“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT.

“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT.

Chitty Brothers of Kings Langley.

The brilliant Hertfordshire partnership of Brian and Dick Chitty have enjoyed some outstanding seasons in recent years racing in the Inter Counties Federation, including eight times 1^st open Combine. Brian and Dick had yet another excellent racing season in 2019 winning several first including: 1^st club, 4^th Federation, 4^th UBI Combine Le Mans, 5^th, 18^th section, 13^th, 27^th open NFC Cholet (winning £700), 4th section, 5^th open BICC Falaise (2,546 birds), 21^st, 46^th section, 64^th, 137^th open NFC Coutances (3,246 young birds). A brilliant loft performance!

I visited the brother’s loft in Kings Langley at the end of their very successful 2016 racing season and they had won many premier positions with their old and young birds. The day before my visit Brian and Dick had won 1^st club, 2^nd Inter Counties Federation, 3^rd UBI Combine Honiton (1,404 birds) with a young blue cock driving to nest and had won the very strong Boxmoor club by about eight minutes. The 2016 season has seen them win: 1^st Club, 7^th Federation, 10^th Combine Exeter (1,987 birds), 1^st club Blandford, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th 8^th club, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th Federation Lyndhurst, 11^th, 13^th, 14^th Federation Salisbury, 2^nd club, 2^nd Federation Lyndhurst, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 6^th, 8^th club, 13^th Federation Honiton, 3^rd club, 5^th Federation, 8^th Combine Yelverton, 1^st club, 3^rd Federation Honiton, 2^nd club, 5^th Federation Carentan, 11^th Federation, 20^th Combine Coutances, 3^rd club, 20^th Combine Poitiers, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th club, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th Federation Lyndhurst, 1^st club, 2^nd Federation, 3^rd Combine Honiton (1,404 birds), 6^th section NFC Messac (644 birds), 2^nd section, 4^th open BBC Coutances.

Chitty Brothers’ old birds are raced on the widowhood system, being paired up on New Year’s Day, and the youngsters are weaned at 28 days old. The pairs are allowed to sit ten days on their second round of eggs, when the hens are taken away and the racing cocks don’t see them again until the first race. The cocks are then let out for exercise around the loft twice a day, building up to one hour morning and evening, and both the cocks and hens are given eight training tosses, starting about three weeks before the first Federation race. The partners house 24 pairs in three sections in the loft and the racers are not broken down. Brian told me he sometimes shows the hen on marking night, or just turns the nest bowl and the widowhooders get their mates for about 30 minutes on their return home on Saturday afternoon. If the racers are not flying well around the loft they are given a midweek training toss and are fed ¾ of an ounce morning and night. They are fed a small amount of ‘Red Band’ every day, vitamins on a Wednesday and Garlic in the water a couple of times a week. The birds are mostly raced up to 400 miles, with the odd pigeon being sent to Pau and the long distance candidates are paired up the day before basketing, and are given plenty of straw and tobacco stalks to make them keen. The lofts are closed in with air vents at the front and back to get rid of any foul air and Brian maintains the loft must be kept dry. He cleans out regularly and uses loft white on the floors.

