External parasites(continued).

by the occurrence of yellowish nodulesunder the skin. These nodules arecalcareous deposits around dead mites.

Another mite which has been reportedfrom this area is the feather quill mite.Syringophilus bipectinatus. As the nameimplies, this mite is found within thefeather quills, together with a great dealof debris.

w. Mellor & Son

Going with Gurnays

photographs by Anthony Bolton

There are several other mites that havebeen reported such as the nasal mite,Neonyssus columbae; the body mite,Megninia columbae and other specieswhich, for the present, are consideredextremely rare and of minor importance.

The treat(nent and control ofectoparasites of poultry have beenextremely effective with the use of thenewer pesticides, all of which havebecome available only since World WarII. Although there are hundreds offormulations, the active ingredients ofthese formulations fall into only fourchemical groups. The oldest and perhapsthe most familiar of these groups is thechlorinated hydrocarbon compounds ofwhich D.D.T., chlordane, aldrin, lindaneand heptachlor are the most familiar.They are effective insecticides with highresidual activity.

The second group is the organo­phosphorus compounds of whichmalathion, co- Ral and parathion are thebest known.

The third group, the carbamates, containcarbaryl commonly known as Sevin.This compound has recently been foundto be of low toxicity and its use againstarthropods has increased very rapidly inthe last few years.

The fourth and last group of compoundsare the botanical compounds such aspyrethrum and rotenone. They are, forthe most part, used in conjunction withsome of the members of the othergroups. They are considered quite safeand their tissue residue problem not asgreat as those compounds in the othergroups.

Ideally, the treatment or control ofecto-parasitic problems, regardless ofthe size of your operation, ought to becarried out in the following manner:(1) obtain a diagnosis from a reliable

agency.(2) select, with the h.elp of trained

personnel if necessary, the mosteffective product and the mostreliable procedure.

(3) read instructions carefully andfollow them to the letter.

William (Bill) Mellor the senior memberof this partnership has kept and racedpigeons all his life, except for the yearsbetween 1939 and 1945 when Adolfinterferred with his hobby, resulting inBill having to serve King and countryfor six years. The son of the partnershipis David, (known to all as Dave), whois a very keen member of the partnership.Bill is a wholesale butcher by trade and

his only interest apa~ from his family arehis pigeons. For many years now thename of W. Mellor and Son has beenassociated with the Gurnay strain. Billbought the first of his Gurnays at a

Manchester auction sale in 1957;thesecame from Hawkins Bros. of Stoke·on·Trent. There is a 1961 rung cockbredfrom those original purchasesstill inthe loft today. This cock is the father01the loft. Over the years the occasionalpigeon has been introduced; thesehavealways been Gurnays.

The pigeons are housed in two lofts,the old bird loft is the National type,12 foot by 6 inches long, well ventilatedwith dowels and louvres on thefrontand sides. This loft contains 24nestboxes, but no perches.Theonly

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NUHW 61X3933, 'Old Bill', winner of firsts from 46 to 533 miles. This pigeon is consideredtobethe father of the loft.

t

perchesare on the nestbox fronts. Thedeeplitter system is used here, consistingof a mixture of sand and lime. This floordressingis also used in the nestboxes.Theyoung bird ·Ioft is 10 foot long,youngbirds are raced well, but notricksare used, just racing to the perch.Thebreeding system is simple, winnersto winners whenever possible. Bill is notaneyesign fanatic, but he does admitthata good eye is part and parcel of agoodpigeon. 'The qualities Bill look forare,strong legs, a good frame, a strong~ack,plenty of heart-room, and a goodwellshaped ·head. The sort of pigeonthatcan win from the race pannier andin the show pen.

Thepigeons are.separated after the lastyoung bird race and are not puttogetheragain until March. During thewinter months the hens are exercisedin the mornings and the cocks in theafternoons.Young birds are reared inpairs,the old fashioned earthenwarenestbowls are used. As soon as theyoung birds start climbing out of thenestbowls, Bill places a little wheat on

thelet-board of the nestbox front, whertheyoungsters see the parent birdseatingthis wheat, they soon join in.Thisprocedure is kept up for two orhreedays, when the youngsters arepicking up well they are removed toheyoung bird loft. The young bird loft

is also deep litter and the youngsters are'fedtwice a day. Bill always makes sureIthatevery youngster has a good cropfull after the evening feed.

After pairing, the old birds are given anopenloft and training starts a weekbeforethe first race. The birds are tossedfrom 30 miles on Monday, Tuesday,

NU72N17824 Young John'. Wins include1st Lymington, 1st Rennes, 1975 MeritoriousAward Winner. Also breeds winners.

NU65N22695 "David'. Son of Old Bill.

Winner of over £1,000, including 1sts lromNantes and Saintes. Also breeds winners.

Wednesday, and Thursday and then intothe first race. The old birds do not getany more training after that first stintas they are raced mid-week as well ason weekends, and they race well.winning from 46 miles through to850 miles.

This partnership has no secret feedingmethods. In fact, Bill said he has neverever fed best grade corn in his life. Atone period Bill said that he fed onnothing but sweepings from a local mill.This consisted of large maize, flour dustand rubbish. Unfortunately this sourcehas now dried up as the mill has closeddown. The present feed consists of60 per cent large maize, 20 per cent oftic beans, and 20 per cent turkeygrowers pellets, and a little wheat forweaning the youngsters. Good linseedis used as a tit-bit all the year round.Grit is always available for the birds asare black minerals and calcium powdermixed half and half ..

The partnership are members of severalclubs, including the National FlyingClub, the British Barcelona Club and theManchester Flying Club. The MellorGurnays have only raced one fullseason in the Manchester Flying Clubwhich was in 1972. During that seasonthey won every trophy in that famousclub. A feat that has never beenequalled, not even by the late FredShaw, and he was one of the greatones. The various trophies won overthe years by this partnership are toonumerous to mention here; as many astwenty five races have been won in oneseason. These performances prove thatthe Gurnays housed in these lofts areas good today as they ever were.

VU67F12349 'Betty Blue'. Winner of many 1sts, including Rennes,Vantesand Saintes in one season. Meritorious Award Winner, also'reedswinners.

NU68J8085. 'Master Dave', Winner of seventeen 1sts from 46 to533 miles, also 1st Eccles 2B specialist club, £140 pools.

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