“A Family Trait”
Alby Davies & Sons Ellesmere Port
The art of conditioning and racing pigeons is some think just a part of basic animal husbandry that may be so in some people opinion. But to keep you motivated year in year out takes a certain type of fancier and in this relatively new partnership we have a trio of people who thrive off each other. Alby Davies of Ellesmere Port is no stranger to winning and is no stranger to winning consistently, having over many years and many different partnerships found himself at the end of the 2012 season, suffering from an illness that took twelve months to diagnose and on the verge of finishing in this wonderful hobby of ours.
In the winter of 2013 Alby Davies pout his then stock loft full of pigeons that had bred multiple prize winners at federation level up for sale and despatched the whole lot quickly at £25 per pigeon. Having been suffering from a chest complaint along with being a long term heart patient Alby had resigned himself that he could no longer compete and race his pigeons had he had done so in recent years.
That was until one of his sons (Alan) told him that he would like to get involved and race the birds, and once his other son young Alby wanted to join as well the seed was set in Alby’s mind top try and race again, with his diagnosis of Pleurisy and treatment taken care of, Alby set out to with the help of his two sons to rebuild a team not only to race but also compete at federation level.
Left to right Alan Davies Alby (Snr) and Alby (Jnr).
And so the new partnership was formed for the 2013 season A Davies and Sons. Alby Davies has himself enjoyed an illustrious and successful racing career both at club and federation level having been previously both West Cheshire Points Champion and highest prize winner when partnered by Russ McDonald and flying as Davies and McDonald. However today’s partnership is now family orientated with Alby flying with his two sons.
Not having bred from their old bird race team and having disposed of the stock loft and its contents they were gifted some young birds from close friend, and ace fancier Stan Griffiths along with a rumoured supplement procured from Louella at huge expense ("by the way, this is a secret, they were Louella Van Lints") to enable participation in the young bird races and so the partnership evolved quite quickly and led by one of the most successful fanciers in the area they set themselves up ready to compete with their old birds. On finishing third in the first ever race the partnership had set itself up to improve into poll position on the only there second ever attempt, which they promptly did. Flying on conventional widowhood the winning cock is a yearling bred from birds gifted originally to Alby from Stan Griffiths, and is a brother to numerous fed winners from this pair. The cock was having only his 2nd race on this system and was pooled all the way so all bodes well for his future racing career when the penny drops so quickly with a yearling. This cock was raced as a youngster on the darkness system.
The old bird (left) and young bird (right) racing lofts of A Davies and Sons
It is always interesting to see and listen to different methods and how different fanciers set their lofts up to race and the daily regime they employ to achieve their goals, this partnership and loft is by no means different, however what is refreshing is that Alby senior has not imposed himself or his style on the loft he has let the boys led by Alan indulge themselves with regard to the feeding and the day to day management of the loft and birds, so when only in their second race they not only win their club with the correct pigeon they go and top the federation is in itself is a huge achievement for the lads. So that was two races to not only win their first ever race but to also top the West Cheshire Federation. The 2013 season progressed with plenty of club and federation cards and included a club winner from Niort which was some 492 miles to the partnership so that topped off a nice first old bird season. The 2014 season was getting underway and the partnership only had to wait to the second race (from Hereford 19/04/14) The new partnership started off the previous years with a fed topper and although conditions were not in their favour for the federation his week, a club win is more than welcome to any of the local lofts racing within the Alby, Alan and young Alby’s winner was bred by their very close friend and local retired ace flyer Stan Griffiths formally of Griffiths and Sandland fame and latterly reverting back to J and S Griffiths in memory of his late dad. Stan retired from racing in 2013 but still retains his team of breeders and still gets his birds tested locally by his friends. This yearling blue cock if from Stan’s Staf Van Reet family and was a gift bird to the partnership as a youngster in 2013.
The racing cocks in their boxes
The third race of the season was to bring yet another win for the popular and infectious partnership bringing up the double From Monmouth some 102 miles. The partnerships Winner was yet another of the progeny from Stan Griffiths. The 2014 season was not to produce a fed topper but the partnership managed a second third and fourth federation, so it was onto the 2015 season. The season had not started when I bumped into Alan Davies at a breeder buyer sale with him emphatically telling me hid dad was back, “he has his motivation back Al”, was his words. I myself had was to then meet and speak to Alby senior who reiterated what young Alan had told me, “you can’t motivate pigeons if you can’t motivate yourself” was his words, and motivate his birds he did. From the outset the grapevine had the drums beating around the port that the lads had their birds up the road daily and we were still a month away from the first race. Those of us who were either too lazy or just had no time or inclination to get an early start would make excuses for ourselves “come the channel they won’t be anywhere near us” well that might have been the thoughts or the sentiments of some, the problem was they were ready to win from the “get go” to the last race some 60 mile to 500 mile, they were ready.
Alan and Alby checking out the 2015 young bird team
As the new 2015 season progressed it was starting to be “Déjà vu” we had been here before but it had been in 2010 and 2011 when Alby would top the federation four five from eight young bird races and then four from eight young bird races the following season. Now it was their yearling cocks that were to come forward taking first club first federation Hereford, first club, first fed, first AMAL (3115 pigeons) Bath. First club first fed West bay. The latter two result being recorded by the same cock. What both pigeons had in common was the involvement once again of Stan Griffiths breeding the double fed topper and having a hand in breeding the Hereford winner by supplying the dam.
Stan Griffiths stopped racing himself in 2013 and so we very nearly lost two great fanciers from the sport on the same year. Stan has been a lifelong personal friend of Alby and the Davies family and can usually be found at Alby’s loft waiting for pigeons on most race days these days. With the young bird season about to start I am more than confident that this partnership can now progress even further and start to chase the federation points champion spot which Alby has won previously.
When asked about systems, feeding and general pigeon husbandry Alby is straightaway talking about good pigeons, “it don’t matter what you feed or how you treat bad pigeons they will remain bad pigeons” you need to find the breeding lines and breed from them, by the time 2015 has finished this small compact set up will hold only winners and sons and daughters of winners. Good honest, fit and motivated pigeons will win but you have to find them. When asked about giving advice to starters “it’s quite simple, approach the best local fanciers and ask them for some eggs” that’s where you start at the best local loft and you won’t go far wrong. We had to start again after I removed all my stock pigeons, I went straight to Stan Griffiths, firstly I was lucky to know him and secondly there were not many in this area who could lay up with him, so that’s where we started and look where we are today.
Having now got somewhere near back to the form and results that he enjoyed previously this partnership is now investing in a new stock loft and has already set down their foundation stock which will include their 2015 fed winners along with some new imports from Jackson and Andrews the previous providers of the grandparents and great grandparents of these pigeons to Stan Griffiths.
Alan and Alby Davies checking their new stock pigeons
So the story so far for these two novices and one ex-premier fancier is four federation wins the first in only their second ever race and a bond between three men that has seen a family come together and pool their resources to ensure that their dad can enjoy the hobby that he has loved and participated in so many years and at a top level that he always did. Probably more importantly give him the new lease of life or in this case motivation to push his and their pigeons to new limits, and long may it continue.
