The Late John Pryor was an Australian long distance pigeon racing icon … and his sudden death during a pigeon convention and expo in Sydney in December 1999 shocked the Australian Pigeon Racing Fraternity.
Pryor was just 58 … and had dominated South Australian Pigeon racing for almost a decade
He was the unofficial King of Alice Springs, having won the prestigious Alice to Adelaide (1320 kilometre) Blue Ribband event THREE times
Pryor finished 1st 2nd and 4th Alice Springs in 1990, 1st in 1992, and 1st IN 1998 (a smash with only two birds home on the 2nd day and 14 birds home after 4 days)
Pryor’s performances in the South Australian Homing Pigeon Association were legendary …. and his 16 Association wins were just two shy of the then record of 18, set by another legend, Keith Wickham
Three of his Association victories came in the months prior to his death.
Pryor won the SAHPA Overall Aggregate points in 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998.
His other wins included Emmdale, Morundah, Coleambally (Twice) including 1st 2nd and 3rd place) in 1997 and Temora
Pryor’s success was fueled by his diamond breeding system that involved outcrossing and then inbreeding to key birds, including his number one cockbird that John picked out a hamper of birds that were being given away to key flyers
His other key breeders included a Allen Goodger cockbird bred down from Colin Elliott’s blood, and the Alvon Richardson hen, that he purchased at the Sires Produce Sale, that in turn produced Pryor’s famous Morundah winner
Larry Mayne Story (1973) on John Pryor – Courtesy Australia Racing Pigeon Journal
Born and raised at Broken Hill, John’s father was the late Keith Pryor who was a devoted pigeon flyer and was a member of one of the three clubs that face there, way back in 1927.
John married Ruth and they had 3 children.
With a chance of employment in Adelaide, John and his family made the move in 1965 where he joined the West Torrens club and at the end of that season John moved to his now present address at Hampstead.
With a further offer of employment in New Zealand he was on the move again for the next two years. On returning to Adelaide he joined the Vitesse pigeon club.
In 1970 John and the legendary Allen Goodger drew for the S.A.H.P.A. Aggregate points. In 1971 John rejoined the Hampstead club where he has flown ever since.
From 1971 He has continually finished in the top 20 positions in the S.A.H.P.A. points.
John and his pigeons specialise in Long Distance races and he is known in South Australia, as the King of Alice Springs, for his countless wins and placings in the marathon race.
He has won 6 S.A.H.P.A. races in the last six years and in the last decade has won 9.
RACE TEAM
John usually starts with about 150 pigeons, 50 which consist of 2 and 3 year olds plus an odd 4 year old.
In a break down his race team has about 100 hens and 50 cocks.
John revealed that his stock birds usually breed about 70% of hens, he trains his birds around the loft together but separates the sexes when in the loft.
A hard task master with his birds, he makes the cocks do everything the hens have to do.
There is a known saying here in S.A. that if one of us died we don’t want to come back on this earth as one of John Pryor’s pigeons.
I think this is a bit unfair to John, as his birds are only- trained once a week on the east track over the Adelaide Hills. He likes them to have an hour and a half to two hours on the wing.
John likes his young hens in the first flying season to have at least two four hundred mile races on the east line, and the young cocks to do the same on the north line.
John flies his birds from the first race to the last race, he sets a programme for each pigeon and they usually go back every two weeks if fit. His birds have the ability to fly on into the night on a number of occasions.
Naturally his favourite race is Alice Springs were he holds the most wins from this race point than any one else here in S.A. Jòhn does the usual health standards like compulsory vaccination against pigeon pox. He told me, he has not wormed his birds for the last 5 years. He culls about 25% of his birds because these birds do not come up to his standards. If a bird becomes ill it is culled irrespective of what it is.
John believes many flyers over medicate their birds when it is not necessary, and this interferes with the bird’s natural immune system. He says let nature run its course.
He also keeps an eye on his birds droppings, it reveals the health and fitness of his pigeons.
We all know what John means, is it the firm round and the smaller the better, the ones that bounce back back into your hand when you drop them
John says there are thtree types of droppings that he looks for when his birds first return from a race
First is the normal one that you get on easy races
Second is the runy creamy coloured one. John says this is the fat coming away from the body which is good, and he likes to see this as these birds will be able to be seny back, usually in about two weeks.
The third is the green smily one, this is the one where the bird has dug down deep to reach the loft. The fat has come from the body of the bird and this pigeon will take longer to recuperate.
John has developed his own wing theory and sticks to it.
The visiing Scottish long distance champion John Ellis, who was here in Adelaide in 1993, had a similar wing theory to John’
John has developed a family of pigeons that sprints 500 mile on the day , then fly on another 300 miles the next day.
