# Rollers not rolling?



## friend-2-fowl

Hi there, we have 7 total Birmingham rollers, though 2 of them are still in the nest. 2 of them are recent purchases and are young, though I'm not sure how old they are. They are smaller than our adult rollers, so I think they are 'months' old (think 3-4). I was told they were young, but not their ages. 
Then we have 2 adult females, at least 1 year old, and a young cock hatched this spring, so about 6 months old. None of them roll?? I know the younger ones probably won't for a while, but the older ones don't either. Last fall we had quite a few pigeons; rollers, homers, cappuchines; all in the same loft, so I guess it's possible that the 2 older hens are mixed with homers? Any thoughts? How can I get them to roll? They do nothing but soar around in the air.


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## fresnobirdman

there not rollers.
there are ferals that can be mistaken for rollers.
if all they do is soar then their not rollers.

rollers have to rolling gene in then and they cant resist to even flip.


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## tony_333

Feed plays a big role into it, If they are rollers like you say, change the feed on them, you just might have them to strong, Flying to fast, Maybe to much feed also.
try putting them on a very low protein diet it like eg, straight milo, and about 1.5 tablespoon perbird, to start of with, see if that triggers them, Fly just rollers together, I dont know what your setup is like but if they are flying with your homers then all they will do is fly

Good Luck!


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## friend-2-fowl

We no longer have the homers, just the rollers and 2 unknown breed pigeons that do nothing but sit on the roosts mostly. They are free-flyers though, and usually eat the chickens 16% layer feed and scratch grains. 
This is one of the new rollers:








And these are the 2 unknowns:








Where the 2 unknowns are is where they usually stay unless they are down eating. They don't seem to fly very well. 

Guess I need to make a coop to lock them up in


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## tipllers rule

1 why are there dead chickens and why is the pigeon in the pool they can not swim


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## friend-2-fowl

tipllers rule said:


> 1 why are there dead chickens and why is the pigeon in the pool they can not swim


Dead chickens?? 
The pigeon was trying to get a drink I think, or he was wanting to take a bath.


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## Bella

You could have a number of factors here preventing your birds from performing.

First, fly only the birds you are certain are 100% roller together. If those two birds you mentioned are half homer, they probably won't roll and this will stop your 100% rollers from rolling.
In order to roll the birds must "stall" in flight, seeming to hover with tail down and spread and then drop into the roll. Mixed birds, or purebred homers fly too fast for this set up to happen. The natural instinct for the birds to fly as a flock will cause your rollers to try and keep up with these birds, never giving themselves a chance to perform.

Second, take a look at the housing situation. Rollers are flown from kit boxes which are small. This limits indoor exercise so the birds will perform when let out. Kit boxes also discourage the birds from breeding. Rollers are usually either being flown in a kit, or in the stock loft and not being flown. Paired up birds generally speaking are not interested in performing...they have other things on their mind. The small space also encourages the birds to function as a team. Being kept in close quarters encourages the birds to fly close together and get back into formation quickly after rolling - a must for competitions.

Third, as was mentioned what you feed and how much is a big thing with rollers. Birds that are fed too much won't roll. Birds that are fed too little won't roll. Be strict with yourself about measuring out your feed and removing any leftovers immediately after they've finished. Always fly before feeding - full birds are lazy.

Last,
Some strains of rollers take longer than others to mature and come into their roll. It would help you to know what strain of birds you're flying. If you don't know and can't find out, all you can do is: do everything right by them and keep watching them while flying...if they start tail riding you can expect them to start rolling soon after.

Genetics are important. In order to get good performance the birds must be selectively bred for performance. If your birds were bred for color, chances are the performance aspect of the breed has suffered. They may roll. They may not.


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## aslan1

If they are 3-4 month old they should at least do tail rides. I think you have some kind of diffrent breed. You might have a crossbred.


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## windmill Ranch

There are Birmingham show rollers which do not roll at all. Performance birmingham rollers roll. Make sure you have performance rollers. Kit box them is the best way to fly them. Mr Pensom said some of his rollers would take up to several months to roll. And indeed Continental birmingham's do take much longer to roll. Give them a couple of months.


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## GlacierIce2

i have some rollers that are the same but i have all pure rollers but only 2 out of the 8 adult rollers actually fuly roll and the young birds about 3-4 month s old just put their wings up and their tails down and just fall before flying back up, will these brds eventually roll or should i just get rid of them. is this what u called tail riding? i am so confused and i want my rollers to roll


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## almondman

FYI - The last post here was from September 11, 2010.


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## pigeon-lover0

Thisn is interesting how this came up as a new post...lol, must be an error


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## Larry Holman

If they are that young, keep flying them, they are learning.


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## Ken do_Mace

What is tail riding? Is this the one that they glide with their wings shaped like a letter V? I have a black roller hen paired with black white flight cock high flyer. Do my roller hen perform to the fullest when shes flying with a high flyer? Should I separate them and change the pair with their own kind?


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## 2y4life

Ken do_Mace said:


> What is tail riding? Is this the one that they glide with their wings shaped like a letter V? I have a black roller hen paired with black white flight cock high flyer. Do my roller hen perform to the fullest when shes flying with a high flyer? Should I separate them and change the pair with their own kind?


Yes, tail riding is when they glide with their wings shaped like a V and they drop a little. 

It's best to keep rollers flying with rollers.


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## Ken do_Mace

Thanks 2y4life,,,
Im just starting to get back into this hobby. Right now, I have a pair only and got them last february. Been flying them for a month. Maybe I guess, I have to wait them to improved their performance before I break their relationship.


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