Hey Goose

[goose1]

Good to see you back Mike. At a time when the site needs a much needed boost!

2025 for us can be described in one word..disaster!
Certainly the worst season I've ever had in my nearly 30 year involvement and my old boy says his worst in 50 plus years! In fact the loft has been going since 1956 and this is only the second season we've never won a race. We had a health problem we could just not sort. Had them tested by a very well respected vet who has served us very well in the past, he diagnosed the problem we treated accordingly following his advice to the letter, the birds did seem to pick up and but for bad trapping that week we would have been 1st, 2nd and 3rd but the pigeons just didn't seem 100% we retested and the same problem was there. It drove us mad as exercise was brilliant, they looked brilliant, droppings A1 the only time you could tell there was something amiss with them pigeons was on their return from a race, given how our pigeons are bred (as you know) they can drop after 10,12,14 hours and sometimes you wouldn't know they'd been away. This year even on a short race they weren't right in their recovery. Anyway to cut a long story a bit shorter we've taken drastic action and actually moved our distance team to my own house for the 2026 season. Big change and some of the pigeons we lost last year will take us 2 or 3 years to replace but that's where we're at unfortunately.

We did have some good reports with birds bred by ourselves including one lad who was 2nd, 3rd and 5th combine on the same day with 3 bred here.

Hope you're keeping well. I notice Gordon Bros had another very good season. Including from the longest one.

Gav

[worm]

nice to see you back Mike sorry to here about the troubles with your team goose

[goose1]

Good to see you back Mike. At a time when the site needs a much needed boost!

2025 for us can be described in one word..disaster!
Certainly the worst season I've ever had in my nearly 30 year involvement and my old boy says his worst in 50 plus years! In fact the loft has been going since 1956 and this is only the second season we've never won a race. We had a health problem we could just not sort. Had them tested by a very well respected vet who has served us very well in the past, he diagnosed the problem we treated accordingly following his advice to the letter, the birds did seem to pick up and but for bad trapping that week we would have been 1st, 2nd and 3rd but the pigeons just didn't seem 100% we retested and the same problem was there. It drove us mad as exercise was brilliant, they looked brilliant, droppings A1 the only time you could tell there was something amiss with them pigeons was on their return from a race, given how our pigeons are bred (as you know) they can drop after 10,12,14 hours and sometimes you wouldn't know they'd been away. This year even on a short race they weren't right in their recovery. Anyway to cut a long story a bit shorter we've taken drastic action and actually moved our distance team to my own house for the 2026 season. Big change and some of the pigeons we lost last year will take us 2 or 3 years to replace but that's where we're at unfortunately.

We did have some good reports with birds bred by ourselves including one lad who was 2nd, 3rd and 5th combine on the same day with 3 bred here.

Hope you're keeping well. I notice Gordon Bros had another very good season. Including from the longest one.

Gav

So sorry to hear that Goose.

I only wish I'd have had access and msybe I might have been able to help - who knows

Did you Virkon them at all?

If you're in that situation again Virkon them for 5 days - but add the powder in last as it froths terrible otherwise

Virkon is great at Fungal but is also really really effective against bacterial and respiratory issues (not a lottta people know that)


Lee Painter called me up on the Thursday before the penultimate race and told me his YB were quiet. I told him on the return of the race on Saturday, once they'd had their 1st drink give them Virkon for 5 days (the previous races he was 60-90 secs adrift of where he should have been)
That last race he was 1-2-5-6-7-8-9-10 Federation


Yes, Gary and Niall Gordon were again incredible in 2025. They no longer sprint with OB and haven't done for a few years now. In Gary's words they just "dick around with a few Gilbert birds".. With YB they won 2 x 1st NIPA races including 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15 against 10,027 birds



In the Kings Cup though what a day. There were no day birds and I was on 12 hr nights. I am logged into their CCTV cameras and Benzing Live and before 05:30 both go off. I scan in and can see Gary running round the garden like Fabrizio Ravanelli had scored a last minute winner
They finished 2nd Open Kings Cup. As it happens the bird that beat them they had about 15 miles overfly on (I'd need to check to be exact) - but on all Inland racepoints down Ireland they have around 30 miles overfly off that same fancier. She was truly a great hen that day


Keep the faith for 2026. Some fanciers if they get their birds right have questions to answer about whether their birds are good enough. You don't have those questions with your genetics and proven capabilities

By the way - did you see Hugo Batenburg's breeding of his 1st timer from Barcelona.

