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This article was originally published between 1999 and 2001. Reproduced here as recovered from the archived Boglin Marsh website. It may contain language and attitudes of its time.
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The Novice's Social Circle - Part 13
There is a little story to Dennis' success, it is also a little sad. His son Tony had been following the novices column and saved the pages in a folder. Tony had been gaining some success but unfortunately died from cancer during the racing season. The members of Hull Premiere F.C. allowed Dennis to complete the season in Tony's name if he so wished .Dennis phoned for advice because, in his own words he didn't know one end of a pigeon from the other and had never been in the loft. A few weeks later he phoned again to inform me that he had followed the advice to the letter and had attained the above results. That very same day a lady fancier phoned upon behalf of the husband & wife partnership of Mr & Mrs Fielding racing with the Bristol & Avon R.P.C. Mrs.Fielding called to thank me for help with young birds and inform me that when advice was applied they have since taken several prizes including 1st West of England N.R.Combine. There have been numerous others who have all improved their performances in various degrees depending upon their personal targets set. Perhaps the best of all was the performance achieved by Paul Harris & Tom Walsh, Barry, S.Glamorgan, Wales, who phoned to say that by following the Novices Social Circle, The Blackpool Notes, Joe Murphy Column and the advice of Welsh colleague" Dixie"had enabled them to win 1st W.G.N.F.C. Thurso. This loft will be featured in the B.H.W.Year Book 1997.
When this project was first started colleague "Skarthi" commented that he enjoyed the first edition and looked forward to the future with interest! Well I wonder what he thinks of it so far? So enough bouquets lads, let's get on with problem solving and preparing for 2001. The difficulty in writing this column lays in continuity because so many of you appear to require different help, mainly in matters concerning health. So I am intending to prepare an abbreviated concise dictionary upon the recognition of various pigeon ailments. This is only to be intended as a guideline; veterinary diagnosis should always be sought for individual cases and medical treatment. Having said that; I am aware that non specialist veterinarians can sometimes demonstrate a lack of concern for pigeons and treatments are sometimes incorrect and extremely variable in costs. This concerns me but, there are specialists that advertise within the press and their charges are both reasonable and in parity with each other. So the advice is - when in need of veterinary advice; use one of the specialists!
There is also another concern - this comes under the umbrella of legality. In the United Kingdom we have the licensing of drugs prescribed for pigeon usage only. Without the specific licence the drug is illegal and this could have repercussions under the ruling relating to doping. Even the use of herbs could fall into this category as many herbs contain illegal substances that may enhance performance. Another problem is that many of these antibiotic drugs are freely available over the counter or by mail order ie Terramycin, Aureomycin, Baytril, Gallimycin, Tylan etc.plus numerous others that do not carry the necessary British licence for pigeon use. In effect some of these drugs would be deemed illegal by British law and possibly illegal under pigeon racing regulation. Any drug, passed fancier to fancier, without inspection and prescription by a veterinary officer would also constitute an illegal act where prescription only medicines are concerned. It is for this reason that I refuse to name any P.O.M.cure even though having the reasonable amount of knowledge to do so. I would ask any and every reader to ignore the advice of Tom, Dick or Harry however well meaning they may be. Correct diagnosis is difficult enough in laboratory conditions where many ailments display similar features and yet require different or differing levels of medication.
Having said that - there are many ailments contracted by pigeons that may be overcome by none medical treatment via antibiotics and this is where I hope the dictionary to be of use. This will come as future articles because as you may imagine it takes time to prepare and write. I shall expect you to keep these articles for future reference because "Spinksy" only ever tells anybody anything ONCE, nobody will tell you straighter! After which it is entirely up to yourself; I will have done my job, the remainder is up to yourself! Before commencing these articles it is necessary to finalise the year, which ends immediately the last young bird race has been flown. All selection within your old bird loft should have been completed at the end of their season. Had you followed my advice, only the best racers and breeders should now remain and these would be apparent by their performances.The wise amongst you will have kept the fastest yearlings to within 250 miles race points. There is good reason for this because pigeons fly at a pace comfortable to themselves. Headwind or tailwind that pace will remain constant, the additional velocity only being provided by the wind factor. Give these birds additional distance under difficult conditions and their pace will inevitably slow down. This slowing of pace is a natural cause of events with age and that is when to send them further. In the meantime the speed of youth should be maintained. The slower paced birds should have been sent on; their slower maintainable pace would see them through the distance and more difficult races. Some of these will eventually slow down further and that is the time to retire them from active duty or test them from the extreme distance!
