GORDON ORR
of Eaglesham
Way West But Up With The Best
by Tom Corrie Jnr
A name of distinction within the ranks of the Lanarkshire Federation and the Scottish National is Gordon Orr of Eaglesham, a village which sits about 10 miles south of Glasgow to the southeast of Newton Mearns, south of Busby and Clarkston, and southwest of East Kilbride. Gordon’s performances at club, federation and national level have put him at the very top.
I was warmly greeted by Gordon at the door of his two hundred year old home. The coal fire was burning on this November afternoon, which gave a lovely glow to his beautiful home. There really was a feeling of warmth and contentment. I told Gordon I had good memories of Eaglesham because as young footballer of 17 I scored a hat-trick on the village park playing in a Scottish amateur cup tie with Dalziel from Airdrie. I remember thinking at that time it was miles away in the countryside. Good memories. After a visit to the lofts and viewing his magnificent team of stock and racers I sat down to ask Gordon the key questions to find out what has made him one of the best all round lofts in Lanarkshire.
Gordon holding his 5th Section Alencon SNFC
Please introduce yourself and tell us how you got started in the sport?
I'm 65 and a semi-retired painter & decorator. I’m married to Elaine and we have two sons. Stuart lives and works in Edinburgh as a Paralegal and has just passed his law exams. Graeme is an ex-footballer who now lives and works in the US as Head Women's Soccer Coach at the University of West Alabama. (Any budding female players looking for a scholarship in American soccer should contact Gordon as Graeme could possibly help.) I have raced pigeons for over 50 years, 35 to my present address.
Among your results what are the real highlights?
Polnoon (name of my street) Princess - 5th west section 28th open Nantes 600 miles and 1st west section 11th Open.
Polnoon Velvet - 10th west section 88th open Rennes 538 miles 14 3/4 hours on the wing. Next year 21st west section 117th open 15 1/4 hours on the wing.
My blue cock in the Gold Cup this year winning 5th west section is a grandson. Her grandchildren are scoring well at the distance this year.
At club level this season we have won 9 x 1st prizes and numerous minor prizes.
In the Somerset one loft race of 2013 we won 1st Ace Pigeon & Best Average first four hot spot races and £1060.
National
SNFC Clermont 3rd Sect 14th Open
SNFC Ypres 2nd Sect 99th Open, 22th sect 202nd Open & 62nd sect
SNFC Alencon (Gold Cup) 5th Sect 27th Open, 20th Sect 93rd Open
SNFC Buckingham 23rd Sec 257th Open
Lanarkshire Open
Warwick 3rd Sec 17th Open 1154 birds
Lanarkshire Ypres Open 2nd Sect 2nd Open, 8th Sect 20th 0pen, 21st Sect 55th Open
Lanarkshire 5th sect Otterburn 1826 birds
Do you hold any official positions?
No, we all help at club level.
Do you compete for averages?
Not really.
How do you race your pigeons and how many?
On the roundabout system and I have around 50 birds at the start of the season, hens on perches, cocks in boxes. Cocks go out in the morning, then into the perch end until the hens are back in in the evening.
What are your lofts made of and how big are they?
I have 3 wooden lofts: 28ft, 12ft & and a 12ft stock loft with aviary.
View of the lofts from the top of the garden
How many stock birds do you keep?
12 pairs and I breed 4-6 youngsters off them, and I also breed off some of the winning racers. Stock pigeons are paired the week after the Blackpool Show and the racers in mid February.
Do you move the hens with the young birds?
No, youngsters are moved into their section with wood shavings on the floor initially.
What’s the typical programme for your channel birds?
Three races with 7 to 8 hours on wing to tighten up for their main race channel.
Do you have any grills fitted in the floor or in the boxes?
I scrape the floor every day, and have grills in boxes which are a benefit.
Do you attach any importance to grits and minerals?
Yes. They have a good selection of natural products including crumble type mineral blocks.
Do you like to have plenty of room for the pigeons?
Yes.
How do you feed?
They are fed twice daily on Vesele Laga All Round and Beattie’s All Round with 10% barley with Carr’s oil mixed into the feed, and sometimes garlic powder or horse supplements on the oil. I also give them treacle scones or brown bread to soak up the oil through the mix, which the birds really enjoy. The birds get fed on return from exercise and eat till they start leaving the barley.
What do you make of your loft location?
Being in the extreme west, it is not in the best position for federation flying.
Are your pigeons allowed any free time outwith training/racing?
They bath on a Sunday or the day after the race.
Are you a full time pigeon fancier?
Yes.
Do you consider that the eye has any importance?
Just bright eyes.
Do you use any preventative medication?
Belgica Deweerdt, and Parastop after the moult which I used for the first time last season. An excellent product.
Stock cocks
How many weeks do you think a pigeon can maintain its form?
6-8 weeks.
How do you stop your hens pairing to each other?
I’m not really bothered if the hens pair I will often get a turn out of them.
Do you think a pigeon has the capabilities of racing both short and long distance races?
