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BRIAN & KEITH SIMPSONtalking to Les Parkinson
1. Q. Please introduce yourself and tell us how you got started in the sport? A. I'm Keith Simpson and I fly in partnership with my younger brother Brian, we fly as B & K Simpson and are members of Skinningrove Homing Society that is one of ten clubs that fly in the East Cleveland Federation. We are the shortest flying Federation in the Up North Combine; the Combine that is regarded as the biggest Combine in the Country was founded in 1905. Our late father George was a flying member in Skinningrove H.S. in the 1960s, he was not one of the most successful members of the club but he did win races. He liked the inland races with the shortest races been his favourite, he won Selby a distance of 50 miles a number of times in his flying days. Our older brother Terry used to help Dad out at the loft; Brian and me would spend time at the loft after school and at weekends but we were not allowed at the loft on a race day. We were young and did not understand the hard work and preparations that went into Pigeon racing, one little error on a race day could lose a race. Our Dad left the sport midway through the 60s, he found it hard working and caring or a Wife and five Children so thought it best if he was out of the sport. It was not long before Terry had a loft and Pigeons of his own, I started to help him with the young birds in 1969. I was still at School when he made me a partner flying as T & K Simpson, we won the odd race and chalked up a few minor positions but nothing much more than that. Looking back we were at a disadvantage than most of our club mates because over the years they had built up a family of Pigeons, we had birds that were either given to us by fanciers who no longer had any use for them or they were bred of strays that had entered our loft and never had the chance to get out again. I stayed with Terry until 1972-73; Brian had already started to take an interest in the birds. Our Dad built him a small loft on his allotment close to our home; a few birds were gifted by our Dad's workmates and other local fanciers. Brian later went into partnership with Terry flying from Brian's small loft; they flew as T & B Simpson. They seemed to have done a lot better as time went on, it was not long before Terry left the sport leaving Brian to fly on his own. I started back in the sport racing the young birds in 1979 with my wife Carole, we raced the full 1980 season and then I was asked to team up with Brian flying as B & K Simpson. Brian had recently purchased some Dordins from Captain Bill Mather of Blackpool; Bill was a previous winner of 1 st Blackpool Amal with a Dordin called 'Captain's Pride' who I believe was later purchased by Louella Pigeon World. Bill was a very popular Pigeon man who knew how to fly Pigeons; the Gentleman was a top flyer who was responsible for numerous winners all over the Country. Brian and clubmate Steve Plews visited Bill's loft at the end of the 1981-racing season, Brian came back telling me of a blue pied Busschaert cock that had caught his eye. The well-bred cock was a racing machine winning 25 prize cards in his racing career; his Brothers and Sisters were also doing their share of winning. Brian and me returned to Bill's Blackpool loft at the end of the 1982-racing season to purchase a pair of Busschaerts for stock. Brian asked Bill about the blue pied Busschaert cock that had impressed him the previous year, the disappoint showed on Bill's face when he said he had lost the cock racing that year. Bill had all his birds parted off; we went through the cocks section first. Straight away Brian noticed a young blue pied Busschaert cock, he was told he was the same way bred as the good cock he had lost that year. Brian asked if the cock was for sale, Bill smiled and said as he had taken a knock racing he could have the cock for £25. Brian's face lit up the loft at the though of taking the cock home with him, he missed out of getting the good cock but had purchased the next best thing to him. We sorted through the hens and picked a blue Busschaert x Van Hee hen out that cost £20, we were well pleased with the pair we had bought. Brian
had become very friendly with Dave Drinkhall who was flying as Bob Moore
& Drinkhall of Brotton. The two lads's had a winning family that included
the Busschaerts, Dave & Bob bred us a few gift birds. Dave also offered
Brian a chance to share a batch of 1983 youngsters from Jack Hayward &
Son of Kent; this loft had a very successful family of Busschaerts. We
also became very friendly with John Miller of Pelton Fell, Durham; John
a very knowledgeable Pigeon man had the best of the Busschaerts. John
invited us up to see his birds; Dave Drinkhall drove us up to Durham to
see John's birds. We were very impressed with John's set-up and his family
of Busschaerts; we ordered a kit of 1983 young birds. Steve Plews had
visited our loft many times and Brian had paid Steve a loft visit a number
of times, Brian was most impressed with a blue Busschaert hen Steve had
purchased out of Mr & Mrs Nev Charlton stock; and Steve knew this.
Steve called one day to say he had killed a number of his stock birds
off, what about the blue hen Steve was his reply. I though about keeping
her but she had to go, Brian was very disappointed in Steve's reply because
he would have bought the hen. Steve stayed and talked for a while, his
parting shot was are you coming for the hen as she is in a basket in the
cabin for you. Brian was on cloud nine because he could pair the blue
hen later named the 'Eye Sign Hen' to the 'Mather Cock', the pair bred
winners in their first season together and the Jack Hayward, John Miller
and the Bob Moore & Dave Drinkhall Busschaerts also won from the start,
we later obtained more Busschaerts from all three latter lofts. The Busschaert
were winning well for us, success followed on from 1983 to 1986. Through
Dave Drinkhall we purchased a shared batch of six Louella bred Lucien
Staelens in 1987; Brian went back and purchased another three batches
of six.
Q. Give the readers the most memorable results that you have achieved? A.
We have being very successful in our 23 years together, one of the most
successful partnerships in the history of the club. We have won numerous
of races in our time, which have mostly come from the inland races but
we have won from the channel. Our many wins have helped us win numerous
club averages and a number of Federation and Section averages. We have
also been very successful at Combine level; we won 1 st UNC old bird Wednesday
Folkestone National in 1986 with the 'Wednesday Cock' a blue pied Busschaert
cock bred from the 'Mather Cock' paired to the 'Eye Sign Hen'. The cock
was at his best from the midweek races, he won 5x1st clubs and 2x1st Wednesday
Feds in 1985 including 4 th Fed and 11 th UNC old bird Wednesday Folkestone
National. The cock was retired after the 1986 racing season, he went onto
become the Sire, G/Sire & G/G/ Sire of numerous of winners. Our second
1 st Up North Combine old bird Wednesday Folkestone National win came
in 1990 with the '10 Cock' a blue Busschaert cock, both Wednesday Combines
were won from birdage of around 1,000 birds. The '10 Cock' bred from Jack
Hayward & Son stock won 4x1st clubs before he was retired to stock
at the end of the 1990 racing season, the cock proved himself at stock
with him being Sire, G/Sire & G/G/Sire of numerous of winners. In
between our two Wednesday Combine wins we won 1 st Up North Combine and
1 st North Of England Championship Club old bird Folkestone (1) National
in 1987 with 'Dark 18' a dark Busschaert cock bred from Jack Hayward &
Son stock. The Gold Medal winning cock who won from a convoy of 24,644
birds was recording his third club win, the cock won 2x1 st clubs the
year after his Combine win. Other memorable performances were achieved in 1997 when we won 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd club, 2 nd , 4 th and 7 th Fed, 4 th , 8 th and 16 th Up North Combine old bird Folkestone (1) National from a convoy of 25,199 birds. From the old bird Folkestone (2) National we won 1 st , 3 rd and 4 th club, 4 th , 6 th and 15 th Fed, 5 th , 7 th and 40 th Combine when there were 13,980 birds competing. In 1998 we scored 3 rd , 4 th , 6 th , 7 th and 8 th club, 9 th , 16 th , 22 nd , 23 rd and 42 nd UNC old bird Folkestone (1) out of an entry of 26,159 birds. We won 1 st , 2 nd , 4 th and 5 th club, 13 th , 22 nd , 56 th and 64 th UNC young bird Maidstone National in 2001 when there were 16,795 birds competing. Another memorable loft performances was achieved at this seasons Maidstone young bird National when 1 st and 3 rd club, 2 nd and 6 th Fed, 2 nd and 6 th Section, 2 nd and 6 th UNC another eight birds were timed within six minutes to score 35 th , 47 th , 51 st , 52 nd , 73 rd , 78 th , 81 st and 109 th UNC.
