DUDLEY HOLMES
1st & 2nd Open BICC Le Mans 2012
BREEDING COUNTS
Firstly I must start by saying what a privilege it is to be asked to contribute an article, having achieved a lifetime’s ambition. I have entitled it “Breeding Counts”, as I firmly believe that unless you have the stock you cannot win.
I moved to my present address in 2000, having raced in Stamford, Lincolnshire for the previous 6 years. When I knew I was moving to Spalding, I started with 30 youngsters which were placed in an 8 x 6 garden shed and left on “open-hole”. From March until August of that year, I travelled from Stamford to Spalding to fill the hopper and change the water. By the following year, I had moved my loft and made a few alterations, and the young birds were settled in their new loft.
Dudley Holmes with grandson Alexander
The loft is 42 feet long by 8 ft wide, with a tile roof. It consists of 7 x 6ft sections with a corridor running the full length. There are 36 widowhood nest boxes, being 9 boxes in each of 4 sections. Two sections are for young birds which have 36 sloping back perches. The last section, which is located between the old birds and young birds has 24 12 inch x 12 inch compartments, and is used for a variety of purposes. The floors are all grills over a 6 inch deep pit and are cleaned out 4 or 5 times a year. The perches are cleaned every day. I also have a stock loft with 5 compartments. There are 24 nest boxes, and two compartments to house hens for widowers. One compartment is given over to 4 pairs of tipplers and some fantails. This loft also has grilled floors.
I prefer to race widowhood cocks but sometimes depending on the remains of the young bird team, circumstances leave no option but to race some hens. I keep all consistent young birds and sort them as yearlings. Two years ago, I had a surplus of young cocks so I raced them celibate to my spare section. Last year, I had a surplus of hens. I started this season with 36 cock birds in nest boxes of which 20 were yearlings. I also had 24 hens, which were paired to the cocks and raced on a roundabout system. Some of the cocks are paired to tippler hens, so that I always have spare hens for when a cock bird arrives home, if his hen is away. The loft was designed for open door trapping, but with the introduction of ETS, all birds old and young enter the loft through the same entrance and use the corridor to get to their own compartment.
The cocks are let out in the morning and remain out for about 90 minutes with the loft closed. They are not forced to fly. They are let in at 8.30 and receive a teaspoon of small seeds in their box. They are then fed a small handful of either diat mix (on return Sunday and Friday mornings), best all round (Monday and Tuesday) and widowhood mix (Wednesday and Thursday). They receive another handful in the evening. The pots are emptied each morning so that food is in front of them at all times. The cocks are let out again at teatime usually with an open loft. The hens are let out after the cocks in the morning and again stay out for about 90 minutes (whilst I walk the dogs). Sometimes they go out in the evening, if the cocks stay in. All birds are raced weekly until the longer races. They are also trained each week on the club training trailer from about 80 miles.
I breed 60 young birds for myself. These have their liberty all afternoon. They are fed a small handful of seed in the morning and best all round at teatime, as much as they can eat. When they start training, I give them widowhood mix with 40 % barley. They are darkened from 6pm until 8am, March to June.
Dudley Holmes' 1st BICC Le Mans
For the first time, this year, I have used Aviform 7 in 1 for 5 days each week, as recommended. The birds are cankered and coccid before the season and once or twice during racing. They receive no other supplements other than oil and brewers yeast on the corn Monday and Tuesday. As you can see, I try to keep things as simple as possible.
The BICC winner was bred in my stock loft. His sire is a retired racer. He won at least 7 cards racing on the north road. The parents were both purchased at an auction and are both Janssens of Curtis, Wall, Lunt and Green breeding. The grandsire of the winner was known as “Cantona” when purchased and his parents are the Fantail and the Scruffy Hen. The granddam of the winner was bred from Gameboy and Wondergirl. Gameboy won the Federation 5 times and was out of Golden Wonder (sire 05) and de 400. Wondergirl was also out of Golden Wonder and the Scruffy Hen. The dam of the winner is also a retired racer, having won on the north road as a youngster and the south road as a yearling. She is bred from F. Sheader’s Soontjens which were purchased as stock from the nest. The grandsire is a son of Just a Kid paired to a sister of the Docherty Cock. The granddam is a daughter of Bants Choice paired to a daughter of Silver and Gold.
My 2nd open winner arrived with the actual winner but his feet were cramped up and whilst he regained his balance, the other bird trapped, beating him by 5 seconds. This pigeon was 35th open last year from the BICC Alencon. Early on this year he hit the wires and had very little racing but was trained regularly when his health improved.
He again was bred in the stock loft. His sire is a Dutch pigeon purchased at auction and is from Hagen Bros stock. His sire was a brother to two National winners from Tarbes and St Vincent. His dam was from stock placed from Barcelona. The dam of the 2nd bird is again a retired racer. She was 5th section from Fougeres as a young bird with the NFC. Her sire is another Curtis, Wall and Lunt pigeon known as the Doncaster Cock. He is a son of the Classic Cock when paired to Leiana. Top Janssen breeding. The dam is Demeester. She is a daughter of Kleine Zitter who was a brother of the Good Yearling who won 7 x 1st prizes. This pair has bred many winners including 1st Federation and have both bred winners with different pairings. The parents of these birds are from quality stock purchased over the last 12 years and blended together. They are now starting to show their potential.
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