Bren McGrane interview with G & P O'Dowd -
Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2014 9:47 am
G & P O DOWD - BALLYBRACK RPC DUBLIN
(Q) Please introduce yourself and tell us how you got started in the sport and when you started.
(A) We race as G & P O Dowd myself Peter and my son Gavin.
I was introduced to pigeons at a early age by my late uncle Paddy,he built my first pigeon loft and I have been keeping pigeons ever since about 40 years and Gavin has always being interested in them from a very young age.
(Q) What club do you race in and how many members do you have.
(A) We race in the Ballybrack RPC in the east coast federation,there are 20 members in our club sending between 400 to 500 old birds and 500 to 750 young birds.
(Q) How do you race your pigeons and how many do you keep,old birds,young birds,and stock.
(A) We normally race 16 pairs on the roundabout,plus we have 12 to 16 pairs of naturals, and about 70 young birds.
(Q) What are your lofts made from and what size are they.
(A) We have a 16x8 loft for the roundabout birds that has a tiled roof,a 24x5 foot loft with two sections one is for the naturals and the other is for young birds.
this loft has got a flat felt roof,this also has a 5x2 foot window box the full length of the loft with a aviary at the end of the loft,and we also have a small brick built loft for 8 pairs of stock birds and it also has a small aviary.
(Q) When do you pair up your birds,stock,and racers.
(A) We pair up the stock and roundabout birds at the same time at the end of January.and the naturals are paired in the middle of March.
(Q) Young bird sickness,is it a problem for you,if so what do you use to treat and have you any advice.
(A) Young bird sickness used to be a problem,but in the last few years we have only had a few hold food,i have not had to dispose of any in the last few years.
at the first sign of the sickness no food for 36 hours and for five days v18 vanodine in the water,
no medication is used,after the 36 hour period we feed diet mix for one week,and any that look unwell after this should be disposed of.
if you had 70 young birds and after doing this two are still sick we just dispose of them.
if you are training or racing the young birds this must stop for at least two weeks .the main problem with the young bird sickness is fanciers let it go to far before they act.
(Q) How do you feed your pigeons stock,old bird racers and young birds.
(A) The roundabout birds are feed in pots in their nest boxes,the pots are topped up all the time and are never left empty,the pots are taken away at 12 o clock on a Friday,
the hens are fed twice a day after exercise,in the pots in the cocks boxes,they are fed diet mix from Saturday evening until Tuesday night,and then a high protein mix until Friday morning,
the natural pigeons are feed the same for the sprint races (when on eggs)
the roundabout birds are repaired for the channel races and all old birds are hopper fed for the rest of the season.when the young birds start to train they are fed once a day all they want,(i never measure food).
(Q) Do you attach any importance to feeding grit and minerals.
(A) Our pigeons have grit and minerals pink and black in front of them all year round,the minerals are taken into the house every evening and put out every morning to stop them from getting damp.
(Q) What do you think of the vaccination programme and do you think it effects them long term.
(A) We have to vaccinate once a year.enough said,
(Q) Do you think there is an advantage in having a partnership
(A) Yes we do as there is always Gavin or myself there to look after the birds.
(Q) Do you use any preventative medication.
(A) Not any more,during the off season no medication at all as the birds are left to build up their own natural immune system.
If a pigeon we really liked or a good stock bird got sick it would get a quarter of a flagyl tablet for three days if it did not look better after three days it would be disposed of.
(Q) Do you race your birds every week.
(A) Old birds are raced hard,the yearlings must fly two or three channel races, some have flown four channel races in four weeks last year.all my old birds must fly the channel races every year except the french races,no exceptions,young birds are not raced to hard and we never race the full programme.
(Q) Are there any special treatments you give your birds.
(A) We use lots of honey and three different oils that i buy in the supermarket and a product called honeygar.(honey+garlic) that we buy in the health shop,we also treat for canker every three weeks during the racing season old birds and young birds that is it.
(Q) Tell us about your best pigeons and performances.
(A) The best pigeon we ever owned was a blue pied staff van reet hen breed in 2005,i bought her sire and dam for £25 each in 1998 at an auction for Dean Pallett in Dublin,this pair breed winners on the land and on the channel plus 2x2nd open penzance.raced as a young bird then put to stock ,in the stock loft eight years she breed winners with 8 different cocks multiple fed and open prize winners from Talbenny to Penzance including 2x1st opens plus lots of winners on the land.