I "think" it finished something like 3rd National 8th International... Did you see the breeding ?

It'd interest you


Mike

To be honest Mike I thought about contacting Elimar for your number as we were at the end of our tether. And funny you should suggest virkon as once we'd pulled stumps for the season for the first time ever we did use virkon. It was very stressful as this isn't just a hobby to us it's life

Brilliant results again for Gordon Bros and proof (if it was needed) that they can sprint and do the long ones.

I notice in the BHW there's been a few nice results for a Phil B (could be wrong) I remember you saying you were helping or advising a Phil is that the same guy? Sure he flew in the same area you mentioned.

Yes I did notice the breeding of the Batenburg pigeon
3 nice youngsters here from the half sister and Pete (who you kindly put in touch with me) had messaged to say he has 2 he's very happy with from her paired to a son of Wingdown.

How is NeilA doing? Could you not tempt him back to the site?

Gav

[goose1]

Yes, Phil's had another excellent season. I started helping him in 2022 and he'd never been Highest Prizewinner in Stretton

He's now once again Highest Prizewinner in 2025 retaining the title he won in 2022-2023-2024 and 2025 and had a couple of good Fed wins too in 2025


Neil's a great bloke. I think the world of him and we're in touch daily.

In 2025 before heading into the NRCC programme he'd had a couple of 1-2-3-4 Federation wins

In the NRCC Perth (348 miles) he was 1-2-10-12-16 Section

He then went to NRCC at 412 miles and put 5 yearlings in the clock in 43 min to be 1-2-4-5-6 Section (1287ypm)

That was a super super effort


Even more remarkable was the way the NRCC Perth Section winner came home (see below)

This hen (I bred the Dam) was 3rd Section Dunbar (310 miles) a few weeks prior

We'll never know at what point of the Perth race she got attacked - but she still won her Section

This is her on return


b5945e4f-5113-4d31-a353-20a39c8f40b8.jpeg

I did think that must have been the same Phil. Fair play to the pair of yous and I noticed in the book he had his young son with him hopefully he stays involved.

Pleased to hear Neil has had a good year I do remember he was gonna have a go at some of the longer races. Have you got the results to upload Mike? NRCC is the one organisation I seem to struggle to see the results of. Although I did notice a real good old timer Terry Haley clocked a good bird from Lerwick. Now there's a man that has been a good fancier for decades and is a good mate of Mark Bulleds

[goose1]

How is NeilA doing? Could you not tempt him back to the site?

Gav

I was able to access Goose as I used a different email to create a new account (which then had to be approved by a Moderator/Admin)

I was unable to create a new account with the same email as that email is already registered as a member on the Forum (if you follow me)

Now if Neil hasn't got another email address (he may not have) the only way he'll access is if a Moderator/Admin decides to reactivate his "Neila" account

"If" that got activated (a click of a button) then Neil would have the capacity and opportunity to access if he then chose to

Any forum would be an asset with his involvement in because he's a bloody good pigeon man with a big heart

Any forum would absolutely benefit from Neil and yourselfs in put. I think some folk on this site think we piss in the same pot as I've been quite vocal about not agreeing with the deactivation of your accounts but as you know we've definitely not agreed on everything in the past. But one thing for certain I know top fanciers when I see them and would rather have yous there to disagree with then not there at all

[PeteDerby]

Great to see you back, Mike and a very interesting thread with yours and Gav’s observations. Interested in the Virkon S treatment as I’m sure we had a few respiratory issues that I didn’t know how to treat. No gasping and the like, but on some of the birds their breathing didn’t sound quite right.

