Fancier partnership name: Sheppard & Crump
Introduction
How long have you kept pigeons? Approximately 60 years
What got you started in the sport? My Grandfather and father were both pigeon fanciers.
What’s you’re most memorable moment in racing the pigeons? Back to the 1980’s flying as T & M Sheppard from Saintes for 12 1/2 hours winning the Birmingham Saturday fed , with a chq cock GB76Z30149, also beating Chris Collier who fled in the Warley homing society which was based at Londonderry pub , Chris won the Dudley fed they liberated both clubs at the same time.
How many birds do you keep? Between 60-70 birds.
How many stock birds are housed? 4 pairs of Lambrecht
How many old birds are raced? In the 1st team there are 12 cocks on widowhood and the 2nd team consists of 20 natural pigeons.
What are the breeds of pigeon you keep? Lambrechts, & a few pair of mighty white birds of billy lee’s from the lye.
Do you race in any of the national races and if so have you won any memorable prizes? No national races are entered.
Do you ever visit the vet or have any dropping or canker tests performed prior or during the season? Prior to racing – they are medicated for canker etc., we favour a product from the pigeon pharmacy trimax plus, which is an all in one and treats worms, cocci, mites and canker.
Do you fly in a midweek club as well as Saturdays? No midweek racing as I enjoy the fishing midweek competition.
Is there anything you like to see in a bird or theory’s, such as eye sign, throat, keel, or closed vent bones?
None of the above but I like very active big strong cock birds.
Do you believe in eye sign? And if so what do you like to see?
I don’t understand eye sign.
What’s your thinking on the throat theory?
As above don’t understand the theory.
Old bird racing system
When do you pair up the widowers? Mid November
What is your preferred racing system, do you fly old birds on natural, widowhood, or roundabout? Both 12 cocks on widowhood & 20 birds are raced natural.
Do you have any problems with hens pairing up whilst away from the cocks and if so does it matter if they do? I do have problems, but occasionally I fly them together for 1hr & then part them again.
What is your preferred distance to race? Up to 120 miles
Do you loft fly? Or train the old birds by road? I do both
What is your feeding system for the old birds, and do you feed light or heavy? What’s your preferred brand or make of corn to race on? I feed very light, versa laga corn & john sturmans seed mixture.
Do you feed the old birds once or twice a day? Twice a day
On a night before the race do the birds see their partners before being basketed? Yes, but only for 10 mins
Do the birds receive any supplements at all before or straight after the race Such as electrolytes? Yes ultimate before and after
Does the cock keep his hen longer after the race if it’s been a harder race? No
On a race day if the hens arrive with the cocks is it a problem? Cannot happen as we only send the cocks
Do you ever break them down? Or do you feed heavy and train more? We do not breakdown once the season starts, and hardly ever go training, only the naturals they may go.
Do you use any supplements such as garlic, cider vinegar, honey or any other natural products? Yes we use garlic and cider vinegar occasionally.
And if so when do you administer them?
As when I feel I should
Young birds
How many young birds are bred? 30
Do you fly them to an open Door or traps? Traps
How do you train your young birds? Loft fly, then first toss is 1 mile and then gradually increase the distance.
How far is there first training toss? 1 mile
How many training tosses do you like before the first race? And where’s the furthest you will take them before the first race? We like to get 10 tosses in if possible, the furthest being 21 miles
What do you feed the ybs? Versele laga Platteeuw corn, a few pellets and seed, the birds also get plenty of grit daily.
Do you ever break the ybs down at all? No definitely not
The champ(s)
What’s his/her name? The ‘Black Cock’ – Lambrecht, He has never made a single mistake.
Latest champion… how is this cock/hen bred? Bred by Darren Wealthall (black lambrecht)
What breed is he/she? Lambrecht
How many other prizes has he/she won? Multiple 1sts, 2nds & 3rds
Below Sarah is a report that I have made for you (many thanks)
When I retired in 2006 after working for twenty one years at Heathfield school in Kidderminster after several operations’, namely a triple heart bypass and other minor operations, I decided I would like to return to racing pigeons,
I thought that this would keep me interested and active in my retirement,
I did not have room for a loft at my home, so I started looking round to find somewhere where I could put a loft. With the help of my headmaster, I was introduced to Yvonne Crump, and then to her husband Norman, whose daughter Willow was a pupil at the school.
Mr Crump allowed me to put a loft in the corner of his apple orchard.it turned out that Normans father Arthur had also raced pigeons.
I purchased a small loft an obtained some stock birds from Robert Taylor of Warley and Darren wealthall of Langley and my son Martin Sheppard of Halesowen.
A partnership was duly formed with Mr Crump (Sheppard & Crump) and we joined the Kidderminster & district F.C. without much success.
My son Martin spoke to his good friend Stuart Innet who gifted me with four pair of Lambrecht birds for stock. Most of my racing team are home bred and after several years at K.D.F.C., in 2009 a blue Lambrecht cock GB06K20193 trapped over my E.T.S. And we won the Gloucestershire fed from Kingsdown, certainly a day to remember.
I am now racing in the Worcester fed at St Johns R.P.C, Michael Vaughan is the secretary and Dave Boulton the president and the committee and the members get on very well, in fact it’s a very friendly club.
Since joining the club at St Johns I have on two occasions won the mighty Worcester fed,
Those being; 1st Fed Kingsdown with a black cock GB15B48218 vel 1513.055 this was a Lambrect bred by Darren Wealthall
And also 1st Fed Portland with a blue cock GB16B49557 velocity 1380.778 this was a self-bred pigeon sire and dam from Stuart Innett,
The black cock is a multiple prize winner and the blue cock was also a previous first prize winner,
I would like to give a special ‘ thankyou’ to Kidderminster fancier Brian Harris who took charge of my loft and birds while I was in hospital, I am now 77 years old and Norman is eighty plus, we both hope for a few more years to enjoy our sporting hobby, thank you Sarah all the very best.
From tom Sheppard,
Well Tom thank you for that lovely written report on your experience and victories with your birds, I wish you both many more years racing, I’m sure the readers will enjoy reading about your methods I wish you all the very best for the rest of the season.
Don’t forget guys all the loft reports will also be available to read within the blog section of the new upgraded website at archive.excelsiorpigeon.com, and don’t forget any loft reports that I do will receive a framed photograph of their favourite bird.
Many Thanks Sarah.