Here is a recent article in Sports Illustrated titled The Birds. I don't subscribe to Sports Illustrated but was made aware of this article due to negative comments regarding it in the pigeontalk.com forum discussion groups. While it's great that pigeon racing receives a mention in a true sports magazine, it seems that the article put down our sport and had negative connotations. Review the article and post your opinion.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/more/01/23/the.birds0128/index.html
Saturday 16 February 2008
Is racing pigeons becoming a rural hobby?
This is an article that has played out in many different places around the racing pigeon world in the last few years. This is especially true here in the United States. First check out the link:
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/02/15/FLYAWAY.ART_ART_02-15-08_B2_OT9C92B.html?sid=101
What's your opinion? How often do you see the same battle in your area? Has this same situation affected your club?
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/02/15/FLYAWAY.ART_ART_02-15-08_B2_OT9C92B.html?sid=101
What's your opinion? How often do you see the same battle in your area? Has this same situation affected your club?
Wednesday 14 November 2007
Breeding for Colors and white birds
I have posted on http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/index.php the sale of the barless blues, barless browns and blacks. Not is the time to decide on color matings for next year. Surprisingly there has been a number of request for the barless blues. There was one request for either a brown with spread or a dilute black. Unfortunately, I have a pair of blacks that throw a dilute black (dun) once in a while, but they always get lost in training. In the browns, I have nothing other than barless at the moment.
Brown/Khaki is the most recessive of the three color groups that also include black/blue, and red/ash. My brown is a hen and therefor, no matter what I mate her to, it will not be brown as the color gene is carried on the sex chromosome which the hen has only one, she gets from her father and the cock gets two, one from each parent. Since the hen has only one, quite simply "she is what she is". Now, the only way to get the brown back is to mate her to a direct son. Any son of hers will carry both the gene for black/blue and brown/khaki. The hen will either pass on the brown/khaki gene to a son, or she will pass on the sex chromosome which will produce a hen and that hen. The result will be; 1/4th black/blue hens, 1/4th brown/khaki hens, 1/4th black/blue cocks that also carry the brown/khaki gene and finally 1/4th brown/khaki sons which are homozygous for the brown/khaki gene. For these later sons, they will ALWAYS produce a brown/khaki hen regardless to whom they are mated.
If anyone is interested, I will still be setting orders for barless blues, possibly barless browns, blacks and recessive reds. Still in the works are recessive yellows. You can reach me at domanskifamilyloft@dishmail.net
Brown/Khaki is the most recessive of the three color groups that also include black/blue, and red/ash. My brown is a hen and therefor, no matter what I mate her to, it will not be brown as the color gene is carried on the sex chromosome which the hen has only one, she gets from her father and the cock gets two, one from each parent. Since the hen has only one, quite simply "she is what she is". Now, the only way to get the brown back is to mate her to a direct son. Any son of hers will carry both the gene for black/blue and brown/khaki. The hen will either pass on the brown/khaki gene to a son, or she will pass on the sex chromosome which will produce a hen and that hen. The result will be; 1/4th black/blue hens, 1/4th brown/khaki hens, 1/4th black/blue cocks that also carry the brown/khaki gene and finally 1/4th brown/khaki sons which are homozygous for the brown/khaki gene. For these later sons, they will ALWAYS produce a brown/khaki hen regardless to whom they are mated.
If anyone is interested, I will still be setting orders for barless blues, possibly barless browns, blacks and recessive reds. Still in the works are recessive yellows. You can reach me at domanskifamilyloft@dishmail.net
Thursday 8 November 2007
End of the Racing Season
It's the end of the racing season. Time to decide who to keep on the team and who to eliminate. It's time to take a hard look at the breeders and evaluate their performance. It's time to think about frozen waterers and feeding pigeons in the freezing cold. The super cold may not be here yet, the mother nature is giving us the warnings that she soon will be here.
Thursday 16 August 2007
Rare Colored Homing Pigeons
Within the homing pigeon fancy there are two divisions. First there is the racing pigeon fancier who's primary focus is racing performance. Color is almost never a factor in breeding. In the show breed color and genetic factors of the phenotype are the main factor, and performance may not be a factor at all. Both types of fanciers though enjoy the same special homing pigeon but with two comletely different goals. Occasionally there are the fanciers who specialize in one but dabble in the other.
Within the two types of fanciers there are two types of shows. In the show breeds, the birds are separated into color classes and any flaw within a color will easily disqualify a bird or the bird will be moved to the "any other color" (AOC) class. In the racing community shows have a diploma class in which performance birds need to have earned a diplomas by scoring in a sanctioned race to enter the show. Within the show, the birds are usually divided by sex and by distance class. Both shows will stil demand a high quality pigeon, but it's very interesting to see the difference in judging.
Within the racing pigeon lines, many rarer colors still are present such as, self or spread, dilute, opal, faded, recessive red, whites and indigos. I'm sure there are others, but these are the one's I've personally seen the most of. I personally have self (black), opal, indigo, recessive red, barless (in both blue and brown) and dilute. Thanks to Randall Carney for the barless birds. Using mulitple traits, I would like to have the rarer colors that score up to the long distance. In addition, I am working towards creating a family of recessive yellows, yellows, browns, barless and blacks.
