RHONDDA VALLEY FED
Reports by Martin Dunn
CLIVE & CARWYN HARRIS 0F ABERCWMBOI
Too keep an interest over the winter months I am going to try and do around 6-7 loft reports on the fanciers that have done well throughout the 2007 season in the Rhondda Valley Federation. My first report of the season goes to the hardworking secretary of the Federation himself, Abercwmboi's Clive and Carwyn Harris.
This top partnership certainly deserve a write up, with an excellent season in 2007, twice first section in the Welsh South East National and topping that with the first 5 positions in the Welsh South Road National from Chale, to go with their equally impressive 1st, 3rd, 5th Welsh South East National from Lillers in 2005.
Clive and Carwyn are a true partnership, both partners carry out the tasks around the loft, with Carwyn coming down in the mornings to exercise the birds, before leaving for work. Carwyn is a school teacher so Clive gets the easy job of cleaning out. Sir wouldn’t look good with pigeons feathers in his hair in front of his class. Both partners then have the birds back out exercising in the evening, when Clive cleans out again. Carwyn reckons it’s the only thing he’s got to do. Clive’s been retired since finishing work due to Ill health in 2000. Clive did say that he’s a big believer in cleaning out 365 days of the year, and the standard of the lofts certainly bears this out.
Trying to get a bit of background on how Clive started with pigeons, he said he started off in 1959 with his father Bryn and this is how it stayed until Bryn passed away in 1994, although his name is still kept in the partnership today. Carwyn came along in 1982 and from day one, when being able to get into the lofts he’s been pigeon mad. It didn’t take Clive long to get the winning feeling, just 3 races in fact, and he has done well over the years with pigeons obtained from good sources.
The partners said that performances improved further when obtaining the Wildermeersch pigeons from the successful Midlands lofts of Walters & Broadhurst and M/M Dutton. These served the partners well right out to 450-500 miles.
Clive said they were looking for a cross into them and settled on the Braspenning lines from Louella lofts. These really were the business from day one, breeding winner after winner, not just Clive and Carwyn, but whoever was lucky enough to have them off the Harris’s.
I would like to point out here though, these two are not big team flyers. They keep around 8 pairs of stock only and they believe in bringing in direct children from the top pigeons, and this is what the did with the Braspenning lines, with the winning lines of De Felle etc.
Lately they have introduced the Van Reets from Keith Goodenough and direct from Tony Mardon, again from these fanciers' top lines. Clive and Carwyn also like to try out youngsters obtained from top fanciers in their race team. They say if they get one good pigeon from a batch of 6 then it's money well spent. In 2007 this certainly paid off, with 8 arriving together from the Chale national. First bird caught was one bought from Keith Goodenough, this wins the national, so you could call it a successful policy.
The stock birds are generally paired in the first week of December so the partners can take enough off them ready for racing. They generally start with around 40 young birds each season and raced on the dark.
The partners race solely cocks on the traditional widowhood methods - not a big team - in 2008 they will race 21 cocks, 14 yearlings and 7 old cocks. Having taken a look at the race team there are some beauties here and one cock stood out, a Braspenning, typical of the breed, light cheq and powerfully built. He’s won around 7 x 1st and also breeding the goods, one son winning well as a young bird in 2007.
The cocks are paired, rear a round of young birds and are separated from the hens. They then are exercised around the loft to build fitness and then trained. They don’t start racing until generally the 3rd race of the programme, usually Newbury around the 95 mile mark.
The cocks are exercised twice daily. If they are going well, then this will be enough, if they don’t fly freely then they will be trained twice weekly. Clive will take them on his own. Sunday is a day of rest, they don’t go out at all just left to relax in the loft.
Clive and Carwyn use Versele Laga prestige mix with a little Homoform and linseed and hemp given as a little extra. Clive says he’s a light feeder, doesn’t believe in over feeding and the birds should always be looking for their meal after exercise. All the birds are fed on the floor by hand, not individually in boxes, twice a day.
The young birds are weaned off, the sexes are kept separated from as early as possible, they never exercise together and they are not allowed to mix until racing starts where they are left to run together on the Friday before the race. Training leading up to the race is generally around 20 tosses before starting racing and they have a really good grounding out to 35 miles. Again same as the old birds, Clive and Carwyn miss the first few young bird races before starting them off.
It’s the same routine as for the old birds. Sunday is a day of rest, with twice a day exercise periods from Monday. If again they don’t fly freely, they will be trained every day from Newport or Chepstow, around 35 miles.
They also eat the same mixes as the old birds and again they are not given too much to eat, same principles as the old birds, they should be looking for their food after exercise. With then young birds flying on the darkness system, I asked if they had any problems getting through the moult. Clive said they never had and all have to fly the programme the following season. All the birds in the loft have to earn their right to keep their perch in the loft.
I asked Clive what he thought their best performances was over the years and he said there have been many highlights, with this season being one of their best ever. He did say he always tries to look forward and their whole season revolves around doing well in the national races only. Clive and Carwyn live for these races and if they could have one ambition it is to win the Bonn national in years to come.
Just to mention what they have indeed won during 2007, starting off at club level 9x 1st club. At federation level the highlights are 1st fed Ramsgate with the old birds and 1st and 2nd fed Lillers with the young birds. At National level they have won 4 x 1st section and the ultimate 1st open Chale National. As can bee seen, a dream season for Clive and Carwyn, all the more remarkable when you take into account that Clive is also the secretary of the 2nd largest federation in Wales, which takes up a lot of his time during the racing season.
Clive Harris and Tony Seal at the Harris’s fine loft
I will say it was a pleasure to go over and see their set up. The lofts are outstanding internally and externally, with class pigeons all around, and no doubt we can safely say there’s more success around the corner for these 2 dedicated fanciers.
19/11/07