The proof is what John’s pigeons do in the marathon Alice Springe to Adelaide race each year, with outstanding results
STOCKBIRDS
John’s pigeons comprise of his late father’s from Broken Hill, Lou and George Downer of the West Torrens Club, crossed with Allen Goodger and Jack Metcalf’s pigeons.
They are virtually Goodger based.
John sent three pairs of his best pigeons to Hans Eijerkamp in Holland, and in return he received a pai of Wlm Mullers.
His 2nd Alice Springs was half his bloodline and the other was Van Wanroy off Rob Wilson’s imports
John believes in youth in breeding. His stock hens rarely exceed the age of three years and the cocks to the age of four years with a few exceptions.
John keeps very few stockbirds and relies on what’s left over from the end of the race season.
His number one cockbird and henbird have independentlyt bred several SAHPA Winners … and when paired together have been responsible for countless SAHPA winners and placegetters – both directly and bred down from them
FEEDING
John is a protein feeder and in his mixture he uses 95 per c ent peas
He feeds his birds the same from the start of the season to the end of the season and his stockbirds are fed exactly the same way.
John likes to get his peas from four different locations.
He does not give any vitamins at all
When his birds are going into the moult , he feeds extra oil seeds such as linseed and safflower
When John’s birds are flying on club races he feeds them once a day and as much as they like.
He has a small seed mixture made up for him by a local fodder store which contains 11 different varieties of seeds and thre main basis is millet, which he gives his racebirds prior to hampering on racenights, and uses it with aded milofor a trapping mix
John uses a legume which must have one of the highest protein contents that is 39 % (spotted lupins)
ADVICE TO NEW FLYERS
Make your first year in racing a learning year
At the end of the seaon go to a top flyer and purchase a few pair of stockbirds
In today’s type of racing to be competitive you have to create your own family of pigeons.
An afternoon with John Pryor – by Brenda Caesarowicz – Courtesy Australian Racing Pigeon Journal
In the mid 1970’s the late John Pryor was guest speaker an an information afternoon with funds benefiting South Australian junior flyers.
It was very infomative and Pryor covered several important theories that he has developed, tested and proved over the past few years while competing and gaining success in many Long and Ultra Long distance events
John felt very much a need to share the knowledge he had gained about the fascinating sport of pigeon racing as all too often the elite and successful flyers aren’t interested in sharing the reasons and secrets behind their success – and ultimately this has been lost and has not benefited the sport at all
Secondly John recently had the pleasure of meeting John Ellis, the Scottish Long Distance Champion, and after having some discussions with him, was very suprised to hear that a fancier from the other side of the world, like John, a Long Distance Champion, shared a lot of the same theories that John himself held, particularly in the wing theory
Besides explaining in great detail the many facets of his wing theory, John also shared with the flyers present his breeding, feeding and training programs
The wing theory stands on its own and John firmly believes that the more criteria the wing of the long distance pigeons fills, the longer the bird will be able to stay in the air, but most importantly cover the distance in the shortest possible time – and be efficient in its use of energy stamina and endurance
John explained that a good wing propels the bird forward in the air but all the other factors, such as brains, ability good heart, lungs, homing instinct, little fear of the falcon, able to travel long distances on their own, appropriate training, and above all, bred for the job at hand, make up the complex and elusive special something that culminates in the long distance champion pigeon
In John’s opinion the idea;l long distance is small to medium size with a big wing. This creates a pigeon of extreme manouvreability, a better more efficient power to weight ratio, and of course this type of body frame takes less out of the pigeon on its journey home
With his breeding program John followed the diamond pattern.
Starting with a hen and cock (which can be nestmates) you have the beginning of your winning family so long as you judiciously sort out the very best to go back into the family and prove the racing ability of the youngsters.
John feels that yopu must always move forward. Today’s pigeons would have to be better if you have been ruthless in your breeding program, and to this end the average age of his breeders is four years or less
In this way John perpetuates the enduring middle column of his family yet breeds in vigour and vitality, the benchmark of every good family of pigeons
He also touched on his feeding program, being basic aly a 95 per cent protein feeder John believes in a high protein diet, during the breeding season for the development of the youngster, in moulting for feather quality and in raring for muscle quality, strength, endurance and stamina
John doesn’t believe in a big medication regime He has not wormed his bird in quite a few years and believes in fostering a natural immune system , He does not give vitamins of minerals. Basically the birds are given clean fresh rainwater, grit, greens and are vaccinated against pigeon pox
John watches the droppings of the birds closely and assesses the droppings with regards to the bird coming into form
The Pryor tossing program starts with north tosses lifting the distance in quick succession, and then thereafter east tosses over the hills where he looks for a good hour and a half on the wing
John is not afraid to switch birds to different lines and feels strongly that if birds can’t tolerate this type of training and racing they are of no value to him
