“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT.

Mick & Lorna Dickinson & Sons of Hemel Hempstead.

I recently visited the Hemel Hempstead loft of Mick and Lorna Dickinson to record their recent racing successes and I must say, they rarely have a bad season. The star pigeon of the last few years is their De Rauw Sablon blue hen, ‘Olive’ and what a beauty she is, being well balanced in the hand, with fantastic feathering. In the 2017 season she recorded: 1^st Section, 2^nd open NFC Messac (6,904 birds) and 4^th club, 16^th Federation Honiton (2,111 birds). She was sent back to Messac the following year and was the only pigeon missing on the day, only to return home a month later badly injured. ‘Olive’ now resides in the stock loft and Mick tells me her parents have bred nine different first prize winners. These are the highlights of the Dickinson’s recent seasons: 2017: 1^st, 3^rd, 11^th section, 4^th, 7^th, 32^nd open BBC Coutances (2.804 birds): 3^rd section, 36^th open BBC Fougeres (2,039 birds): 11^th section, 44^th open BBC Bordeaux (786 birds), 20^th section, 49^th open BBC Coutances (847 young birds): 1^st club, 1^st Federation Honiton (2.111 birds): 1^st section, 2^nd open NFC Messac (6,904 birds): 2018: 14^th section, 49^th open BBC Fougeres (1,818 birds): 11^th section, 48^th open BBC Fougeres (1,165 birds): 16^th section, 41^st open BICC Guernsey (2,190 birds), 16^th section, 41^st open NFC Sigogne (2,660 birds): 7^th section NFC Coutances (646 birds): 8^th section NFC Messac (646 birds): 2019: 3^rd, 4^th section, 4^th, 10^th open BBC Fougeres Old Hens National (323 birds) only two birds sent: 1^st section, 10^th open NFC Fougeres (6,678 birds): 15^th, 19^th section, 28^th, 54^th open NFC Coutances (3,246 birds) winning over £600 ‘Gold Ring’ money.

The Dickinson partnership have a wonderful garden and loft set at their home in Hemel Hampstead, which is complimented with a big beautiful fish pond in the middle. The loft set up is: a 38ft x 8ft block built loft with a tiled roof with a corridor throughout the four sections and a corn store/office. The sections are composed of a natural section, widowhood hens and two young bird sections. There is also a 16ft x 6ft wooden loft with two widowhood cock sections and an 8ft x 6ft stock loft with a 6ft x 6ft aviary. The lofts are cleaned out every day with the race birds being cleaned out twice a day when they out flying. All birds are paired up at the end of January with the race birds rearing one youngster each, some of these are swapped from the best pairs the stock birds who themselves rear two rounds. This gives Mick and Lorna a team of 40-50 young birds per year. The hens are taken away when they leave the second round of eggs and Mick trains the hens as much as he can before they are separated, providing the spring weather is good enough!

My previous visit to the Hamel Hampstead loft was for a YouTube filming session after their wonderful 2016 racing season, which saw them win a long list of premier positions including 1^st UBI Combine twice. The two Combine winners were both yearling widowhood cocks. On my visit the partner’s son and third pigeon partner, Stuart, told me, ‘another highlight of a wonderful 2016 racing season, apart from winning the Combine twice, was the Saintes NFC race, when we clocked six from our 16 birds sent and all were in the first 200 open in the result. We have been particularly pleased with the performances of our team of yearling widowhood cocks, which hopefully bodes well for next season’. The first Combine winner was the dark chequer cock, ‘933’ and he was purchased at the 2015 Spelthorne Breeder / Buyer Auction, being bred by the very successful Hathaway & Poole partnership of Egham. This game widowhood cock achieved club and Federation positions as a young bird and went on to win: 1^st club, 1^st Inter Counties Federation (2,322 birds), 1^st UBI Combine (3,330 birds) Yelverton, velocity 1290ypm and 2^nd club Honiton (234 birds). The other Combine winner was the De Rauw Sablon / Longhurst Janssen blue chequer cock, ‘720’ and his dam won 17^th open NFC Tarbes for the Dickinson loft. In the 2016 season he won 1^st club, 1^st Inter Counties Federation (1,140 birds), 1^st UBI Combine (1,850 birds) Carentan, velocity 1883ypm. Two fantastic yearling cocks!

