come into it. I am looking for performance bred from performance at top levels of competition, where I know pigeons succeed on their own ability and where consistency is as close as you get to a guarantee in this game. There are many fanciers who have made a name for himself or herself, through a single pigeon, but don't have a family. To me the true sign of the right source to go to is the fancier who times in a team performance at the highest level and on a consistent basis.

Which of the two sexes do you consider is the most important when it comes to breeding?

It takes two to make the pair but Genetics as a science has taught us various values about inheritance. I am a believer in protecting the value of the X chromosome when breeding from winning pigeons. By this I mean that from a winning hen, where the hen only carries one X-chromosome, the sons are highest value, carrying one X-chromosome from both mother and father. From a winning cock however, I prefer the daughter who only has the one X chromosome, which she has inherited from her winning father. Genetics can become a very complicated subject but this is the base factor, which I follow.

Some fanciers like big hens for breeding does the size of the hen make any difference to the quality of youngsters that she breeds in your past experience.

So long as the size of the hen is a genetic trait and not the result of a badly reared youngster, then I am not bothered at all. When selecting pigeons for myself I like the hens to be medium sized, well-balanced with good feather and they must have every attribute in proportion to their size.

When it comes to breeding do you line-breed or use a first cross or just pair winners to winners.

I have done and will always do all of those things and more besides. I like my family of pigeons to be related in some way to each other and this is usually the case with most of my racers being related in some way via one or two key stock birds. I blend various strains together where the birds being paired have performance as a significant part of their breeding. I view my loft as a gene pool and I am seeking the ultimate result. My goal is to breed pigeons that can perform on a consistent basis at the highest level. This requires honesty to yourself and a need to eliminate the average and mediocre. Do you think that fanciers change for the sake of changing or do you think a loft can breed a winning team out and lose track of the winners.

I think many fanciers blame pigeons when they themselves are at fault. I know that many fanciers do not understand the first thing about genetics and breeding principles, so it is likely that many will not know how to retain key factors over several generations of breeding. It is amazing that fanciers buy from a quality source time and again and fail time and again and never hold themselves to blame. It is easy to kid yourself in short races when only a couple of minutes behind, that next week will be different but at the distance and at the highest level, if you don't get it right you will b hours behind and perhaps even not clock in. When this happens often enough it is time to consult the ultimate oracle "The Mirror".

What method do you use to select your breeders

First and foremost my breeders are selected on their parentage and ancestry. When bringing in or putting a pigeon to stock, it must be directly related to a performance pigeon, which has a track record of consistency, or be a performance pigeon itself, which, also is related to similar pigeons in previous generations. Once I am happy with the genetic aspect, I select on type and shape where I follow the basic principles of aerodynamics. On this subject there is much material available to explain how certain shapes move through air more efficiently than other shapes. This is a science, not a theory like many beliefs in pigeons like eye sign. The ultimate for me therefore, is a pigeon with the right breeding which meets my requirements on shape, physique and feather.

Did you find your best breeding pigeon by luck or judgment?

My best breeder at present is a 1994 hen, which was a gift from my very good friend George Gregory, whom I regard as one of the best fanciers that I have ever met. He was a master breeder in my opinion and everything that I wish for in a stock pigeon was present. The greatest asset of this hen who is now approaching the twilight of her breeding days, is that she produces pigeons, which win and in turn breed winners! I have five daughters at stock, all of which have bred winners, some of which in turn have bred winners also. This line of hens links my loft of pigeons together and is the foundation on which I have built my current family of pigeons.

What materials do you use for nesting

I have tried most things over the years and currently I use nest liners with either straw or tobacco stalks. By choice I would use tobacco stalks but do sometimes use straw for racers when mated and to motivate young birds.

When do you pair your pigeons and why then.

I pair my stock birds to meet my YB plans, which is usually around the second week of January. This provides me with a YB team, which is the age I want by the time the clocks go forward at the end of March. My widow cocks are paired to meet my race plans, which can vary. Yearling cocks may be paired and allowed to sit or even rear a youngster but old experienced cocks never rear youngsters and are sometimes not even paired until they have been to their first race, depending on the races that I am targeting for them. When I do pair them, it is to sit for 8 days and then widowed, followed by 3 to 4 weeks exercise before training of about 5 or 6 tosses at 30 to 40 miles. They then usually go to the third or 4 th race of the club programme at 130 to 160 miles early May. This would normally mean pairing them around the end of Feb. if I was going to let them sit eggs. I did this in 2003 and was very happy with the results, right through to 500 miles. When I have raced at extreme distances, the first time the cock sees his hen is on return from his first race in early May. I only ever do this with pigeons where I am using the same hen as the year previous.
How many stock birds do you keep and do you breed off your race team also how many pigeons do you think that you need to breed off any individual stock pair each year to see if they are quality producers.

I keep about twenty pairs in my stock loft, some of which I use as feeders. I breed around a nucleus of about 12 to 15 pairs in a season and I always have spare stock birds which allows me to make experimental pairings as the season progresses. I breed a pair from each of my stock for racing and two pairs from proven producers, by floating their first round under the feeders. I also float eggs from my best race cocks once they have proven themselves beyond the age of 2 years.

Please explain the method used from pairing up until the first race.
This can vary dependant on which team of pigeons you refer to. With my older more experienced widow cocks, they are paired and only allowed to sit to five days and then widowed. In past seasons, if planning to race from Pau, they are not paired until their return from the first race in May. When doing this they have the hen from the year previous on return and are left together overnight when the hen is then removed. From this point they are on widowhood. This season because I only planned to fly to five hundred miles, I used the former method. Once widowed the cocks are on a fitness campaign until I deem that they are fit and the weather is fit to trail, when they will have three to five tosses at forty miles, before going to their first race of between 130 and 160 miles. My less experienced widowers, I will allow rearing a round of youngsters and treating them as traditional widowers, but will not race them past 350 miles. I like to have a few yearlings in with my Channel cocks to keep them on their toes and these yearlings are subjected to the method for the Channel cocks but are only raced lightly to the coast. Their serious work begins as two year olds!

Do you move the hens with the young birds?

No I don't do this as my top racers never rear youngsters and I do not need to do it with the

apprentice widowers.

What is the farthest distance that you would train your old birds or young birds?

I train my OB to 30 miles and my YB to 40 miles. This is based on what is available to me. If I had the facility I would train my distance pigeons to 200 miles old or young. When it comes to fitness for longer races I believe in a combination of time on the wing and rest. With short races old and young I believe you need discipline and controlled training.

Do you breed off the top widowhood cocks after the racing has finished, do you breed late bred youngsters and what do you think of those later bred youngsters.

I never breed off the cocks after racing; the order of the day is rest! I do, however, breed late breds but only for stock purposes. From these I select only the very best specimens and usually keep them until they are 2ys before breeding from them. They have been bred from special pairings and are worth the effort. I never have such late breds flying out as they are destined for the stock loft and are only ever bred from the top stock pigeons. I do know fanciers who have bred excellent stock from racers at the end of the season and there is no logical reason that they shouldn't do so. My methods have served me well and therefore I shan't change them.

For every 50 pigeons that you breed realistically how many of them would win at 500mls, based on your past records.