The partners won the London & South East Classic Club twice in recent seasons, the first time from the young bird Exeter race in 2006 and then again in 2008 from the young bird Guernsey race. The two classic winners were full brothers bred from Chitty Brothers champion Soontjens stock pair, which was bred by Davey Allport of Darlington. Brian and Dick race in the very strong Boxmoor club, which is affiliated to the Inter Counties Federation and UBI Combine. The 2013 racing season saw the brothers win: 11^th Federation Kingsdown (1,725 birds), 2^nd Federation Le Mans (740 birds), 5^th, 6^th Federation Minstead (1,216 birds), 6^th, 7^th, 11^th, 13^th Federation West Bay (1,168 birds), 1^st, 2^nd Federation (948 birds), 8^th, 9^th, 10^th, 11^th Federation Blandford (1,363 birds), 1^st, 2^nd Federation Honiton (937 birds), 1^st, 3^rd, 17^th Federation Honiton (919 birds). What a wonderful 2013 season for Chitty Brothers and in 2012 they recorded: 9^th Federation Blandford (1,078 birds), 1^st, 2^nd, 14^th Federation Blandford (1,550 birds), 22^nd Federation Carentan (814 birds), 2^nd Federation Honiton (960 birds), 2^nd, 14^th Federation, 5^th, 38^th UBI Combine Poitiers (764 birds), 4^th, 7^th Federation Blandford (895 birds), 14^th, 18^th Federation Salisbury (968 birds), 10^th, 17^th, 19^th Federation Blandford (1,277 birds), 8^th, 10^th, 11^th, 12^th, 13^th Federation Honiton (975 birds). The 2011 season was another great one for Brian and Dick recording many premier positions including three times 1^st Federation and flying in the Boxmoor club the brothers won seven firsts, nine seconds and seven thirds. The top pigeon racing to the Kings Langley loft was a two year old blue pied widowhood cock called, ‘Stuart’s Gift’ and recorded: 1^st Federation Blandford (2012 birds), 2^nd Federation Honiton (1785 birds), 10^th Federation Blandford (1510 birds), 13^th Federation Carentan (1123 birds) and 19^th Federation West Bay (1157 birds) in 2011. Brian recently told me, ‘this game cock has won several other good prizes and would have recorded even more, but is a bad trapper and has thrown away several positions. He is a Peter Vander Merwe pigeon bred by Stuart Ward of Oldham. In 2009 I purchased six babies from Stuart and When I went up to the north of England to pick them up he gifted me the blue pied cock, and he has turned out to be the best of the batch’.

I was chief convoyer for the London & South East Classic Club for nine years and went to Guernsey fifteen times with the Classic’s young birds in that time. For several days before the first L&SECC young bird event from Guernsey in 2008, according to the early weather reports, it looked like it was going to be a holdover with rain over the Channel Islands on that Saturday, but on the day Steve Appleby and I put our heads together and had an early release, too produce an excellent race against all the odds. I liberated the 2,151 birds at my earliest time ever at Guernsey and the members enjoyed a very good race, with excellent returns. On our arrival at the Guernsey car park liberation site the sky had broken cloud cover and was bright and starry. I got no sleep as I knew it would be an early liberation or a hold over until Sunday and was keen to keep an eye on the weather and prepare the transporter for release. I watched the weather with anticipation and with the sun braking through the 60 per cent broken cloud cover, my son Mark and I liberated the convoy at 06.30hrs in a brisk south / south west wind. It started to spit with rain at 08.00hrs and then the Guernsey weather took a nose dive, and at that time our birds were just hitting the south coast of England and were hot-foot on their way home. It was a work of art getting a liberation and good race that day from a rain soaked Guernsey, but we beat the weather and enjoyed a good young bird classic! The race was won by Brian and Dick Chitty, with their young champion Soontjens blue chequer cock, ‘Davey’s Lad’, and after racing the young bird programme he was sent to the Guernsey Classic driving a hen to nest.

Brian and Dick have been racing in their present Chitty Brothers partnership since 1986 and have been premier prize winners in the local club and Federation many times. They tell me their best NFC position is 12^th open; they have won the L&SECC twice and have won 1^st open Combine eight times. The best pigeon in the loft in recent years was the dark widowhood cock, ‘Geraldine’s Lad’, and he has won over £2,000 in Nation races. Some of the Chitty Brother’s best racers in recent seasons have been: ‘Geraldine’s Lad’, winner of 2004: 1^st club, 1^st Federation Tours, 2005: 59^th open NFC St. Nazaire (8696 birds), 2006: 125^th open NFC Sennen Cove (5350 birds), 2007: 24^th open NFC Alencon (6079 birds). This champion dark chequer cock won over £2,000 racing! ‘Rucklers Express’, winner of 1^st club, 1^st Federation, 1^st open UBI Combine Lessay. ‘Pam’s Girl’, 2007: 38^th open L&SECC Guernsey, 2008: 46^th open NFC Alencon winning £1,444, 14^th open NFC Angers winning £170. ‘Dick’s Choice’, 2008: 12^th open NFC Alencon winning £980, 71^st open NFC Angers winning £1,237, 348^th open NFC Fougeres (9435 birds). ‘Brian’s Lad’, 2008: 65^th open NFC Angers. ‘The Allport Cock’, 2006: 1^st open L&SECC Exeter (1,154 birds).