Two other top yearlings for Mick and Lorna in the 2016 racing season were: the blue De Rauw Sablon cock, ‘734’ and winner of 1^st club, 21^st Federation Blandford (2,000 plus birds), 1^st club, 20^th Federation Salisbury (1,997 birds), 2^nd club, 11^th Federation Blandford (1,293 birds). The blue De Rauw Sablon / Longhurst Janssen cock, ‘745’ and he won 2^nd section, 20^th open NFC Ancenis in 2016. His dam won 22^nd open NFC Saintes and his sire is inbred to ‘Smallen 970’. Other top performers were: ‘411’ winner of 3^rd section, 5^th open NFC Coutances (1,858 birds), 129^th open BICC Le Mans (3,944 birds), 49^th open BBC Fougeres (1,856 birds), ‘740’ winner of 10^th section, 67^th open NFC Ancenis, 11^th section, 29^th open BBC Coutances (1,858 birds), 21^st section, 91^st open BBC Messac (1,616 birds): ‘208’ winner of 125^th open BICC Le Mans (3,944 birds), 137^th open BBC Fougeres (1,856 birds), 225^th open BBC Coutances (1,858 birds): ‘436’ winner of 23^rd section, 62^nd open NFC Fougeres, 5^th club, 7^th Inter Counties Federation (2,322 birds), 12^th UBI Combine (3,330 birds) Yelverton. A brilliant 2016 season put up by wonderful team pigeons.

I really first became aware of Mick and Lorna Dickinson’s outstanding racing performances after they won the Spelthorne Breeder / Buyer race from Yeovil in 2013 for the second year on the trot. My ol’ mate and Spelthorne Breeder / Buyer organizer, Terry Smart, took me up to Hemel Hempstead to meet the Dickinson family, and I must what nice people they are, making us very welcome. The 2012 season saw Mick and Lorna win 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th Spelthorne Open race and their fourth bird, which was bred by them, won 1^st Breeder / Buyer (£1,000). The partners have had a brilliant 2013 racing season winning: 45^th open NFC Messac, 55^th open NFC Cholet, 92^nd open BBC Carentan, 97^th, 99^th open BBC Niort (both pigeons found in the loft on my return from work), 49^th,  63^rd open  BBC Bordeaux, 17^th open NFC Tarbes, 1^st Spelthorne Breeder / Buyer Yeovil with Mick Nunn’s pigeon (£1,000), sent 16 birds to the NFC Carentan young birds National to win 35^th, 55^th, 57^th, 58^th, 280^th open (3,330 birds) and 39^th open BICC Guernsey (provisional).

Both cocks and hens are raced on widowhood, only seeing their mates on their return for 2-3 hours. Mick sends both cocks and hens to the inland races and once they have clocked two or three all the boxes are left open. At the channel races he always leaves one of the pair at home and the widowhood birds are then paired up for the longest races. The natural loft houses any later bred youngsters and any birds that did not make the cut for the widowhood team, and these birds are eased into the season, being mostly sent later in the year. The birds are fed on a number of brands of corn to give as many different grains as possible and he will add peas when breeding and maize when racing. The partners also feed a conditioning seed and peanuts.

The premier racers in the loft at the time of my first visit were: ‘43178’: a Janssen / Van Hee from Mike and Edna Shepherd of Stevenage and has won in 2013: 6^th Sect. E, 17^th open NFC Tarbes, 98^th open BBC Niort, 151^st open BBC Carentan: ‘68790’: 55^th open NFC Cholet, 114^th open BBC Fougeres, 340^th open BICC Alencon: ‘29510’: 22^nd open NFC Saintes, 72^nd open BBC Poitiers: ‘15208’: This yearling widowhood cock has so far won; 45^th open NFC Messac, 92^nd open BBC Carentan, 290^th open NFC Carentan. A fantastic team of National and Classic racer!