Anyway, I look forward to the continued dialogue. And Gav - I had one of yours drop back in today that I lost 7 weeks ago. Been roughing it but in pretty good condition considering.

[PeteDerby]

Great to see you back, Mike and a very interesting thread with yours and Gav’s observations. Interested in the Virkon S treatment as I’m sure we had a few respiratory issues that I didn’t know how to treat. No gasping and the like, but on some of the birds their breathing didn’t sound quite right.

Anyway, I look forward to the continued dialogue. And Gav - I had one of yours drop back in today that I lost 7 weeks ago. Been roughing it but in pretty good condition considering.

Thanks Pete

Am I right in thinking your surname isn't "Derby" but you're Pete from Derby?

I suspect we might have a mutual friend. Ann Smith?

Spot on Mike. She bred me some young birds - one showed quite well winning 1st club, 4th fed then 7th section 51st open Midlands National from Chale. Small world eh.

[goose1]

Any forum would absolutely benefit from Neil and yourselfs in put. I think some folk on this site think we piss in the same pot as I've been quite vocal about not agreeing with the deactivation of your accounts but as you know we've definitely not agreed on everything in the past. But one thing for certain I know top fanciers when I see them and would rather have yous there to disagree with then not there at all

Hi Goose

Yes, when I was deactivated I stopped visiting but I did get the odd message here and there from friends who would tell me what people were saying about me here and there. Don't worry, in the spirit of "equal standards" as opposed to "double standards" some of those issues will be addressed when I have the time to do it justice. It's on my list of things to do - especially when they were so personal to me, my family name and my racing partnership

We don't always have to agree Goose, but I respect you because I know you're a good flier with bloody good birds and the birds mean a lot to you. There's more than one way to race a pigeon. I'm big enough and been round the block enough times to know that.



One of my main "quirks" if you like is despite me having success at every race-point I've raced from in France I think of myself as a sprinter. That's where my passion was and that's what I was best at and enjoyed most. Therefore, often my knee-jerk reaction is to think and write like a sprinter with a sprinter's mentality and then, only later I think - "Yea but a distance man wouldn't think like that". I know that better than anyone growing up in a household where the race Dad coveted the most was the longest race on the calendar

I'll look for those NRCC results for you

By the way, did you ever get much joy out of those Hooymans?

I've just seen your 'what's in a name' topic. I think that's certainly addressed those issues

Erm the Hooymans, yes and no. One hen bred us an amal winner last year(2024), 190 miles, wasn't big birdage, that cock did have another couple of decent amal positions. That same hen I had paired to a son of legacy they bred us another hen to be 4th fed inland, same hen was twice 18th combine Guernsey over 11 hrs on wing each time. That hen then went on to be grand dam of a couple of decent performances inland think best was 3rd combine from the coast in 2022.

Another Hooyman was grandsire to another amal winner from 140 miles last year(2024) think there was around 1900 birds that day.

Was probably hoping for a little more from them to be honest, although that could be down to our system more than the pigeons.

[goose1]

Here's those results as requested Goose

Yes, Terry Haley's a real good flier and his Lerwick pigeon was wonderful

fraserburgh.JPG

perth.JPG

dunbar.JPG

Thanks for those Mike. I never realised the NRCC results were on that database. Good going by Neil. Although not a surprise given his attention to detail. If your talking to him pass on my congratulations.

[goose1]

Thanks for those Mike. I never realised the NRCC results were on that database. Good going by Neil. Although not a surprise given his attention to detail. If your talking to him pass on my congratulations.

Neil said "Thank you - it's all a learning curve currently"

I'm sure the curve will continue on an upwards trajectory with Neil