I consider myself lucky to have clocked first prizewinners at club, Fed. Open and National level and have won as many as four firsts on the same day from 545 miles into a North East wind. Having experienced such highs in 500-mile races, I know what calibre of pigeon it takes. My view is that if you were to breed 100 youngsters each year, during their racing lives you may have 5 to win a real first at 500 miles. My view on real 500 milers is a pigeon, which can do it consistently over a number of 3 to 5 attempts. The top pigeons will not win every time, that is impossible due to variable factors like wind etc. but they will be consistent and achieve a position within a percentile of say the top 5% to 10% in the race. I know that not every loft can afford to send top pigeons back to these distances again and want to put them to stock but if you wish to find the ultimate Champion you must be prepared to make the sacrifice. I am sure that ALL our readers have heard members say, "That pigeon of mine will fly 500 mile". The facts are simple, only about 10% of entries on a hard day, achieve a satisfactory result and if those pigeons are sent back the next year and so on, probably about 2% are good enough to do it 3 times or more. The biggest problem for most fanciers seems to be a fear of sending their best pigeons to 500 mile plus races. If you want to reach the top, in the hardest races of them all, you need "To dream big dreams and dare to make them happen"

RACING

How do you race your pigeons and how many.

I race my old birds on a widowhood system that I have developed over the years for competing in races of over 300 miles. My team is split into categories of mature/experienced and those requiring maturity/experience. It is only the mature/experienced pigeons that I use when competing in what I consider competition, which is of true value. Currently for the season 2003, I have 9 cocks in this category of 3 years old or older. I also have another 12 younger cocks at various stages of development. No doubt some of these will not make the grade but hopefully a percentage will emerge to top up what I consider to be my First Team. I am not a lover of sending large teams to races and my ideal at the distance is to prepare 2 to 5 birds for a chosen race. This year's YB team consisted of 50 youngsters all managed on my own particular darkness system, which has appeared in various articles and which I have developed and refined to match my working hours. My youngsters will flew through to Picauville, which was 281 mile with the NWCC.

Do you compete in the National events, if not why not? Or are you happy to race in the club.

My interest is in Specialist competition, as you can see from my earlier comments and the results that I have gained over my time in the sport. The reason that I have evolved this way, is because my quest is to own and breed a higher calibre of pigeon and I know that club racing will not support that dream. One of my favourite sayings, which sums up my approach to the sport is to "Dream big dreams and dare to make them happen"! As we are talking about the choice of level at which I compete, I would like to make a point about club racing. Let me start by saying that I recognise club racing as the backbone of the sport and acknowledge it's rightful place as such. However, it should be pointed out that many clubs today are very small in membership and have only penny numbers competing for four to six prizes per week, on average. This in turn leads to hundreds of winners every week, which although they have beat the opposition, they have flown against nothing to make the prize worthwhile. These pigeons in turn make some fanciers famous; their young are sold on as sons and daughters of such a pigeon, winner of twenty plus firsts. In a sport where the governing body exercises no regulatory control over adverts and auctions etc. there is no wonder the sport is in so called "decline". We need as sport to standardise on factors like, how many members have to compete before "Recognised First" can be claimed and how many birds minimum must have competed. This way everyone would know what they are buying and the quality of British pigeons would improve very quickly. When you think about the above closely, Specialist clubs provide the kind of standards that the sport needs, the only problem being that membership is voluntary and fanciers who are looking to make easy money by winning cheap firsts will always find a little club for which they live in a good position to carry on what we all know to be the biggest charade in the game. Lets hope that sooner rather than later the RPRA get to grips with such happenings and bring some dignity back into the sport, which has appeared in various articles and which I have developed and refined to match my working hours. My youngsters will flew through to Picauville, which was 281 mile with the NWCC.

Do you ever think of competing for averages, if not why not?

I see averages, as only one of a number of indicators of success used in the sport in GB. I have competed in averages and been fortunate enough to win averages at all levels including Section averages at National level. However, I no longer value them as the only measure of performance. I much prefer the continental system of Championships, calculated using coefficients and where a fancier has to select the birds, which represent him if he wishes to be crowned Champion.

Do you race your pigeons every week or do you prefer to condition them for a specific race.

Many years ago I used to race every week and have sent a pigeon to as many as nineteen races in one season, including Rennes, Nantes and Pau. It was a hard and perhaps the only way to learn, the easiest way to ruin a good pigeon. I have not done anything similar for many seasons now and nearly always enjoyed success. This season my Old birds flew in 3 club races and 6 specialist races. All birds had the 3 club races and then 2 or 3 specialist events. Each pigeon is prepared for the races that are planned in advance. I only race my YBs in 4 or 5 races through to the channel and always with sufficient rest in between the races.

In your view do you think that a loft needs different pigeons for different distances?

I don't think that a loft needs a different family of birds necessarily but to be successful (to specialise), the system on which the pigeons are flown needs to suit the purpose. The feeding and exercise needs are so widely apart, that it is impractical to try to fly the same birds at short and long distances, when you compete at the highest level.

Is there any specific condition that your pigeons perform best at, or any particular time of the year?

The conditions that I prefer are as follows; Old Cocks - Widowhood, not having reared youngsters (preferably not paired until racing) Old Hens - Celibate, kept in large Nest Boxes when not exercising. Young cocks - Separated and driving. Young Hens - Showing to a cock. Because of the races that I target and the system I fly to, my pigeons are coming to their best at the end of May through to mid July and my Ybs at the end of Aug to the first week in Sept.

When do you allow your racers to take a bath?

I like my racers Old or young to bath on the day of basket if possible. If basketing is early morning then they bath the day before. When I am working on day of basket and basketing is in the evening, I bath them at 06.00 a.m. and if they don't go into the bath, they are hosed with a fine spray nozzle. Either way, they are then left to relax for the remainder of the day and they do not exercise.

Do you use any floor dressing or do you clean the pigeons out daily.

I clean out twice a day during racing and once a day in winter. Where lofts have a grilled floor (YB loft), this only applies to perches. In my stock loft I use a wood chip dressing that is used for horseboxes. Cleaning out on a regular basis is essential to me with my race birds, as I use their droppings to assess their internal health.

Do you like to have plenty of room for the pigeons?

Quite simply yes. My widower sections are 6 foot by 6 foot with a 3-foot corridor in front and they house 8 cocks. Using a guideline of 1 cubic yard per pigeon (27 cu ft.) then 8 cocks require 216 cu ft. The sections that I use including corridor provide 324 cu ft. All my sections/lofts are to a similar principle.

How do you feed the cocks and what do you feed them on, a branded mix or do you buy separate corns and mix your own.

Over the years, I have tried all conceivable ways of feeding my widowers, feeding in troughs all together, feeding in hoppers and feeding individually in their boxes. The preferred method and one that I use today is to feed individually in the box. The reason that I favour this method is because it allows me to feed each pigeon as an individual. With a small team as I have, where each bird has a set and pre-planned programme, it is a great advantage to be able to do this. The grain that I use is purchased from my local corn store and I basically use two mixtures, one, which is biased towards its protein content, and one which is a typical continental widowhood mix. The one I use contains extruded pellets to supplement certain values, which a grain only mix cannot provide. I only use the widowhood mix, which is high in Carbohydrates, on the days prior to basketing. During this period I also introduce some seeds, which add to the fat content of the diet. I also use a liquid carbohydrate in the water prior to and after basketing. The above is my racing only feeding and moult and winter are very different, where I use protein and depurative mixes/barley depending on the stage of moult.

