Prepairing A Record Breaker

[Guest chad3646]

in 1927,the pigeon world was electrified by the performance of a blue chequer hen nu22yax.6and r.p.6 in flying788 miles at a velocity 939 y.p.m ,this was a record for the distance which the late lt--col a.h osman thought would last for a long time.now let us see how this record breaking pigeon was prepared for the great day. as a youngster she was trained and won ist essendine and huntingdon 120 miles , as a yearling in 1923 she was described by her owner as being a sweet beautiful hen.she was not raced but used as a hen for a widowhood cock,and when not required for the odd hour or two with the cock was kept with a number of other widowhood-hood hens in a cage measuring 3x 3x 8feet and was fed only once a day.as a two year old in 1924 she was treated in the same way until later in the season her mate having been lost,no 6 without a moments exercise, was taken from the cage along with three other hens and jumped into a race from bourne-mouth,242 miles. she not only beat the others by two hours but won the local club race,after this race she was given a mate and allowed out once per day and although due to lay when basketed she was sent with sixteen other birds to a race from paris the race was a hard one and no 6 was the only bird home on the day of the seventeen sent, winning ist club ,3 rd yorkshire midweek and 3rd east section great yorkshire amalgamation, she was then sent to nevers, 520 miles again due to lay her second egg in the basket, but nevertheless, she won ist club, 3rd yorkshire mid -week and 5 th east sect, g.y.a and all pools. her owners tell us that us that the work was done by no 6 in 1924 taught him two lessons. one that a big jump is beneficial and the other that a very little food is necessary to condition a pigeon. when the 1925 season came along no 6 had not moulted well and looked anything but fit, but thinking a big jump would do her good her owner sent her straight from the loft to folkstone . 216 miles ,on her return she seemed to bubble up and was sent to pont l,eveque, 332 miles. she did this on the day but was obviously out of condition and was stopped for the rest of the season .having moulted well when 1926 came along no 6 looked more like her old self and was jumped to folkstone, standing in the loft some twenty minutes after timing h is first bird, her owner was startled when a pigeon tumbled in the loft door like a stone at his feet. picking it up he found it was no 6 with her feet stuck by dried blood to her feathers so she could not stand. both her legs were injured and two flights broken of on one wing, with her wounds dressed she recovered rapidly. two flights were grafted into the stumps of her broken flights and a month later, although still lame, she was sent to lemans ,420 miles. in this race there was only 12 birds home on the day in the middle route fed and no 6 was one of them, winning ist in two clubs and 6th fed in 1927 a race was organised from marseilles and it was decided to prepare and send no 6 and this is what her owner said about her preperation. no 6 is a very small eater and inclined to put on fat as she will not exercise, when prepairing her for the big test, shewas made to go without food for 24 hours at a time, this i thought would help her on the long journey and keep her in the air, testing my theory, on two days a week i took her from her nest and put her in a show pen in front of an open window and gave her neither food or water, the following day i had her tossed three miles away and awaited her return, each time on arrival she went straight to her nest and would remain there without food or water for hours. the idea behind this treatment was to get her accustomed to being without food or water for 24 hours at a stretch, he went on to say, cruel it may appear to some i am convinced it served my pigeon in good stead, being of the opinion that she never dropped for food or water during her long 788 mile journey except during the dark hours what manner of pigeon was this that stood up to all the trials and tribulations which formed the environment and experience of no6 now known as LADY MARSEILLES., of her breeding her owner says she is of the bluest of the blue blood and stands today proudly asserting the victorious consummation of a strain distinct and apart from all other strains

[Valiant Fifer]

Liked that chad 3646, brings back memories

I think I know where u read it as well!

Good stuff and a great pigeon!

[gulkie]

Brill that type of bird Are like hens teeth ,how many could take that type of

Treatment And still be there??

[andy Burgess]

great story , nostalgic look back at racing pigeons from nearly a 100 years ago . you would be extremely lucky if such a bird today was still with you as a yearling

[greenbar]

a good read,a bird with a big heart,

[We man]

Great reading,love reading about fanciers who don't go by the "book".

[Delboy]

Good read Jimmy, Im not sure the guys system was the best though I think it was just a brilliant champion pigeon that flew in spite of her owner lol.

[just ask me]

Very interesting read on another point I didn't know widowhood was on the go that long

[Mossgiel]

An interesting read, taken from one of the best books I've ever read on pigeon racing.

[We man]

Very interesting read on another point I didn't know widowhood was on the go that long

McGinn bros in Ayrshire were 1st Open Rennes in 1927 on widowhood.

[walterboswell59]

good reading jimmy always someone doing something different from the rest and winning m8 many roads to sucess

[Guest chad3646]

Good read Jimmy, Im not sure the guys system was the best though I think it was just a brilliant champion pigeon that flew in spite of her owner lol.

 

 

some pigeon right enough delboy, not many fanciers would send a pigeon 420 miles with it still being lame.

[Delboy]

some pigeon right enough delboy, not many fanciers would send a pigeon 420 miles with it still being lame.

 

Exactly my point Jimmy, which puts a question mark over the fancier imo. Cracking doo,simple as that.