Keith McIntosh

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THE FEDERATION WESTERLY PROFILE

Here we are back in North Wales, the last time we were here was to visit Albert Dodd this time we go up the road to meet up with Keith McIntosh. Keith has lived in North Wales virtually all his life and this month he celebrated his 54^th birthday. Keith is the youngest of five children having two older brothers and sisters. He is married to Olwen and they have two children Robert who is 20 years old and Nicola who is 18. Neither are really interested in the pigeons but Robert will look after them while they are away. Keith wife Olwen is keen on the birds but unfortunately is affected by the dust. Keith openly admits he would be totally lost without his birds. Keith is now retired from his occupation as a chef due to health reasons. Keith is a real country boy at heart and enjoys all aspects of country life especially country music and both he and Olwen go Country and Western dancing at least twice a week.

Keith was brought up in the show game from the age of two with his parents very much involved in showing dogs, he went to shows most weekends and as he says ‘It’s a dam good job he enjoyed them’ Keith took up showing dogs also showing other peoples dogs to earn some pocket money and in his teens he started showing his own dogs mainly at championship shows. He had his first champion at sixteen and has numerous Kennel Club challenge certificates for his efforts. At the same time he had a successful stud of canaries judged at the English National CBS, which drew a record number of entries for the breed at that time. Keith was on a panel of three judges for his breed in the UK at that time and was breeding on average 50 young a season.

This is the man known as Keith McIntosh he is now going to answer the dreaded questions.

A. I live in the Dolwen area some seven miles from Abergale, I have lived in the area for 53 years now. I was actually born in Perthshire both my parents being Scottish and we moved to North Wales with my father’s occupation when he took a job managing the Coed Coch estate. Where in those days the World Famous ponies came from.

A. I first started in 1953 until the early sixties and then had a few years break due to other commitments but I always said I would be back and I am for good this time.

A. I started with a pair of cross Tippler type birds which my eldest brother got for me but oh dear the darn things kept going back to their old house so that was that. A few weeks later I was given a class pair of Tipplers from Sid Whitely (Squadron Leader) from Holywell, North Wales. Sid was a friend of the family both he and my parents showed dogs. So we saw a lot of each other at the shows etc. A few months after my first pair of Tipplers he gave me a few more pairs plus a couple of pairs of Rollers that is how I got started.

Sir was renowned for his Cumlets. It has been said many times over the years, ‘If you have never seen a Whitely Cumlet you’ve never seen the real thing’ I showed on the local circuit with reasonable success my Tipplers were my favourite, indeed I still have a soft spot for them. I only kept about twenty Tipplers on average, but very few Rollers and a couple of White English Fantails, but even in those days I was interested in the West’s. I think the West Cocks of the fifties were bolder and more robust compared to some of today’s West’s and the hens were very sweet, maybe a shade flatter on top of the head compared to today’s hens but they were also a shade shorter and I thought both cocks and hens possessed a wealth of feather and indeed many had really good back cover and footings. The West’s then were a real eye catcher as well as some of the West’s today.

A. I only keep West’s at present, this year I only kept five pairs with three spare hens, (normally I would have about nine pairs) one pair of which is the Mel Brooker cock that’s the only West to win Best West at the Federation twice I think this was in 1992 and 1994, he is a 1990 bird. I bought him at the Federation auction two years back, and the hen he is paired with this year is the Mel Brooker 1992 Cream, which I bought the same day. The first year I bred 13 youngsters from them, the cock mated to a young hen of mine bred 6 youngsters and the hen was paired to a young Cream cock, which bred me seven youngsters. The Cream Cock won a first at the National young bird show and first at the Federation. Yes both lots produced winners.

A. I have twenty to the perch out of the five pairs I kept this year, normally I would breed between twenty and forty, but the quality this year is extremely good and I am pleased with the birds to go forward with for next year.

A. I have two lofts. The young bird loft is 10 x 8 in two sections with an outside flight of 10 x 5. My main stock loft is 18 x 12. It is part of an old granary converted. It is split into three sections. Two stock pens and the third pen is for my feed bins and staging for my show pens and of course a seat for yours truly, when I am having a cuppa.