Do you measure the amount that you give to each pigeon, or are they fed according to the individual pigeon.

I only measure for winter and Young Birds plus the period prior to getting the racers ready to start their season's work. Once serious exercise begins my race cocks are not subjected to rations and do not get any depurative as a part of the diet. You get to know the needs of each individual pigeon and I feed to achieve a situation where the pigeon eats all the mix and just not certain grains. Sometimes to achieve this, I have to feed some birds small amounts and go back 2 or 3 times. I never leave corn in the pots over night; I exercise early morning and feed after exercise. When I lock up and go to work the cocks have corn in front of them and there are usually a few grains left when I get home, 10 to 12 Hrs. later.

Do you attach any importance to grits and minerals or can the pigeons get what they want they are out of the loft.

Grit is essential for digestion and is always available in a clean fresh form for the pigeons. Minerals, vitamins and trace elements I give via a product called Supaform, which I buy, from my local Corn Store. As my pigeons are not allowed to forage on the garden I give all essential factors to health via their food and drink. One area that I feel is lacking in the pigeon sport, is the level of knowledge held by fanciers, regarding the benefits and problems associated with administering various products or medicines. This naïve attitude lays the fancier open to exploitation by the commercial side of our sport and is a disadvantage when it comes to preparing pigeons to race against what I would consider to be top fanciers. As the saying goes "Always do what you have always done and you will always win what you have always won"! In the age of technology and scientific information to stand still is to fall behind.

Is there a way that your pigeons let you know when they are in form?

I do not believe that this is as easy as some fanciers make it sound. The only true way that I can be sure is when I see them arrive from a training race. Their position to my loft, their velocity in relation to the race winners and their behaviour on arrival home are the factors that I watch for. Having cocks clapping and smacking around the loft is not sufficient, nor is how they fly. I say this as some of the best distance winners that I have raced, have been quiet pigeons which did neither, but they move up the order of arrivals to the loft, as their form increased. By the way I am talking about distance races when I state the above answer.

Do you have any secrets about what you do with your pigeons and how you get them right?

There are no secrets in pigeon racing. I am sure that someone before me has done everything that I do. Perhaps my dedication and commitment to success is higher that some other fanciers, I am not sure. What I know is that I work hard with the birds, I have a system, which is proven, I have a plan and I stick to it. The results usually follow. I think it worth a mention that the sport is full of fanciers who say, "It's only a hobby" when they can't achieve the results that they would like. The truth is that they don't race pigeons to finish behind the others and failure isn't a planned part of their equation. What is amazing is that instead of analysing the reasons and making changes to improve results, they just carry on the same or give up for a while, after all "it's only a hobby".

Do the pigeons need any special treatment on their return from the race to help them relax? Is any such treatment needed for the short or long distance races or the hard races compared to the easy races?

Yes, I think they do. Some fanciers hand-bathe them. I don't do this but what I do is try to get the loft quietened down as quickly as possible so that re-hydration and recovery can take place with the birds at rest. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't do all the things that are required on return with hens etc but what I do mean is that the sooner the loft is tranquil and quiet, the better. I like to keep out as much as possible to allow the pigeons the enjoyment of being at home and resting. If you get this right, you will see the benefits in your pigeons the next day.

How many weeks do you think a pigeon can maintain its form on the widowhood system for both cocks and hens?

As with many questions in the pigeon sport, the answer lies in the interpretation of the question. If the question implies that the pigeon races every week in races of less than 200 miles and less than 4.5 Hrs racing time, then the answer is probably about 5 to 6 weeks. If however, the pigeon is racing at 300 to 400 miles every 2 to 3 weeks, then it is a different answer based on the flying times involved and factors affecting the individual pigeon. As a rule of thumb I expect my racers to fly 2 or 3 good races from 300 to 500 miles. I have had pigeons this season race at 300, 400 and 500 miles, in the clock in all races and in the top 1% of the result on 2 out of 3 races, spread between end of May to early/mid July.

Does this include channel races or are the specified number of weeks for sprint races and do you think that a pigeon can be prepared at fortnightly intervals for the channel races.

I have answered this question already in part but would like to add that, when you talk about the Channel, the significant factors are; Flying Time, Recovery rate of the pigeon and it's suitability for the next race in terms of the distance, potential flying time and the physical state of the particular bird, moult etc. Recognition of these factors is the sign of a top class fancier in my opinion.

If your race team went off form during the season what action would you take to restore their condition?

I think for a complete team to lose its form would suggest a problem of significant proportion. In my loft, pigeons are treated as individuals and set up for certain races and as such it is not uncommon for individuals to be in varying levels of form. In fact I use this exact scenario to lift the pigeons with rising form, by having pigeons in top form in the same team. Going back to the original point, whenever I suspect a problem, the first thing that I do is to stop exercise and training and give the birds complete rest. I then take whatever steps are necessary to identify the cause of the problem and apply the solution. I would not start to exercise and train/race again unless I was 100% happy that the team was back to normal. You don't need to be a scientist or a vet to assess this, if watch their droppings carefully and then observe them at exercise, you will know if they are right or not.

What happens when you are racing either widowhood or the roundabout when you have a bad race and lose a few from one sex, how do you continue with those pigeons who have lost their mate.

I have raced both cocks and hens through to the distance and had success with both sexes whether paired or not. I don't consider the motivation factor of sex to be key in long distance races but do in other racing.

Is a favourable loft location the single biggest factor in sprint racing.

Obviously some people think so, otherwise you wouldn't ask the question! I think it can certainly be the difference between who wins and who takes the minor places, especially in certain winds. However, when you look at sprint racing closely it is no different than middle nor long distance in certain respects. By this I mean that good fanciers who invariably have good pigeons, are always in the shake up. The specialists who are prepared to refine their method to suite the races being flown and the pigeons that they fly usually dominate success in sprint races. I think method plays a massive part along with loft location. You will notice that fanciers can come into the sport and win with young birds, then carry this on into old bird sprint races. Perhaps not on a weekly basis but it does happen. To me this illustrates the significance of method and loft location. That method and loft location would not assist at a greater distance, such a novice. The top exponents at sprint racing are craftsmen of their trade but rarely have poor loft locations for the organisations in which they fly. They deserve to be successful and are so because they use all the natural advantages available to them.

Do you treat pigeons differently with their preparation if they are to go to the bigger races whether National, Classic, Specialist club or open.

The simple answer for me is that I treat club/Fed races as training and the Specialist club events as Races. This means that my preparation is geared to the Specialist events and I only strive for top condition to occur on those race dates.

Do you think a pigeon has the capabilities of racing both short and long distance races? Also what distance can a pigeon actually still "RACE" as opposed to homing from any race point?

I have owned pigeons that have won top prizes from 80 miles to 500 miles, pigeons to win prizes from 42 miles to 700 miles, others who only scored at a certain distance and MANY which couldn't win at any distance! To me nowadays, I am looking for consistency and good pigeons put up good performances for various distances in various conditions on numerous occasions. I admit that they are few and far between but surely that is what we should be striving to achieve. I was not raised to believe that the way to obtain satisfaction from racing pigeons was to send large numbers, not be able to pick your pool pigeon and only compete in little clubs where you think you have a good chance. My outlook is this "Dream Big Dreams" and dare to make them happen!

