Questions Answered

Q. Received 11.09.08 "What type of birds are they and do they race widowhood on the Channel?

A. I am a widowhood racer but this year the first Midland National race was such a disaster after a five day holder I had to re-think. I am never seen pigeons come back so shattered. Not just tiredness but emotionally. To give them the love of home back I paired then up and flew the rest of the National season on natural. Something that was pretty scary for me as I had never done it before but when "Just JIm" won 1st section 2nd Open from Tours MIdland National, sent on 17 day eggs, a condition that everyone says is useless for cocks, it backed up what I have always thought. Good pigeons, healthy pigeons win races, simple - no gimmicks.

As for the family that is not an easy one to answer as I am not very interested with names, pedigrees, etc. A pigeon first has to have balance, be of medium build, have super smooth silky feathering and a bright eye (not interested in eye sign just as a sign for their health). Once they have all these it is just down to results, in this I follow the feet sign? "first feet through the window on a saturday". I will buy pigeons from anywhere providing they are racing the sky out and they have the previous selection qualities. Good pigeons very often have good pedigrees though.

I have removed pigeons from the loft that have won first prizes for me but continue to breed pigeons of poor structure and dry feathering etc. Winning pigeons come in all shapes and sizes, of that I have no doubt, and you have to find a pigeon that you like but at the end of the day it is the same for all sportsmen. Long distance runners are light and small, sprinters are muscle bound for explosive starts etc.

I concentrate on two types of pigeons, Good and Bad. The good ones I keep, the bad ones I cull. I never try to breed from anything further than a son or a daughter or Grandchildren. If grandchildren are used it must be from a Multiple winner and I would pair this grandchild back to a multiple winner. If I have an unraced stock pigeon it MUST be paired to a winning racer, I never pair two untried pigeons together regardless of their bloodlines. Hope that's clear.

In a nut shell they are Webster pigeons, bred, selected and culled to my own requirements. Once all the birds are uploaded on the site you will see, some of them have super pedigrees and are off famous families but that is fluke, they were not brought for that piece of paper. I have never asked for a son or a daughter off this or that I have first selected the pigeon in the hand, then asked of the performances then purchased the pigeon, the pedigree would then follow. If I recongnise pigeons on the pedigree then great, it i a bonus, if not no worries, its simple I trut my judgement. My good friend Dean Cartmell has been with me many times when I have follwed this procedure. I have a direct son of Paniko who was 5th National from approximately 45,000 birds. It was a pleasant surprise when I got the pedigree. I do not follow fads, I have a lot of friends in Belgium and Holland and if you do study pedigrees they are always birds dropped in here and there from other flyers. The real shame of the whole thing is can you really trust what is printed on a pedigree anyhow ? peple do make genuine mistakes. Results and Results only, learn to trust yourself, not fads. Updated 13/10/2008

Q. Received 13.09.08 " Whats the different feed between the Inland and the Channel ? "

A.Difficult one to answer on an email but in a nutshell the feeding for the channel should be designed over a two week period, in my opinion. The first week you should concentrate on your proteins etc and the second week concentrate on your fats, proteins for muscle building and recovery and fats for energy. As far as the Inland racing is concerned people do tend to overfeed but I use Geri plus combined with a standard widow mix plus fats for thursday and Friday morning, hope this helps. Feeding is the key.

Q. Received 21.09.08 " Whats the basic concept of your breeding programe "

A.Basically I only ever allow winning pigeons to breed, the others are used as feeders. Winning pigeons are only ever paired to winning pigeons or the sons and daughters off winning pigeons. If I purchase a pigeon that is an untried pigeon, for example my son of Paneko who was 5th National from 45,000 birds he will only ever be paired to one of my winning hens, ie Bella 3rd Section 15th Open BICC 4550 birds. This is because although he has the winning genes of his father he is technically an unproven or was when I purchased him. I hope this makes sense as it is difficult to explain by email. Another example is I have 11 daughters off my no 1 stock cock, every one of these has to go to a performance cock not an untried cock. By only breeding off your winning pigeons you are stacking the odds more in your favour. There are plenty of winning pigeons that come out of a pair of yearlings that have won nothing but it is all about doing as much as you can to help the situation along, the proof is in the pudding as they say mate. Hope this helps.

