By Adie McCormick
http://www.pigeonnetwork.com
The following is an article re-typed from the 1970 edition of Squills with the approval of Lee Fribbens for you the fancy to enjoy once again and more so for the many pigeon enthusiasts who have yet to enjoy it, Tommy Harper of Ballymena was a legend to say the least, the Harper name is world renowned and Tommy is regarded to this day as one of the all time greats especially flying pigeons from Cross Channel events into Ireland. The following story highlights a couple of outstanding pigeons including the famous “Iron Man”. I trust you all enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed retyping the words of such a prolific racing icon.
BY THEIR DEEDS YE SHALL KNOW THEM
Written by the legendary Tommy Harper
Ballymena, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland
I feel greatly honoured on being asked to write this article for ‘Squills’ and have to the best of my ability tried to set out the methods which have brought me more than average success over a long period of years. During last winter when my health wasn’t of best, I was not in the loft for periods of three weeks at a time, my wife carried out my instructions as to feeding and watering, no cleaning being necessary as the floor is in litter. She usually clocks my birds in the French races when there are no birds home on the day and I am away on business.
The loft was founded in 1921 by my late father, brother and me on the best of the old English strains at that time. The direct Tofts included a daughter of 4743, one of the two record cocks, together with two cocks, one bred from a brother and sister mating. Logans which included a daughter of the £300 pair. Osmans which were closely related to Forlorn Hope, little Wonder, Olympic etc. Barkers which included a grandson of E Jackson’s Old Kendal Blue and a daughter of Oceanic, the first bird to fly San Sebastian in Yorkshire (700 miles, if my memory serves me right).
The legendary Tommy Harper of Ballymena, Co.Antrim, N.Ireland
Then in 1941, after 20 years of successful line breeding and racing, the Buckleys (eight in number) were introduced (another line bred family), which has produced a family of birds which can hold their own from 100 to 600 miles. Again after another 20 years, four Hopas pigeons were introduced and again proved very successful. These have been line and inbred until, at the present time, there are no birds in the racing loft which are not related to each other.
Although this is the most successful Cross Channel winning loft in Ireland over the past 40 years I can truthfully say it has only produced two really champion pigeons, one a breeder and the other a racer, both cocks. The Breeder is a Blue Cheq Cock, NU 48 P 3920, very much inbred, being from an uncle and niece mating, which has left a long line of winners, being sire, grandsire and great grandsire of many winners from Redon 530, Nantes 570 and Les Sables 610 miles, which include a 1st, 2nd, 5th, 7th, 11th etc in Irish O/Bird Nationals, many of these being two, and three times in the prizes.
The racer also a Blue Cheq Cock, NU 59 P 5713 which has won at all distances from 100 miles to 500 miles, flown the channel 22 times, 21 times in the clock, failed only once to home in race time, a smash when only six birds were timed in three days out of over 2,000. Among his outstanding performances is 34th Open Skibbereen Y/Bird Derby 261 miles with over 3,000 birds competing. Flown the channel four times as a yearling in the clock each time. As a two year old he won 7th Open NIPA Haverfordwest Vel 963ypm with 13,826 birds competing and 1st C C Club winning £108. A fortnight later he won 5th Club Okehampton smash only 7 birds in race time, over 14 hours on the wing and timed at 10.16pm.
Then a fortnight later he won 16th North Section and 32nd Open St Malo NIPA Derby almost 3,000 birds competing Vel 651ypm no birds on the day. Three hard channel races within a period of four weeks, little wonder the club members had christened him “The Iron Man”. As a three-year-old he was 5th Chester Ulster Cont Club smash only a few birds timed and 8th Penzance. In 1964 he won 10th Open NIPA with almost 20,000 birds competing from Wexford at a Velocity of 2418ypm and went on to win 8th North Section and 25th Open NIPA St Malo Derby Velocity 790ypm being on the wing 17 & ½ Hours and timed at 11.06pm with over 2,000 pigeons competing. In 1965 he won pools at Okehampton and finished his racing career with 21st North Section and 40th Open Dinard O/B Derby with a velocity of 624 with almost 3,000 birds competing. In seven years racing he had won at every stage from Sutton 100 miles to Dinard 500 miles at Vels of 600ypm to 2,400ypm, truly a champion.
Lucky is the fancier who produces one really champion racer in his lifetime. I could count the truly champion pigeons in and around the Ballymena area (one of the hot beds of pigeon racing in Ireland) over the past 40 years on the fingers of my two hands, many are the more than average good racers which crop up in a family which has been line bred to good racing stock and tried continually over the years at the longer distances.
It has never been my policy to concentrate on the winning of the O/Bird National from France to Northern Ireland as I considered the sacrifice to great, when one is acquainted with the history and knows the percentage of returns from these races, I think it is very foolish for any fancier to empty his loft by sending all his birds. My policy is when the time comes if one has a few birds which are in condition and have the experience send them will all confidence, but never empty your loft in the pursuit of winning. One has only to look at the map and see the hazards these Irish pigeons have to contend with to realise why we have so many disastrous races from France.
