Wilf Lovatt Speaks

By: W. Lovatt
Date: PIGEONS and PIGEON WORLD April 1954
Category: General

Some ration the barley, giving less than others. I give a little under what
they could eat up, being a fancier that likes to see his kit strong and not
looking for the droppers all the time. I would sooner it take an hour to
drop them than have to drive them for an hour. No matter what method is
used, all are successful. But to be successful, you must have a method to
work to. Some fanciers change the diet from barley earlier than others, some
ten, some six others three days before competition. No matter which period
you prefer, the pigeons are improved if cleared out with a drink of Epsom
Salts one night and next Rue tea. The last two days, the birds are fed on
barley. Some birds are very stupid at drinking either and I find by giving a
little linseed or crushed bread along with the barley they are glad of a
drink to wash it down.

I know an old fancier who used to soak his barley for 12 hours in Salts,
also Rue tea, then dry it gradually and put it in tins until he wanted it.
He called it his Special Barley. This fancier was a good Tippler fancier but
had a bad flying position, otherwise would have been amongst the champions.

Incidentally, he did fly over 17 and 18 hours and he did not wait for his
pigeons to drink Salts or Rue and he never made excuses if his pigeons did
not do as expected, it was too bad. His birds were very small, a good
training and with a couple of feeds of mixed corn, he said, they would fly
grand for 12 hours. It is remarkable how soon a Tippler will improve in body
condition, and it is also surprising how soon they lose that body condition.

If only the novice and beginner would handle his kit every day after he has
changed from barley to other grains he would not think about those so-called
secret feeds and tonic drinks. He would notice a change every day in their
body condition. Some birds put on body condition sooner than others, and
some never put an ounce on, but if one or other of my kit do not improve I
don't worry. If they have all eaten what I gave them they will be strong.
There is nothing to beat good sound Maple peas for stamina. I have good
times off two nights maples, one corn, one corn and wheat, next corn, wheat
and mixed canary and fly morning bit rice, corn, wheat, canary.

For a tonic, nothing is better than Parrish's Chemical Food. Twenty drops in
a pint of water fly morning, clean water that has been boiled and gone cold.

If pigeons, after a barley training and cleaned out with salts and given rue
to drink before giving this simple feed, will not fly 12 hours up to 16
hours, it is bad training or birds. No one can fly duds, for remember, 18
hour pigeons are not as plentiful as cherries on a cherry tree.

To fly 18 hours or more the birds must have favorable weather conditions
with helping winds. There are Tippler fanciers that never fly big times
because they fly from bad positions and it is always hard work for their
kits to even fly 12 hours. These fanciers are true sportsmen, never grumble
but keep competing with fanciers who have better flying positions. I was
surprised to read Mr. E. Loach's remarks, saying he had been down to Leek
years ago. I and one or two of the Hanley Club Members go down to Leek
several times, and I can assure him there are no Tipplers down there today
of the same type, color or size as he saw there years ago. The Leek,
Congleton and Macclesfield type were all alike, not the size we see now. The
size is spoiling the balance and type we older fanciers always look for in a
Flying Tippler. The old saying, a good big 'un will always beat a good
little one, does not apply to Flying Tipplers. Some of the big pigeons must
be 1 1/2 lbs. in weight, but I expect it's everyone to his own idea and, as
in all other fancies, type and size change with the times. But in Tipplers,
I prefer a nicely balanced pigeon as a time flyer and this is my opinion of
what to look for in a Flying Tippler.

You can publish these few remarks as typed down last year by Mr. R.
Stephenson. He came to my loft and asked me to demonstrate to him how and
why the difference in type and what I would look for in a Flying Tippler. I
penned him four pigeons and pointed out faults and good points in every one
separately and thought what a good job he had done after receiving his views
a few days after. There cannot be any fixed type in the Flying Tippler and
we all have different opinions, but these were and still are my idea of a
Flying Tippler. Hoping these remarks will be of interest to the beginner and
some other abler pen than mine will write a few lines.

I also hope the fanciers down Swansea way will rally round those grand
fanciers and sportsmen Jos. Davies, A. Davies and all the Davies' along with
Dick Lewis, Mr. Weaver and all the others that are sticking to a decision
voted on at the 1953 N.T.U. annual general meeting. The Hanley Club had
almost same item put on the agenda two years in succession, and on both
occasions they were turned down. So we all took it in a broad minded way.

Let us all hope the lads down in Swansea will stick to those grand old
fanciers---fanciers that built up the Tippler Fancy to what it is
today.
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