I think the best performance was not 1st federation or 1st open ,but a cheq pied cock called home alone,he was sent to Penzance in 2004 with the irish south road federation,the race was a disaster with nine birds on the day and 27 in total.he was 7th open flying 11 and a half hours ,he raced in 8 more opens and was never out of the result.
I put him in the stock loft for one season and paired him to the blue pied hen and breed 4 youngsters then i put him back in the race team and sent him to a short land race and never seen him again(biggest mistake i ever made).as one of the youngsters went on to win 1st open Talbenny for us.our top results are 2x1st opens Talbenny,we were 2nd open from Penzance three times and have toped the federation four times as well as been 1st fed from Skibbereen by over an hour,plus many wins and positions in the club.
(Q) Is there anything you have not won in sport that you would like to win.
(A) We have never won from France,one day we hope to,i think you need a different type of pigeon to fly from France to Ireland.
(Q) How often do you exercise your pigeons,old birds and young birds.
(A) One hour morning and one hour in the evening for the old birds.
for the young birds it is one hour in the afternoon,when the young birds start to train they get no exercise around the loft just road training,all birds are locked up all winter from the end of September to the middle of December.
(Q) Do you use deep litter ,floor grills or clean out daily.
(A) We use cat litter from the supermarket in all our lofts it keeps the floor bone dry ,we do clean the perches and nest boxes every other day,
we used to clean them out every day but since we stooped this the birds look much healthier .
(Q) How far do you usually train your old birds and young birds.
(A) Our old birds and our young birds go straight to Wicklow or Arklow which is between 30 to 40 miles,that is when the old birds are fit and the young birds are ranging well.
(Q) What are the main blood lines that you race.
(A) About 90% of my old birds are down from the blue pied hen staff van reet with busshaerts from my friend Dermot Roe.
I had to dispose of my good hen this year so i bought in some new stock birds they are van loon x koopman from galaxy lofts when they had an auction in Dublin.
My son Gavin also got some walter dox and vendenabeeles x van den bosh in from England.
(Q) Is there any fancier that has helped you.
(A) You pick up bits and pieces from alot of good fanciers I try somethings and see do they work for me.
(Q) Do you have a programme for medication.
(A) We stopped all the preventative medication, we will treat them for canker and coxi when they are all on eggs and that is it,no flock medication after that, most of the time any birds that get sick are disposed of.
(Q) If you could use only two products what would they be.
(A) They would be flagly for canker and vanodine 18.
(Q) What was the last two products that you put in the water or on the food.
(A) Honey and garlic and vanodine 18.
(Q) Where do you keep your racing hens.
(A) They are kept on v perches next to the cocks section at night and during the day they are locked out in the aviary.
(Q) Do you hold any official position in your club.
(A) At the moment I am the club secretary.
(Q) Do you ever think of competing for averages.
(A) Yes we do ,we won the old bird averages,the combined average, we shared the channel average were runners up in the young bird averages.
(Q) Do you race your young birds hard.
(A) No we do not race them hard as we never race the full programme.
(Q) Some fanciers go out and purchase top quality birds but they never win with them,what do you think.
(A) The top fanciers and top studs breed rubbish like everybody else,if you are lucky to get your hands on good pigeons you have got to be able to race them yourself as the fancier is not going to race them for you,also some people think pigeon racing is just a summer sport ,but it is all year round come hail rain or snow.
you have also to learn how to keep them healthy.only healthy pigeons win races.
(Q) Do you treat your pigeons differently for the national races.
(A) No,we just repair the roundabout pigeons for the channel and the national races.
(Q) What can we do to bring young and new fanciers into our sport.
(A) I do not no I just think pigeon racing has gone very expensive for young people.
(Q) What do you find more difficult to establish,a team of sprinters or distance birds.
(A) Distance birds by a mile (french races)
(Q) Who do you consider to be the best fancier in your area or federation.
(A) My club Ballybrack RPC in my opinion is one of the hardest to win in the east coast federation,we have 20 members who all race hard and all try to win,
we have national winner,Miller gold cup winner,and multiple federation and open winners ,for example our club won three open federation races last year, so it would not be fair to pick anybody out.
i will say we would not have a club without the hard work of Billy Matthews who also runs the southside clocking station for the east coast federation opens.
best of luck to all in 2014. Bren McGrane.
Gavin & Peter O'Dowd
Hens & Roundabout Loft
2014 Young Birds
Peter & Gavins loft
A couple of P & G's Naturals on eggs
Natural racers
Peter & Gavin's set up
Peter & Gavin with a couple of fine examples
Gavin's son Jamie with one of his favourites
Roundabout Section
(Q) Please introduce yourself and tell us how you got started in the sport and when you started.
