Andrew Kyle

Hello and welcome.

I first kept pigeons as a boy, yes in old orange boxes. I was always building new huts for my pigeons at that time. I kept fantails, tumblers and homers. When my family moved house to a completely different area, I assisted in a racing loft for the first time. Although only helping for about 2 years they made their mark. Some 40 years later, I find myself with the chance of keeping them again.

I have bred, exhibited and worked Boxer dogs for 25 years, but found myself not having the time to pursue my hobby, because my wife and I are foster carers and obviously other priorities took precedence. I felt that my son (9) might benefit from contact with pigeons because he was a bit hyperactive. He is really calm when in the loft. He is really only interested in the young birds in the nest at this stage, whereas his sister (11) has a very slightly deeper interest. She assists with the training by calling them in when they return. Both come with me to club nights and my daughter counts them into their respective panniers.

Although not even a novice, my interest is in distance racing. I hope to do well in this hobby, but feel that so long as I achieve some enjoyment, that will be good enough. I am, however, very competitive, so the bug will probably bite deeper than just hoping to enjoy the hobby.

Andy