What proportion of you pigeons get better on subsequent trips to the long distance races and what do you call distance.

To me short distance is less than 200 miles; middle distance 250 miles to 450 miles and long distance is over 450 miles. The most significant factor being, time on the wing and velocity of winning pigeons. I like races to be between 1050 ypm to 1450 ypm. When we talk about pigeons getting better, it can mean that they are gaining from experience or benefiting from time on the wing at a previous but recent race. Both factors in my experience help distance pigeons but I will always favour the pigeon that is fresh, has the experience/maturity and has had the correct preparation (Time on wing plus rest).

Which is the more difficult, establishing a team of sprinter's or distance pigeons and why.

I have tried and achieved both over the years and in my opinion, the most difficult is a team of distance pigeons. The key word here, being TEAM. I have seen plenty individual winning distance pigeons but not so many TEAMS of them. Probably 98% of pigeons home from races under 200 miles in 30 races over 3 years, whereas more like 20% home from 9 races over 3 years where 3 of those races were 500 miles or over. The statistics speak for themselves!

Sprinter or distance, there is no difference; it is all in the feeding.

Feeding is doubtless a very key factor but the facts are simple. All pigeons can and will race from 100 miles if the method/system is right for the job. However, only a small percentage will achieve multiple returns in good race time, even if managed well, when racing from distances over 450 miles, more so if faced with head winds. You will hear it said everywhere you go in the pigeon sport, that "it is all in the feeding". There is no doubt that feeding is a key factor but it will not help bad pigeons to beat good ones. It will however, assist a pigeon to achieve its optimum performance level. The dietary needs of a pigeon vary from bird to bird, in relation to the preparatory work prior to a race and the race itself. The amount of food and the food content obviously needs to be appropriate for the task be asked of the pigeon. I think that the batch instincts of pigeons can be very misleading and that it is easy to think that a pigeon flying sprint races only, has a level of ability as an individual, that it probably does not posses. I wonder how many so called "sprint champions" would win races if the races were run on a time trial basis and the bird could only use it's own ability to achieve it's velocity. There would be no drag and only the pigeon's ability in the wind of the day would influence its velocity. I think it is fair to say that the majority of sprint races are won by narrow margins because the leading pigeons arrive in batches. In long distance races the winning margins are usually clear ones, indicating that the pigeon has succeeded on its merits and therefore a more realistic reflection of the pigeon's ability. I am sure that my views above will meet with disapproval but maybe one day time trial races will be held, just like they used to do or still do with "milers" and perhaps then we find out how many "Real" sprint champions there are around.

If you could pass on one piece of advice or tip, at this point to fanciers old and young, what would it be?

It would be to take the time and make the effort to read the work of a professionally qualified specialist, about feeding! I don't wish to quote the work of others and on this subject I would recommend Gordon Chalmers, a scientist amongst pigeon vets. Gordon has written a very good article for the fancy called "The myth of Carbohydrate loading in racing pigeons". In a nutshell it explains the difference between red muscle tissue and white muscle tissue and whether their primary source of fuel is carbohydrate or fat. It also tells you what type of muscle tissue pigeons have and use and how. Take my advice and learn the TRUE VALUE of fats to the racing pigeon. I can guarantee what you learn will make a difference!

What problems do you think are most detrimental to race condition in modern day racing, both Old Bird and Young Bird?

Taking the old birds first, I think that problems with the Upper Respiratory Tract are the ones most likely to cause the birds to be off the pace. I think as a nation of fanciers we have all got the know how of how to deal with coccidiosis and canker but only a few truly understand problems of the URT and know how to recognise the signs. As my birds are at rest all winter, they may well be healthy but before I start to put them to exercise before training and racing, I always address the URT. I do this for 5 consecutive days and I use Lincospectin and Suanoville. For young birds I think the biggest problem, excluding the obvious YBS is dehydration. I believe that dehydration is the problem, which leads to many other secondary problems. The effects of dehydration are far reaching and to help make my point I will relate to youngsters just weaned. I am sure that all fanciers have seen a YB when weaned that hasn't found the drinker. It soon starts to look sorry for itself and then its eyes begin to blink more slowly and more slowly. The reason is simple, the dehydration through lack of water is causing the blood to thicken, which means that the eyelids, which are fine tissue are starved of blood and can't operate correctly. The same effect is happening all over it's body but it is not so visible. Now, just imagine what chance youngsters have, that are being trained and exercised in extreme heat and humidity all week and then put on a sub standard transporter, packed into crates with inadequate drinking facilities and air conditioning. I don't believe that it is a coincidence that 90% of the YB losses each year occur at the hottest time of the year, during late June/July and early August. At this time of the year, you hear of the outbreak of YBS and massive losses. This season at the height of the warmest spell of weather, I didn't even let my Ybs out, never mind exercise or train them and the YB season had already started. Needless to say that weekend, even though pigeons had been to two or three races, the losses were horrific.

YOUNG BIRDS

Young bird sickness is a problem; have you had this in your loft and if so what have you treated them with.

I have had YB sickness twice, once when in partnership and once since being back flying solo. It is not a serious problem if you spot the signs early, for example, a reluctance to fly which is usually followed by the odd youngster not digesting corn or feeding as eagerly as it should. It is common at this point for the droppings to show signs that all is not well. All these factors are related to the gut and digestion, which is commonly along side dehydration, which sees them drinking more water than usual. My experience is that you must act straight away and the first two things to do are to get electrolytes (with glucose) into your water and to stop exercise. The next step is to starve the birds of corn for 36 Hrs. I then feed the birds with approx. 1 ounce of corn per pigeons soaked in lemon juice with a herbal extract added, called Fanciers choice. My experience has been that the pigeons have normal droppings by the next day. I allow them another 3 to 4 days rest and then begin exercise again. Over recent years I have used Virkon in their water to prevent a yeast build up in the gut and to keep other bacteria and virus at bay. I always use Live Yoghurt and vitamins to follow the Virkon to ensure that the gut wall is healthy with good bacteria and the immune system is good. I would also add that I use the herbal extract in general and not only in the case of YBS. It is designed to assist in the promotion of healthy digestion and it certainly produces good results.

Do you race your young birds, if so how many races, if not why, do you think they are better off in the longer events if they are only raced lightly.

I race my youngsters through to 300 miles and have found, that from these come a higher percentage of good distance pigeons than from youngsters who have not had that experience. I have tried YB channel racing with youngsters who have only had two races and also tried it with those that have had as many as eight races. In my mind there is no doubt that there is no substitute for having had the experience. It is not so important in land races but if they are to cross the channel, especially in a National they are better for the experience. My ideal would be for a YB to have 4 races with the Fed. From 100 to 200 miles and one race with a specialist club or national from the Channel at 280 to 330 miles.

What do you think the sport should do to change things for the better, in relation to your points made a couple of questions ago.

