# Rotondo on Racing Pigeons



## raftree3 (Oct 16, 2010)

Anyone have a copy of this book that their tired of?


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## Feathered Dragons (Oct 15, 2010)

There might be someone that will sell theirs but I find that most people hold onto there books. I go back to look at mine all the time for reference but thats me.


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

That book costs to much to give away!


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## Kal-El (Oct 10, 2008)

That is one of best books ever written on our beloved sport! Joe Rotondo was a master before his time, and you will learn something new each time you read it!


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

Minr coast over $70 after shiping 3 rears ago, I'vr red it many times and hope to read many more.
Dave


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## Kal-El (Oct 10, 2008)

An older gentleman in my club owns one. I borrow it occasionally to refresh my thirst for knowledge.


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## Alamo (Nov 22, 2008)

Great Book !! The only advice I did not care for is the first toss for the YB`s...It was either a 20 mile or 40 mile toss....Can`t remember which..But I don`t beleive that is a good idea,UNLESS,like Joe,you are a long time breeder/racer,and you breed 8o YB`s,and you only want 50 or 60...The 40 mile toss will get you to 50 from 80 yb`s that day !! Alamo


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## Char-B Loft (Dec 28, 2008)

Price for Rotondo on Racing Pigeons will range from $125.00 to $189.00


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## Thunderbird Racing (Jul 24, 2010)

Char-B Loft said:


> Price for Rotondo on Racing Pigeons will range from $125.00 to $189.00


$59.95 from Siegel's 

http://www.siegelpigeons.com/catalog-general.html


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## Char-B Loft (Dec 28, 2008)

Chromie said:


> $59.95 from Siegel's
> 
> http://www.siegelpigeons.com/catalog-general.html


I didn't look at Siegel's...I checked on the used books on Amazon...Siegel's would of course be the better deal...


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## Wingsonfire (Dec 22, 2009)

50 bucks free shipping
http://www.avianpublications.com/items/doves/itemB17.htm


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## Thunderbird Racing (Jul 24, 2010)

Wingsonfire said:


> 50 bucks free shipping
> http://www.avianpublications.com/items/doves/itemB17.htm


even better..


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## raftree3 (Oct 16, 2010)

Ever deal with them....free shipping sounds too good to pass.


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## Feathered Dragons (Oct 15, 2010)

raftree3 said:


> Ever deal with them....free shipping sounds too good to pass.


I have bought through them before and had no problems.


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## GEMcC5150 (Oct 24, 2010)

I got to put a copy on order. Thanks eveyone for the information


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## dvtlegend (Oct 20, 2007)

Alamo said:


> Great Book !! The only advice I did not care for is the first toss for the YB`s...It was either a 20 mile or 40 mile toss....Can`t remember which..But I don`t beleive that is a good idea,UNLESS,like Joe,you are a long time breeder/racer,and you breed 8o YB`s,and you only want 50 or 60...The 40 mile toss will get you to 50 from 80 yb`s that day !! Alamo


LOL I believe this. When I stopped flying/ racing, I had youngs birds that were around the loft to much. I really didn't care bout losing birds no more so I tested the theory out. Took about 26 birds to 25 mile toss. The return for the day was horrible but the lost was very minimal. About 7 home within 2-5 hrs and the rest very late in the day or the next day and days to come. Lost a total of 5 birds. After 2 more additional tosses at 25 miles they were coming home in good time. I was gonna go as long as it took till they were coming good but it only took 2 more toss. Next toss was at 40 miles. I kept them at 40 miles ( 6 total tosses) . After the 40, i kept them under 20 miles tosses as they have proved themselve to know the way home. One month b4 race they will see a couple of 50-100 mile tosses and then relaxation and loft flown.


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

I haven't read Rotondo's book, but it seems his technique is to separate right away those birds that have poor homing ability or vitality. The way I see is that if the birds are loft flying for 1-2 hours they should be able to handle 20+ miles distance healthwise. Homing ability, well, that is a different story. Rotondo may be trying to separate the real ferals(not the escaped homers) from the real homing pigeons.


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## Wingsonfire (Dec 22, 2009)

RodSD said:


> I haven't read Rotondo's book, but it seems his technique is to separate right away those birds that have poor homing ability or vitality. The way I see is that if the birds are loft flying for 1-2 hours they should be able to handle 20+ miles distance healthwise. Homing ability, well, that is a different story. Rotondo may be trying to separate the real ferals(not the escaped homers) from the real homing pigeons.


Read the book?


