We are a  Loft that breeds strictly for performance. Our birds are famous for their toughness and ability to fly 100-600 miles in all types of conditions. After over 30 years of breeding I consider my bloodlines the Best of The Best.

Time To Fight Fire With Fire!
By Paul Walsh

Interviewed
by Tom Harpe For the Racing Pigeon Bulletin in 1996

page two

What breeding methods do you use ?

It depends on the situation If l am going to breed for stock or flying. I like to inbreed for stock and cross for flying. Or just putting two birds I like together. In the past I used to put the birds together Valentine’s Day, as here in the North East, Jan. is very cold and Feb is also cold but by the time the eggs come it’s the end of the month. It seems I trained with Depietro for a number of years and was his student for all of them. Many a winner I had was a result of Depietro’s blood.

Patsey introduced me to Fats Schofield where I acquired from him some of my breeders. I also introduced some birds from Frank Gable who was a champion in our area and was getting out. This is the basis for my family and they can win from 100 to 500. These birds I have developed into my own strain that is as good as anyone's best and I have the wins and the diploma's to prove it.

I will take in a bird or two but will fly it out as I have no room in the breeding loft for beginners. I guess I am proof that if a fellow goes to the top flyers and pays attention to his advice arid gets some of his good ones he will get to the top of the race sheet.

What breeding methods do you use ?

It depends on the situation If l am going to breed for stock or flying. I like to inbreed for stock and cross for flying. Or just putting two birds I like together. In the past I used to put the birds together Valentine’s Day, as here in the North East, Jan. is very cold and Feb is also cold but by the time the eggs come it’s the end of the month. It seems to get nice out.

One thing that I do is I put the young birds on the loft floor in the breeders compartment when they are from 12-14 days old on. This way the cock who is driving the hen isn't paying much attention to the youngsters, another cock or hen will pump them up.

The added benefit is I get the breeders to go down early on the second set at eggs. Also I don't have to spend the time to clean each and every nest bowl daily, as I just put saw dust on the floor and the young birds lay on this and this is easy to change.

At night time I leave a night light on in the loft and I have seen young birds getting fed at 5 am. I have no problem with young birds getting scalped or beaten up and I am able to take a couple of young birds from my flyers and throw them on the floor and the breeders pump them up just the same.

At night time just before dark it is a sight to see six or seven cocks going to each and every young bird to see if it wants to be fed, So far for me it has worked excellent. My young birds are eating by themselves when they are real young and are flapping their wings on the loft floor getting muscle while every one else’s young birds are still sitting in the nest.

How do you select stock birds?

This year l did things a little different as I bred early and plan on flying the dark system. I like to breed from my champions and my breeders of winners not birds that have one champion in the pedigree. I like a performance pedigree with lots of winners in it or birds that bred winners.

What are your feeding methods during breeding?

I use Mike Linnik, Berks Cty breeding mixture. I give them as much as they will eat, anything that gets thrown on the floor gets tossed out the next day when the loft is cleaned. This mixture and young birds on the floor enables them to eat at a early age.

What is the best way to acquire new stock?

Edited BY Paul 7-25-10 today with the World Wide Web, it is easy to find a Champion loft from coast to coast. We are able to view this Champion loft’s racing performance and look at his birds online.  I recommend that this is the unsurpassed way to acquire new stock, from a Champion Loft, “from the web”.  Buy the most excellent birds you can afford. It is also advisable to look at high dollar one loft races and study the winning birds, make sure they are consistent birds in this one loft series of races.  You are not interested in winners of a single race at any one loft race, but only birds clocked on top of the sheet in the whole series of 3 or 4races.  Before the web, we would go and see the best loft in the neighboring combine.  A loft that was doing all the winning and always in the top diplomas is what I looked for. This loft, you would not have to compete against with their birds when you bred and raced the birds. Without the worry of your new birds challenging against his loft, with his blood lines, make for an easy exchange of birds.  

Most fanciers start off with gift pigeons from some of their new club mates. Let's face it, are the unfamiliar club mates giving you the best from their loft? Are you willing to buy a bird for an x amount of dollars and give it to someone you just met or received a call from looking for some free birds? From time to time, people do give the best in this kind of situation. They are folks indeed who show this kind of kindheartedness, but I feel that most of the time fanciers give you just birds and that bird is a So-So bird. Once the bird breeds or they race the bird, and if it breeds satisfactory or races on top of the sheet then, these gift givers are as excited as you. In reality, it is because they did not know in the first place, the bird would have done so well, or it would still be at their loft breeding and racing. Remember there is always an exception to the whole kit and caboodle, in life, you might be in the right place, at the right time, and the great pigeon master will shower you with champion birds. Good Luck! Today there are oodles of pigeon dealers selling birds.  From these brokers of pigeons, you will see most of there for sale birds, are out of, and there so called good ones. The birds bred out of a bird whose grand sire was a champ in most cases. What they do not tell you is they send piles of birds out to the futurity races, friends' loft, etc. when one score from the merchants' loft, in a race, they flood the publicity channels with their story of this winning bird. You never hear about the many birds they sent out all over the USA that did not score or even make it to the race.  