Lets start at the obvious point, with preparing pigeons for the first race of the season. To do this lets take the case of a workingman, who arrives home at 6.00p.m. from work each evening. This fancier leaves for work in the morning at around 7.30a.m. and can't come home at lunchtime. How does he get his pigeons fit enough to race when the first race is around 16 th April? It is too dark in the morning to exercise his birds and until the clocks change at the end of March, it is too dark to exercise them in the evening. So he can only exercise methodically at weekends, never mind train them. So why do clubs start racing in early April. My first change would be to set the first Old Bird race for the first weekend in May and race Old Birds through to the End of July or first weekend in August. The Young Bird race season would start on the third weekend of August and last until the end of September. This way, we would be racing our pigeons at the most appropriate times of the year for both OB and YB and even those who have to work would have an even chance. After all pigeon racing is said to be a sport of the workingman!

Do you use any preventative medication? If a pigeon goes ill do you try to put it right or does the bird have to go.

I think that preventative medication is a significant part of modern day pigeon racing. I must stress that when I say medication I am not referring to antibiotics but all manner of things such as herbs, oils, salts etc. etc. which are part of good husbandry. The types of medication, which are designed to cure a specific infection or help treat the symptoms of a virus, are very different and must be used with great caution and on well-founded advice from the likes of a vet. I am a believer that our pigeons carry certain levels of many potential problem organisms such as canker or cocci, which must be under control at all times and we therefore need as fanciers to understand these threats and learn how to implement disinfecting programmes to control the threats. You may call such programmes Preventative Medication. Maintaining the super health required to achieve success at the highest level, is certainly a challenge in the sport today but for the fancier who is not too old to learn and dedicated enough to realise the value of such knowledge, the rewards for time spent into research on the subject, can be very high!

Earlier in the article we discussed the wind direction, do you consider that good pigeons will win in any position.

It all depends on the level of competition. Pigeons of similar ability will be divided by the advantages of nature on the day. There is no simple answer as even LUCK can play a big part in some races. Good pigeons can defy the odds but they can't defy Mother Nature!

Some fanciers go out and purchase good quality winning pigeons but never appear to make the grade, why do you consider that this happens.

I guess that pigeon racing is like many other sports, you can watch the video, read the book but buying a pair of boots will never make the footballer! This is a very interesting aspect of our sport as some can win but don't understand why they are doing; they just do it and know it works. Others do something, win and then next week do something different and don't win but don't go back to what helped them to win. The common factor in these equations is PEOPLE! Where people are involved there will always be a very wide cross section of participants but also always only be a small nucleus of true champions.

Do you give any special treatments when the pigeons return from the race as a precaution against anything that they may have picked up in the basket?

Yes! Firstly I give electrolytes for dehydration and then liquid carbohydrate to assist recovery and finally a disinfectant in the water to help disinfect the pigeon's body against possible problems contacted in the baskets. I use one that is known to be active against 17 different bacteria and virus, which is called Virkon.

Do you use the darkness system for the young birds, if so for how long and do you think it affects them later in life.

I do use a darkness system as you know, which was published through your column in the BHW in late October and early November 2000. I only put my first round onto the system and they are on it from weaning until around the second or third week in June. So long as the eggs are laid before February 12th, I have always been able to get good performances and a good moult to follow. I do not usually race them beyond the second week of September (MNFC) and then give them complete rest to complete their moult. As you can work out from this, they are on a system of controlled light for around 10 to 12 weeks depending on their weaning date. I have bred earlier and had them on the system for 16 weeks with similar results. To answer the second part of the question, it is perhaps best to give an example. I have raced them later in life to fly well and prize up to 428 miles as yearlings and up to 500 miles on the day. I have won 1st Section and the Yearling trophy in the North West Classic club in a North East wind with a yearling that flew the above system as a YB. As a youngster it scored at club, Federation and Open races, rounding off with 74th Open Picauville with the MNFC. My answer as you will have concluded is that it does them no harm at all. The pigeon used as my example above is now at stock and breeds winners as well. I think it worth analysing just exactly what happens on a so-called darkness system. They get fed just as well, they are exercised the same but they get MORE REST than so called natural youngsters. You know that my regard for rest is very high in pigeon management, so I am highly likely to speak positively of such a system. The control of the light is what dictates the feather status but the rest prevents unnecessary stress and supports growth physically and mentally.

Are there any feeding methods for the young birds i.e. do you break them down, do you keep them hungry for control purposes, do you give them a trapping seed mix.

I can't answer this question without repeating everything that appeared in the articles mentioned above. I believe that you also have it on your web site and for those who missed it in the BHW but are interested, they can check it out there.

Do you attach any real importance to the pigeon's wing i.e. back wing, end four flights and do you look at the wing to see if they have cast before a race. Any other comments on the wing.

There is plenty of scientific information available in both the aviation and bird worlds, to help us understand the function and benefits of various shaped wings. Without going into those factors in detail, which can be very boring, my observations of champion pigeons are relatively simple. If the wing is in proportion to the body being carried by the wing, then the flight is efficient. I say this as I have handled good pigeons with various shaped wings and yet all were winners. The type I prefer are wings of progressive length of primary flights with the last three of equal length and the last four showing nice spacing when the wing is fanned open. The wing that I describe is the wing of the best 500-mile winner that I have ever handled. The back wing was in proportion with the forewing. When sending pigeons to big races at the distance, I prefer it if they lift the first flight in the basket, as this is the condition that has brought me the most success. This means that your management has to be such

that they will hold their flights for the big races, which are in July. I don't mind if they are on their first but prefer it as I have described. With YB racing my best wins have been with youngsters that have cast their first flight sometimes there second but beyond that they don't go any better.

If random drugs tests were carried out on your pigeons, would it reveal any substance, illegal or otherwise?

My pigeons have never been given any substance that is not openly marketed for pigeons or humans without prescription. They have never being given a banned substance. The answer therefore has to be no.

THE MOULT/WINTER

What criteria do you set down for the pigeons you winter with your thoughts on the following seasons racing and breeding?

My race team is usually widower cocks only as I don't really have time to race hens as well. The cocks are split into two categories, one that are in the learning and maturing category and which are mainly yearlings and the odd two year old. My main team are experienced pigeons from 3 year olds upward plus a limited number of two year olds, which flew the channel as youngsters and yearlings. Stock birds I mentioned earlier. My main team is anything from 9 to 16 cocks with 14 to 20 younger pigeons following on. My YB team consists of one round, managed on a system of controlled light and consisting of between 36 to 50 birds. With the developments towards International racing, I will now have to strongly consider the feasibility of racing a team of hens. This will be difficult as I am not prepared to compromise the system on which I race my widow cocks and will have to therefore give it a great deal of thought and planning. If I do so, it will probably be to my YB loft where they flew as youngsters, which would require a different YB strategy for 2004.

Are there any special treatments that you give your birds once the season has finished what do you recommend the readers to do with the birds

For me the end of the season signals an opportunity to rest and a rest for my birds. All my focus turns towards the moult and the health of the flock. This is the time to eliminate unwanted birds. The one thing that I do like the birds to have at this time of the year is a good iron tonic and an adequate balance of protein in their diet. Regular baths and definitely no overcrowding.

What were the last four things that you put in your drinking water, when and why and did you notice any benefits.

