Mel & Sue King

Elimar is inviting successful fanciers to tell us a little about themselves, as we feel sure that this will create plenty of interest for our readers in the UK and around the World. Roger Lowe kicked off the series, followed by Jason Ross and Mike Mitchell, and next up are the phenomenal Mel & Sue King, winners of 7 x 1st Nationals.

MEL & SUE KING

7 x 1st Open Nationals

3 x 1st Open Classics

26 x 1st Section Nationals & Classics

I am a self employed builder and Sue works for the local council. Our partnership is not just in name; we both do our fair share. Without Sue’s input we would struggle to race as successfully as we do. We were married in the late 70s and have two grown up children. Both have now left home and neither is interested in pigeons. I was born in a village between Blandford and Dorchester called Milborne St Andrew. While I was growing up there were several fanciers in the village, including a school friend who raced with his father. My older brother Barry also kept and raced pigeons at various times.

Our pigeon career was started quite by accident just after we got married in the late 70s. I found a pigeon with a broken wing at work. It was in a bad state so I took it home, not intending to keep it. However, after I had made some enquiries locally, in the end I kept him.  

In my early years R. H. Christopher & Son of Fontwell Magna influened me. The results of their National winning Vandenbrouckes made me keen to tackle the National type racing, and from then on any successful fancier just inspires me to try to win more races.

Our set-up

We had a good spell of success in the mid-to-late eighties, mainly with the Busschaerts, winning the National Flying Club section from Guernsey Young Birds and Pau Old Birds and 2 x 1st Open National Flying Club Nantes 1987 & 1988 but the performances dropped off in the very early nineties, probably caused by a wane in keenness due to lack of the time available, with the family and work commitments a priority. By the time we were able to put the time and energy into the sport our birds didn’t seem to have it in them to win any more so that meant finding new birds that could win. Several strains or lines were tried with varying levels of success but we were always looking for something better, something special.

Now our main family of pigeons is Gaby Vandenabeeles from M & D Evans. These bred winners from the first nest and have gone on to win right up to 1st Open N.F.C. They are responsible for the majority of our big winners. The lines which have dominated in our winners are  Maclaren and Nat-Fideelke, Golden Boy and Amber Louise, National Fideel and Belle, Benetton and Saffron, Jester and Carrie, Shadow and Devon, Solitaire and Band of Gold, Benson and Nat-Fideelke.

Although all the birds mentioned are directly responsible for top winning birds and part of the forming of our team, the daughter of Shadow and Devon is an outstanding breeder, absolutely exceptional, dam of winners with every cock she has been paired to. She is direct dam to 1st Open National Flying Club Nantes, 2nd Open Central Southern Classic, 1st Section winners, Combine and Federation winners. She is also g.dam of  3 x 1st Open National winners and 3rd Open National plus g.g.dam of 3 x 1st Open Classic winners and many other good open positions as her blood runs through the bulk of our team.

The ability to churn out top winners is not restricted to the originals as the succeeding generations are breeding outstanding winners in their own right as the breeding gene is passed on down the line. This is possibly best shown in results by what is arguably our best ever team performance with young birds in the 2007 Central Southern Classic Flying Club Truro race when out of our fifteen entries we took the first six and twelfth Open position against 1,348 birds. We also took 3rd Open British Barcelona Club Young Bird Lamballe National the same day. To date our best old bird team performances would be in the British Barcelona Club’s Bordeaux National in 2005 when from our four entries we scored 1st, 3rd, 76th & 138th Open 416 miles, all on the day, against 1,223 birds, all Gaby Vandenabeeles. Plus in 2010 we were 2nd, 3rd, 29th, 34th & 75th Open Central Southern Classic Bergerac 430 mls, 845 birds.

We like all pigeon racing, short and long. We have not sent to too many of the longer races in the past as we have concentrated on the middle distance, but now we are trying to build a team for the longer races.

The latest introduction of the long distances bloodlines are starting to show their quality with several good positions won in National & Classic races, the best being 1st Open B.B.C. National Poitiers and 1st Open C.S.C.F.C. Ramsgate Young Bird. The bloodlines of the base of these birds are from M. White & Son, Patrick Brothers, Jan-Aarden, Gyselbrecht, R. Vereecke & Eric Limbourg.

We have a 32ft widowhood loft with 4 sections for race birds and a centre section for a corn store with a corridor running along the front, with two double door openings as we race open door to each section. It is of timber construction with an apex tiled roof, which is better for ventilation. We also have an 8ft x 6ft stock loft with a 6ft x 6ft aviary on the front to give the birds plenty of space, a 20ft loft which includes a section for widowhood hens and natural young birds, all of timber construction with apex tiled roofs, and a 10ft x 8ft loft used for the 1st round darkness young birds joined to the back of the garage. I have tried deep litter but as an asthmatic I find it too dusty so now use grills.

We keep twenty stock pairs and race 36 widowhood cocks. We have been playing/experimenting with 10-12 celibate/widowhood hens for a couple of years with varying success. We breed around 100 young birds for our own use, 50 – 60 first rounders from the stock and race birds, and a 2nd round from the stock birds only.

From the end of Young Bird racing through to removing the young birds and putting the cocks on widowhood very little regular exercise is given, just occasional weekends in good weather for a bath. Once the birds are on widowhood daily exercise is quickly increased up to one hour morning and evening.

A few training tosses to the coast, about 15 – 20 miles, are given before the first race and then we use the early federation races to get them up together ready to enter the Classic and National programmes.

To date we have not vaccinated for any ailments other than the compulsory paramyxo. We treat for worms and cocci before pairing and for canker when the birds have laid and are sitting. We try not to treat for anything during the racing season unless a problem arises.

We generally use two brands of feed, Wilsbridge and Versela Laga, and mix these together, using general mixes e.g. Breeding, Widowhood, Young bird, Moulting, as required. We also use Gem G10 pellets throughout the year as well as all the usual multi-vits, minerals, grits and electro-lites etc.