Q. Which clubs do you race with and what are their purpose? A. We race in Skinningrove Homing Society which had 14 flying members in 2003, like most and possibly all clubs Skinningrove membership is not as big than it was in the 70s and 80s. The club has become more competitive over the past 2 years than is has for a number of years, this is good for the sport in general. The new fanciers of the sport seem to be more aware and informed of both the breeds of Pigeons and the racing methods than 10 to 20 years ago. Looking back to the early days of the running to one clock station and timing into the Toulet clock the sport has advanced to the fanciers wildest dreams, the wide choice and quality of corns and the endless choice of top Pigeons products is unbelievable. The lofts are more like penthouses than they were in the early days, most of the fanciers only wanted very small windows in the lofts to keep the cold wind and rain out. Now depending where you live, the lofts are that much more open than they were 40 and 50 years ago. There are not many fanciers these days that don't have their own transport, most of those who don't will have someone to train their birds for them. This season out of the 14 lofts of which two did not race the seventeen race old bird programme and a different two did not race the nine race young bird programme, eight different lofts won races from the 25 races, it's a 26 race programme but there were no birds timed in race time from Bourges from a distance of 539 miles . A number of the Skinningrove members are more committed now than they have ever been, their performances at Fed and Combine level have reached new heights the past couple of years.
Q. Do you hold any official position and if so do you take an active part, if no what are your reasons? A. I no longer hold any official position in the club; I was the club Treasure for 4 or 5 years in the 1990s. The Treasures job is in fact a job and a half because every penny has to be accounted for, the more the income and expenditure the harder it is to keep an account of where the money is coming and going. I have had the responsibility of doing the race result on the club computer for the inland races, something I volunteered to do to take a bit of workload of the club secretary. I get the strike on the master timer from Tim - the talking clock after clock opening and go back to the clubhouse with the master timer and the club computer and do the result. By doing this the result is up in the clubhouse window to show the members the result of the race an hour and a half after the winners are home. This lets the fanciers and the interested village people know who have won what, mind you there has been the odd mistake over the years resulting in redoing the result. None of the Skinningrove H.S. officials are on a salary and have not being for about 10 years now, it keep the price of annual subs down and sees the interested members taking an active part in the necessary running of the club throughout the racing season.
Q. Do you ever think of competing for averages, if not why not? A. Winning averages is our main aim in Pigeon racing; this proves you have been the most consistent and the best for that season. Winning club, Fed and even Combine averages is a fantastic achievement, the competition is outstanding. Winning old bird combined and combined averages is a lot harder for us to win because of our lack of competing from the distance races. We have flown a very good old bird and young bird for years, combining both top performances together has helped up win the club combined average numerous of times over the years. We have won a few Federations averages in our time together and have also been r/u Fed averages along the way; the consistency of our birds throughout the racing season has kept us at the top for so long. Skinningrove H.S awards points for the first 5 positions in the club, 1 st wins 5pts and 5 th takes 1pt. The East Cleveland Federation and the North Yorkshire & East Cleveland Section each award points for the first 20, you still get your position but only your first bird is awarded points.
Q. How do you race your pigeons and how many? A.
The old bird race team are flown natural, we have tried other systems
over the years but our birds have never responded to the changed method.
Flying the natural system does have its disadvantages, especially when
the birds are held over for they often abandon their eggs on their return.
Flying natural does also have its advantages because you can motivate
the birds in different ways, some birds respond to the system at different
times of the cycle. We have had some cocks hit winning form when they
are driving their hens to the nest, others prefer sitting or chipping
eggs. And some respond better feeding a youngster. We have had birds win
over sitting and others delivering the goods when sent spare or recently
repaired. 'Mig 79' a dark pied Lucien Staelen hen won at anytime through
her cycle, the hen who recorded 11x1st clubs once won three consecutive
weeks. Our birds are worked hard and fed well; this has proved very successful
over the years. The birds are exercised twice a day Tuesday to Thursday
throughout the racing season; they are also trained Tuesday to Thursday
from a distance of 12 to 15 miles. Their morning fly starts at first light,
Brian is that good an early riser he should have been a Milkman. The birds
are straight out of the loft and head up the valley, they work the bank
side very well most mornings. 7 Q. What are your lofts made of and how big are they? A. The main old bird race loft is 18ft long with three sections that are divided off by two doors, both doors are open at all times when the birds are used to their own boxes after pairing. The two big sections each have nine large box partings and the middle section in which the birds are trapped into through a sliding door has three box partings, there are box perches at both front and back and perches at each side of the loft. The all-wood loft with a flat roof has two very large mesh windows at the front and air vents at the top rear of the loft; shutters are only used when the driving rain is blowing from the East. Our second old bird loft is 8ft long with a half plastic and half wood front and a plastic sloping roof, there as 12 large box partings that are not always filled. The only perches are the ones on the nest box fronts, the passageway with two-floor air grills are in between the two sets of sliding doors. The young bird natural race loft is a three sectional 18ft long loft with a wood sloping roof, the birds trap into the middle section sliding door. The biggest section has 30 deep box perches, the middle section has 20 deep box perches and the third section has 20 deep box perches at the back of the loft and 10 at the side. The loft has two interior sliding doors; a small mesh window at both sides of the loft and two sets of louvers at the front of the loft either side of the door. The youngsters on the darkness system are housed in a 16ft long loft that has a flat wooden roof; there is a plastic window either side of the two opening out wooden doors. The loft has two sections with one consisting of large box partings; the second section is filled with a set of sloping perches. There are two sets of air vents at the front of the loft and air vents fitted at both the front and the back just under roof level, two air vents are fitted into the floor under the partings. A wooden floor aviary was built on the side of the darkened down loft at the end of the 2002-racing season, the wooden frame fully meshed out with a door has wood poles perches running side to side. The stock loft was extended at the end of the 2002-racing season; the wood built loft with a flat roof is 16ft in length with 15 spacious box partings. There are two glass louvers fitted at the front of the loft and one plastic door, there is a wooden floor aviary built onto the front of the loft. All our lofts are basic, nothing fancy just simple. We both believe its what's in them that counts, all lofts are dry with plenty of ventilation running through. The birds are use to the environment at our lofts, there is always a good covering of down-feathers through racing and through the winter month. If the loft conditions were not right you would not see this, our birds are happy in the loft and that's what matters.
Q. Do you attach any importance to having a tiled roof on a loft, if so are there any benefits? A. To be honest I have never thought of the importance or benefits of a tiled roof, birds are winning everywhere with wood, plastic and tiled roofs.
Q. 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? A. We house 16 pairs of stock birds; we usually breed four rounds of youngsters off our best pairings. We have been known to keep their last round of youngsters for stock, as we believe in a young stock team. We breed three rounds off the rest of the stock pairs; this gives us a better chance to see what quality youngsters they are breeding. Some of our first pairings are separated and repaired to another cock or hen sometime throughout the year; this helps to introduce some different bloodlines into the birds. We don't usually breed off many of our race team, the one's that are breed off are the better-bred pairings. We only take the first round of youngsters off the selected racing pairs, a good number of winners have come off our race team. As we only race a limited number from our race team ourselves, we have let other fanciers race some to see what they can produce. The race pairings have also proved to be successful for those fanciers, a number of winners have been reported to us from our race team.
