BURTON & SOUTH DERBYSHIRE FEDERATION.
Kev Johnson wins the 2024 Breeder Buyer race out of Weymouth.
Saturday September 21st should have seen the Federation YB Special race and Breeder Buyer race from Weymouth. Due to the poor weather forecast, the weekend was called off, and the breeder buyer race was put back a week.
10 members sent 12 birds which were liberated at 10-10 in a NW wind, and Kev Johnson caps a great fortnight, by taking 1st prize in the Breeder Buyer to add to the first prize he won in the Fed Futurity race out of Blandford 2 weeks earlier.
Kev Johnson futurity and breeder Buyer race winner 2024
Kev was 1st on 1327 with a home bred dark Cheq hen “69” winning £422-76, and I’ll let Kev tell you all about her;
“I’m over the moon with winning the Fed breeder buyer race, together with winning the futurity race two weeks ago, hopefully this means the last few years experimenting with when to darken and when to take off, when to change the feed, etc to get the birds in reasonable feather condition to be able to compete in these challenges has paid off. It’s the first time I have sent in the breeder buyer since pre covid, not due to having lost the birds prior but down to them being too far in the moult and keeping them at home.
Kev Johnson's 2024 breeder buyer winner
#69 is a dark cheq Hereman Cuester hen, bred from the race team, of origins from Premier stud. Her sire has scored a few times in the fed and he is bred from a son of “Mighty Wind” and “Dark Secret” when paired to a daughter of “Man O’Chester” and “Dark Redemption”.
#69’s dam is #40 a fed topping daughter of a son of “Man O’Chester” and “Dark Delilah” when paired to a daughter of “Supersonic Mike” and “Dark Secret”. #40 is the full sister to the dam of #82 who won the futurity race two weeks ago.
The preparation of #69 was the same as #82, so 1 month darkness from weaning in mid to late March, followed by as much basket training as possible and short training chucks before the first YB race. Once the moult set in around 7 weeks ago, she went from Gerry plus to Moulting mix and raced twice a week taking in Birch Coppice 5B and Anchor 5B to prepare her for the small liberations. #69 didn’t make any mistakes and was always back to the loft in good time.
As club racing had ceased 2 weeks ago and rain was plentiful, she only had 2 training flights from Strensham services, about 50 miles on the 2 Wednesdays before the Breeder Buyer race. The food was lightened with barley and diet added over this period as the workload had slowed down.
Motivation: #69 was the first young hen to pair up but unfortunately about 6 weeks ago her cock didn’t come back from a flight around the loft. After she left the eggs, she has shown no desire to pair to another cock so was left racing to the perch. #69 is a very tame hen and to get her more motivated for the breeder buyer race from Monday after feeding, I would get her to stand on the stool I sit on in the YB loft and hand feed her 10 pieces of maize from the Gerry plus. Within a few days every time I went into the loft she’d be on the stool and claiming it for herself, that was now her territory. This ritual went on until basketing night and when she returned from the race after a quick drink she was back on the stool”.
Runner up on 1323 was Mark Nesbitt with a dark hen, again this was home bred, out of a son of his great Leo Hereman hen “Isla” and a grand daughter of Adam Wealthall’s famous Lambrecht “Snowball”, winning £258-78.
Mark Nesbitt runner up 2024 breeder buyer
3rd on 1212 was B.Collins & Son of Swadlincote with a blue hen bred by club mates Davis, Wright & Sons. The sire is out of a Staf Van Reet when paired to a daughter of “31616”, the grandsire was a winner of 1st; 3rd and 5th fed. The dam is a Van den Bulck from Central Lofts, she’s a grand daughter of “Blackpool Kittel”, and both lofts win £88-39 each.
Mark Collins and family, 3rd breeder buyer 2024
4th on 1198 was Fred Turner of Holbrook, Fred timed in a cheq wf hen bred by Mr & Mrs Graham Evans of Overseal. The sire is a son of the good 3yo dark cheq Wildie hen bred by Dixon & Son of Wearside, the dam a Wildie x Spink & Barks, both lofts win £71-99.
Fred Turner of Holbrook with his 4th breeder buyer bird
5th & 6th on 926; 879; were Ray & Jean Lees, the first a blue cock bred by Alan Peach, the second a home bred blue hen. Ray & Jean take home £191-31 and Alan Peach wins £63-77.
7th on 836 was Charlie Murfin of Swadlincote Town with a home bred cheq hen, winning £127-54.
8th on 639 was Mr & Mrs Jim Whitehouse of Hill Ridware with a Mealy hen bred by the race winner Kev Johnson, both lofts winning 63-77.
9th on 602 was Alan Peach with a blue hen bred by Russ Bailey of Ripley, both winning £63-77.
Total paid out was £1640-00
If anyone is interested, I have 17 x binders of the Racing Pigeon Pictorials for sale, dating from January 1970 to December 1986. A great read for the long winter nights ahead, looking back at the good old days, when pigeon racing was at a high. Give me a ring if interested.
Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the following for their help during the season, sending in reports and photos for my articles. Without you, the federation, its members, and their birds, wouldn’t get the credit they deserve. So a big thank you to, Kev Matthews, Alan Houldsworth, Alan Peach, Matt Wright, Melv Willis, Mark Nesbitt, Kev Johnson; Daz Barks, Mike Lycett and Dave Stone.
ANY NEWS TO
“THE MALTSTER”
01283-568000
