# Racing white?



## Crab_Shrapnel (Jan 17, 2010)

Okay, I found a website that sells ready-to-train white wedding release pigeons. Well, I don't want to do wedding releases, but would a white homer be suitable for racing? or would it stand out to much to be useful?


----------



## sky tx (Mar 1, 2005)

Several members on this site Races White birds and do very good. The color does not help or harm how a bird performs. - Its the brains and condition -Beware of who you buy from. Check them out.


----------



## Crab_Shrapnel (Jan 17, 2010)

Well, the site is www.WhitePigeonSales.com and they seem legit, but the reason I asked is because they seem like they'd be prone for hawk attacks since they're so bright


----------



## Keith C. (Jan 25, 2005)

A friend of mine, Don Oberdier, has won many races with white homing pigeons and other colors besides blue too.
He also wins with Bastines, of which a lot are opals.
He has consistently been the top winner in the clubs he belongs too.
Last year one of his whites won a 500 mile race.
Keith


----------



## Crab_Shrapnel (Jan 17, 2010)

Cool, I'm so gonna buy one when I get some cash


----------



## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

As long as it is out of racing quality birds, it doesn't matter what color it is  Dennis Kuhn has a nice family of whites/grizzles/mottles that he's been working with. White Bandit from Happyco lofts also turn out a solid white occasionally, even though they are grizzle based.


----------



## conditionfreak (Jan 11, 2008)

I believe the thing about whites and hawks is this.

A hawk needs to zero in on a particular bird when attacking a flock of pigeons. It just can't go in reaching for whatever is closest. So, if you have, let's say a flock of twenty pigeons and one or two are whites, then the hawk might (just for easeiness) take after the white.

I assume it would work the same if you had a flock of white pigeons with one or two blue bars in it. The hawk would zero in on a blue bar (again, for ease and targeting).

Would probably also work if you had a red in a flock of blues. The hawk might zero in on the odd ball (red) just for targeting.

I would also add that many believe white pigeons often can not excell in the very long races, due to poorer feather structure which gives way with hard and long distance racing. I only know what I have read about that and have no personal experience. Never had a white come home from 400 or 500 miles.


----------



## Jimhalekw (Jan 1, 2010)

That is what I have always heard, that hawks go after the ones that stand out be it a white among colors, or a colored among whites. I have been flying whites and colored birds together for many years, about 50/50, and I can't tell a difference which suports that thought. As far as them holding up, they do! I think that over the years there has been a good many people that breed for color in white birds, and anytime that is done quality is lacking. I have been breeding from two whites that are 600 mile day birds, the one 3x.


----------



## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

I had once read this from Frank Mosca's site, thought would share this for an info 

_*Alcock mentions G.E. Walsberg's experiment with phainopeplas, a native U.S. desert bird. Males are black and females gray. Tests showed that despite "common sense", the black males were actually about the same temperature at the skin surface as were the gray females. Why became the question. Walsberg tested pigeons because of their many colors.

His final results showed that the shortwave component of solar radiation easily penetrates through white plumage to the skin surface. Darker plumage doesn't allow that component of the sun's radiation to get through and it keeps the heat load at the feather surface where it's removed by passing air currents. Whites, on the other hand, heat up faster at the skin's surface and this heat is not readily lost since the feathers now prevent that -- just as greenhouse glass allows the sun rays in but not the heat back out. Perhaps, many white racers drop faster for water than their colored relatives do. Perhaps, they stop racing due to heat exhaustion. Perhaps, they're culled from the loft by the breeder as "slower". Perhaps, that "slowness" and their visibility contribute to their "hawk-bait" reputation. Or, perhaps, there's a totally different explanation.*_

Here is the link, its a good site for reading about pigeons in case you haven't come acroos the same already  http://www.angelfire.com/ga3/pigeongenetics/UnusualGeneticStuff.html


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

more reason to get a whole flock of whites and fly them together. but one will always stand out in a crowd, if you have one odd color bird how do you leave him behind and not fly him too? so most will fly that odd color with all the others anyway.


----------



## idoveyou (Nov 30, 2009)

not trying to sway you for sales but I buy all my whites from this guy
http://www.2racepigeons.com/WHITE_PIGEONS_FOR_SALE.html
he is an outstanding pigeon guy and will give you a good deal. He is in Raleigh so that is not too many states away. His birds have always been healthy and yb's


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

idoveyou said:


> not trying to sway you for sales but I buy all my whites from this guy
> http://www.2racepigeons.com/WHITE_PIGEONS_FOR_SALE.html
> he is an outstanding pigeon guy and will give you a good deal. He is in Raleigh so that is not too many states away. His birds have always been healthy and yb's


he is charging 27 per bird!, I got mine for 16 per bird from southern doves for love in MD.