Q. When do you pair your pigeons and why then? A. We used to always pair our stock birds up on Boxing Day each year; this got the majority of our young birds through the moult for the young bird National. Since we have flown our youngsters on the darkness system we put the stock birds together on the 13 th December, we started to pair up earlier so we didn't affect our natural young birds that are our future old bird race team. The first round of youngsters bred from our stock went onto the darkness system; the second round would be flown natural. The old bird race team are paired on 14 th February; a majority of the third round of eggs off the stock are floated under the race team we don't breed off.
Q. Do you move the hens with the young birds? A. Over the years we have tried various ways of motivating the young birds, we have found out that the youngsters that are paired together and sitting eggs don't always perform better than the babies flying to the perch. We have placed empty nest bowls around the loft, placed eggs in some, we have also slipped a squab under the odd pair that sit the eggs but our best performances have come from youngsters flying to the perch. We have moved old hens with the young birds; some of the young cocks have fired up but not enough to win races.
Q . Young bird sickness is a problem, have you had this in your loft and if so what have you treated them with? A.
Yes we have had young bird sickness, the one's who say they have never
had young bird sickness are very lucky indeed. We first experienced young
bird sickness in the mid 90s; this was around that time that it all started.
We were told that the first thing we needed do was to starve the birds
for 24 hours, the youngsters crop would then be free from all corn. The
babies should then be fed a quarter of their intake of feed with depurative,
the following day half their intake of feed with depurative followed by
a full depurative feed. The birds would then be fed their normal mixture,
the loft needed to be sprayed out with 50% Domestos added to the water.
We were then told to add a regular capful of Cider Vinegar to the babies
drinking water, a desert spoon of live Yogurt should also be added to
the youngsters drinking water on a regular basics but always stir well
as the Yogurt soon settles on the bottom of the drinker. We steered clear
of the dreaded virus the following year right up until the morning after
the first young bird race, we went through the previous years procedure
and cured the birds within a few days. We have had the virus again but
not every year, each time it occurs is the following morning after the
first race. This proves you can take purcorsions all you like but when
your birds mix with other birds in the race basket, your birds will pick
up whatever they have. A great number of fanciers and I used to be one
of them believe that the young bird sickness is brought on after vaccinating
the young birds against the Paramyxovirus. Many fanciers youngsters come
down with young bird sickness before the young bird race programme gets
underway, but numerous of other babies hold out until after the first
young bird race.
Q. 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? A. All our young birds are raced as babies, if the natural youngsters are not heavy in the moult they are raced right down the line to the Maidstone National that is from a distance of 234 miles. The only lightly raced young birds with have had are the odd one's that were too well on in the moult to race or they have had a knock so far through the race programme. In the past our older channel team have only been lightly raced, when Brian flew on his own he had a cheq hen that got Grantham the third old bird race before going to Lillers the first channel race. The hen did not score at Grantham but she did win 1 st club Lillers, her third and final race that season was Lillers (2) the final race of the season, where hen chalked up 2 nd club. The year before we went into partnership Brian had a cheq cock called 'Gooney' that got Grantham before Bourges, he scored 2 nd club from the longest race and not raced again that season. The first year we went in partnership we had a red cock that did the same, he got the Grantham race followed up by Bourges, he too took 2 nd club and never got another race that year. Both the cocks were timed on the day from Bourges. We have the capability of getting the birds from the distance races; we just need a little more time to work out our routine and methods to compete with the rest of them.
Q. What criteria do you set down for the pigeons you winter with your thoughts on the following seasons racing and breeding? A.
The most important thing is that they go through a good moult and have
stayed healthy throughout the winter months. We are always full of confidents
in the birds that have been selected for the following years racing season,
all the following years racing team have been bred by ourselves. We know
the history of their parents breeding and their capability of breeding
winning Pigeons, we know not all of them are going to be winners but a
number of them will deliver the goods. Previous years have proved that
a large number of our birds have either won or scored minor race positions
the following year; this is a very good sign because any one of the birds
can produce at anytime throughout the racing season. Ever since we reached
the top in Pigeon racing, we have the feeling we are going to win every
race we compete in. I'm not been big headed when I say this, if you don't
have confidents in you birds then they don't want to be going to the race.
Q . Do you have any grills fitted in the floor or in the boxes, are there any advantages to using them? A. We once used plastic grills in the stock next boxes; I wouldn't like to say if there was an advantage in using them because our lofts are cleaned out every day through the breeding and racing season. The nest boxes are also cleaned out when there are babies in the nest, the grill would be more of an advantage to fanciers who haven't the time to clean out everyday. We have grills fitted on the stock loft aviary floor, they are regular lifted to clean and disinfect the wooden floor.
Q. What do you think about the vaccination programme for the pigeons and do you think it affects the pigeons long term? A. I have to go along with the majority of fanciers who cannot see the reason for vaccination the old birds every year. From our previous experience of clear eggs from our stock birds, I believe that the older stock birds are affected after years of vaccination. That's why we no longer vaccinate our stock birds, a great number of fanciers think the same because they no longer vaccinate their stock birds either. We have had very few clear eggs since we stopped vaccinating our stock birds; the eggs that have been clear have come from the first round that we put down to the cold weather or inexperienced yearlings paired together. Short term vaccinated birds will probably not be affected, other fanciers 7 to 8yo stock birds have been known to have produced a number of clear eggs after years of vaccination. A lot of fanciers will disagree with this for different reasons; a majority of Pigeons don't always fill their eggs. It may well be either the cock or hens fault, the cock could well have been too keen and not treaded the hen properly; the cold weather also results in clear eggs. We were getting clear eggs from our older stock birds later in the breeding season; that is why we believed the vaccination was taking the toll on our birds. I cannot say the same about our old bird race team because we have a youngish race team, we don't have birds over 4yo in our race loft. As for racing performances I have to say the vaccination doesn't affect the performances. It's not a thing I think about in old bird racing, I no longer think vaccination has anything to do with young bird sickness either.
Q. Do you attach any importance to grits and minerals or can the pigeons get what they want they are out of the loft? A. We believe all Pigeons need access to grits and minerals on a regular bases, they go mad the first time they are offered to them for a while. I don't think its necessary for grits and minerals to be down all of the time, they certenly need to be on offer through the breeding and racing period. Pigeons are like humans in the respect of craving for something, we have put grits and minerals down but the birds have not bothered with them much at first, go later in the day and they have enjoyed the titbits. The contents of pots do tend to become damp in the wet and damp weather when they are left down all the time. I don't have to tell you that this is not good for Pigeons; this can be avoided by just leaving the grit and mineral pots down for short periods of time. All our lofts have a covering of shell grit or sea sand on the floors, this is put down to make it easier to clean out and not really for them to pick about in but they do. We tend not to let our birds pick about in the soil too much as they can pick some nasty things up, mind you when they do get on the garden they enjoy themselves. Most of our loft area is covered with large pebbles; this does limit the birds to picking about on the garden.
Q. Do you use any floor dressing or do you clean the pigeons out daily? A. I should have read all the questions first before answering them, as stated in the previous question we use shell grit or sea sand on the loft floors and on the old birds top benches. The sand is scraped up from the beach once the tide has gone out; it is very clean and dry when applied to the floors. Both the old and young birds are cleaned out twice a day throughout the racing season; the sand is riddled each time the birds are cleaned out. Once the sand is spread a shovel or two of fresh sand is added to the riddled sand. On a Sunday the day after the previous days race, all the shell grit from the nest boxes, benches and floors are thrown out. The loft floors, benches and perches are blow-torched; they are then lightly sprayed with Duramitex or whatever we have on hand at the time and left to dry before a fresh covering of shell grid is applied. The stock birds are cleaned out once a day through the breeding and racing season, this is because their loft is a lot cleaner due to them been in the aviary most of the day. After racing and through the winter months the birds are cleaned out every other day, the old birds and stock are cleaned out one day and the young birds are cleaned out the following day. The floor covering is still replaced on a weekend through the winter months and blow-torched; the lofts are sprayed every 4 to 6 weeks. We bag up all floor covering and dispose of it regular, by not having a muckheap stops any Pigeons both our own and strays from picking about amoungst old droppings and possible old corn. There's nothing worse than Pigeons picking about on muck heaps, by disposing of the sand and dropping this way stops the birds picking up anything nasty.