When I asked Mick about the early days and how in started up in the pigeon racing sport he told me, ‘I was born in Chipperfield, a small village about five miles from where I now live. I started keeping pigeons with some fantails which I caught from a dove cote when I was nine years old and my first racing pigeons came from Bob Anderson of Watford, who worked with my father at the ‘Sun’ printers. My grandparents lived nearer the school I attended, so I kept my pigeons in their garden and I also kept chickens there. I used to do a paper round and worked on a farm, to save enough money to buy an 8ft x 6ft shed which was my first proper loft and started racing at 15 years old, when I joined the Hemel Hempstead North Road Club which had about 60 members; unfortunately the club disbanded some years ago. I used to take pigeons training on the back of my motorbike and I never had any shavings left in the basket when I let them go! In those early days I used to help work out the club results and this was all done by hand, using long division with some of the clocks varying by 4 or 5 minutes. I remember the old Toulet clocks, when the strike from the second bird in the clock would be in before the first bird and the strike would cover about 20 seconds - those were the days! My first strain of pigeons I had were Sions, which I obtained from a fancier who ran a pub in Edlesborough, near Leighton buzzard and a young bird from them won my first card, 6th club Newark. After a few years on the north, I joined the Boxmoor South Road Club of which I am still a member. After getting married and starting a family, we have two sets of twins, three boys and a girl, I had a few years away from club racing due to work and extending our house, but I still sent to the National races when I could. I am a self-employed builder, which is the wrong trade for pigeon racing, being very busy in the summer and quiet in the winter’.

Mick and Lorna have eight pairs of stock and these are mostly Janssen’s from C & J Wheeler of Linslade and some Jan Arden’s brought in this year in the form of four De Raw Sablon hens. Lorna told me, they have found the Janssen’s good up to 400 miles so, they  have recently introduced some distance birds. Their best stock hen, ‘The Longhurst Hen’, was purchased from the late Roy Longhurst’s sale for only £15. This Janssen hen has been a champion breeder in the stock loft and has bred birds to win; 55^th open NFC Cholet, 38^th open NFC Saintes, 114^th open BCC Fougeres, 22^nd open NFC Saintes, 69^th open NFC Saintes, 72^nd open BBC Poitiers, 32^nd open BICC Alencon, 70^th open NFC Saintes, 53^rd open NFC Saintes, 46^th open NFC Saintes and many other positions. She is very much the grandmother of the loft as her progeny have also bred many of Mick and Lorna’s best birds. They have also over last two years introduced some young birds from Dave Hazel of ‘Lezah Lofts’ for the distance races. These have crossed in particularly well with the Janssen’s and they won the Spelthorne Open race in 2012 with one, and their first young bird in this year’s NFC race, 35^th open (3,330 birds) is a cross. They told me, they are looking forward to the next few years distance races, where this new stock will hopefully perform at the distance also.

Their racing is targeted at the National races and competes in the NFC, BBC and BICC every season. Mick says, to prepare the birds for the national races we send to Boxmoor HS club races when we can and this is a very competitive club; with members including some of the strongest fliers in the country; M/M Corkett & Sons, Chitty Bros, M/M Carrick & Son, Terry Haley, Burgin & Marshall, Jeff Poole and Steve Buckle. Mick and Lorna would like to thank Dick Burgin for all the work he puts in to the club and for the training; he was good enough to take the young birds to Basingstoke for midweek training most weeks in 2013. After racing has finished in October all the birds are separated and moved to the brick built loft where they are left to go through the moult and they add barley to the mixture, and they are not let out (to avoid the hawks) until they are paired up in January. Mick said, ‘I have held most of the jobs in the Boxmoor club, including two five year stints as secretary and I also ran the Hemel Hempstead clock station for the National flying club for about 30 years. Today we race as Mr & Mrs Dickinson & Sons, with my wife Lorna being a massive help in the pigeon management, and she looks after the darkness young birds, and also takes care of any jobs if I am late home from work. My son Stuart, who lives close by, still takes a keen interest in the birds and helps clock them in on race days’.

Jeff & Sherry Poole of Kings Langley.