(A) We race as G & P O Dowd myself Peter and my son Gavin.
I was introduced to pigeons at a early age by my late uncle Paddy,he built my first pigeon loft and I have been keeping pigeons ever since about 40 years and Gavin has always being interested in them from a very young age.
(Q) What club do you race in and how many members do you have.
(A) We race in the Ballybrack RPC in the east coast federation,there are 20 members in our club sending between 400 to 500 old birds and 500 to 750 young birds.
(Q) How do you race your pigeons and how many do you keep,old birds,young birds,and stock.
(A) We normally race 16 pairs on the roundabout,plus we have 12 to 16 pairs of naturals, and about 70 young birds.
(Q) What are your lofts made from and what size are they.
(A) We have a 16x8 loft for the roundabout birds that has a tiled roof,a 24x5 foot loft with two sections one is for the naturals and the other is for young birds.
this loft has got a flat felt roof,this also has a 5x2 foot window box the full length of the loft with a aviary at the end of the loft,and we also have a small brick built loft for 8 pairs of stock birds and it also has a small aviary.
(Q) When do you pair up your birds,stock,and racers.
(A) We pair up the stock and roundabout birds at the same time at the end of January.and the naturals are paired in the middle of March.
(Q) Young bird sickness,is it a problem for you,if so what do you use to treat and have you any advice.
(A) Young bird sickness used to be a problem,but in the last few years we have only had a few hold food,i have not had to dispose of any in the last few years.
at the first sign of the sickness no food for 36 hours and for five days v18 vanodine in the water,
no medication is used,after the 36 hour period we feed diet mix for one week,and any that look unwell after this should be disposed of.
if you had 70 young birds and after doing this two are still sick we just dispose of them.
if you are training or racing the young birds this must stop for at least two weeks .the main problem with the young bird sickness is fanciers let it go to far before they act.
(Q) How do you feed your pigeons stock,old bird racers and young birds.
(A) The roundabout birds are feed in pots in their nest boxes,the pots are topped up all the time and are never left empty,the pots are taken away at 12 o clock on a Friday,
the hens are fed twice a day after exercise,in the pots in the cocks boxes,they are fed diet mix from Saturday evening until Tuesday night,and then a high protein mix until Friday morning,
the natural pigeons are feed the same for the sprint races (when on eggs)
the roundabout birds are repaired for the channel races and all old birds are hopper fed for the rest of the season.when the young birds start to train they are fed once a day all they want,(i never measure food).
(Q) Do you attach any importance to feeding grit and minerals.
(A) Our pigeons have grit and minerals pink and black in front of them all year round,the minerals are taken into the house every evening and put out every morning to stop them from getting damp.
(Q) What do you think of the vaccination programme and do you think it effects them long term.
(A) We have to vaccinate once a year.enough said,
(Q) Do you think there is an advantage in having a partnership
(A) Yes we do as there is always Gavin or myself there to look after the birds.
(Q) Do you use any preventative medication.
(A) Not any more,during the off season no medication at all as the birds are left to build up their own natural immune system.
If a pigeon we really liked or a good stock bird got sick it would get a quarter of a flagyl tablet for three days if it did not look better after three days it would be disposed of.
(Q) Do you race your birds every week.
(A) Old birds are raced hard,the yearlings must fly two or three channel races, some have flown four channel races in four weeks last year.all my old birds must fly the channel races every year except the french races,no exceptions,young birds are not raced to hard and we never race the full programme.
(Q) Are there any special treatments you give your birds.
(A) We use lots of honey and three different oils that i buy in the supermarket and a product called honeygar.(honey+garlic) that we buy in the health shop,we also treat for canker every three weeks during the racing season old birds and young birds that is it.
(Q) Tell us about your best pigeons and performances.
(A) The best pigeon we ever owned was a blue pied staff van reet hen breed in 2005,i bought her sire and dam for £25 each in 1998 at an auction for Dean Pallett in Dublin,this pair breed winners on the land and on the channel plus 2x2nd open penzance.raced as a young bird then put to stock ,in the stock loft eight years she breed winners with 8 different cocks multiple fed and open prize winners from Talbenny to Penzance including 2x1st opens plus lots of winners on the land.