A. I like to see uniform, plenty of type and wealth of feather; they must come to the hand in every way. Cocks must look like cocks with plenty of power and indeed hens with the same amount of type but very feminine. A good pearl eye with a good beak position, neat wattle (not like warts on top of the beak) rising gently from the wattle nicely curved over the top of the eye to back scull and I like to see a nice stout neck and broad shoulders with a full front. When wings are open for inspection they must have strong quills with broad feather and first class webbing. I like to see good back cover and one should try their darndest to get it right, perfect wing carriage and in my mind the tail should be equally as good as anything else. I prefer medium legs and I like to see good footings. I do not like red eyes. I am not adverse to showing odd sided birds, you may of noticed I had an odd sided hen at the National young bird show last year. She came second in her class; the judge on the day was the one and only Harry Heal. I think that says a lot, she is the daughter of the Mel Brooker hen I bought at the auction. After all it is a flying breed and remember we don’t have a written standard do we! But no matter what a bird may have won, if it can’t produce the goods it will soon be removed from stock. It is quality not quantity. I was always brought up to believe that it cost the same to keep a good one as a rubbing rag so you may as well keep fewer and better. I firmly believe the key to the door is first class stock birds and with hard work and dedication the ribbons will follow in due course.

A. Yes – Go to some of the classics, meet the top fanciers of the day, study the winners and keep your eyes and ears wide open, watch and listen and of course one has to open ones mouth sometimes you can’t stand there like a complete lemon all the time. Seriously it pays to watch and listen you will learn a lot more that way. Go to one or two of the seasoned fanciers for your breed, take their advice and remember they know their family of birds best, don’t be in a hurry to keep lots and lots of birds, gain experience and work from there, but get yourself involved with your local club, you will have lots more fun, get to know the fanciers around you but remember the main thing is that you enjoy your pigeons whether it is for the show pen or just fluttering around the garden.

A. Needless to say to continue enjoying my pigeons and indeed promote the flying breeds as much as possible in this part of the world and to keep going forward with my stock and yes dare I say it, with hard work and dedication maybe one day I will make a champion. I have done it in other divisions of livestock and I know only to well it’s one thing getting there but it’s very much another thing staying there but I firmly believe with dedication in every respect you’ll break through one day. I remember when I was eleven I said to my father I am going to have a champion one day he just laughed and said – dream on, but I set myself a goal, watched listened and moulded myself on one of the top breeder/exhibitors in the country he was a friend and said to myself I will show them and we will see whose laughing then (I believe it’s there for the taking).

A. The future of the flying breeds looks healthy but like everything else we cannot afford to get complacent. Membership for the Federation keeps growing which is a good thing and indeed clubs affiliated to the Federation. We in North Wales have a good Flyer club with some good classes with quality birds. Our Secretary is Albert Dodd, if I join the Southern Counties TT will Ian Johnson and yourself join North Wales TT, it’s only a matter of a few pence, I know a few of the lads this way would be only too willing to return the support, after all I know you will agree, us flying folk must back each other up so as to promote the flyers. I am currently a member of the North Wales TT, Bristol TT, Northern Counties TT and of course the National Federation amongst others. I am also interested in the new colours, especially the chocolates; whoops I should say brown (genetics). I would also like to see the juniors encouraged more, maybe we could have a discussion about special rings for the juniors birds, to stop that nit picking, put junior classes on for all the sections at the Federation, it would only cost the space in the schedule, and if we have junior or juniors exhibitors, it really would be worth the effort, I would be delighted to give a special for this section.

A. Yes there are a few. I would like to thank Neil Thomson for his friendship and help etc. Never let it be said about top fanciers won’t part with good birds. This young man loaned me an NPA winner, which also won at Bristol and was good enough for John Thomson to buy at the Federation Auction. John Jones and Harry Balchin gave me a lot of help and advice on the genetics side of things. Jack Lees also gave me pointers when I came back into pigeons. I must mention my old friend Clive Griffiths. Clive is known for his Genuines and Tumblers, we go back some forty years and of course a special mention to the Morecambe and Wise of the pigeons fancy Respectfully Albert Dodd (Eric) and Alan Jackson (Ernie). Both these lads dig deep into their pockets, (maybe Alan’s are stitched up after a tenner - only joking he is very generous) for the North Wales Tippler and Tumbler Club. They both do a tremendous amount of work not just putting up pens etc. Albert makes the prize cards and a good job too. If it wasn’t for people like Alan and Albert we would not have a show to go to, so come on all you Federation Members, support the NWTT. I would also like to thank my wife Olwen without whom I would not be able to attend some of the shows and finally David many thanks to you for your help and advice.

We are rapidly getting to that time of the year when the questionnaire need to be completed and sent to the membership for voting so if any members have any comments they wish to be included in this years questionnaire then please let me have your proposals by September 15^th the latest to allow for printing and distribution. One or two have still not paid their subscriptions and as stated will now be removed from the mailing list.

I do have some late news I have just had it confirmed that Versele-Laga are once again going to sponsor the National Federation show providing between us we can work out the logistics of getting the material from Belgium to the show. Last year Albert E James the local distributor for Versele-Laga collected the corn for us and I am hoping this could be arranged again this year. Watch this space and I will keep you informed of the outcome.