Young birds are a completely different matter and far more difficult to assess. Many young bird winners are one hit wonders and prizes won may not be a true guideline to future performance, some may win again, the majority will not. Winning young bird races usually conforms to moulting - peak condition which is variable in individual birds and families of birds (perhaps now one might appreciate the need for moulded family characteristics if any reliable forecast is to be made) Age of young birds dictates moult and peaks or troughs in youngsters, so one loft of three sections containing one family of different age groups can prove devastating in young bird racing specialist hands. The small Novices Social Circle loft could not, nor should not expect to excel but it can win a reasonable percentage in races to which the inmates are suited. Even so, winning, no matter how pleasurable must not be allowed to cloud analytical perspective; each bird must only be judged upon consistent performance and necessity towards future planning.
At this point I will tell you a true story - during 1966 I had the good fortune to come by a pigeon NU.66.D.27226 known by his latter numbers as "Twenty Six" This ugly duckling of a cock,was hump backed, a wriggler, pearl eyed, long legged, swan necked, completely out of balance, too strong to handle for anything but the briefest of time and never got a second look in the showpen .His father was Gilbert Cobham's "Z Cock", his dam was Dr.Riggs Combine winner (cica 1962-3). Twenty six nighted out in his first two young bird races, he then began to arrive 3rd or 4th to the loft. This was until the last two races, when he nighted out again. My pal Dennis black marked him and told me to cull as my loft was so small but, I had belief in the pigeon and its breeder. As a yearling it was exactly the same story and my yardstick was never to breed from any bird that hadn't won 1st prizes (plural). This is still the best yardstick in any small loft; however there are always exceptions to rules as we sometimes realise too late .Dennis once again advised that I cull 26 but, I still had faith and commencing at 2yrs of age he repaid it! 'Twenty Six' took 2nd Hereford, 1st Bath, 2nd Avaranches, 1st Nantes that year. During the following six years, Twenty Six won several prizes annually, in all he won over thirty cards, he won a 1st prize from every racepoint flown by Blackpool Amal. He won to three different addresses for me due to house removal, taking 3 x 1st from Nantes, 2 x 1st Rennes and 2 x 1st Avaranches plus numerous Amal cards. However his story only started there; my loft was a 12ft x 6ft backyard affair, housing 20 old birds and 12 youngters. Obviously not many were ever bred for myself from Twenty Six. His children went instead to my friend Harry Hughes and others to my other friend John McGillivray. These children gifted to Harry and raced to an even smaller loft than my own practically devastated Blackpool Amal during the short time that Harry lived. One of these was "Hurry Up"with 10 x 1st and father to numerous others. I gifted "Twenty Six" now ten years of age to another friend and he in turn bred 1st Lancashire Combine for one of his workmates to whom he promptly sold "Twenty Six" for £50 (a lot of money in those days) Anyway, that pigeon, that could have been culled as a youngster was responsible for countless winners at club, Amal, Combine & National level and had never been bred from until 3 years old.
The problem was that in those days I owned ten cocks of my own family that were all equally as good. When I broke up that team, I vowed that I would never race pigeons again and believe me I had good reason for making that vow. Once a pigeon fancier, always a pigeon fancier, it didn't take long to break that vow but, I have to admit that racing will never mean as much to me again. However there are plenty of fanciers to benefit from my experience and that in some small measure is adequate compensation. I will take my novices to the peak of Everest, they climb the South Face, whilst I shall attempt the North Face alone. What many of you don't realise is that this is the Spirit of Pigeons Past and this might be the Old Man of the Mountains final ascent. It must be the hardest route possible before he can rest but the mountain will be conquered or my name isn't Lazarus! So to finalise for today - don't judge young birds upon prizes won - judge only upon consistency and background knowledge. With old birds - judge only upon performance, either as racers or producers - if after three seasons they haven't attained their potential, don't cry for me Argentina or my name isn't Evita!