In certain breeds, yes.
Which is the more difficult, establishing a team of sprinters or distance pigeons?
Distance, especially into the west of Scotland due to the raptor problem.
What happens when you have a bad race and lose a few from one sex. How do you continue with those pigeons who have lost their mate?
My system is like the wacky races on a Friday. The hens show to any cock. It’s simple and they are motivated.
Are you sprint or distance orientated?
Distance. Very much so.
What families of pigeons do you keep?
Birds from Marley Westrop’s Faroes strain, Brian Nelson of Ripon, Dinno Donnini (North Yorkshire), Matthew Hughes of Wales, Ian Stafford, Davie Donaldson of Glassford and Norman Orr of Larkhall all make up my team of stock.
Some fanciers go out and purchase good quality winning pigeons but never appear to make the grade. Why do you consider that this happens?
You have to put the work into the pigeons.
Do you give any special treatments when the pigeons return from the race as a precaution against anything that they may have picked up in the basket?
TCP in the water, one cap to a drinker, and also honey from Morrisons.
Trap into the main loft
Which products do you feel make a difference to your birds?
Carr’s oil range, three types given to direction. Brilliant products.
Which of the two sexes do you consider is the most important when it comes to breeding?
Equally important.
Is there anything that you have not won in the sport that you would like to achieve?
Win the National - preferably the Gold Cup.
Who do you consider to be the best fanciers in the Country and for what reasons?
Davie Donaldson of Glassford, South Lanarkshire. A small loft with big performances over the decades.
What do you think can be done to take the sport forward?
I would like to thank you for the work you do for the federation. It is you who is raising the profile of the federation and the sport and this in its way takes the sport forward locally and nationally. I have friends up and down the country who are very successful fanciers and don’t get any recognition.
Are there any special treatments that you give your birds once the season has finished?
Garlic in the water all winter - bulbs in drinkers. Carr’s oil on the corn with garlic powder.
Do you line-breed or use a first cross or just pair winners to winners?
Winner to winner (I presently have 15x1st prize winners in the loft) and the first cross is very important.
What do you think of later bred youngsters?
My Ypres hen was a late bred that never raced or trained in that season.
If your race team went off form during the season what action would you take to restore their condition?
Virkon S in the water for two days (teaspoon to gallon), also in the bath water. Clean out drinkers with Virkon S and leave them in overnight to sterilise.
Is a favourable loft location the single biggest factor in sprint racing?
Yes. Yes.
Do you change your feeding methods for young birds?
No, they are fed the same as the old birds.
What is the furthest distance that you would train your old birds or young birds?
Thirty-five miles. Young birds have some training before their first race and thereafter are generally flagged.
Do you think illegal drugs are used to enhance racing performance?
I’m not aware of their use.
How do you consider that the British sport is going compared to the continentals?
The continental lofts are better promoted but do not have better birds for the racing I am looking to compete in.
Do you attach any real importance to the pigeon’s wing?
No.
What about the throat theory?
No.
Do you use any form of heating system in any of your lofts?
No.
What are your views on the past season?
It was a great one.
Do you have a silent partner?
No, then I can only blame myself.
Cheq W/F cock 3rd Sect Clermont SNFC
Is there anything that you do not like about the sport, something that you feel needs changing for the good of the sport?
The SNFC could possibly change to longitude and latitude rather than section/federation boundaries.
Do you use the ETS?
Yes, Unikon, a brilliant invention.
Can you explain your ideal type?
My 2nd section Ypres winner this year: small to medium in size, apple body shape with a bright eye.
Please explain your weekly preparation?
Birds are raced with Nationals in mind. Yearlings will race to 250 miles and are generally then stopped. The National candidates are given three races to get them fit to compete at the Nationals. They are flagged as separate sexes and thereafter have no further races before their target race. Feed is as stated earlier.
How do you pick your weekly pool pigeon?
I just seem to have a knack to picking my pooler by watching for little changes in their behaviour around the loft.
Are you only as good as your last race?
Yes.
How old is your oldest racer?
Five.
Do you send your youngsters the full programme?
I’m not really interested in racing youngsters and generally stop them at around 100 miles to mature and, being on natural, they fall to bits in the moult.
Do your yearlings go to the coast?
No, they are generally stopped at 250 miles.
Do you show your birds?
No.
Loft ventilation: what, why, where and do you change with the season?
The doors are open all day. Mesh fronts, louvers at the bottom of all lofts and ventilation at roof level. No restriction to air at any time.
During the off season, do your pigeons get out of the loft?
Yes as often as possible.
Raptors: are they a problem to you?
Yes but they are a problem you just have to put up with.
East or west, what race route do you prefer?
I just go with the majority decision.
When is your favourite time of the season?
National racing season.
Gordon would like to thanks all his friends in the sport for their friendship, his wife for putting up with his hobby, and Brian Nelson for the spark that he has given his own distance team. My thanks to Gordon for his time and insight for the fanciers.
Tom Corrie
Lanarkshire Press Officer
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Elimar - November 2014