Regardless of which type fancier you may be, what color types of homing pigeons do you keep? If you are of the show breeds, do you work with a racing enthusiast to maintain color classes which also maintain a racing performance? If you are a racing enthusiast, what genetic traits have perhaps accidentally shown up in your breeding program?
For an excellent reference for understanding rare colors in homing pigeons check out Ron Huntley's website: http://www.angelfire.com/ga/huntleyloft/
Within the two types of fanciers there are two types of shows. In the show breeds, the birds are separated into color classes and any flaw within a color will easily disqualify a bird or the bird will be moved to the "any other color" (AOC) class. In the racing community shows have a diploma class in which performance birds need to have earned a diplomas by scoring in a sanctioned race to enter the show. Within the show, the birds are usually divided by sex and by distance class. Both shows will stil demand a high quality pigeon, but it's very interesting to see the difference in judging.
Within the racing pigeon lines, many rarer colors still are present such as, self or spread, dilute, opal, faded, recessive red, whites and indigos. I'm sure there are others, but these are the one's I've personally seen the most of. I personally have self (black), opal, indigo, recessive red, barless (in both blue and brown) and dilute. Thanks to Randall Carney for the barless birds. Using mulitple traits, I would like to have the rarer colors that score up to the long distance. In addition, I am working towards creating a family of recessive yellows, yellows, browns, barless and blacks.
Regardless of which type fancier you may be, what color types of homing pigeons do you keep? If you are of the show breeds, do you work with a racing enthusiast to maintain color classes which also maintain a racing performance? If you are a racing enthusiast, what genetic traits have perhaps accidentally shown up in your breeding program?
For an excellent reference for understanding rare colors in homing pigeons check out Ron Huntley's website: http://www.angelfire.com/ga/huntleyloft/
Thursday 9 August 2007
Where is our sport headed?
Pigeon Racing is a sport that is changing as rapidly as many other sports that were formally obscure or not as well publicized. For example, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) is now paying prizes in excess of $1,000,000 in a single event. For us the futurity has provided us opportunities to win big cash prizes. Yet for most clubs, there is not a big cash pay out at the end of the season just for competing at the top of your game. The difference however, is prizes in the other sports, has primarily been funded by big name sponsors and by ticket sales. For us our prize money has for the most part come out of the pockets of fellow fanciers.
The world of breeding has also changed with other performance based animals. Dogs, racing horses, bucking bulls now use a DNA database for breeding stock. Why? Because progeny of these animals is as large as the single event pay outs. If someone is dropping $50,000 on a young bull, you want to be certain of the pedigree. These other breeders are now starting to look more closely at breeding and breeding strategies and in order to do this scientifically and with certainty, there needs to be a DNA database and an ability to test a high dollar purchase to ensure the accuracy of the pedigree. Will we reach a point where pigeon breeders of top birds will be doing the same?
The futurity was a concept that has greatly changed our sport. There are now so many flyers that specialize in the futurity and only young bird racing. There are now fanciers who don't have the time or the facilities to enjoy fully competing in a regular series but they are able to keep a few birds and only ship to futurities. There are clubs with quality names that have been running successful events that have grown into huge dollar events that have help their clubs and greatly helped members win decent money while enjoying their hobby.
Yes, there are cons as well. Some say the futuries and young bird specialist are taking away and killing out old bird racing and long distance racing. There are dangers of birds from all directions of the compass being brought together and that is the chance for the increase in the rapid spread of various diseases and viruses. What happens to the also rans in these events. Money spent with no return on a bird leaves it at the mercy of the handler in some cases.
It may be time to have a new concept. A concept that rewards longetivity and distance flying. Already long distance and old bird racing requires patience as it may be a few years for a super performer to surface and reach his/her prime. Do you have a concept 'out side the box' that fits the challenge to move beyond young bird and short distance racing? If so, I'd love to hear it.
The world of breeding has also changed with other performance based animals. Dogs, racing horses, bucking bulls now use a DNA database for breeding stock. Why? Because progeny of these animals is as large as the single event pay outs. If someone is dropping $50,000 on a young bull, you want to be certain of the pedigree. These other breeders are now starting to look more closely at breeding and breeding strategies and in order to do this scientifically and with certainty, there needs to be a DNA database and an ability to test a high dollar purchase to ensure the accuracy of the pedigree. Will we reach a point where pigeon breeders of top birds will be doing the same?
The futurity was a concept that has greatly changed our sport. There are now so many flyers that specialize in the futurity and only young bird racing. There are now fanciers who don't have the time or the facilities to enjoy fully competing in a regular series but they are able to keep a few birds and only ship to futurities. There are clubs with quality names that have been running successful events that have grown into huge dollar events that have help their clubs and greatly helped members win decent money while enjoying their hobby.
Yes, there are cons as well. Some say the futuries and young bird specialist are taking away and killing out old bird racing and long distance racing. There are dangers of birds from all directions of the compass being brought together and that is the chance for the increase in the rapid spread of various diseases and viruses. What happens to the also rans in these events. Money spent with no return on a bird leaves it at the mercy of the handler in some cases.
It may be time to have a new concept. A concept that rewards longetivity and distance flying. Already long distance and old bird racing requires patience as it may be a few years for a super performer to surface and reach his/her prime. Do you have a concept 'out side the box' that fits the challenge to move beyond young bird and short distance racing? If so, I'd love to hear it.
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