Q. Do you like to have plenty of room for the pigeons? A. Plenty of room is a priority in the health of Pigeons, overcrowding is the cause of many unhealthy Pigeons. I can always remember Brian saying to a fellow fancier, I would rather build another loft than have the birds overcrowded. Looking at our loft set-up Brian has not spoken a truer word, we have a few lofts but there is always enough from for them. I cannot remember what year it was and that is not really important, we started to alter all the nest boxes at the end of the racing season to make them larger. It meant we lost a number of partings but it did give the breeding pairs more room, the new set-up resulted in having two nest bowls in one breeding pen. The two nest bowls in one parting provided a bowl for the almost ready to be weaned off babies and a bowl for the hen to lay her next round of eggs. The shortage of space and overcrowding will bring dieses; Respiratory is one illness all Pigeons fanciers want to avoid.
Q. 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? A. As this is a widowhood cocks question, I'll tell you our feeding methods. Our old bird and young bird racing team are fed the same; they are never starved and never over fed. They are working Pigeons that have to perform top performances right the way through the racing season, at times they have to rear babies in the nest so their corn intake will vary throughout the racing season. They have to be fit and full of energy, fail to provide this and you won't be going up to the prize table to collect any silverware on a presentation evening. We have fed our birds on Dufkey Elite corn since 1983; we find it good clean corn that is not heavy on the crop and easy to digest. The only time we mix our own corn through the racing season is when we think we need to beef the birds up a little for a longer and harder race. The few channel birds we race, corn is also beefed up. Once the racing season is over the birds are fed our own mix, this can change through the winter months depending on the condition of the birds at the time.
Q. Do you measure the amount that you give to each pigeon, or are they fed according to the individual pigeon? A. The morning feed is measured for the number of birds we are housing at the time, but they are often given extra corn if they are showing signs of being hungry. A hungry or starving Pigeon is not going to exercise in the afternoon, a bird that is full of corn is not going to do any favours either. The evening feed in the main feed of the day, the birds have done their daily workout and need the corn to refill the gap that has been left through their workload. We try to put back into the birds what has come out, so the right feed is essential in Pigeon racing. Many consider the methods of feeding the main ingredient to success; as Pigeons cannot perform to their true potential if they are over weight or under nourished. I can remember the late great Billy Napper once saying on a Pigeon moot panel, when I come home from a long hard shift down the mine; I need steak to build me up for my next shift, not cream cakes. That is why Billy fed his birds on a good hard corn which included beans after a hard days work, Billy would not have been so highly successful if he had fed his birds on wheat and barley.
Q. What problems do you think are most detrimental to race condition in modern day racing, both Old Bird and Young Bird? A.
Obvious the weather conditions have to be right to get a good race, especially
at the race point and a number of miles on route. Big group liberations
can cause some trouble for other organisations if they clash with their
smaller organisation; I don't think there is as much clashing now than
there was 10 or more years ago. The convoyer or race controller is in
contact with other organisations more now than they were ever before,
this has certenly reduced clashing. Channel racing has taken a hammering
in our area the past few years but other organisations have suffered big
losses on the same day as us; many good experienced Pigeons have gone
down. I don't know if this is due to poor information given to the convoyer
or some very poor unexpected weather has come out of nowhere.
Q. What do you think the sport should do to change things for the better, in relation to your point above? A. I believe the Up North Combine has changed things for the better by liberating the Pigeons earlier on very hot days when possible. The Combine has also put back basketing 24 hours from certain races when the weatherman has forecasted very poor weather for the Saturday but a better day for the Sunday. Once again this has proved very successful because the birdage has been up, a number of fanciers who had seen the forecast were not going to send any birds on the Friday night but did on the Saturday night knowing they would get a race. It was not only good for the UNC bank balance because they have saved on corn, but also good for the fancier because of the very good returns. The bringing back and liberating the birds closer to home when there is no chance to get a liberation form the scheduled race point is another plus factor over the years, if you can get a race on a Saturday instead of sitting it on until Sunday then do it. Like I said in the previous question another thing that has changed for the better is the convoyer or race controller are more in touch with each other now. Both the UNC previous chief convoyer Jim Gibbon and the previous chief convoyer Steve Profitt have many a time phoned a fancier in our area to see what the weather is like. Maybe because we are on the coast where the misty, foggy weather usually hangs around the high ground, like I said the convoyer might not always be fed the right weather information. The times he isn't can prove very costly with very bad losses; it's a thankless job at the best of times.
Q. Easterly or Westerly do you set any stall by the position and if so why? A. No we don't set our stall out for Easterly or Westerly winds, whatever the wind direction on the day of basketing could well change on liberation. The birds go through the same rountine throughout the racing season, by Thursday evening if the birds are not fit for any wind condition then they are got going to be fit for the following days basketing. The East wind will push the birds inside, the old birds usually cope with this but it has come difficult for them when they are liberated with the Border Federation because many of the birds over shot and sometimes end up in Scotland. Strong Westerly winds can also cause problems for the birds, even the more experienced old birds have failed to put their brakes on and over shot their mark many times. Widowhood cocks and driving cocks are usually the ones to suffer most, young birds flown on the darkness system more often then not blaze over the top on very fast days.
Q. Do you consider there to be any advantage having a racing partnership? A. Having raced both on my own and in a partnership, I have to say yes there is an advantage racing in a partnership. One advantage is that it's cheaper than racing on your own; the time factor has a massive say in a partnership. Brian does the majority of the training, while I'm at work he has exercised, basketed and away training before I get home. I arrive home from work and go straight to the loft to wait the arrival of the birds; it would be impossible for me to do this if I was flying on my own. The birds from training drop in anytime between 5 to 5.30 most nights, if I flew on my I would still be exercising the birds and cleaning out the loft. Not only that there would be no one at the loft to see the birds in, they would be either picking about on the garden or sat on the loft roof. We live in different villages so as the birds are at Skinningrove where I live, I can nip over to the loft a number of times to see if there are any late arrivals from the race. One of the biggest advantages in having a partner is when you cannot make it to the loft for whatever reason, you don't have to rely on someone else feeding, basketing your birds or whatever. There are a great number of other advantages in being in a partnership, but the one main thing you must have and that is an understanding.
Q. Are there any points that you disagree on and if so how do you compromise a situation where there is a different viewpoint? A. We have had disagreements and fallouts over our difference of opinions, there won't be many partnerships that have not disagreed or fallen out over Pigeons. Brian is not one who just goes and does something because he believes he is right; he will always ask me what I think of his plans. Most of the time he will say what he thinks is best and then tells me the disadvantage of the other, this has worked well in the past. It is no good going into something blind; once you have done what you've decided to do it's too late to change your mind when it has gone wrong.
Q. Do each of you have an area within the partnership where responsibilities take control regarding a decision? A. To a degree yes, the morning feed is one of them. I told you our birds morning feed is measured but if the birds look like they could do with a little extra, then I will do so. Brian controls all feeding but if he isn't there I have full control of the feeding, believe me when I say that if I have not got the feeding right then he will know and tell me that night or the following morning. Once again the feed methods a very vital to a winning team, get it wrong and you could end up paying very dearly.