Q. Received 10.10.08 "What are your thoughts on loft design and ventilation"

A.My god, have long have you got, this is going to be a difficult one to condense down. Basically my thoughts are the best ventilation comes from the eaves of a loft (Old bird loft, I like young bird lofts to have avairies on the front) I do feel that if you cannot succesfully ventilate a loft from the eaves then you have too many pigeons in the section. Air exchange is the key, if you can smell the pigeons the exchange rate is wrong/to slow - you need a quicker exchange. A good loft will bring the condition of a pigeon on all year, they will glimmer and radiate health. I do not think temperature is important (all my birds winter in avairies whatever the weather from July to end of December). What is important with temperature is OXYGEN, a lack of oxygen is the main killer of condition for pigeons, especially when it is hot. ( I am obviously talking about racing not winter months here) One of the biggest tips I could give to anyone is to frequently check the loft under all weather conditions and monitor the temperature once they have completed the build, this will help you achieve a working loft for the racing season. When I was setting my own lofts up I kept a diary and recorded the temperature every three hours right through the night, all night, I know sad isnt it. Pigeons will do well in all temperatures, even 40 degrees if there is plenty of oxygen and the temperature doesnt drop too much at night. Remember I am not talking about the winter months here I am refering to our racing season and especially to our old birds, and about maintaining form throughout the racing season. A loft should be dry, the design does not matter, the pigeons should be happy and it should be practical for you, the more comfortable you are in the loft the easier you will find it to go that extra mile for the birds when required. The direction it faces does not matter but you must be prepared to make changes to suit your final position, for example if a loft faces due west (like my young birds sections) you must increase the light in the rear of the roof to get more light and the morning sun into the pen as it will not get any direct sunlight on the front of the loft until after 2.00pm. This is of course is in my opinion. I think the only effect the loft position has, is in having an effect on the landing for the birds due to the wind direction etc. I know a lot of the top continental fanciers who face their young bird lofts due east as the wind is normally from the south west so the birds find it easier to land to the pen? food for thought maybe? Anyway I hope this gives you a brief insight to my thoughts on your question. Hope this helps and doesn't confuse issues for you.

 Updated on 13/10/2008

Q. Received 20.11.08 "Just wanted to ask, what do you think about love matches? Coming to the breeding season and not really having any results to go by for 2008 as I only raced one young bird race. I want to have love matches, to help me in racing for next year with the cock and hen being more in touch with each other but I don’t want my big pigeons breeding to big pigeons as last year I got a monster"

A. In a nutshell, I think love matches are the best for racing, and I normally select pairs for breeding to preserve blood lines etc, although I am not against love matches in the breeding loft but you have to help the situation along and select the pigeons in the section first. I am debating doing love pairings in my stock loft for the first two rounds to try for my own racing and then re-pair to maintain the lines as I would normally. As for your big pigeons, you could be a bit clever, for example if you have a large cock and three or four smaller hens place all of the hens in the section with him and let him chose one of them, as soon as he does and they fly to his box lock them in. He has still chosen his mate. Place another cock now in the section and repeat as required until you have all your pairs locked in their boxes or you have used up all your large pigeons etc at which point let the remaining pigeons just get on with it. Once you have all the pigeons in there boxes and locked in let one pair out at a time from different rows, let them feed and drink and once the cock is back in his box calling to the hen and she flys to him lock them in again and repeat with another few boxes, one from each row. Once they have all fed and watered leave them locked in their boxes until the following day (no pigeons out in the section at all) or next feeding time etc. If you have 12 boxes this should take no longer than 50 - 60 minutes, 10 minutes out per feeding couple. If they dont feed dont worry as they will next time. Just make 100% sure the cock has taken to the hen before leaving the loft as if they change their minds and they are locked in the boxes the cocks will make a mess of the hen by the time you come back to the loft. However, you will find doing it this way there will hardly be any trouble as the hens will follow the cocks to the boxes. At this time do not feed in the boxes, the purpose of this is to encourage the hens onto the floor to feed and drink and then to work out their own box position. If you stick to a routine and carry this out for three days you should have no trouble and the risk of broken eggs etc through fighting should be greatly reduced. You may however have to be patient as with a lot of yearlings they do tend to get a bit excited ! Hope this helps and good luck.

Q. Received 12.12.08 "hi mate, what suppliments do you give your birds before pairing up and in the race season".

A.Hi, a good question and one that needs to be answered honestly. During the winter months and prior to pairing I only give the birds Apple Vinegar in the water but they have it every day 24/7. Approximately one month before pairing up they have a Herbal vitamin one day a week, usually on a monday but this is only because I find it easier to remember doing it like this. I use Krauter Vital a Herbal Vital that clears the air passages and boosts the immune system naturally! Krauter Vital contains - Healing Earth, Sarsaparilla Root, Anis, Lady's Thistle, Black Cumin, Pollen, Silica, Onions, Garlic, Thyme, Sage, Fennel & Peppermint. You may guess from the name it is German. Mix on the feed with Multi Energie Oil. During the racing season I use Dynamik which contains Raw Protein - 5 Minerals - Raw Fat - 9 Trace Elements - Raw Fibre - Plant Extracts - 14 Vitamins - Electrolytes - 10 Essential Amino Acids - Probiotics... and is also mixed with the Multi Energie Oil containing 15% Lecithin (Fuels the muscles & nervous system) - 15% Salmon Oil (Rich in fatty acid for stamina)- 10% Maize Germ Oil (The energy booster) - 10% Rice Germ Oil (For fertility and muscle growth) - 10% Peanut Oil (For top muscle condition) - 10% Hemp Oil (Improves energy and super form) - 10% Wheatgerm Oil (Natural Vitamin E) - 10% Soya Oil (The ultimate energy release) - 5% Black Carraway Oil (For optimum health & fitness) - 5% Borage Oil (Strengthens metabolism & natural immunity). Due to being so impressed with these products these are the only products I now use and have done for the last two years. Hope this helps and clearly answers your questions. All the best for 2009.