Where to Find Good Stock Birds

Where to Find Good Stock Birds

Most new fanciers breed from their race team. It is an economical approach and reduces the number of birds one must own in order to race pigeons. Eventually, either an excellent pigeon distinguished himself and the fancier no longer wishes to risk him on the races but wants to exclusively breed from the bird in the hopes of producing another one or twelve exactly like the bird. Now you have crossed into the realm of the stock loft. The stock loft is the gene pool from which your future race birds will come. Winning usually starts in the stock loft. If you plant inferior seeds you will get an inferior plant. Start with inferior breeders you will usually get inferior racing pigeons. If you are going to invest in a stock loft, do your home work, do your research, search your various sources and get birds that have the potential to do well on the system you fly, the type of course you compete and at the distances you wish to concentrate on. You may even decide to keep two or three different families in the stock loft.

Sources

Auctions — You will find auctions at the conclusion of futurities, after the death of fanciers who don’t have descendants that wish to continue their hobby, on-line auctions almost daily and at shows. The birds will vary from young birds to older breeding pairs.

Commercial Breeders — These are the breeders that commercially breed and purchase stock solely for the purpose of selling children and grand children. You will often be able to visit them year round and find a supply of birds available for purchase. You will also be able to purchase entire young bird kits.

Friends — Trusted friends often give “gift” birds or breeders of excellent quality. On honest man/woman will take pride in the achievements of others from birds that came from them. When I use the term “friend” I am not throwing it around loosely.

Associates — These may be people you already know or just met from a pigeon club. In some clubs, members often volunteer to breed some young birds to get a fancier started in pigeons.

Established Fanciers — These are fanciers that have been competing for a number of years, with a proven family. You can usually get birds that are related and have a proven record or are out of proven performers.

Your race team — If a bird had proven themselves to score and compete on your own race team, it’s an excellent candidate for the stock loft, regardless of pedigree. It may prove to be an excellent breeder and if not, you have lost no investment.

Suggestions

1. Do your research. Select a strain or family that conforms to the way you want to fly pigeons and the goals you strive to achieve.

2. If you have decided on a family or strain, know the ancestors that were either champion performers or producers of champion performers within that strain.

3. Set a budget and buy the best quality within your budget and not the most quantity. One single superior breeder is far more valuable than a group of lesser value though excellent breeders. It’s much harder to breed “up” from a lower quality than to use breeding strategies to reproduce an already existing specimen

4. If you are going to spend money on young birds, buy a kit our group and fly them. There are traits a specimen may possess that only the basket and races can eliminate. They may look great in the hand but be worthless in traits necessary for racing. It’s far better to lose them before you invest time, money and talent on them in the stock loft.

5. Try to purchase related pigeons, rather than pigeons that are labeled as the same strain. Your chances of producing birds that are homozygous for the same traits increase dramatically and you should be able to attain a standard in the breeding loft more quickly.

6. Test Breed. If you already have proven breeders and are attempting to improve your stock, breed a new purchase to proven birds. If they do not produce your standard with proven birds, then you can discard them.

Where to Find Good Stock Birds By Domanski Family Loft