Q. To term a phrase are you a professional team of pigeon fanciers and do your circumstances make a big difference? A. I regard the term professional, as doing something fulltime, both Brian and myself are working lads. Our system is worked around the time we have with our birds, I believe spending too much time with yours can interrupt your normal routine. We put a lot into our sport; Pigeons has been a major part of our lives for a great number of years. We have made it to the very top of Pigeon racing at the highest level and we aim to keep on producing top loft performances into the future. If putting everything into the Pigeons is classed as professional, then I would have to say we are professionals.
Q. Whenever I have visited a loft fanciers always look at the pigeons eye. Do you consider that the eye has any importance in (a) the breeding, (b) distance races (c) sprint races. (d) the pigeons health. Or do you steer clear of the subject and if so why? A. The first thing we do when handling any other fanciers Pigeons is to see how it feels in the hand, followed up by the balance, feathering and wing of the bird. Before we finally go to the eye we have made 75% of our judgment on the Pigeon, regardless on how strong the eye appears to be. We have had Pigeons with fantastic eyes over the years; obviously the 'Eye Sign Hen' was named that because of her cracking-breeding eye. When she was paired to the 'Mather Cock' they produced over 36x1st club winners including Federation winners, all their offsprings had quality eyes breeding a long line of winners. We founded our winning loft around this family; they were breeding winners whatever we paired them to. We have known good eyed Pigeons win or breed nothing, yes we look at the eye but it's the red cards that catch our eyes. Another quote from the late great Billy Napper one of the Up North Combines all time greats; when asked by a fellow fancier what he thought of one of his Pigeons eyes. I never look at a Pigeons eye; I always look at the feet the first one on the board on a race day.
Q. 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? A. We do use preventative medication on our birds but to the minimum, all fanciers have their own way of prevention of infection. We Cocci, Canker and Worm both our stock and race team prior pairing, the stock birds are never treated again that year. The race team will be retreated throughout the racing season if they are showing any signs of illness. All our Pigeons are part of our team, if anyone of them falls ill in any way they will be treated. If the bird doesn't look like it is going to recover to full fitness then it has to go.
Q. How many weeks do you think a pigeon can maintain it's form on the widowhood system for both cocks and hens? A. As natural flyers I can only answer that from what I have seen in other fanciers birds. I believe it all depends on the individual Pigeon, some cocks or hens will maintain their form longer than others. A number of birds form will drop and return later in the race programme, I don't know if this is due to motivating the bird in a different way. Up until about 6 years ago I understood you could get six good races out of a widowhood cock, I dare say that has increased over the years due to more experience of the widowhood system. We can get our team of natural Pigeons to maintain their form through the old bird inland race programme, some will reach their best form at the start of the year and others will come good midway and towards the end of the year.
Q. 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? A.
This was a specified number of weeks for sprint to middle distance races,
the widowhood cock team I was talking about raced from 50 miles from the
first race and 250 miles to the sixth race. After that they were over
the top, on saying that some fanciers have tried to keep their birds form
from the seventh race that was from 312 miles. I cannot really comment
on the question of can a Pigeon be prepared at fortnightly intervals for
the channel races, but as a scribe for the East Cleveland Federation I
can say I know of some fanciers who can prepare a Pigeon at fortnightly
intervals for the channel races to an extent. I have taken a quick look
through the 2003 channel race results from our Fed.
Q. Do you treat pigeons differently with their preparation if they are to go to the bigger races whether National, Classic, Specialist club or open? A. A number of fanciers will put a lot more work into their birds for the Combine races, we are not one of that number. We have a routine for our birds and we try to keep to it throughout the racing season, but things may change a little depending on the circumstances at the time. Pigeons like the simple things in life and keep changing things are not one of them.
Q. 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? A.
You don't make it any easier for me do you, question wise. Pigeons are
capable of racing both short and long distances races, some performing
better than others. I have seen some fanciers race certain birds week
in and week out and still send them to the channel races, a number of
these outstanding birds perform and win at all distances but a majority
of them home most of the time. I have known Pigeons win from 50 miles
right the way through to 500 plus miles, not that they were winning or
were timed in every week. Some Pigeons thrive on hard work; I know of
birds being sent to most of the inland races and then into a 450-mile
race and sent back again two weeks later to Bourges 540 plus miles and
are still in the clock from the longest race of the season. They probably
would not be in the clock from Bourges if it were a fast race; some Pigeons
are known as plodders and will get something out of the longest race the
longer it goes on.
Q. What proportion of you pigeons get better on subsequent trips to the long distance races and what do you call distance? A. We condition our birds for the 50 to 250 mile races; we would have to change our system to be able to compete at the distance races. I would have to say that a majority of our birds are at their best on harder days from the inland races, be it from 100 or 250 miles. Our Pigeons have put together some fantastic loft performances on fast days but they are few and far between compared to the harder races. I would say that our best loft performance on a fast day was from the old bird Folkestone (1) National in 1997 from a convoy of 25,199 birds, we timed three birds to win 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd club, 2 nd , 4th and 7 th Fed, 4 th , 8 th and 16 th Up North Combine with velocities of 1891, 1884 and 1880.
Q. Which is the more difficult, establishing a team of sprinter's or distance pigeons and why? A.
It has to be a team of distance Pigeons; there are only five Up North
Combine channel races a year so you are very limited on longer race experience.
It's obvious you are going to give your yearlings their first experience
from the first and shortest channel race, some will push the yearlings
to the second channel race and then hold them back for the final channel
race, which in the UNC case is from Lillers 311miles into Skinningrove
and the same race point as the first channel race. That is unless you
have not had any losses before you reach channel race five, the Pigeons
have gained some channel experience in their first year. At 2yo they may
well get the Lillers (1) race followed by Clermont a distance of 386 miles,
many fanciers will then give them channel race four of the programme which
is from Chenoise a distance of 442 miles. Again they could well get the
last Lillers race to round off their season, on saying that there are
some fanciers out there that will send yearlings to Bourges and do well
with them. But a lot of them have already established a distance family,
before I go on I have to add no way do I think I'm a channel flyer I'm
just giving my opinion of the question.
Q. 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? A. You are always going to lose Pigeons somewhere along the line, be it training, wires, Hawks or racing. We still race the bird after it has lost its partner; one thing we have to do is to make sure it does not upset any of the other pairings. The most important thing while racing the spare cock or hen is to motivate it, do this and it will come. Going back to 1999 when we lost the cock paired to 'Dorothy'; he had been flying very well for us winning and chalking up other positions in both club and Fed. 'Dorothy' had only been lightly raced that year, but she had been trained with the rest of her loftmates. We lost her mate from Melton Mowbray on the Bourges weekend; he went down on a daft 126-mile race when all his loftmates made it home. The Folkestone (2) National was the following week; 'Dorothy' was missing her love mate and showing signs of been proud. Brian motivated 'Dorothy' all the following week; she was really playing up to Brian. She was sent to the Folkestone (2) National spare but well tuned up, she was not a pool bird, simply because we had to pool the inform birds and the birds that were sitting right for the race. Despite how well the birds were sitting and how fit they were, they could not stop 'Dorothy' from winning 1 st Up North Combine from a convoy of 22,360 birds. You could hear other fanciers saying how could they send a spare Pigeon, many said we were lucky. If that was the case, then I will gladly accept that luck anytime. Little did the knockers know, that it was the fitness and Brian's experience that motivated 'Dorothy' to one of our most memorable wins.
Q. Sprinter or distance, there is no difference, it is all in the feeding? A. We believe it is in the feeding because you control the sprint Pigeons intake of corn, where the distance Pigeons controls its intake of corn. Sprint Pigeons are not covering the workload of a distance Pigeon; their diet is completely different. The sprint Pigeon can complete its tasks on a light corn, basically like the widowhood cocks. The distance Pigeons need the extra beans, maize, peanuts or whatever you may feed to carry them through the 15 to 16 hours on the wing, they would not be able to fly that many hours fed on a sprint Pigeon diet.