----------



## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

White homers were probably bred more for color than performance so you might be at a disadvantage in the beginning if you decided to race. I must admit I like white birds, grizzled, splash, etc. They glow in the sun while flying and it is beautiful! Obviously hawks love them, too.


----------



## idoveyou (Nov 30, 2009)

spirit wings said:


> he is charging 27 per bird!, I got mine for 16 per bird from southern doves for love in MD.



true but he supplies the shipping box and pays for shipping. not sure if this matters


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

idoveyou said:


> true but he supplies the shipping box and pays for shipping. not sure if this matters


yes, that does matter, it makes more sense now...lol... the good thing was, is that I bought from someone close to me and drove about an hour out to meet him, so the birds did not have to be shipped so I got a good deal. And his birds are great, I have bought more elswhere since and the quality of his was apparent.. you do have to be careful who you buy from...some I have gotten, were skinny and dirty and had holes in their feathers, and they were dumb as a rock....but I love them any way...


----------



## Guest (Mar 14, 2010)

spirit wings said:


> yes, that does matter, it makes more sense now...lol... the good thing was, is that I bought from someone close to me and drove about an hour out to meet him, so the birds did not have to be shipped so I got a good deal. And his birds are great, I have bought more elswhere since and the quality of his was apparent.. you do have to be careful who you buy from...some I have gotten, were skinny and dirty and had holes in their feathers, and they were dumb as a rock....but I love them any way...


I agree not all white bred birds are created equal  lol it is better to know the stock you are buying from , when it comes to good birds the money part is not what counts


----------



## dennis kuhn (Dec 29, 2007)

Crab_Shrapnel said:


> Okay, I found a website that sells ready-to-train white wedding release pigeons. Well, I don't want to do wedding releases, but would a white homer be suitable for racing? or would it stand out to much to be useful?


There are many whites out there that for sale that people use for wedding releases, but I wouldn't say that they are racing quality. If you plan on racing whites in the future, I would strongly suggest buying birds from a loft that actually races them and has race records to back the quality of birds. If they don't have multiple race wins with whites, most likely you won't win with them racing either. Racing calibre whites and whites that just come home eat the same amount of feed, and take up the same amount of loft space. *Whether you buy birds from me or someone else, race records and testimonials or referrals of individuals who have won with the whites that you are considering buying are something that you want to check out first*.

Dennis Kuhn (952)873-5664
http://www.pigeonsuppliesplus.com

http://www.whiteracingpigeons.com


----------



## parrisc (Feb 14, 2007)

*Welcome to PT*



dennis kuhn said:


> There are many whites out there that for sale that people use for wedding releases, but I wouldn't say that they are racing quality. If you plan on racing whites in the future, I would strongly suggest buying birds from a loft that actually races them and has race records to back the quality of birds. If they don't have multiple race wins with whites, most likely you won't win with them racing either. Racing calibre whites and whites that just come home eat the same amount of feed, and take up the same amount of loft space. *Whether you buy birds from me or someone else, race records and testimonials or referrals of individuals who have won with the whites that you are considering buying are something that you want to check out first*.
> 
> Dennis Kuhn (952)873-5664
> http://www.pigeonsuppliesplus.com
> ...


Dennis,
Welcome to PT. Your name comes up alot in this forum, all good comments.

Regards


----------



## g0ldenb0y55 (Dec 23, 2008)

dennis kuhn said:


> There are many whites out there that for sale that people use for wedding releases, but I wouldn't say that they are racing quality. If you plan on racing whites in the future, I would strongly suggest buying birds from a loft that actually races them and has race records to back the quality of birds. If they don't have multiple race wins with whites, most likely you won't win with them racing either. Racing calibre whites and whites that just come home eat the same amount of feed, and take up the same amount of loft space. *Whether you buy birds from me or someone else, race records and testimonials or referrals of individuals who have won with the whites that you are considering buying are something that you want to check out first*.
> 
> Dennis Kuhn (952)873-5664
> http://www.pigeonsuppliesplus.com
> ...


Great comment! This also goes for any color bird if you want to compete on any level of competition.


----------



## Jimhalekw (Jan 1, 2010)

I fly whites here in Key West Florida, as far south as one can get in the continental US. Interesting thought about whites heating faster, many interesting thoughts about whites not doing well have been added over generations. Just when we have the latest news on why whites do not do well another reason comes along. All this info I have to admit white must really be a lesser bird. Then there is a bird named White Bandit 17 x 1st,oops what happened there? As well as Golden Witten, White Horse, White Lightning, Ringo, Mortvedt's White Lightning, ect, ect, ect.; plus are all part of whites winning millions in races against all colors. If everything that has been said about whitie being the lesser bird is really true, the whites that have won and bred millions over all others must be super special! Jim


----------

