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The Joe Murphy Column - 06-02-24

The Joe Murphy Column

I came across an old article written by the late Owen McIvor of Carnwath in 1982 and was quite staggered to find the problems back then are more or less the same as we have at the present time within our sport. We have now moved on 42 years and yet you would think we were stuck in an imaginary time warp.

Owen McIvor

Owen McIvor

Owen wrote; It is now a decade since I last wrote an article for the Homing World Stud book and I feel very honoured to be asked for a further contribution. In the 1971 book I gave a breakdown of my experiences over the previous 30 years as regards Feeding, Breeding, Racing and Showing, and I propose to past further comment on some of these topics in this article.

Feeding;

There is not much I can add on this subject. I still feed on a good sound mixture of Beans, Maize and a few peas. This year I got the chance of a few bags of wheat at a reasonable price from a local farmer and this was included in the mixture. It didn’t do the birds any harm. I have heard from various sources that peanuts are the feed nowadays, and the number of wins attributed to the birds fed on them would suggest that this is the case. However, being a humble working man, now retired. I am afraid they are a wee bit pricey for me. If by chance, I am offered some that may have ‘fallen off the back of a lorry’ I will certainly try them out.

Breeding;

Now here is a subject that I have always maintained is the most important part of pigeon racing and I stand by that statement. I am a great believer in the saying that ‘Blood will tell’; and I have made a practice of keeping a stock bird from my best pigeons. This I did in the belief that I could in time, reproduce grandchildren with the same winning genes and the character of these good birds. To give you one example of how successful this thinking has been I will quote my good blue chequer hen SUHW63 11558; ‘Tinto Sweetheart’. She won five times across the Channel including 2nd section SNFC Avranches. By the way I don’t want to digress, but as matter of interest, she was bed from a red chequer cock and a mealy hen and according to the theorists, any blue chequers b red from such a mating will be hens, and are recessive and no use for reproduction. At least so I have been told. Anyway, I bred a red chequer hen, SU69L 19517, from her and kept it for stock. From 19517 I bred a red chequer hen SU72L15530, which also won 2nd section SNFC Avranches like her grandmother among good national wins. This hen SU72L15530 then produced a blue chequer hen SU75L18595, which won 7th section 13th open SNFC Avranches. This year’s winner of 6th section SNFC Avranches a blue chequer pied hen SU79SN 9602 is a full sister of blue chequer hen SU75L 18595. The sire of these two hens is a blue cock SU71L 10286 which is also sire of my 1st section SNFC Nantes winner this year. Blue Cock SU71L 10286 was bred from stock from ‘Tinto Goldmine’ and ‘Tinto Never Say Die’. ‘Tinto Goldmine’ was five times across the Channel in two year including 5th open SNFC Avranches. ‘Tinto Never Say Die’ won six times across the channel in six years including 1st section 4th open SNFC Avranches.

Tinto MacSiccar

So, you see, grandchildren and great grandchildren of these good birds are coming up trumps now simply because I kept a stock bred from them to ensure the bloodlines were continued. Many fanciers don’t believe in breeding from birds over 5 or 6 years of age. The consider that young birds bred from older stock are not as vigorous as those bred from young stock. I’m afraid I cannot go along with this as I have bred equally as good birds from both young and aged birds. The details in the previous paragraphs are a good example of this.

A further example is seen in my blue hen SU79 9011 which was in the prize list from SNFC Sartilly this year being timed at 9-55pm on the day of toss. She is a granddaughter of one of the original blue hens, SURP58L 1656, with which I started the Carnwath loft in 1958. That is a span of 21 years between the grand dam and its granddaughter.

Last year I decided to prepare for the next ten year, I bred a pair of late bred’s from my stock cock SU71L10286, and his sister SU71L 10298, also stock. I have now two very robust blue cocks which I reckon should ensure the continuity of the strain for some time to come.

Racing;

As I stated in my previous article int eh 1971 Stud Book, I am primarily interested in 500-mile races. Since 1971 I have had varied success but in 1979 and 1980, although still winning the odd SNFC Certificate, I felt I was struggling and I went through a very bad patch. In these two years I lost six birds that had each won from 500 miles some of them four times. These birds were all lost from training tosses and short club races. You will appreciate that my performances suffered accordingly.