Q . If you could pass on one piece of advice or tip, at this point to fanciers old and young, what would it be? A. To obtain a family of Pigeons that you think will respond to you methods, there is no point obtaining winning Pigeons if you have no chance of providing the winning methods.
Q. 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? A. The wind and the weather play the biggest part of the outcome of a race, be it from 60 or 600miles. I have to say it's very difficult distance racing in the UNC a majority of the time and a lot harder to condition Pigeons flying into the North East of England. I have to be true in saying that the UNC boasts some of the best distance fanciers in the Country, it's just that the long hard slog up the North East coast on very hard days does not enable their Pigeons to prove themselves like they'd like to.
Q. What families of pigeons do you keep? A.
Our main family have been the Busschaerts since 1983, they have put together
numerous of top performances for 20 years. I honest believe that the Busschaerts
have been the most consistent breed for a great number of years. The Busschaerts
have won and are still winning at club, Federation, Amal and Combine level,
our family of Busschaerts have won at club level up to 300 miles but have
won from 540 miles for other fanciers. Over the years different lines
have Busschaerts have been introduced to our stock loft, they have been
successful when paired together and crossed with our other Busschaert
lines. In our view he Busschaerts have withstood the test of time, 20
years is a very long time to still have the same breed of family.
Q. How do you go about bringing in a new family and what do you look for? A. Regular top winning performances despite who the fancier is and where he flies, the family will have to quickly respond to our methods and be able to compete the family of Pigeons we presently house. The new family have to maintain their winning performances to unable them to remain at our loft.
Q. When you bring in that new family do you think that they need time to acclimatise, if so how long? A. We don't believe in giving Pigeons time to acclimatise at our loft, they have been brought in to do a job and to achieve it as quickly as possible. Start as you mean to go on, we have set our standards and they have to be achieved.
Q. 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? A. We believe a number of fanciers get very frustrated when they are not winning from their changed methods or breeds of Pigeons, that is why they are contently changing anything and everything. Sometimes these fanciers get lucky and produce winning performances, once they make it to the top they fail to maintain the winning performances to keep them there because they breed a winning team out and lose track of the winners.
Q. When looking for new pigeons do you look for a particular family, one for specialist races or club races or just by name? A. Sometimes we introduce new Pigeons to cross and blend into our current Busschaert family, we could buy a couple of pairs at first to see how they produce. If they deliver the good we will return to purchase more of that breed if still available. We did purchase six pairs of Busschaert for stock prior to purchasing six pairs of Steve Fenech Karl Boeckx, the well-bred Busschaerts failed in their quest to fulfil their potential and deliver the winning goods over the two year breeding period, they are no longer housed at of loft.
Q. Some fanciers go out and purchase good quality winning pigeons but never appear to make the grade, why do you consider that this happens? A. There are no guarantees winning stock will bred you winners, if that was the case we would all be winners. A winning loft is doing so because of the family of birds he has, his feeding, training and motivation for his birds are right. Numerous of fanciers have purchased top class stock but failed to produce winners, simply because their methods are not right. I can always remember a fancier saying to me; a good fancier cannot make a bad Pigeon into a good one. But he can make a bad Pigeon a better one because of his methods and experience. I have thought about the saying many times since that day, the Gentleman was right in was he was saying. I have gone a step further by saying, good Pigeons in the hands of a fancier using the wrong methods will not be successful as the good Pigeons in the hands of a fancier with the right methods.
Q. Early in the article we discussed the wind direction, do you consider that good pigeons will win in any position? A.
Yes we believe so but not always at top level, if the birds are fit enough,
healthy and motivated enough they will win regarding the wind and loft
location. I have wrote about some very outstanding Pigeons in a number
of my weekly race reports over the years, that have won when the wind
which will always have the biggest say in the race was against them. Just
going back to good Pigeons winning in any position but not always at top
level. Two very different races when the birds were liberated in a South
East wind provided two entirely different results this season and something
like this may never happen again.
Q. 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? A. We always have a gut flusher in the drinking water for when the birds return from a race; it's just something we think the birds need to give them a clean out after mixing and drinking in the basket with other Pigeons. Multivitamins are on offer to the birds later in the day when the Pigeons have been to the drinker containing the gut flusher.
Q. Do you race your pigeons every week or do you prefer to condition them for a specific race? A. If our birds are fit and healthy then they will go to the race, the birds are conditioned for the coming weeks race. They are rested after the race and then gradually built up for the following weeks race. Any Pigeon that is showing signs of tiredness will then be rested until it is right to continue its racing, a bird that is carrying a illness will be isolated, treated and cured before it is returned to the racing loft. Obviously hens that are due for laying will be kept at home, so too will yearling cocks that are driving their hen to the nest.
Q. Is there any specific condition that your pigeons perform best at, or any particular time of the year? A. Previous years have proved that our old bird natural team can hold their form right the way through the racing season. All the race team are paired up at the same time but some take longer to take to their new mate than others, this results in them laying at different times. Losing birds and holdovers interrupts your programme; but it does help in the long run. Birds are at their best at different stage s through their cycle,
Q . In your view do you think that a loft needs different pigeons for different distances? A. Yes we believe you need a sprint team to compete from the inland races and a distance family to compete from the channel races. As said before the feeding methods are totally different for sprint racing than hey are for birds being prepared for the distance races.
Q. Which of the two sexes do you consider is the most important when it comes to breeding? A. Our first thought was the hen but when we thought of some of our previous records, we changed our opinion to both. A top class breeding hen when paired to a top class breeding cock should produce winners, we have previously had a stock birds that have never been paired to anything else and they have churned winners out. We have also had a top breeding cock that has been paired to different hens over the years still breeding winners, we have also had the same results with the top breeding hen breeding the same winners with a different cock.
Q. 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? A. No the 'Eye Sign Hen' was only a medium sized hen and so too was her mate the 'Mather Cock', that did not stop them being responsible for breeding over 36x1st club winners. Their offsprings were all medium sized Pigeons that bred winners themselves, 'The Wednesday Cock' bred the winners when paired to a medium size hen and also produced some very good winners when paired to the 'Fat Hen' a very full bodied Louella bred hen. All fanciers have their own opinion on many aspects of Pigeon racing and big hens for breeding is one of them.
Q. Is there anything that you have not won in the sport that you would like to achieve? A. No, we have won at all levels winning flying inland 3x1st, 1x2 and 1x3rd Up North Combine, winning three Gold, one Silver and one Bronze Medal. It does not appeal to either of us to win Bourges or any other channel race, with have won club, Federation and Section averages what he wanted to win. I have to say I feel really proud to be able to say what I have said because you can go a lifetime and not achieve what you started out to do. We will be more than happy to continue to win at club, Federation and Combine level, it would be very fitting if we could win our fourth 1 st Up North Combine to equal the late great John Hall of Skinningrove and the equally great Bill Porritt of Staithes UNC record. To go onto win a fifth 1 st UNC would be out of this world, it's nice to think and talk about but that may never happen.
Q. Who do you consider to be the best fanciers in the Country and for what reasons? A. I consider the best fanciers in the County are the ones who are top prizewinners at club and Federation level year after year; fanciers who are always near the top at Combine level. These are the fanciers you have to beat to make it to the top of your sport, if you can not match their performances you are never ever going to be better than them. A majority of the Countries top fanciers put the same time into their birds than most other fanciers in the Country, it's just that they are better than the rest.
Q. What do you think can be done to take the sport forward? A. Sponsorship is vital to any sport and as Pigeon racing is a sport, we too need sponsors.
