This week I will stray a little bit away from my area of coverage to feature a loft in the City of Newry in County Down, when I started to scribe it was before City Status for Newry but even in those days of hand-written results the local area lofts were usually well represented and on numerous occasions sitting at 1st Open NIPA, a lot becoming household names in the sport. I even managed to get down and cover some of the prize nights, what good fun they were.
Newry has been ever present in the NIPA results and with the world-famous Ron Williamson joined the ranks, the 2020 season brought many more records.
This little feature is on J F McCabe & Son and Conor answered my questions.
Q1. When started racing, what club and was any family involved? Why did you start in the pigeons and what birds did you start with?
Conor - I officially started racing pigeons in 1984 and joined Newry & District HPS. However, I was going to the pigeon club with my uncle Bernard McCabe from the age of 10. Bernard was the top pigeon flier in Newry at the time and it was he who started me off in pigeons in 1976. In 2010, my son Conor became more interested in the birds and the partnership that we fly under today was formed.
Q2. What organizations do you fly with currently?
Conor - The current organisations we compete in is the NIPA and the INFC.
Q3. Your Loft, Structure, length and how many?
Conor - The setup consists of 2 lofts. The first being a 24 x 8 structure which holds both the stock birds and the young bird team. The second loft is 18 x 6 in measurement and holds both cocks and hens with 24 boxes split over two sections for the cocks. Both lofts are fitted with an aviary which we think is a must for the bird’s health and condition.
Q4. Racing/training methods for old birds and young birds. Do you put YB’s on Darkness System, and what about Old Birds – Widowhood, Roundabout or just Natural?
Conor - Our old birds are raced on the roundabout system and young birds are raced to the perch. All young birds are raced to the perch. We race a maximum of 48 old birds and breed a team of 60 young birds each year and usually have around a team of 50 to race each year.
Q5. Feeding and systems etc over the season?
Conor - During the racing they are fed as much as they like within reason on a good widowhood mix. There is no breaking down here. Multivitamins are given twice a week during racing as well as Naturaline. During the moulting season the birds are given 50% moulting mix and 50% diet with oily seeds given sparingly. Naturaline and apple cider vinegar is given quite a lot during this time.
Q6. Treatments, what and when used? Do you use Vitamins, if so what?
Conor - With regards to medication, in the off season this is kept to a bare minimum if any apart from the mandatory injections. During the racing season the 3-week cycle is used to keep the birds in good health after cross contamination with other birds in the race basket.
Q7. Breeding info when done etc.? - now that the rings are available before Christmas.
Conor - Normally the birds are paired up on boxing day with 60 young birds being bred. We have found that pre-pairing up the birds a couple of weekends before boxing days settles them down and makes life a bit easier.
Q8. Birds at stock, strains kept and families etc.?
Conor - 20 pairs of stock are kept. The families that are kept are Jos Soontjens via Davy Hutchinson, Herman Ceusters and via Wayne Doonan, Stefan Lambrechts via and a few Hardy Kruger birds.
Q9. Racing results over the years – Club, Sect & Combine and best Open positions with NIPA & INFC?
Conor - Over the past few years we have had our fair share of good results. In 2009 we won the Open 5 Bird Open in the young birds taking over £1,000 in pools and prize money with a pigeon called “So Grand”. The same feat was achieved this season with “Champion Rooney” Champion Rooney was bred by Kevin Rooney and Son from Annalong. In 2017 we were fortunate to win 1st Open from Gowran Park against 25,000 birds competing. Again in 2017, we achieved 4th North Section Skibbereen National in a North-East wind, and the same hen went onto achieve 7th Open Fermoy this season in the same conditions. Also, in 2019 we won the NIPA Open from Bude with “Blue Jos”.
Q10. Outstanding racers and stock birds since starting the sport?
Conor - The best breeding pair we have ever owned is our current Box 1 pair. This pair consists of “Black Magic” and “Blue Lady”. They have bred everything from club winners to 1st Open NIPA winners and winners have been produced 5 generations down from this pair. The best two examples of this is, “The Special One” and the “65’ Cock”. The Special One was 2nd Open, 5th Open, 11th Open etc and is a grandchild of this pair. The 65’ Cock has 2 x 4th Open NIPA, as well as 16th Open plus another 6 top open positions. The Open winner from Gowran Park is a direct son of this Pair ‘Champion Scobie’. This year a hen from this pair achieved 9th Open from the same race point.
Q11. What about cross channel racing both old bird and young bird?
Conor - Cross channel racing is not something we focus on but we do send a small team of old birds to Bude and Penzance. We may send a couple of young birds to the Talbenny National but this is more for a bit of interest. We focus mainly on the up Ireland sprint races. We have had good positions when we have sent to the channel being 3rd Open in 2010 and 1st Open Bude in 2019 with “Blue Jos”. Also, in 2016 we were 13th National Quimper with INFC.
Q12. Any positions held past or present? – Any work covered at the club?
Conor - I am currently Chairman of Newry & District HPS and Conor is the ETS secretary in the club.
Q13. Special mention of anyone who helped, or influenced you in the sport? Any views for the future?
Conor - The person who influenced me a lot at the start has to be my uncle Bernard who supplied me with my first birds and gave me help and tips along the way when required. A special mention and thanks would have to go to Stanley McKinstry of the Dromara club for all the advice and birds we have received over the years including our No.1 hen “Blue Lady”. Another special mention and thanks as well, goes to the men who supplied us with top stock in order for us to achieve these results - they include Davy Hutchinson, Wayne Doonan and Ian Gibb.
Q14. Last but not least your best result, and what was biggest disappointment in the sport?
Conor - The biggest achievement to date on paper would be the Open result from Gowran Park in 2017. We achieved 5 positions in the Top 21 of the NIPA Open result including 1st. One of the biggest thrills we had was 4th North Sect Skibbereen Young Bird National and 13th National Quimper. Its hard to say what the big disappointment was but as everyone knows the pigeon sport is a game of highs and lows.
I have a number of Loft Feature items with a number of lofts and hopefully some will be returned very soon and we can fill up the column inches prior to racing, hopefully in April. A lot more are outstanding rather the small number that have been returned. Remember it’s only a bit of fun nothing serious and something for fanciers to read and see how the successful lofts perform, something might be picked up to improve their own situation. In the meantime, thanks to J F McCabe & Son from Newry.
It was actually John the Chairman in Newry & District that wrote the report, sent on by Conor. Slight slip of the pen.
HOMER. Willie Reynolds
Tel/Fax: (028) 256 44683
Mobile: 07538 238364
Twitter: willie reynolds@homerbhw
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J F McCabe & Son collect the sponsorship prizes for Fermoy from Neil Frazer at Frazer Feeds in Banbridge.
“Blue Jos”
“Champion Scobie”
“Champion Rooney”
“The Special One”
"Black Magic" the No 1 Cock
"Blue Lady" the No 1 Hen