However, I retired from work at the end of the 1980 season and, during 1981, I was able to give my birds a bit more attention than they had been getting previously. I am pleased to say they have responded.

I have often sat and contemplated on the changes that have taken place in the racing of pigeons since I first started in 1939. Then, all transporting was done by rail. The birds were race marked at railways stations and put on to special pigeon vans.

The convoyer’s travelled in these vans with the birds and, on arrival at the race point, the vans were put into a siding. The convoyer’s then unloaded the baskets on to the platform about an hour or so before the liberation. This allowed the birds to orientate and they knew when they were going before, they were liberated.

How the scene has changed. Nowadays the railways don’t want to know us and practically all pigeon racing is done be means of road transport.

The birds are put into baskets or crates which, in most cases, are so constructed that very little daylight gets in once they are placed in the transport. In the modern transporter the baskets or crates are left in the daylight in the release flap which normally runs the full length of the basket or crate.

This flap is usually closely woven cane in case of the baskets or Hardboard where crates are used. In either case birds have no chance of orientation before release. However, we still get good races but it intrigues me to see fanciers, when training their birds, take the baskets out of the car boot and let them sit in the open for ten minutes before liberating. Why don’t they simulate the conditions in the transporter and liberate their birds straight from the car boot? Is it the case of ‘Old Habits die hard?’ It certainly poses the question, do pigeons require the opportunity to orientate before being released?

In recent years there seems to be an increasing number of losses, especially with young birds. These are not confined to federation races, where it has been known for practically a whole convoy to disappear, but to individual fanciers tossing their birds. They pick a day which they think is ideal for flying and alas, very few home that day with some struggling back the following day, and at the final count half of the team is missing.

There is considerable controversy as to the cause of these losses. One prominent fancier said to me that we used to breed a dozen young birds and expect to have 10 of them left at the end of the season. Now, he says, it is the practice to breed 50 youngsters and hope to have half of them left when the season ends. If this is the case then it follows that the more youngsters that are bred contain proportionately a bigger number of duds and therefore more losses.

Another school of thought maintains that the losses are caused by atmospheric conditions, possibly man-made. The point is that we don’t know how a pigeon finds its way home, but we do know that certain atmospheric disturbances, i.e. thunderstorms, with their accompanying electrical discharges, do interfere with their homing instinct. This is the age of technology and, as a result, we are constantly receiving signals from satellites. We are striving to perfect our radar system as witness the regular appearance of very low flying jets which, during the last three years, have been thundering over our fields and villages frightening the life out of livestock and humans. I nearly dropped my pigeon clock the other day when a jet screamed over my loft at, it seemed, less than 100 feet. My pigeons flew for two hours that day. Now I can’t image these pilots are flying at this height without a purpose. Might they be testing out our lates radar system? Who knows, but I have a feeling that immature pigeons, i.e. young birds, could possibly be influenced by radar or similar signals.

I think that the Confederation of Racing Pigeons Union should approach the Minister of Defence and ask if this was a possibility. I don’t think they would be giving any defence secrets away by making a statement. After All, pigeons were a valuable aid to communications during the last two wars, and the fanciers who supplied these birds are surely entitled to have their fears answered. I have no doubt I will be accused of talking a lot of nonsense. Maybe I am; but I feel that we must explore any avenue which might lead us to the cause of these unexplained losses. In the course of this article, I have touched on a few subjects each of which, I have no doubt, could be the topic of a good going debate and if so, I have attained my objective. Owen McIvor.

I found an interesting article written by Alec Ross of Laurieston from the North West Federation on A Tour Of Scotland in 1966; this was a blast from the past with some household names covered in this story; and I hope readers of my column find this of interest.