Q. Do you read many magazines/Articles, if so which type of article do you find interesting and why? A. Loft reports, it gives you chance to hear of top fanciers methods and opinions on Pigeon racing. More often than not you can pick up some very interesting and knowledgeable tips that will help you in future racing. I believe you are never too old or experencised to learn anything about Pigeons, a lot of the useful tips are both cheap and easy.
Q. What aspect of the sport interests you the most? A. Winning simply because we want to be winners, no one ever wants to know who was 2 nd .
Q. Which Champion pigeons over the years have left an impression on you and perhaps influenced your direction in the sport? A. 'Parkside Superman' is a Champion Pigeon who will always be the talking point in numerous Pigeon conversations; his race performances and prolific breeding ability will always be remembered. The Busschaert cock has both produced and been responsible for a lifetime of winners, it would be impossible to not have 'Parkside Superman' is your list of all time greats. Fanciers everywhere have won with the 'Parkside Superman' bloodlines, the 'Coppi Cock' and the 'Pe Hen' like 'Parkside Superman' will always be remembered for their record of producing Champions for decades. All three household name Champions would be priceless if they went under the hammer at auction today. Everyone has his or her favourite Pigeon of all time, 'Parkside Superman', 'Coppi Cock' and the 'Pe Hen' will always come into that category for a majority of Pigeon fanciers.
Q. 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? A. We would always Cocci, Canker and Worm our birds after the racing season, but it is a thing we have never done for a few years now. We leave our Pigeons to fight the immune system; it was something we were advised to do. Our Pigeons condition has not changed for not Cocci, Canker and Worming after racing, not that I would recommend it to other fanciers because they might well care to differ.
Q. When it comes to breeding do you line-breed or use a first cross or just pair winners to winners? A. We have done all three onetime or another, it has proved successful line-breeding, first cross and winners paired to winners.
Q. 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? A. As natural flyers we take one round of youngsters of our old bird race team, they never bring another round up after that. The only later bred youngsters we breed are for stock that are bred off our stock birds. We have done this many times over the years; previous to that we always found out that breeding late bred youngsters for racing were more trouble than they were worth.
Q . If your race team went off form during the season what action would you take to restore their condition? A. The only time our race team have lost their form is when there is something wrong with them heath wise, keep them fit and health and there should be no reason why your birds cannot perform right the way through the racing programme. Unless we have an illness in the loft and that is often picked up in the basket, it is very rarely our birds are out of the first-five in the club from the inland races. This old bird season we scored in all 12 inland races, chalking up 20 club positions in the first-five. We scored 16 positions in the first 20 in the Federation out of 1,865 birds up to 3,003 birds. We scored in 8 of the 9 young bird races chalking up 15 club positions in the first 5, we netted 13 Federation positions out of our 15 timers out of 1,943 birds up to 3,722 birds. We have had some birds that have lost their form throughout the racing season due to tiredness, they are stopped from racing and rested up for a one or two weeks.
Q . Is a favourable loft location the single biggest factor in sprint racing? A. At times yes, but you still have to have the birds to do it. Good fanciers with equally good Pigeons will win races no matter where they fly, a favourable loft location doesn't make a Pigeon or fancier any better than they actually are. A favourable loft one week can be at the most disadvantage the next race; it's a case of swings and roundabouts in Pigeon racing. Loft measurements have been the biggest arguments amoungst Pigeon fanciers since Pigeon racing began, the wind directions will always play the biggest part in winning races but if your Pigeons are good enough they will win through.
Q. 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? A. We don't keep our darkened down youngsters after racing; they are either killed off or sold on to fellow fanciers for breeding purposes. Time and time again we have been told we are wrong for not keeping our darkness youngsters for future racing, everyone is entitled to their opinion but that doesn't mean they are right in what they are saying. Not everyone agrees with our system but our birds must be happy with our methods to respond the way they do, I would never question our decision of not keeping the darkness youngsters because of previous records with them the following year, proves we have to be something right.
Q. 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? A. All our birds are worked hard and fed well, if you fail to do this then you will end up losing birds you shouldn't be losing. Some fanciers don't feed their young birds after Thursday evening in a hope they will race home faster; see how well they perform with the wind on their nose. All our birds get their feed on the day of basketing, they are never starved but their corn is cut back a little through the week when they are over weight. We will exercise the birds a little longer or even train them a few miles further to get their weight down; our birds would not exercise or win as they do if they were starved.
Q. What percentage do you consider it takes to win with racing pigeons for Management and pigeons and why? A.
50/50 because you need good management to win with good Pigeons long term,
as said earlier in the article about the fanciers changing for the sake
of changing. Keep changing long enough and you might get lucky and win
for a time but long term you will breed a winning team out and lose track
of the winners. Many fanciers have obtained top class racers and stock
to try and better themselves but if their methods are not right they will
not win like they thought they would.
Q. What is the farthest distance that you would train your old birds or young birds? A. We don't train our birds from long distances, 10 to 15 miles is normally far enough for our birds but they have been trained further in he past. We do what we think or know what is best fro our birds; looking through our previous race performances I cannot question our methods. I know of fanciers giving their birds 2, 3 and 4 50 plus miles training tosses each week, they are winning on this system. It's a case of do what you think is best for your birds and let the rest do what they think is best for their birds. What has always puzzled me is, what do some fanciers think they will get out of their birds by training them at long distances when they are not flying at the home-end.
Q. If random drugs tests were carried out on your pigeons, would it reveal any substance, illegal or otherwise? A. No, to use drugs or any illegal substance would be cheating and we don't need to cheat to win races. We would never give our birds anything that would consider we have cheated to win, drug taking and cheating is killing every sport. Our proudest moments in Pigeon racing is when we have gone up to that prize table to receive our silverware, cheating is wrong, very wrong because you are winning something you haven't won. You are taking it away form the best bird on the day, the bird that has beaten you because it was better than yours. There are some rules that we don't agree with, the rule where you have to have two signatures on your clock roll. Its neither the fanciers nor the winning Pigeons fault someone has forgot to sign the roll, it does not make the Pigeon fly any faster. Some clubs would award the 1 st to the winner with only one signature on the clock roll, while others would throw it out. We don't want to be first if we are second and we don't want to be second if we are first.
Q. 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? A. I believe we are still a long way behind the continentals in some but not all aspects of the sport; we have been way behind the Belgian Pigeon vets from the start. That is why so many Pigeon fanciers have their loft droppings and swabs done in Belgium, money seems to be no object on this so they would spend the same amount of money in this Country if they knew they were going to get the same service. Pigeon medication is a lot easier to obtain on the continent than here, mind you that could well be a God send because I'd hate to think what the outcome would be if certain fanciers could buy all Pigeon medication over the counter like asking for a packet of fags. I'm sure this Country is capable of producing Champion Pigeons to match any other fancier on the continent.
Q . 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? A. Some say Pigeon racing as a hobby has gone beyond the average working man years ago, they would not say that if you see how much money is been spent at Pigeon auctions every year. It will only become too technical and complicated if we let it, at the end of the day all the modern day fanciers want to do is keep it simple and they will continue to enjoy their racing like they have been doing since Pigeon racing first started. There is always someone who will try to better the sport for his own needs; this leaves the majority of the fanciers shaking their heads because they don't want the change.
Q. 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? A. No disrespect to anyone but limiting prizes to two per loft will not bring or keep fanciers in the sport, if you and your Pigeons are good enough you will win no matter what limits are applied. As said earlier, our Federation which is a very strong one at that. Changed the points system a few years ago from every Pigeon in the first 20 in the Fed scored points, to only your first Pigeon counts in the points. The good fanciers who were up or near the top at the end of the racing season then, are still in and around the top positions now. The only thing that has changed over the years is that club racing has become more competitive; no one is sweeping the decks in their club week in week out. If a fancier sends 20 birds in his club and wins the first-three positions, then he should win all the prize money.
