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National Forum With Keith Mott

National Forum 32 The Falaise Old Hens National.

The members of the National Flying Club sent 1,512 birds to the George Buckton Falaise old hens national and with the westerly factor in the wind the race was dominated by Section E. The N.F.C. convoyer, Colin Bates, liberated the old hens with the young birds at 08.35hrs. and a great race followed, finishing off the 2003 national season in good style.

Crathorne and Parrott of Benfleet in Essex, clocked at 12.00hrs, to win 1^st. open Old Hens National, with their champion blue pied hen, ‘Kiln Falaise’, and she was sent feeding a twelve day old youngster. The partners sent 15 young birds and 3 old hens to the National and enjoyed an excellent race, recording their first youngster six minutes after their National winner, to be provisionally 16^th. Open in the Young Bird National, and got all their birds home on the day. ‘Kiln Falaise’ is 50% Krauth, being bred out of a hen obtained from Syd Montgomery of Farranshane and her grandsire, a Rutter Brothers pigeon, has bred 31 winners for the Crathorne and Parrott loft. The National winner has raced well on the widowhood system, being a winner as a young bird, and her sire, ‘Kiln Barcelona’, recorded 7^th. Open B.I.C.C. Pau in 2002 and 18^th. Open B.I.C.C. Marseille this season. A brilliant family of winning pigeons!

Budgie Crathorne visited my home, in Esher, the weekend after the National, to have Champion ‘Kiln Falaises’, photo taken for this article and Mark Gilbert, this season’s Grand National winner, was also visiting, so we had a good couple of hours of pigeon banter in my garden. Mark and I, were very impressed with the condition of Budgie’s hen, she was perfect in the moult, with not a feather out of place and blooming with super fitness. Budgie told me that he had been in partnership with his good friend, Len Parrott, since 2000, and the racing loft is at his address, with the 52 pairs of stock pigeons being kept at Len’s home. He says, that Len is a wonderful stockman and has a great knack of pairing pigeons on the eyesign method, to breed winners. Budgie raced pigeons in Germany, while doing Army service and won 1^st. and 2^nd. Open in the German National. He returned to the U.K. in 1993 and began racing north road, with outstanding success, winning countless firsts in the club and federation, including 1^ST. open Combine Stonehaven and 1^st. open Combine Ripon. The partners turned completely south road in 2002 and have won many premier positions, including: 2001: 18^th. Open N.F.C. Guernsey (first gold ring), 2002: 4^th. Open N.F.C. Guernsey (old hens), 2003: 2^nd. Open B.I.C.C. Falaise and now 1^st. open N.F.C. Falaise (old hens).

Budgie and Len race the widowhood system to a 30ft., four section loft and the race team is made up with 12 hens and 28 cocks, which are paired up in February. The first round of eggs from the stock loft are floated under the race birds and the widowhood pigeons are on the system when their mates are taken away, when their first round of youngsters are 16 days old. When the babies are taken away, Budgie starts to train the race team and they get about 25 tosses up to 90 miles, before the first race. He says he used to like sprint racing, but that bores him now and is only really interested in long distance events, with the National and Classic. The inland club races are used for training and some times a few of the widowhood racers are repaired for the long distance International races. The partners own many quality pigeons from many different families and say, they are trying to build their own family of long distance pigeons. Len handles all the breeding side of the pigeon partnership and the stock birds are housed in a big loft, with a wire flight on the front, so the inmates can enjoy the weather. They are very keen on eyesign and all their pairings are done on this method. The partners sell young birds each season and about 60 are retained to race, and these are put on the ‘darkness’ system. The week after they are weaned, the youngsters are jabbed and one week later are put on the ‘darkness’. They are worked very hard and get lots of training tosses, starting at 3 miles, working through to 50 miles. Budgie maintains that most pigeon fanciers try to rush training, which he thinks is wrong, he gives his babies lots of short tosses and works them up to the longer training points in stages. In the early part of the young bird racing season the sexes are kept apart, but later on, they are allowed to run together and pair up if they wish. The youngsters are fed a good mixture and are trained twice a week, from 30 miles, during the racing season, and race the whole programme. No youngsters are saved for the widowhood system and all have to race.

Budgie says, ventilation is very important in the loft and although his widowhood loft has a closed in front, it is well ventilated, with big vents, back and front, and big chimneys in the flat roof. All the birds are trapped through open doors and the loft is cleaned out twice a day, when the birds are out for their hours exercise. The partners don’t bother with latebreds, but this year, have eight crackers, so are going to train them up in the winter months and give them a go next season. Budgie maintains that pigeon racing is going down hill and on the Continent, pigeon racing methods are  years in front of the U.K. He says, the best pigeons are English and thinks Belgium is played out and now ‘dry’ of quality stock, maintaining that Holland and Germany are the places to go to purchase pigeons. Budgie is very much in favour of the early morning liberation in the long distance Nationals and says, he knows that some times the National have to let go at mid-day, for the good of the pigeons. I would like to offer my congratulations to Budgie and Len, on their great performances in the Falaise nationals. Well done, lads!

I received an email from Trevor Thompson of Lowestoft, which reads:

Dear Keith,

                 I thought you might like a few notes on my pigeon, which won 1^st Section H, provisionally 13^th. Open in the N.F.C. Falaise (old hens) National, for your ‘NATIONAL FORUM’ article. She is a blue chequer, of the Cees Stock (Holland) bloodlines and was sent to Falaise sitting 10 day old eggs. She was a gift bird from Ian May, who flies in the Hooton club, in the Wirrel. Ian is in hospital at this time, with a none pigeon related chest complaint and we hope this result will cheer him up. We would like to wish him a speedy recovery! I would also like to thank Ian’s brother, Graham, who waited with us when the hen returned and was clocked in. Graham has a small team of the Cees Stock pigeons and has been a great help to me with my own birds. Our hen has been over the channel three times this year and has had good positions at all distances. Many thank!

                                                                            Regards – Trevor.

Section winners of the N.F.C. Falaise Old Hens National were:

Congratulations to you all!

N.F.C. Falaise convoyer’s report (Colin Bates) 

All birds were fed and watered at the marking stations and all three transporters met up on Portsmouth docks at 18.00hrs., where the birds were watered and left to rest, until loading at 21.30hrs. Sailed for Caen, arriving at 06.15hrs. on Friday and travelled to Falaise liberation site, arriving at 08.00hrs. We watered the convoy on arrival and fed the birds 14.00hrs. We were topping up the drinkers at 05.30hrs. on the Saturday morning and rang R. Barrington at 07.00hrs. He gave me a good weather report, with a south west wind. I waited for the sun to come up and the sky to clear, before I liberated at 08.35 hrs. and the birds cleared Falaise well. Many thanks to my convoying team, G. Allen and R.King, and the Catteralls drivers for all their good work.

                           Colin Bates (N.F.C. Chief Convoyer).

The N.F.C. President, Bill Harris, has suffered a bit of bad health in recent weeks and I would like to wish him a speedy recovery, after his say in hospital. Get well soon, mate! Another ‘NATIONAL FORUM’ bites the dust and in our next article, I will be featuring a good friend of mine, who recently won the Nantes National, Bob Reeves of Exeter. I can be contacted, for N.F.C. news, on Telephone: 01372 463480 or Email address: keithmott@btopenworld.com