The month of September saw Terry Haley and I visit the loft of Jeff and Sherry Poole for a YouTube filming session and they had enjoyed a brilliant 2016 racing season winning: 2^nd Club Salisbury, 2^nd, 3^rd Club Blandford, 1^st, 8^th, 9^th Club, 15^th, 16^th, 17^th,44^th Federation, 30^th, 31^st, 32^nd Combine Yelverton, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 9^th, 12^th Club, 1^st, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 23^rd Federation, 4^th, 7^th, 10^th, 11^th, 13^th, 42^nd Combine Coutances, 5^th, 7^th Club, 10^th Federation Honiton, 7^th, 12^th, 13^th Club, 10^th, 19^th, 20^th Federation Carentan, 2^nd, 8^th Club Exeter, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th Club Carentan, 3^rd, 7^th, 8^th Club Blandford, 1^st Club, 1^st Federation Salisbury, 2^nd Club, 2^nd Federation Salisbury, 5^th, 17^th, 30^th, 34^th section, 13^th, 48^th, 90^th, 113^th open BBC Coutances (1,860 birds), 5^th, 6^th, 17^th, 28^th section, 44^th, 48^th, 79^th, 127^th open BBC Messac (1,616 birds), 18^th, 28^th, 44^th section, 25^th, 43^rd, 89^th open BBC Fougeres (1,857 birds), 12^th section, 46^th open BBC Bordeaux, 26^th section, 104^th open NFC Coutances. Jeff and Sherry are lovely couple and made us most welcome at their wonderful home just off the M1 Motorway in Kings Langley. The partners have a beautiful big garden with the smart loft set at the bottom and keep three big dogs, a few laying Chickens and a big Carp pond near the house. It really was a pleasure to be there!

Since my visit the Jeff and Sherry’s home in 2016 they have had some more outstanding racing success in recent seasons winning: 2017: 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th club, 1^st Federation Lyndhurst,  1^st, 2^nd club Honiton, 1^st, 2^nd, 4^th club Lyndhurst, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd club Blandford, 1^st, 2^nd club Exeter, 2^nd club, 3^rd UBI Combine Carentan, 14^th, 16^th, 17^th, 30^th, 47^th section, 45^th, 48^th, 50^th, 104^th, 171^st open NFC Coutances (3,271 young birds), 6^th, 20^th section, 52^nd, 140^th open NFC Coutances (964 old hens), won the ‘Young Bird Average’ in the Inter Counties Federation: 2018: 1^st, 2ns, 3^rd club, 1^st, 2^nd, 4^th Federation, 2^nd, 3^rd, 6^th UBI Combine Falaise, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th club, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th Federation Lyndhurst, 2^nd, 3^rd club, 2^nd, 9^th Federation Blandford, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 7^th club, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 7^th Federation Carentan, 28^th section, 50^th open BICC Guernsey (2,190 young birds): 2019: 2^nd, 3^rd, 5^th club, 12^th, 13^th, 14^th, 17^th Federation Falaise, 2^nd club, 2^nd Federation Lyndhurst, 1^st, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th club, 1^st, 11^th, 12^th, 13^th Federation Falaise, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd club, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd Federation, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd UBI Combine Carentan, 8^th, 9^th, 10^th section, 9^th, 12^th, 13^th open BICC Falaise (2,546 birds), 3^rd section, 13^th open BBC Fougeres (743 young birds), 2^nd section, 3^rd open BBC Falaise (332 old hens). Fantastic pigeon racing!

The partners have enjoyed several great seasons, but they had a super 2013 young bird season racing in the National and Classic, winning: 14^th, 75^th, 77^th, 87^th, 338^th open NFC Carentan Young Bird National (3,330 birds), 4^th, 6^th, 31^st, 50^th, 51^st open L&SECC Guernsey (young bird). Jeff and Sherry have won many premier positions in Combine and Classic races up to 400 miles in recent seasons racing on the roundabout system. At the end of the 2012 season they sent five young birds to the Stevenage Open Race and won 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th open, lifting all the pools. Other highlights have been: 1^st section, 3^rd open L&SECC Guernsey, 3^rd section, 11^th open Messac and they won 1^st open UBI Combine (three Federations) from Carentan. Jeff and Sherry’s Combine winner was their yearling Van Loon blue cock, ‘North Grove Supreme’ and he was bred in the stock loft from their best Paul Russell pair.