Our coach left Laurieston Club Rooms on our way to Wick after accepting an invitation from the members to spend a weekend with them. You can imagine the pigeon stories which were told. However, on our arrival at 7am we were met by eager fanciers, who had breakfast laid on in one of the biggest hotels. Afterwards we were introduced to our hosts, with whom we spent the weekend. We were amazed at the spirit which prevails in the North. As I have said on several occasions before, there is no incentive whatsoever to fly pigeons into the north, except for their own competition. They have a trophy to be won from Rennes within 10 days, a distance approximately 800 miles. Nevertheless, they carry on with this great sport of ours unknown to thousands of fanciers, without any chance of winning our classic races. I have not mentioned any names, but to the older school the name of the late William Miller (master baker and fancier), Arthur Bruce, A Rosie, J Sinclair etc, who tried for years without success. Basketing birds two days before we sent ours away, was even a bigger handicap. Mr Miller used to say the greatest danger was from the hawks and falcons that infected the coastline, hence the reason every fancier had to breed large teams of youngsters and a round of late-bred’s every year. Before taking leave of Wick, may I again say thanks to our fancier friends and their families.  

Still in the North, if you are ever near Elgin, stop and inquire for any of the fanciers. You will be made welcome, but like our Wick friends something should be done to encourage them in National races. My first visit was in the company of George Pollock and son George Junior, Alex Stobbo and William McIntyre, all from Bridge of Weir area. We were welcomed by Sandy Mutch, taken to his home and given the freedom of his house. Mrs Mutch, his mother, like Mrs Miller of Wick, couldn’t do enough for us. If you ever meet Sandy and he takes you to see the pigeons don’t be surprised if you spend most of the time looking at his rabbits.

Their annual show, which is named the Moray Racing Pigeon Show Association, held around the beginning of December, in the Drill Hall, brings an entry of over 500 birds, ranging from Wick, Thurso, Fraserburgh and Montrose with names such as Ritchie Whyte (Cairnbuig) T Ralph Lossiemouth show secretary; A Clayton, A Anderson & son, Grant Brothers, C Mackie, R Hadden, Charlie Ironside, A Munro and others, all from Aberdeen. A Bruce, R McDonald, C Fraser from Fraserburgh; and from Inverurie names like R Duguid, G D Smith, H Petrie, Young & McLeod, Eric Yule etc. (Who is still showing his pigeons along with this son; and winning even at Blackpool Show of the Year)

I am sure of one thing, if they ever come another 150 miles or more south to keep birds, some names you have just read would be prominent in our National results. Back to the show; which is usually opened by the Lord Provost or a civic official of high office who also presents to the winners an array of trophies which would grace many a bigger show, north or south of the Border.  

A most interesting point up North is the time limit on having their clocks checked. A penalty of 5 shillings is imposed after a certain hour which they pay gladly, even if only to win a certificate, as the monetary side is almost nil. Another point which might help some of us, the Council or Burgh has laid down a rule stating no more than 20 racing pigeons during the breeding season. This, of course, eliminates the mob fliers. The Elgin fanciers are most fortunate in having a lawyer, Mr Purcell, as their president.

A wee story before leaving the North; Sandy Mutch, waiting on birds from a race, saw one circling, race for a clock to his house, discovered he had left it in this care and went to the garage, remembers a mechanic from the local garage had taken same to have it serviced. He managed to get a lift from a van coming to his house, when he got down to the garage, he found is car was up on the ramp and the boys had gone home, so he had -had it.

Near at hand, at Lossiemouth, I had the privilege of handling one of the 500 milers belonging to J Spence, Coastguard, and like most fanciers to the north or south of them their aim is to have a 500 miler on the day.

Fraserburgh; Here if you happened to be fortunate enough to visit any of the fancier, the same atmosphere exists. The name of Mr Donalson, foremost in my memory along with Sinclair Brothers of Plean club. Here we were amazed to find in most lofts a great number of 500-mile pigeons. Whether this was mainly due to the position of Fraserburgh on the East Coast, or to the first-class fancier, I do not know, but I must admit the fanciers hear are most keen and technically minded. I shall not forget the lighthouse keeper’s wife; who keeps an excellent loft.

Please continue to keep the news flowing; to Joe Murphy Mystical Rose Cottage 2 Flutorum Avenue Thornton by Kirkcaldy KY1 4BD or phone 01592 770331 or Email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. REMEMBER THE J IN THE MIDDLE or log onto www.elimarpigeons.com www.fancierchat.co.uk www.pigeon-chat.co.uk who wish my weekly contribution portfolio on pigeon topics from Scotland

© Compiled by Joe Murphy