The last four things were, multi vits, iron tonic, half a lemon and Virkon. All at separate times and not in the particular order stated. I use the vits on a regular basis to supplement health and to provide essential factors for health, which cannot be obtained via corn alone. Iron tonic is something I use during the moult and I consider essential at his time of year along with protein and amino acids. Lemon I use when temperatures are low as it lowers the freezing point of the water and it serves as a source of vit C. Virkon I use as mentioned earlier as a disinfectant against bacteria and virus by oral means.

If you could only give your pigeons one supplement what would it be.

If I had the power to provide any one supplement it would be sunshine! If you mean something that comes in a bottle, sachet or packet, it would be vitamins. I say this as most other things I can provide through herbs and plants and if I needed to I would study the subject to ensure that I had the required level of knowledge to allow me to do so proficiently.

GENERAL

Irrespective of how your pigeons have flown, what are your views on the past season whether good or bad or the management of the sport in general.

It has been a season of pigeon History for the UK, the first National organised race at International Level and the first ever-English winner! What more do I need to say. It would also appear that the sport is beginning to realise that racing from Middle/Long distances on the South to North route, is no longer viable at club level. It is encouraging to see that small organisations such as clubs are realising the values of joining specialist organisations "en block" and holding their own race within the specialist race, where members also have a shot at glory in the big race.

Taking into account distance, which is more difficult racing to your area, is it; a case of a 600ml race is a 600ml race regardless of competition or route.

As pigeons are gregarious by nature, it is not natural for them to fly alone. It goes without saying therefore that they are never happier than when in batches. Large numbers of birds flying into one confined area (a Fed) has to therefore be the least difficult for a pigeon. Small numbers over a spread area (Open race) or large numbers over very large area (National) have to be the most difficult as they cause birds to fly in small batches or alone. Add to the above prevailing winds and drag and you have the ultimate test for fancier and pigeon. Look at the gaps in velocities in Fed results and compare them to Nationals flown on the same days from same direction.

Which fancier has influenced you most, in the way in which you fly your pigeons?

The answer is simple, my old friend and mentor George Gregory. He taught me many things but above all others the mentality and attitude that you require to succeed. I have know George for 25 years and throughout those years, even when I have been very successful or otherwise, George has always been here to listen and offer words of encouragement, enthusiasm and advise. Above all he led by example and showed me what I wanted to know and learn.

Which Champion pigeons over the years have left an impression on you and perhaps influenced your direction in the sport.

The pigeon, which springs to mind, first is a Blue Cock flown by the late Fred Price of Buscough Lancashire, a pigeon called "Burscough All Alone" . He was the only bird on the day in a Lancashire Social Circle race, flying over 16 Hrs on the wing. Fred Price in the sixties and seventies when I was young was a premiere league distance flyer in the North West of England and his great Blue Cock was instrumental in giving me the desire to master the art of distance racing. I paid a visit to "The Garth" the home of Fred Price and met his loft manager at the time, Joe. He told me several things at that time which still ring true today, when it comes to flying distance races. The next pigeon to mind is the fabulous "Breakaway" of Ron Green fame. Although this cock did not win any races of the calibre that interest me, he is the pigeon which made me consider the possibilities of racing the distance on a serious basis, using widowhood to prepare my pigeons. This pigeon is a true example of consistency at it's best. Having now moved into the arena of consistency I must mention the fabulous pigeon of S. Meremans in Belgium, a dark cock bred in 1992 and known the world over as "King Barcelona" . If you haven't heard of this pigeon, then it should be sufficient to know that he is rated the Best Barcelona flyer in pigeon history. He was a winner of the coveted PRIMUS PARES BARCELONA for his performances from Barcelona between 1995 and 1999. Yes five consecutive years from the most prestigious race in the world of pigeon racing. His performances were, in 1998 he was 2 nd National 12,676 birds, 4 th International 24,139 birds Barcelona. In 1996 he was 67 th National 10,088 birds, 142 nd International 20,129 birds Barcelona. In 1997 he was 146 th National 12,731 birds Barcelona. In 1995 he was 187 th National 9,452 birds Barcelona and in 1999 he was 464 th National 12,966 birds Barcelona. It is plain to see that starting his Barcelona career at 3 years of age, he peaked at his third attempt in 1998 when maturity and experience came together and at seven years of age in 1999 he had signalled the time for retirement. Should anyone be thinking that this cock only flew one top race per season, he also won the following over those five seasons. In 1996 at Perpignan he was 64 th National 4,889 birds, 101 st International 12,551 birds. In 1997 again at Perpignan he was 103 rd National 4,694 birds and 160 th International 12,367 birds. In 1995 at Perpignan he was 321 st National 5,251 birds. When you study the performance history of this brilliant pigeon, there is much that you can learn. I would also just like to mention a few other very special pigeons. "Rosall King" , "Lol's Pride" , "Highview Northern Pride" and "Highview Solitaire" . I had the pleasure of racing the last two and they were super pigeons but my last but not least on the list is the best physical specimen that I have ever handled and that is the 1995 Barcelona International winner "Laureat Barcelona" of the Gyselbrecht family in Belgium.

Whenever I have visited a loft fanciers always look at the pigeon's eye. Do you consider that the eye has any importance in (a) the breeding, (b) distance races (c) sprint races. (d) The pigeon's health. Or do you steer clear of the subject and if so why.

This subject is one of many "THEORIES" which have no scientific data to confirm their value. There are so called "Experts" who claim to be able to recognise certain "signs" which they claim relate to capability for either racing or breeding. All that I will say about the theories is that they are just that, only theories and as such have no scientific value!

I like to view the eye of a pigeon as an indicator of health, which through the science of Iridology is a proven fact and also as a very important gateway of information for the pigeon. So important in fact that the majority of data used by the pigeon during flight is obtained visa this gateway. I look at the eye therefore as a very important working part of the flying machine. As this part is linked to other important parts such as ears and throat, I pay particular attention to the head of my pigeons and the Upper Respiratory Tract. Going back to the eye, I would just like to add, that as a lens which processes light and images onto the Retina and onward to the brain, it is a part of the body which should be taken very seriously as a physical indicator for every fancier to observe. I will give one very simple example to illustrate my point. When YB's are weaned and do not find the drinker, it can be clearly seen that their eyes blink very slowly. For everything we observe there is a reason! In this case the eyelid cannot operate correctly when the blood is too thick. This YB has thickened blood due to dehydration and the visible indicator is the slow blinking eyelid. The blood is the transport system for all things good around the body, especially oxygen. You don't need to be a scientist to work out how great a problem dehydration then becomes to a pigeon, whether it be the baby just weaned, the YB racer, or the distance pigeon after many hours of flight

Who do you consider being the best fanciers in the Country and for what reasons.

This is a question that I find impossible to answer, as I only know a certain percentage, as does any other fancier and there is a danger of thinking that the ones with the most publicity are the best. I have flown and do fly against some great fanciers but I have also known some fanciers who never flew at Specialist level for whom I held/hold the greatest of respect. I will therefore not quote names but I admire fanciers who know what they are talking about, who can put it into practice and can produce a family of pigeons to be proud of and not just keep changing strains like changing clothes!

What do you think can be done to take the sport forward?

