By Harry Hayes of Portstewart
Before I write this article, I would like to say I consider it a great honour in being asked to write for ‘Squills’.
I became interested in pigeons when I left school; my loft at the time was built from old timber with a tarred and felted roof. At that time I had a partner, a local boy named Jim McKergan and in those days we thought it was a great thing to have a bird which had flown even a few miles.
This partnership got broken up when my friend got married, shortly after that I went out of pigeons, but the old spirit of pigeons never left me, and I re-started in 1964. Then I decided to build a bigger loft with plenty of ventilation. The loft is 20ft long and 6ft wide, it consists of three sections, one for the Y/Birds - one for the O/Birds and the final for the Stock. I believe in giving my pigeons the best of feeding and not to stint it in any way, also to keep the birds in a spotless condition, as well as my loft.
I found the stock of birds I had was not capable of flying the long distance races, because at the point where I live, the birds have to fly the longest distance in Ireland. This being the case I decided I needed a strain of birds which could stand up to the long hours on the wing. Looking through an old ‘Squills’ I saw an advertisement of Robert Smyth of Larne, Northern Ireland. And I decided his birds were the ones for me, this strain consists of Kenyon, Putman and Hansenne. I bought two pairs and decided to experiment with another strain and a good friend and fancier, John McAuley of Islandmore, Portrush, N.Ireland made me the gift of a pair of young cocks.
Harry Hayes pictured with some of the trophies won by his pigeons in 1973 including a Hall of Fame Diploma.
I put the two young cocks to Robert Smyth’s hens, and they produced many outstanding winners, one of these being a Blue Cheq Cock, which as a Y/Bird flew all races in Ireland, and as a yearling, the first race re-turned with a broken wing. Different fanciers said the pigeon would never be any good, but I had so much faith in this strain, that I new with care and attention, that it would be all right. My point was proved, and when the wing healed, it was capable of racing from Wexford (2), Haverford (1), and Haverford (2). I decided to rest it from Penzance, and sent it to Dinard, it returned from Dinard on the day and won first prize in the Coleriane Premier Club. This bird has flown Dinard 3 times and Nantes once.
I have a blue hen, a sister to the Broken Wing cock, which as a Y/Bird flew all races in Ireland, and finished up by winning 2nd Section, 2nd Open from Skibbereen winning a large sum of money. These two birds have numerous relations which are proving equally as good but I have not the space to mention all of them. In Ireland there is a very coveted prize known as the Hall of Fame Diploma. This entails a bird flying from Nantes appearing in the prize list three years in succession, I set my sights on this particular goal, I knew it would take an outstanding pigeon to do this.
I had a stock hen in my loft descended from Robert Smyth’s ‘National’ and ‘Continental Queen’, but I knew I required a first class mate for her, so I paid a visit to some good friends of mine. Hemphill Bros, Burnside, Portstewart, N.Ireland. I received a gift bird from them which they told me was bred down from their own long distance family. I put this bird and R Smyth’s together and produced my Hall of Fame Winner.
As a young bird he was very disappointing, then as a yearling I seen my theory beginning to prove me right. I believe in flying my birds hard and often, so this particular bird had the lot, flying all races as a yearling except Penzance and finished that year from Dinard on the day. I saw this bird was even capable of doing even better so as a two-year-old I gave him all the races except Penzance and Dinard, but sent him on to Nantes in 1970 his position was 28th Open on a velocity of 569ypm with 2,107 birds competing.
The following year he was 102nd Open Nantes on a Velocity of 810ypm with 2,220 birds in competition the 3rd year he was 112th Open Nantes, on a velocity of 373ypm, with 2,151 birds competing, after all this performance I decided he had done enough for me and I now have him as a stock bird. As in my custom I like to watch my bird exercising, fours years ago while doing this, I noticed a strange bird along with my own, this bird came into my loft and I examined it to find it was a Dutch cock, it was in such poor condition that I decided to nurse it back to health and then give it its freedom, as I believe in giving every bird a chance to make home.
After a week in my loft, it soon recovered and I then liberated it but it still insisted in coming back into my loft. Then I got in touch with the Dutch Federation and reported it, they informed me the owner could not be traced so they transferred the bird to me. This proved to be a very lucky find, as this pigeon has bred me some fine birds to fly the long distance races. I then decided to train the bird along with my own, and then coming near the end of the O/Bird racing, I decided to try it from Okehampton and it flew well from there, then the following week I sent it to Penzance and it was my fourth pigeon on the day. The reason for giving it the races in England was to give it every chance to find its own way home, as it is not my custom to keep stray birds, let alone breed from them.
After all this pigeon had gone through I wondered if it would be as good at breeding, as it was at flying, so the following year I put this bird to a sister of my good blue hen, and it proved to me again that it was as good at breeding as it was at flying. The pair produced many good flying pigeons, but there was one very outstanding hen. As a young bird she flew all stages in Ireland and as a yearling she won the Okehampton race into Coleraine and Portstewart, going on to fly Dinard the same year and finishing third in the Club.
The following year she went through the same performances finishing at Dinard, as a three-year-old I saw her as a long race candidate so I gave her all the stages in Ireland again these being twice Dublin, 126 miles, twice Arklow, 166 miles, twice Wexford, 197 miles, twice Haverfordwest and then Okehampton 328 miles. Then I rested her and got her down on eggs sitting 10 days which I found suited her, in between times I gave her short training tosses and had her in perfect condition for the Nantes Race. She arrived home from this race on the 2nd day, finishing 81st Open, she was the only pigeon returned on race time in this district, the nearest to her was thirty miles away in Ballymena, Co.Antrim.
She has flown Nantes once and if she keeps this performance going who knows I might be lucky to win a second Hall of Fame Diploma. This is the performance I expect of all my birds, my young bird stock at present had proved to me to be equally as good as their predecessors.
I finished the 1973 season sending to all the race points and find that I have no losses leaving me with a large team of well tried birds to winter. The advise I would give to any young fancier starting this interesting hobby, would be to select the fancier who in his opinion is the best flyer and then try to buy a couple of his late bred young ones, as I have proved you need the best to win. Then attend to your birds well, feed them well and give plenty of fresh air, don’t be downhearted at disappointments, always listen to good advice, and success will come.
Adie McCormick
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