The main families housed at the Hertfordshire loft is Staf Van Reet, Koopman, Soontjens and a few Marriotts for the long distance events. The Chitty’s race most distances but prefer sprint and middle distance racing. The stock birds are paired up the same time as the race team and are fed a good breeding mixture, with extra maple peas added. Brian told me when selecting new stock birds he looks for good feathering, a strong back, good balance in the hand and bright eyes. The stock loft houses a good pair of Koopman pigeons that breed excellent scoring youngster every year, but his champion breeders are a pair of Soontjens which breed winners in most nests and originate from Davey Allport of Darlington. This wonderful pair of Soontjen stock birds bred 1^st open L&SECC Exeter in 2006 and 1^st open L&SECC Guernsey in 2008. A once in a lifetime pair of breeders! The brothers enjoy young bird racing and breed 80 babies every year to race, which are put on the ‘darkness’ system on weaning. Once they can fly, the young birds are let out the loft twice a day and are darken down between 17.00hrs and 09.00hrs, with them coming off the system on 6^th June. This method has been very successful for Chitty Brothers in recent seasons and they feed the young and old birds racers the same, with Beyers Young Bird Mixture with extra maize added. They do not encourage the babies to pair up, but will put bowls in the young bird section if they do and start training three weeks before the first Federation race. The young birds get every race including the L&SECC and NFC races, and are given some mid-week training during the racing season.

The brothers were born in Hemel Hampstead, Hertfordshire, but lived most of their lives in Kings Langley and started their involvement with the pigeons in 1954, when Brian was 13 years old. At that time their father kept rabbits and a stray pigeon was found wandering around the hutches, and the brother caught it and started their pigeon racing story. They were helped in the beginning by a fancier who lived in their street by the name of Mick Hill and he gave them their first stock birds. Brian and Dick had good success in their first club, the Hemel Hempstead NR Club, and Brian says if his memory serves him well, they won their first race from Dorchester in 1956, and it was bad day weather wise, but won the race by 20 minutes. Brian has always been interested in sport and when he was a young man competed in cross country running races and was very interested in Football and Boxing. Brian remembers that the brother’s first 12ft x 6ft loft was self-built from scrapes of wood and recycled chicken sheds and in the mid 1950’s the local fancy was dominated by two great pigeon racers named, Charlie Farnes and Cox Brothers. He recalls their biggest mistake in the early days was excepting gift birds from local fancier at the end of the year, which were their none performers that season and throw outs. But having said that Brian told me he was from a big family and money was very tight, so beggars could not be choosers when it came to obtaining their pigeons. One of the brother’s best racers was the old 1987 cock, ‘Mulle’, and he recorded some wonderful positions from Nantes, including 14^th open NFC Nantes (10,308 birds), 52^nd open NFC Nantes and won over £3,000. They told me their most thrilling races were winning the two L&SECC young bird races and recording 52^nd open NFC Nantes in their very first National event. Brian is a retired milkman, serving 37 years in the job and Dick is a self employed gardener, but for most of his working life had his own Garage business.

Brian says he not really an eye sign enthusiast, but likes to see a nice eye on a pigeon and enjoys the occasional show at the local club, but can’t take it seriously. He has a few jobs in the sport and is the President of the Boxmoor HS. The thing that Brian finds disappointing is the fact that clubs are getting much smaller, with the lack of support and some fancier just racing solely in the Nations and Classics. Chitty Brothers advice to new comers to the sport is to buy the best latebreds they can afford for stock, make sure the loft is kept dry and master the feeding side, as it is most important. They told me the best local fanciers for sheer consistency must be Mark Gilbert and Garry Inkley, who are always in the first few in the Nation and Classic results. The partners like to cross breed their birds, but always mate the best to the best and like to breed the odd latebred for the stock loft. As soon as racing finishes the birds are split for the winter months and are fed a good moulting mixture, which they maintain is very import.

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 pigeons 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 use 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 the 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 nights 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 wining 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 these two great loft visits. 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)