Q. 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? A. It's not always possible for every fancier to move on from club racing, every fancier have different circumstances. We all try to fly our Pigeons where we live or close to where we live. The Up North Combine 26 race programme is all Federation races, there are two old bird inland Nationals and a young bird inland National. The five channel races are all Combine races; those who are winning at club and Federation level are also producing top performances in the Combine from birdage of 2,000 plus birds from Bourges and up to 30,000 birds from the inland Nationals. I'm not bothered which organisations any other fanciers flies in, they will not get any better competition than the Up North Combine.
Q. Do you attach any real importance to the pigeons 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? A. Every fancier looks at the Pigeons wing, some make the wing a priority in Pigeon racing while others take very little notice. We too look at the condition of our Pigeons wing, but we don't lay the law by it. We always take care of any young bird that is on its third flight; it's the babies first moult so more care is needed. The same does not apply to any of our old bird racing team, they can and have gone to the race in any wing condition, 'Dark 18' had not thrown a flight when he won 1 st Up North Combine.
Q. Do you use any form of heating system in any of your lofts. Do you think it would be advantages for the birds? A. With have never had any form of heating in any of our lofts; the Pigeons have their own body heat to keep them warm. We are big believers in plenty of ventilation both summer and winter, I can not see what advantages there are in fitting heating into the loft for the winter months. Pigeons have been rearing fit and healthy babies in freezing weather a lifetime and will keep on doing so well into the future. A number of fanciers leave the lights on in the loft when breeding so the parents can pump corn into their squabs at any time. Our stock birds have corn in front of them all the time they are breeding summer and winter, obvious there are not as many hours of light in December but still enough daylight to fill their young ones crops.
Q. 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? A. We never give our birds any special treatment on their return from a race, they have completed their mission successfully or not so they need to be left along to rest. They get their evening feed the same as any other night; they do get bathed the afternoon after a race. All Pigeons enjoy their Sunday afternoon bath, they have had time to rest from the previous days race so what's better than a refreshing bath.
Q. What is your view on pigeon shows and showing? A. We have always competed in the club, Fed and Championship Club shows, there can be some good money to be won and it breaks up the long winter months. It gives you chance to catch up on what's happen in the area and also gives you a chance to see what condition your fellow fanciers birds are in. Some fanciers like to see what the judge thinks of their entries, it gives some of them a peace of mind knowing some else thinks their bird have the capability to do well.
Q. 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? A. We are happy on how things have gone this season, we would not change anything.
Q. With your pigeon work do you have a silent partner i.e. wife, partner or friend, if so what part do they play? A. Whatever we win has come from both Brian & myself; we don't get and don't want any outside help from anyone. We both know what we have to do when the other one is not at the loft, you have got to have an understanding with each other and that cannot be guaranteed with someone else helping out at the loft.
Q. Is there anything that you do not like about the sport, something that you feel needs changing for the good of the sport? 81 Q. Do you compete in the National events, if not why not. Or are you happy to race in the club? 82 Q. Do you have any secrets about what you do with your pigeons and how you get them right? A. All Pigeon fanciers have secrets, some more than others.
Q.
Can you tell the readers your routine for preparing pigeons for the longer
races? Do you look forward to a channel race? 84. Q.
Is there a way that your pigeons let you know when they are in form?
Q. What do you think of veterinarians in the UK and have you had any dealings with them? A. They are good for cat and dog owners but not the Pigeon fanciers, they are vets not Pigeon vets.
Q.
What method do you use to select your breeders?
Q.
What materials do you use for nesting?
Q. Do you have a special method to ensure you breed as many young birds from the best pairs? A. We don't have any special method; we just float their eggs to another pair from time to time.
Q.
Please explain the method used from pairing up until the first race?
What
races do your long distance candidates get before their chosen race? 91. Q. What past mistakes have you learnt from? A. Too many Pigeons from different fanciers, instead of going to one loft and buying a batch of birds. There are something you cannot learn from because you will make the same mistake time and time again.
Q. How far do you send your yearlings? A. Some of the yearlings usually get one of the 311mile races.
Q. When do you let your widowers bath?
94. Q. Where and how do you house widow hens?
95 Q. How do you control ventilation in your lofts? A. By plastic shutters, the shutters are only put in place if the rain is driving in through the mesh windows. We always like to have a constant airflow running through the lofts, we believe it is good for the birds.
Q. Who or what motivates you to stay successful? A. Other fanciers who we want to beat every week.
Q. Which fancier has had most influence on the way you race your pigeons? A. No one in particular.
Q. What qualities do you think should be present in a so called Ace fancier and at what level do you think he must have obtained success before he/she can be rightfully called an "Ace" ? A. Consistency over the years at club, Federation and Combine level.
Q. 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? A. We think they have now run there course, many fanciers have learnt from Pigeon moots over the years. The panel will only tell you what they want you to know.
Q. What were the last four things that you put in your drinking water, when and why and did you notice any benefits? A. Multivitamins are a vital part in any racing team to unable to condition your Pigeons, they are used three times a week through the racing season and once or twice throughout the winter months. The gut flush is also used both racing and through the close season but this is only added to the drinking water every few weeks after racing. You can always quickly see the difference in the pigeons dropping when the gut flush is added to the drinking water. We don't add anything else to the Pigeons drinking water through the winter months.
Q. If you could only give your pigeons one supplement what would it be? A. For many years the only supplement we used to use was Aviform, the black molasses. It was added to the drinking three times a week, the Pigeons dropping were always spot on when Aviform was in the drinker. Aviform no longer sell the product, the popular product was taken off the market. If it was available to day that would be the one supplement we would give our Pigeons.
Q. Is your loft as strong as it was 5yrs ago? A. We would have to say stronger after winning the East Cleveland Federation combined average and the North Yorkshire & East Cleveland Section combined average for the past 2 years. We also won 1 st Up North Combine old bird Ashford (1) National from a convoy of 23,041 birds and 2 nd Up North Combine young bird Maidstone National from a convoy of 19,002 birds this season.
Q. Did you find your best breeding pigeon by luck or judgment? .A. Judgement, the 'Eye Sign Hen' and the 'Mather Cock' bred over 36x1st club winners including Federation winners; their winning offsprings went on to breed numerous of winners. 'Dark Destroyer' and 'Speckles' were also a good judgement pairing breeding over 36x1st club winners including Federation winners, like the 'Eye Sign Hen' and the 'Mather Cock' they were never paired to anything else. The '25 Cock' and the '43 Hen' have bred 3x1st Federation winners including 1 st Up North Combine old bird Ashford (2) National.
Q. If you were to go into another fanciers loft and were given the opportunity to leave with a pair of pigeons how confident would you be that you had chosen the best pair, or in other words do you consider that you are a good judge of a pigeon? A. If Brian was not 100% sure he had chosen the best pair he would be walking out of the fanciers loft with 2 empty boxes. I fully believe that if Brian was not a good judge of a Pigeon we would not have the long list of wins and averages to our credit. Winning Pigeons come from top breeding pairs, they are capable of doing this because of the right chosen pairings.
Q. For every 50 pigeons that you breed realistically how many of them would win at 500mls, based on your past records? A. It would be unfair to answer that as we don't send to the 500-mile race, it would be knocking the capability of our Pigeons in a way. I believe if we change our methods for the distance racing, then we would win from 500 miles.
Q. Do you have any further comments about anything that we may have missed in any area of the sport? A. One thing I would like to add is that, widowhood and distance flying is not the be all and end all in Pigeon. |