We also see the fellow who only started racing two or three years ago and won a race or two. He now deems he earned the right to market and sells his stock. One or two races wins do not make a titleholder. A lot of these web auctions rarely auction off the winners themselves, but back in the lineage, there were great champion years ago. I personally think the pigeon internet auction clearing houses are not the way to go, to start with birds to enter this world of pigeon racing. These auction sites are filled with pigeons from wantabe champions. Most birds at auction are birds bought by fanciers, occasionally for high dollars. At the moment, that, they have bred those birds, once or twice, they now want to resell the birds to get a portion of their venture capital back, with no regard how well the progenies flew.  Every so often, these fanciers bred these auction birds and fly the youngsters, if the young birds do well then the birds are kept for stock, if they do not propagate well then back on the auction block, for sale to you or somebody else makes an effort to breed or race, in the end. They I am sure a repeat the whole process. I have heard people say they are going to exterminate out the loft and put the birds up for auction; they do not want the birds, so why should you? Do not introduce birds, like this to your loft. A lot of these auctions rarely auction off the race winners, but back in the pedigree, there was a pigeon with great market ability, Name brand birds, birds whose names are pasted over and over in the magazine with many people selling birds bred out of these old champions. I want to say again the champion may be well back in the pedigree, and the blood line is very thin, but the champion birds' name becomes, house hold names in the sport. These types of pigeon were marketed and sold like Christmas toys to kids, and everyone wants one or has one of them.

I also know you should consider yourself  fortunate if you get a bird after paying for it from some of these folks which sell their birds at auction, I in person have heard of many cases where someone  would pay for the bird or birds at auction, and the bird or birds would not ever get shipped. The peddler does not return your calls, but he cashes your check. Conversely, he takes your money back from your pay pal account. When this happens you suffer the thrashing, because these snakes, who call them self, breeders, wait for the specific time period of 30 or 60 days, and pay pal will not issue your money back to you, your check is cashed and cleared, and this crook or ass does not respond to any of your communication tries. .  Be Careful!!! You think you are going to save a few bucks by going with, the going for a song route, but it will cost you more in the end. These snakes cannot guide you how to win, because they cannot be victorious themselves. Remember the pedigree is only as good as the guy who makes it out...  

A person has to make his own conclusions and get what kind of pigeon is pleasing to him, and then have trust in his breeder.  I like a performance pedigree with lots of winners in the pedigree or birds that breed winners. I believe there is no room in the breeding loft for apprentices. I guess I am proof that if a fellow goes to the top flyers and pays attention to his advice arid gets some of his good ones, he will get to the top of the race sheet.

 

 

You should start off with pigeons that can and will put you on top of the race sheet, and at Walsh loft we have them! So can you!

 

 

 

How many young birds do you raise for racing ?

For 1996 I currently have 45 on the team and may add 10-15 more.

What kind of feed do you feed your young birds ?

When l am training young birds to trap, I feed canary mix along with 14% protein. The canary mix is small and it takes a long time for them to eat it, so the ones who are a little late coming in don't get left out at meal time. When it is racing time I give the 16% protein I use a settling cage and I put the birds out very young to get use to their surroundings.

When do you start to train young birds ?

My young birds are taken 35 miles for there first toss, they usually beat me home I have been doing this for the past 10 years. If I am going to waste my time to crate them, then they are going for a good ride. I train often, every day weather permitting.

I like to train on nice days, not like I do with the old birds. I like head Wind days because the birds will get that usually on race day as the season is changing and there is a lot of north wind for young birds. I will train them out to 100 mites.

Then every young bird not in a race goes to the 100 mile station. My young birds are flown to the perch. 1996 may be different. I do hold young birds back and not race them. I believe you can race a young bird hard but you can't race it hard as a yearling. So I sit on some until they become yearlings by just letting them fly one race or two. Young birds are trained as much as possible. The ones that come home from a race have a full hopper of feed. Young birds are trained on line.

How do you train old Birds ?

Old birds are given a 60 mile toss right off the bat. I usually have them flying around the loft for 1-2 hours, before that toss. With the help of the neighborhood hawk. I train all of them every day, the distance may change as to what I think they need.

I guess you could say they go often and far. In the past I flew old birds on the natural method. This year, 1996, I went to the widowhood system and it is against everything I did in the past. I am having a hard time keeping myself from going down the road. Time will only tell if I did right. On the natural system I trained the birds and when they came home I would lock them up for the day no open loft and never on the ground.

Where do you normally buy your health supplies ?

I shop around. I have bought a lot from Global Pigeon Supplies. But this is not the only place I buy from.

Have you ever been to a convention ?

Yes I have been to a few I.F. Conventions these past few years. They are always held within 200 miles of home and I have had real nice times and have met many a top pigeon flyer there.

Who do you think has been the top 3 people that has helped the sport over the last 25 years ?

It would have to be the editors of our three current pigeon magazines. Between the Racing Pigeon Bulletin, Digest and the Thoroughbred there is every kind of information to help a fellow to succeed. They let us know what is new in the Sport from all over the world. I have read old magazines they are not what today’s are for sure.

Are you or do you intend to use the lighting or darkening system for young birds ?

I am going with the dark system. But I do not think these system’s should be legal. They outlawed dark in some of NY and NJ areas, as I feel they should have. I don't think it should be flown as some of the fellows don't have the room to fly dark or light systems. This put some of the flyers at a disadvantage right off the bat. You are messing with nature. I feel with widowhood, you are just depriving them sex. I known the systems work that's why I am on the dark system right now.

Do you computerize your records, pedigree etc.?

I don't know how anyone could do with out one. I use PMS from Base Line Software. This program keeps track of everything you could possibly want and it is easy to run even if you never ran a computer before.

Do you have plans to visit the new pigeon center of the Americas in Oklahoma City ?

Not at the present time.

What do you think of the "TIPES" system?

I think when it gets approved and all the bugs worked out I will buy it. I think it will be great for the sport as it will allow people to go to work, weddings or what ever, and the birds could clock themselves.

If the expense of flying forced you to be partners with someone who would that be?

Patsey Depietro or Alan Hughes