The first question I asked Jeff was how did he start up in the sport and he told me, ‘I was born in South Oxhey, near Watford and my brother and I had pigeons. We had a few pigeons as boys from the local market and from an old clock tower in Pinner, but our first proper loft was a gift from an old pigeon fancier called Nap Perry whom we didn’t know too well at the time. After a few years the birds went and football took over. I played football twice a week, also trained twice a week and spent most of the weekend recovering with the knocks to the old legs. I now play golf when I am not racing the birds at the weekends, I am an 11 handicap. I got married at the age of 20 and by the time I was 23 had two children and was looking for a hobby to do at home with my kids. My next door neighbor’s brother in law was Mick Brimicombe and he had pigeons and suggested getting some pigeons and joining the Oxhey Flying Club. My first loft was ‘L’ shaped, 24ft long with 3 sections, one for stock birds, one for young birds and one for racing old birds. The loft had an open dowel fronted and a high landing board, with a bob wire trap. The first pigeons came from all over the place and my first winner was a Blue Bar hen, which I had lost a month before. She came back to me in mint condition obviously been kept in and we were racing from Berwick, some 300 miles on the North Road, on a wet day and not many birds got home. I got to the club to find only two members with clocks and Stan Dolling asked have you got one, and I replied, no I have got two. Much to his disbelief I won 1^st and 3^rd club! Terry Haley was the man to beat at that time as he was always there at the top and Mick White of Wood and White had some top Kirkpatrick pigeons that always looked immaculately turned out, whether it be racing or showing. I had a pigeon for about ten years and then left the sport due to work commitments. Then I moved to my present address with my new wife, Sherry, and we have enough land to fly pigeons with only one neighbor to consider. Terry Haley bred me a pair to fly around the house and then the pigeon bug bit again’. On Jeff’s return to the sport he started to look for a family of pigeons to fly from 50 through to 400 miles and on looking on the ‘Elimar’ pigeon website, and he found a clearance sale of Van Loon pigeons from a small team flyer who had winning birds from Paul Russell of Essex, who was not very well, and had to give up the sport. Racing the first young birds they won Jeff three races and then at the end of the season he entered five birds in the Stevenage Open race from Blandford, winning 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th, lifting all the pools. What a lovely end to his first season back racing!

His new loft at Kings Langley was made by Eco Lofts, who made a lovely job of making sure it was level and put together well. Jeff’s very smart 56ft loft is ‘L’ shaped, with two widowhood sections fitted out with 24 boxes, one hens section and a 20ft young bird section with a 10ft wire flight built on the end. The structure has a 2ft corridor running along the front, four louver vents on the front and two big vents in the roof. Jeff maintains, good air flow is a must in any pigeon loft and his young birds go in the flight, and with all the fresh air always look brilliant. On the loft floor he used a good layer of sharp sand at all times and told me, ‘I always have used sand, it is easy to clean and always dry. I clean out every morning before work whilst the birds are exercising and at night when I come home. If I am running late my good wife, Sherry, helps me out with the loft management. She is the greatest and will help out with anything around the pigeon set up at home, and enjoys coming to the club and training’.

That year he had tried the roundabout system and the hens have flown very well and the cocks have performed even better. Jeff is an early riser and the hens go out at about six o’clock in the morning every day come rain or shine, and they will fly for about an hour, whilst he starts to clean out the lofts. He moves the cocks over to the hens compartment and traps the hens into the cocks compartment, where he feeds them in their cocks box. The cocks are then let out and the hens moved back to their compartment. Jeff then has to leave for work so Sherry gets the cocks into their compartment with their feed in their boxes. The cocks and hens are both trained two or three times a week down to Basingstoke (40 miles) and on Thursday's they are given as much corn as they want to eat. On Friday mornings they all go out for their exercise and are fed in their boxes, but normally don’t eat much. On Friday marking nights the hens are shown to the cocks just before basketing and then taken to the club.  The partners sometimes break down the birds at the beginning of the week, depending on how hard the race has been and on their return from the race they stay together for about an hour, depending on how they race. At the moment Jeff has only raced up to 400 miles and at the moment he is looking for pigeons to fly the longer races, but says that takes time to get right. There is no fancy feeds fed in the Poole loft, only best ‘Titmuss’ Widowhood mixture for the old birds and Young Bird mix for the babies, and they look and race very well on it. Depatagoon grit and minerals are always on hand in the lofts, and they love it. Clean bowls and water is a must every day.