I think the best performance was not 1st federation or 1st open ,but a cheq pied cock called home alone,he was sent to Penzance in 2004 with the irish south road federation,the race was a disaster with nine birds on the day and 27 in total.he was 7th open flying 11 and a half hours ,he raced in 8 more opens and was never out of the result.
I put him in the stock loft for one season and paired him to the blue pied hen and breed 4 youngsters then i put him back in the race team and sent him to a short land race and never seen him again(biggest mistake i ever made).as one of the youngsters went on to win 1st open Talbenny for us.our top results are 2x1st opens Talbenny,we were 2nd open from Penzance three times and have toped the federation four times as well as been 1st fed from Skibbereen by over an hour,plus many wins and positions in the club.
(Q) Is there anything you have not won in sport that you would like to win.
(A) We have never won from France,one day we hope to,i think you need a different type of pigeon to fly from France to Ireland.
(Q) How often do you exercise your pigeons,old birds and young birds.
(A) One hour morning and one hour in the evening for the old birds.
for the young birds it is one hour in the afternoon,when the young birds start to train they get no exercise around the loft just road training,all birds are locked up all winter from the end of September to the middle of December.
(Q) Do you use deep litter ,floor grills or clean out daily.
(A) We use cat litter from the supermarket in all our lofts it keeps the floor bone dry ,we do clean the perches and nest boxes every other day,
we used to clean them out every day but since we stooped this the birds look much healthier .
(Q) How far do you usually train your old birds and young birds.
(A) Our old birds and our young birds go straight to Wicklow or Arklow which is between 30 to 40 miles,that is when the old birds are fit and the young birds are ranging well.
(Q) What are the main blood lines that you race.
(A) About 90% of my old birds are down from the blue pied hen staff van reet with busshaerts from my friend Dermot Roe.
I had to dispose of my good hen this year so i bought in some new stock birds they are van loon x koopman from galaxy lofts when they had an auction in Dublin.
My son Gavin also got some walter dox and vendenabeeles x van den bosh in from England.
(Q) Is there any fancier that has helped you.
(A) You pick up bits and pieces from alot of good fanciers I try somethings and see do they work for me.
(Q) Do you have a programme for medication.
(A) We stopped all the preventative medication, we will treat them for canker and coxi when they are all on eggs and that is it,no flock medication after that, most of the time any birds that get sick are disposed of.
(Q) If you could use only two products what would they be.
(A) They would be flagly for canker and vanodine 18.
(Q) What was the last two products that you put in the water or on the food.
(A) Honey and garlic and vanodine 18.
(Q) Where do you keep your racing hens.
(A) They are kept on v perches next to the cocks section at night and during the day they are locked out in the aviary.
(Q) Do you hold any official position in your club.
(A) At the moment I am the club secretary.
(Q) Do you ever think of competing for averages.
(A) Yes we do ,we won the old bird averages,the combined average, we shared the channel average were runners up in the young bird averages.
(Q) Do you race your young birds hard.
(A) No we do not race them hard as we never race the full programme.
(Q) Some fanciers go out and purchase top quality birds but they never win with them,what do you think.
(A) The top fanciers and top studs breed rubbish like everybody else,if you are lucky to get your hands on good pigeons you have got to be able to race them yourself as the fancier is not going to race them for you,also some people think pigeon racing is just a summer sport ,but it is all year round come hail rain or snow.
you have also to learn how to keep them healthy.only healthy pigeons win races.
(Q) Do you treat your pigeons differently for the national races.
(A) No,we just repair the roundabout pigeons for the channel and the national races.
(Q) What can we do to bring young and new fanciers into our sport.
(A) I do not no I just think pigeon racing has gone very expensive for young people.
(Q) What do you find more difficult to establish,a team of sprinters or distance birds.
(A) Distance birds by a mile (french races)
(Q) Who do you consider to be the best fancier in your area or federation.
(A) My club Ballybrack RPC in my opinion is one of the hardest to win in the east coast federation,we have 20 members who all race hard and all try to win,
we have national winner,Miller gold cup winner,and multiple federation and open winners ,for example our club won three open federation races last year, so it would not be fair to pick anybody out.
i will say we would not have a club without the hard work of Billy Matthews who also runs the southside clocking station for the east coast federation opens.
best of luck to all in 2014. Bren McGrane.
Gavin & Peter O'Dowd
Hens & Roundabout Loft
2014 Young Birds
Peter & Gavins loft
A couple of P & G's Naturals on eggs
Natural racers
Peter & Gavin's set up
Peter & Gavin with a couple of fine examples
Gavin's son Jamie with one of his favourites
Roundabout Section