It has never been my good fortune to win the Irish National although I have been 2nd, 5th etc, but it gave me great pleasure to breed the sire of “Endeavour” (See the Nelson Corry article). This good hen was 7th in last years race, which makes her a worthy winner and to emphasize my point about line and inbreeding this good hen is bred from a father and daughter mating and is a blood cousin to my champion cock, the ‘Iron Man’. The race itself is what many here would describe as fairly successful. But of an entry of 2,298 birds we had 99 birds timed in race time (three days), less than 5% returns. I myself had to be content with 27th Open with a grandson of the 3920 mentioned above.
My O/Bird loft is of stone and lime, built on top of a garage and store and is almost square, divided into five compartments and a store for feeding etc with a corridor leading to each section which is about 6ft square with sliding doors. The lofts face south with a platform of 3ft wide running along the entire front. A door opens from the corridor on to the platform and there are two large double doors which allow the birds entry into the two front sections.
I use a covering of sand and sawdust together with a little limestone flour as a floor dressing or deep litter and the floor is never scraped. The only cleaning for the last two years has been the perches which are cleaned once a week. The drinkers are placed on shelves 3ft from the floor to keep any dust from blowing in and the water is changed once per day. I am a great believer in seeing that the birds are clean and free from lice even if the loft is not spotless. The loft is sprayed twice a year with Malathion which ensures that no pest can live on the birds or in the loft. Ventilation is supplied from North, South and West. There being no openings from the east.
Young Birds are housed in a separate loft adjoining the O/Bird loft and also faces south. It is 15ft Long, 7ft Wide divided into two 6ft Sections with a corridor in the middle of 3ft. The floor is also covered with a litter of sand, sawdust and lime and the birds enter through bob wires at ground level from a platform which runs the entire length of the loft.
From the time the birds are mated until separation each pair of old birds have a pot of feed in their nest which is replenished twice daily and consists of equal parts of unpolished tic beans and plate maize. As a tit bit the birds are given either wheat or mixed poultry grain which is thrown on the deep litter each evening and the birds enjoy searching and scraping for this. I also feed a little linseed each day (a handful to every 20 birds). At no time do my pigeons get any seed and I am convinced they don’t need it. The sexes are separated as soon as racing is over and are not allowed together until mating and I can assure you there is no difficulty is pairing up. When the moult is complete the quantity of feed is reduced to about 1 oz per head per day and consists of Barley & Oats together with linseed. About 10 days before mating, the beans and maize are introduced and when paired up about the middle of March the feed is back in front of them at all times. During separation on fine days the sexes fly out on alternative days and a bath is given once weekly.
From the time of mating until separation my old birds have the open loft and no forced exercise is given at anytime. They simply live in the fields are going and coming all day, therefore have no need to supply any greens, as they get all the vegetable minerals and animal proteins they require. This has to a certain degree its advantages, but on the other hand from time to time one has to endure the disadvantages of the hawk.
Y/Birds when on the wing are exercised morning and evening and fed after exercise on a mixture of beans and maize, equal parts, with poultry grain as a tit bit together with a little linseed. They have a light feed in the morning and all they can eat after the evening fly.
Young Bird training starts when the second flight is fully grown. The training consists of tosses up to 50 miles when they are ready for the first race which is 100 odd miles. I have lifted young birds into their first race of 176 miles after a thorough training programme up to 50 miles and have won with them.
Old birds have one or two tosses at 30 miles and are then ready for he races. It is surprising how little racing an experienced bird needs. Some of my best performances have been accomplished by birds lifted from 200 miles to 500 or 570 miles.
Y/Birds have 3 or 4 races up to 176 miles and some go to 250 miles. Then we have our Y/Bird National from Penzance which is 330 miles to my loft. This I usually support with one or two entries and believe me it takes a game youngster to fly 330 miles in a head wind with over 100 miles of water. With my only entry this year I was 95th Open with over 2,000 birds competing. Yearlings usually go to 300 or 330 miles and two-year-olds as far as 470 miles.
I don’t think there is any hard and fast rule which distance a young bird should be raced as it depends on the state of the moult and the severity of the races. Some of my best old birds have been up to 250 miles as youngsters, other 176 miles and some have been late bred and only trained a few miles. I am very partial to a good late bred, provided it has plenty of exercise to develop the muscle. Late bred youngsters if closed up will never make good racers. Any late breds retained by me are given a few short tosses and then thoroughly trained with the next year’s youngsters. The best advice I can give anyone founding a loft is to purchase a few late bred youngsters from a good racing loft. Breed your own youngsters, train them well and race them hard and always put the best to the best.