The Breeding Loft
Winning is the result of breeding, training, nutrition, consistency, stamina, heart, superior intelligence and homing ability. In pigeon racing, there is no substitute for any of the above qualities. Only excellent race results, generation after generation in the best of competition, should be the goal of any breeding loft.
Always keep in mind that your end product can only be as good as the foundation it is built on. We consider the pedigree (bloodlines) to be a “genetic blueprint” of any given bird’s potential. The BLOODLINE is far more important than personal preferences for a certain “eye sign, wing type, body shape, color, etc.”
No pigeon breeder can guarantee that every bird he breeds and sells will be a champion flyer or breeder. The best breeding pairs in the loft produce a certain percentage of birds that do not have the qualities of a champion.
However, like all successful breeding lofts, we strive to keep the number of such inferior birds to a minimum. We are able offer quality offspring each year by breeding from only those birds whose pedigrees indicate that their ancestors’ bloodlines, both immediate and remote, produced champion racers or breeders.
Such bloodlines indicate that our youngsters should have more good genes present for competitive racing than bad ones, thereby increasing their potential to become great racers, breeders or both.
We strongly believe that all behavior is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. We, as pigeon breeders, should know which behaviors, good and bad, are inherited. Our breeding program concentrates on the qualities that are genetically inherited and that are necessary to race and breed competitively.
Also, we recognize that the environments that fanciers create for their birds are vastly different and unique to each individual loft. We have no control over other fanciers’ lofts. Those that are overcrowded, with poor health maintenance programs, inferior diet and nutrition, and lack of sufficient training, place their birds under severe stress and do not allow them to reach their true potential as either racers or breeders. Performance is affected when there is any type of imbalance in the birds’ environment and diet. These conditions are the direct responsibility of the fancier. They are “man made”, not genetic.
But the actual measuring stick or test, is the race itself, and its level of competition.
In the past I have spent thousands of ££’s on buying yb’s off champion stock birds and for every 10 I bought 9 of them are rubbish. You need to look for the help of a honest fancier not seller. As I truly believe a seller of many pigeons will always sell you something just to line his own pockets. Too many sharks in the selling game. Genuine sellers are spread very thin on the ground. its all about the £ .Try to buy eggs if you can at least they won’t cost you a fortune.
All very true good article Brad.
IT IS SO TRUE THAT MEDICATION MAKE OR BREAK A LOFT , PLEASE USE IT SELDOM AND KEEP IT TO THE MINIMUM . I HAVE BEEN A MUTI MAN AND KNOW WHAT MUTI CAN DO , BUT BY KEEPING THE LOFT HEALTHY MEANS MORE THAN A MEDICATION BOTTLE . HERBS HELP BY MAINTAINING THE VIGOR AND KEEP THE BUGS AWAY SO THEY CAN BUILD IMMUNITY . IF A BABY LOOKS ILL IT IS , FIX THE PARENTS . GOOD ARTICLE AND KEEP IT UP
Breeding like most things we do is an individual thing. What we all need to remember is that not all top dollar birds breed the same.The crate/racing are the test machines for us. As for medicine, we use intirely to much here in the usa, thats because the newer fliers are told to if they want to win.
In the breeding loft, my birds are medicated once a year,thats all. The youngsters look GREAT. Using apple cider vinegar 3-4 times weekly keeps canker away, and helps the birds stay healthy.Probotics is also given weekly as well as chisholm trail.. After all, if they are not healthy as youngsters, how can you tell if they will fly well.Natural health is the key here folks,without it your wasting your time & money.
might be a dumb question but, what are you refering to when you say Chisholm trail?
I liked the artical all the way up to the health maintence program leading beginners as well as older people in the sport think that you have to use preventive medicens to run a successful program and that simply isn’t true at all. Yes you do have to have meds on hand to worm, Vaccinate, and take care of a respatory breakout or something like that and you have to use electrolytes for birds that are training and for birds coming back from races, but to keep medicating birds for something that they don’t have when they do have it the drugs may no longer work as you have taken away the effectiveness of the treatment in the preventative part of medicating your Birds. Please only medicate when it is necessary to do so and the meds will do their jobs for you.
Personally I don’t trust fanciers who sell their pigeons.Unless you know for sure they come from a relyable sorce,you could very well be buying someone elses rubbish.I have found if you approach some of the best fanciers in the club you belong to and ask them for help with getting you some good quality stock birds,they are usually glad to help you out,and they won’t give you rubbish,because they don’t keep rubbish.And better still an honest fancier will usually give you young birds from his best stock free of charge.
I’t’s sort of like,”Ya get what ya pay for!” Still, I believe dedication, being connected to your birds, will always beat “bloodlines”. Why?,you can buy the most expensive boat,car, bike, in the world, and still come in last, or worst yet, wreak it! Have a guy who’s never been a jockey hop up on “Seabiskit” and what what happens! Never “cast your pearls before swine” Even if half your birds came from the live poultry market, & you caught the other half from under the mall parking garage,youcan do good! Hey!, as long as thier healthy, you “know” them, you will enjoy ’em! Happy 4th. to all who care!
Good and correct family tree is very usefull thing for fancier. You can see generation, colours and etc. You can see pigeons winnings. You have a lot of information, records for statistic. You can analyse, compare that information. But, but you need a lot of time to write records, to check pigeons and etc. That is the main reason why people do not write this info about your pigeons.
Great post sorry I have not posted comments until now you have a great blog