Many things! Having said that I think that the main problem lies within our central governing body. Times are changing and the sport needs to change with the times. We need to move away from tiny little clubs with 3 to 10 members who fly in Feds. with a few hundred pigeons, where all those clubs are within a small geographical radius. It is up to the governing body to set the guidelines for prevention of such practices and to provide a framework, which encourages strong competition. To this we need to add controls over transport facilities and liberation's to ensure that the pigeons are being adequately considered and not just being used for the pleasure of it. These factors alone would provide better and more cost effective racing and reduce the cost of administration for the governing body. All of this would lead in time to pigeons of a higher calibre and organisations of higher credibility, which would be a foundation on which to rebuild the sport. Rebuild is what I think the sport needs and to do so, there needs to be a significant change of direction, which must come from the centre.

What percentage do you consider it takes to win with racing pigeons for Management and pigeons and why.

Well I think it varies on the type of racing involved. I think that for YB racing it is 85% method and loft location and 15% pigeon. For OB sprint racing, 75% method and loft location and 25% pigeon. For distance I think 50% method 50% pigeon. I don't wish to offend anyone or cause argument but my observations over the years have led me to the above conclusions based on fanciers who can win YB and sprint races but only do well at distance on easy days. Where as there are fanciers who can and do/have won all of the categories at the highest levels. A good fancier knows the requirements for the different types of races and plans accordingly with the resources available.

What past mistakes have you learned from?

I have made one very costly mistake on more than one occasion. The mistake is to send a top class pigeon, which has put up two outstanding performances that season, back again to achieve a third in too short a space of time. On more than occasion I have lost that pigeon and will never repeat that mistake again.

Who or what motivates you to remain successful?

My two main motivators are one, my belief in my own ability and knowledge to achieve the goals that I set for myself and my pigeons and two a certain type of fancier. The type of fancier I am going to describe is well known to anyone who has enjoyed success in the pigeon sport. This man and it usually is a man or men, is the proverbial flyer that discredits the achievements of successful fanciers in his own area. He has never won anything worth winning other than Mickey Mouse club prizes or very odd specialist race prize. He is not recognised within our sport as an achiever, he has never been asked to share his knowledge at moots or such gatherings nor been asked to present prizes at presentation evenings. The reason is simple, nobody wants to hear what he has to say because he has nothing constructive or worth listening to by way of contribution. However, at every chance he gets he tries to belittle the achievements of the successful fancier or fanciers of his area. I am sure that every area has one, or even more. Well I can also bet that the successful fanciers know whom this or these losers are and get feedback on what they are saying! To me they are a godsend and are all the extra motivation required, as there is nothing sweeter that allowing your pigeons to answer their comments! I am sorry if I went on a little there but as you can see, I have no time for such people they are only trying to drag people down to their level.

What qualities do you think must be present for a fancier to be classed as a top fancier and at what level must he/she have achieved results to be rightfully so-called a "Champion".

This is one of the best questions that you could have asked, as I am sure that many fanciers across the UK have strong opinions about fanciers who use words like "Champion" and "Ace", just to boost sales values and to make adverts more attractive. I also think that there is a distinct difference between a fancier who owns a top class pigeon and a top class fancier. To me a top fancier who has EARNED the right to be called a Champion by fellow fanciers, and not a self proclaimed Champion must have achieved certain standards. Firstly lets look at the word fancier and what it means. A fancier is a person who is competent in all aspects of the pigeon sport. A top fancier therefore must be a fancier who ranks in the top few percent, in the minds of other fanciers. If I were to set the criterion for this, it would include the following; They must have demonstrated the ability to consistently achieve results at various levels of the sport, ranging from club racing through to National competition, where they are a prominent figure at least at Section level. They must have demonstrated the ability to produce repeated performances from their best pigeons and not just one-race wonders. They will have achieved these results from a range of distances over a period of time. They will be able to compete against the specialists of our sport for example young bird racing and they will always have the welfare of the pigeon at heart when sending to their chosen races. This same fancier to be rightfully seen as a Champion will have demonstrated the ability to build a family of pigeons to call their own and not just be a trainer and racer of the latest deal of 6 for £99 etc. etc. To assist the sport to recognise such fanciers clubs like the North West Classic club have introduced a competition to cover the racing aspect of Champion. The fancier has to select 5 birds in each race and time one of his selections to qualify towards the status of Section and Club Champion. His first timed Nominated bird in each race is used to calculate a coefficient for both Section and Open. The Champion is decided on merit taking into account the ability of the pigeon and skill of the fancier. This is a method copied from Belgium and is probably the most objective and fair method in operation within the sport in the UK today. I think more specialist organisations should provide such an opportunity for fanciers to EARN the right to be called Champion and the sport would be a lot better off for introducing such a standard. If anyone then wanted to check for himself or herself, the calibre of a fancier before investing in stock, at least they would have a chance to do so. Perhaps it is not beyond the realms of possibility that at some time in the future the RPRA will create a database that can be updated by the specialist organisations to create a Countrywide database, which can be accessed by all fellow fanciers. I would also suggest that to study such a database, would provide an opportunity to analyse and learn for astute fanciers.

Do you think winning fanciers should move on from club racing once they have reached a certain level of consistency? Are club performances paramount for personal satisfaction or sales purposes?

The last 20 years have seen domination at club level by individuals, who seem happy top repeat, this year after year. My experience tells me that not many of these fanciers have what it takes to move onward and upward and have witnessed many examples. The reason usually lies in the fact that they want to race every week and send most if not all of their team to each race. I think that our sport offers enough choice today for a fancier to be able to decide and select where he wishes to fly dependant on how far he feels he has advanced in the sport. One thing is for certain the higher the level he chooses, the quicker he will find out if he was right or not! As for sales purposes, I think the day of the 20 first per season man is coming to an end. Modern fanciers are looking for consistent performances at a high level from lofts that have developed a colony of winning pigeons and especially where true Champions emerge.

To term a phrase are you a professional pigeon fancier and do your circumstances make a big difference.

I race alone again now, but when in partnership, we were not professional in so much that we made our living from pigeons but we were professional in what we did with our pigeons. I have to work, which is and has always been demanding from a time availability point of view. For me therefore the secret is planning. I put a massive amount of thought and planning into my racing and breeding, just as I did when in partnership. Every aspect of my management is directly linked to my time available, which is linked to my job. For a short spell I raced when not working and the results were not better than when working and I believe it was because the planning became laxed!

You are a successful fancier, there are far too many leaving the sport, to encourage fanciers to either join or stay in the sport what do you think about limiting prizes to two per race per loft. If not Why. If yes Why.

As everyone knows pigeon racing is far from a level playing field. It is hard for established fanciers to compete with the specialists of the sport; so how difficult must it be for a beginner? We have to ask ourselves, would this happen in other sports? The answer is simple, NO it would not! Other sports have Leagues, Categories and levels for such beginners or participants with less experience/skill. It is something of that nature that clubs need to have for their beginners and new starters. This initiative should be a project of the RPRA; to provide a framework for the beginners and to enable to sport to keep them long enough to become accomplished fanciers. Limiting prizes would only give prizes to inferior pigeons on the day and cause all sorts of internal problems within club's, which has proven the case over the years. It would be better at club level to compete with all your entries for Fed. Positions and for club prizes with nominated entries only. An example would be if a club has 4 prizes, then each member might nominate 4 birds. This way anyone winning all 4 prizes would be worthy of them as opposed to clocking any 4 from 60 entries.