The main strain raced is Van Loon and at the present time Jeff and Sherry have 12 pairs at stock, and they are paired up at the beginning of December. The stock loft has light and heating for those colds nights. They are fed ‘Titmuss’ Breeding mixture, with plenty of grit and minerals, and they love ‘Homoform’ twice a week. The stock birds when feeding young are fed in the boxes and a hopper on the floor, using this system the young birds seem to pick up quicker that way. Sherry told me, new stock birds brought in needs to be either from wining birds or from birds that breed winners. The cocks want a nice bold head and full body, bright intelligent eyes and calm. The partners hate pigeons that are too flighty, as they seem to breed the same. Last year they purchased some lovely Van Loon birds from Planet Brothers and some others at the Blackpool Show from the Bolton and Williamson / Van Loons bloodlines. Jeff told me, ‘ I’m not really a believer in eye sign, but I do like to look and see a nice bright eye that shines, this is always a good sign in a pigeon, along with snowy white wattle’. In 2013 Jeff and Sherry have bred about 90 youngsters, 70 for their own racing and 20 are gifts for others to fly. The young birds are hopper fed to appetite, with grit and mineral before them at all times. They are put on the ‘darkness’ system on the third week of March and stay on it until the second week of June. Jeff ‘darkens’ at about 16.30hrs and then lifts the blinds at 22.30hrs that same evening so they see the sun rise next morning. Doing the system this way he has found that when he starts training the losses are very few, in fact this season he lost only two birds in training. Sherry told me, ‘if the young birds want to pair up we let them. Sometimes two hen’s pair and lay four eggs, and this happened at the end of last year's young bird racing when we sent five birds to the Stevenage Open Race. Two hens had paired together sitting four eggs and those two with two others won 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th open, and all pools. The young birds will all fly the program if fit’.

Jeff is a roofing contractor by trade and says, ‘my lovely wife, Sherry, is a real diamond! She is always there to help out whether it be training, cleaning out the birds or getting them in from exercise. We always go to the club marking and shows together, and with the lads from the club, to trips to Blackpool, Belgium and Holland. Every fancier should have one, she is great! At present she is the club press officer and always takes Madeira cake to the pigeon club on a Saturday night for Terry Haley and Brian Chitty. I must admit I do like the one day races up to 400 mile, but I will be having a go at the longer races soon. I have had a few pleasing races in the past and I think you always remember the great feeling of pleasure from your first win. But to win the Combine is always very pleasing, as was to take the first four positions in an Open Race. At present I have a very good pair of Van Loon pigeons from Paul Russell. In their first year together for me they have bred pigeons to win the first three in an open race, 1^st section 3rd open London & South East Classic Club Guernsey, 3^rd section, 11^th open Messac and three birds to take first positions in the club. The Van Loon pigeons will race very well up to 400 miles’.

Jeff is the ‘club chef’ at the Boxmoor club and if the sun is out and it is warm on Saturday evening after striking the clocks, there will probably be a Bar BQ. All the members bring something to cook and Jeff’s assistant, Terry Haley, will oblige and cook it all on the Bar BQ and then wash it down with a few well-earned pints. Jeff says the Boxmoor lads are great company to be with. He thinks it would be great if all the smaller clubs, which struggle to survive, would amalgamate together to make bigger clubs, for more enjoyment for all and better racing. Jeff also thinks the racing of pigeons has moved forward with the new systems to race pigeons and hard work does pay if you want to be successful. His advice to new starters in the sport would be to start with a good dry loft with good air flow. To look for the right pigeons for the distance you want to fly and to make sure they are from winning lines of pigeons, and don’t keep too many pigeons. Twelve good pigeons are better than 50 average pigeons and keep them clean and healthy. Jeff maintains, in the Boxmoor club they have four or five top pigeon men, but if you are in the clock before Chitty Brothers or Terry Haley, then you not normally too far from the top. The Poole partners are not averse to inbreeding but winner to winner normally produces the goods they want. Late bred pigeons are hard work and very unpredictable, but can sometimes breed good racers in the stock section. They like tame birds, it makes for a happy loft and they think most race better. The moult period is a very important time of the year and the birds are parted at the end of old bird racing and allowed to rest. They are exercised once daily in the winter months and have a bath at least once a week. They are put on a moulting mixture when parted. Jeff would just like to finish by thanking the members of the Boxmoor Club, for their congratulations on their good wins in the 2013 season. They are a fantastic bunch of lads and a very friendly club and a joy to fly with.

Thanks to my ol’ mate Terry Haley for making the arrangements and riding ‘shot gun’ on this great loft visit. I can be contacted with any pigeon news on telephone number: 01372 463480 or my new email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT (www.keithmott.com)