Is pigeon racing as a hobby going beyond the average working man? Is it becoming too technical and complicated or can you keep everything simple and still win with the pigeons.

Keeping it simple is the only way for a workingman, with limited time and resources, to compete with the professional partnerships. By simple I mean that he needs to decide in which types of racing he intends to compete. It is easier to keep a team and compete in a club programme on a weekly basis and get reasonable results, than it is to do so in specialist competition and for the man I describe to attempt both, is likely to end in disappointment. This millennium more so than any other period of pigeon racing history before it, is the "Time of the Specialist". It doesn't matter whether you choose Sprint, Distance or YB racing, at the higher levels you will be competing against people who specialise in that field. It is good sense therefore to be realistic with yourself and decide where your time and resources will allow you to achieve a standard that you would like to achieve and then go for it!

What is your view on pigeon "moots" or "panels", are they over played and outdated and what do you think may bring as much or more interest to the quiet season when racing is not taking place?

I have spent many enjoyable hours appearing on panels up and down the country and made some good friends and acquaintances through them. I think however, that the idea is getting a little over played and it is very difficult to find the time to oblige all the clubs who ask for your participation once you become recognised as a regular panellist. The result of this quite often is the same panel appearing time and again at various venues. With the above in mind, I think we the sport need to come up with something a little more interactive which gives the audience a chance to ask questions by way of discussion and not having written questions answered by panellists who pass along the microphone at the request of a chairman. So yes I think panels have been great in their day but it is time to move on.

What do you think about the vaccination programme for the pigeons and do you think it affects the pigeons long term.

I agree with vaccination but don't believe that it is necessary to do it annually. Surely there is a vaccine, which is adequate for the life of a pigeon. In addition I think that our sport is being "Ripped Off" on the price of vaccination, in comparison to vaccines used in the farming industry.

What do you think of veterinarians in the UK and have you had any dealings with them.

To form an opinion of vets in the UK, we judge them on their pigeon knowledge, which is very little. As a profession, compared to the vets of Belgium and Holland on pigeon care, they are as far behind as the pigeon governing body is behind those of Belgium and Holland. Quite simply they lead and we follow, EVENTUALY!

How do you consider that the British sport is going compared to the continentals and do they have any ideas that you think would benefit the sport in the UK?

I touched on this issue earlier when you asked me about taking the sport forward. I don't think I am sure that, we are going backwards in comparison to the continentals. As I said earlier, we don't have the right people within key roles of influence. A good example is that in 1999 I submitted a proposition to the MNFC to increase the 1 in 4 options for section and open pools. I did so to give the average fancier who sends 5 or 6 birds, a more even chance in winning pools. I also am aware that certain fanciers send 40 birds or more and pool them all on the current 1 in 15 system. If this fancier times 3 decent birds out of his 40 chances he makes a profit. This means that the average man has to fly against all 40 of the wealthy fancier's entries to win pools. If the pooling is 1 in 4 the wealthy guy has to time 10 decent birds to break even and is therefore likely to enter fewer birds in this type of pool. This type of pooling which gives freedom of choice is the essence of pools on the continent and provides fairer competition for all. Guess what happened to my proposition, well, I was asked by the Chairman to withdraw it in the interest of the club. The Secretary said that the computer couldn't handle the change. I therefore withdrew my proposition thinking that it was in the club's interest to do so. The following year I re-submitted the proposition, the club having had 12 months to update any computer equipment (Ha Ha), needless to say it made no difference. This season however, has seen one very positive step in the right direction with the advent of English pigeons in an International event. We all know the outcome, a very famous victory! I only hope that future seasons see this aspect grow and that results obtained in less favourable wind conditions do not deter the progress.

What is your view on pigeon shows and showing?

Showing at local shows was a very big part of my early love for pigeons and something, which gave me immense pleasure. Unfortunately the days of local shows seem to be fading away, which I think is a shame as they are one of the best ways for youngsters to get involved in the sport and to get to know other fanciers. I watch the show pigeon scene with great interest and enjoy that part of the Blackpool show as much as any other aspect at Blackpool. In fact I have a pair of show pigeons for pleasure. They came from a friend in Cornwall, Nigel Roscorla who won Supreme Champion in the Champions class in the 2003 Blackpool show. A great deal can be learned from this side of our sport and I think that, the racing fraternity to support and promote shows should do more. If I go back to one of my pet subjects, which is the fact that I think we have a race season which, starts too early, then this is probably one of the reasons why shows suffer. The Blackpool show is ideal because birds are in perfect moult for shows but many fanciers cannot or will not entertain the idea because they need to pair in January or even December, or they fear being behind for the start of the season. It is a vicious circle and could be vastly improved if the "Racing Calendar" was reviewed with an open mind and for the good of the sport.

Do you read many magazines/Articles, if so which type of article do you find interesting and why.

I read as much as I can in a constant quest to learn. Over the past few seasons, the articles that I have enjoyed most have come from various vets from all corners of the world. This would not have been previously possible, as the Internet has been the main medium. I do enjoy local articles in the BHW but I see them more as news than information.

What aspect of the sport interests you the most?

A good question and a difficult one to answer. As a preface to my answer, I must say that I have a vast thirst for Knowledge where the sport is concerned with particular emphasis around breeding and the creation of families/strains. Given this as a backcloth, I would have to say that my main interest is the field of genetics in pigeons, closely followed by health and fitness by which I mean the Biology of the pigeon and nutrition. For anyone interested in such subject matter, there has never been a better time in the history of our sport in which to learn and you need not look any further than the Internet. Many fanciers when I ask if they have the Internet say no and usually qualify it with something like "I don't have the time". Well, I doubt that there are many who have less time than I do but I make the time and as for using it, it is simple, it all boils down to whether you can be bothered and if you can't afford it try the Library, they nearly all have Internet access nowadays.

Is there anything that you do not like about the sport, something that you feel needs changing for the good of the sport?

Yes, Transportation! In the main we are in the dark ages and there are too many transporters with sub standard watering and air conditioning systems. In fact, I suspect that many don't have them at all. The sport needs to reconsider the concept of ALL main races taking place on a Saturday (What is wrong with Sunday) and there needs to be a network of communication run centrally, to control liberation's where birds cross lines of flight for other organisations. Finally I would like to see the racing calendar revamped completely. I think we start too early race too often and finish too early.

Do you have any further comments about anything that we may have missed in any area of the sport?

We are in the age of technology and service is paramount to the customer, don't you agree that it is time that our sport came to accept this! It is time to eliminate the contentious "Toulet Clock" problems along with any similar outdated timepiece. It is time to open up our minds and consider the problems of some of our members, who are limited via disability and to this end, recognise the value of electronic timing. Another way to put it would be to say, "It is time that the Pigeon Sport was dragged kicking and screaming into the new millennium"!!!

When is the sport going to move towards a governing body, where we have business minded fanciers running the sport for other fanciers. Why do we always have people at the controls of our sport, who with no disrespect never were and never will be recognised as being premiere league fanciers. I am not criticising any current official but the old saying is a true one "Those who can DO and those who can't teach others"

LES . I am very pleased with the outcome of the article and feel that there has been a lot to offer over the Christmas period. I hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as I did and maybe you can improve your system with something that you have read. Thanks to Chris for the time he has taken in answering the questions honestly.