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## Kal-El (Oct 10, 2008)

I actually made a copy of the book via a copy machine. Not an exact duplicate, but good enough.


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

*I have his book . I have read his book. I don't like his book. It is 40 years behind time.* GEORGE


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## Kal-El (Oct 10, 2008)

George, be prepared to get a lot of offers for your book!


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

He can be behind the times, he was way ahead of his time. The DJ on pigeon Radio says its the best book on the market if you want to win.
Dave


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## Pigeon0446 (Apr 22, 2007)

I've never read that book but I grew up with my dad and uncle winning races so I learned all I know about handling birds from them including their bad habbits that they picked up through the years. But I've gradually changed my system to the point where I win more then my share of races. But as for any book or system if everybody's doing the same thing then your all gonna get the same results so I usually look for things out side the box some things work some don't but hey you never know that next thing you try might make you that champ you want to be.


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

george simon said:


> *I have his book . I have read his book. I don't like his book. It is 40 years behind time.* GEORGE



Me to, and I agree. But then for many fanciers, just getting up to where the top was forty years ago, would be a major advancement for them.


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

Alamo said:


> Great Book !! The only advice I did not care for is the first toss for the YB`s...It was either a 20 mile or 40 mile toss....Can`t remember which..But I don`t beleive that is a good idea,UNLESS,like Joe,you are a long time breeder/racer,and you breed 8o YB`s,and you only want 50 or 60...The 40 mile toss will get you to 50 from 80 yb`s that day !! Alamo


 I already commented on the book, but it reminded me of my 1st toss in 2010 for one particular pigeon. The very first, out of the crate training toss was 192 miles. The bird was given to me late in the season from a fancier getting out of the sport. So I sent the bird to our last two races, bird made it back, but not fast enough to win any awards. It reminded me of my mentor who has now passed, he would tell me that you don't have to train a homing pigeon to learn how to find it's way home, that comes to them quite naturally. One of our older combine members in poor health, never trains at all, first toss is the 1st race, and he does pretty well. But, he also will produce many hundreds of YB's so he can send 20 fresh ones every week. I am not a mob flier, so I don't follow the book.


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## High Flier (Jan 19, 2011)

dvtlegend said:


> LOL I believe this. When I stopped flying/ racing, I had youngs birds that were around the loft to much. I really didn't care bout losing birds no more so I tested the theory out. Took about 26 birds to 25 mile toss. The return for the day was horrible but the lost was very minimal. About 7 home within 2-5 hrs and the rest very late in the day or the next day and days to come. Lost a total of 5 birds. After 2 more additional tosses at 25 miles they were coming home in good time. I was gonna go as long as it took till they were coming good but it only took 2 more toss. Next toss was at 40 miles. I kept them at 40 miles ( 6 total tosses) . After the 40, i kept them under 20 miles tosses as they have proved themselve to know the way home. One month b4 race they will see a couple of 50-100 mile tosses and then relaxation and loft flown.


How did your result go for that season?


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## Wingsonfire (Dec 22, 2009)

48.99 here, free shipping..

http://dblrsupply.pinnaclecart.com/products/Rotondo_on_Racing_Pigeons-4651-612.html


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

SmithFamilyLoft said:


> I already commented on the book, but it reminded me of my 1st toss in 2010 for one particular pigeon. The very first, out of the crate training toss was 192 miles. The bird was given to me late in the season from a fancier getting out of the sport. So I sent the bird to our last two races, bird made it back, but not fast enough to win any awards. It reminded me of my mentor who has now passed, *he would tell me that you don't have to train a homing pigeon to learn how to find it's way home, that comes to them quite naturall*y. One of our older combine members in poor health, never trains at all, first toss is the 1st race, and he does pretty well. But, he also will produce many hundreds of YB's so he can send 20 fresh ones every week. I am not a mob flier, so I don't follow the book.


That is true, but you surely can teach them go home faster. That is the reason why initial first tosses may be slower, and they get faster as they familiar themselves with the environment. What happens in pigeon experiment is that birds tossed at the same place several times will take different routes and finally end up with the fastest route. 

Also another experiment showed that if you leave the birds in the basket for several minutes at the place where they have originally been tossed before usually will spend less time circling in the sky and head towards home. (Long time fanciers already know this by observation). All these experiments that I mentioned are all scientific experiments done by scientists using statistical data.

Can someone point out Rotondo's behind the time observations. I don't want to shell out money when I already know what could have been in the book.


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

*In his book pages 63 -65 he speaks of genes, he would have been better off not even speaking about genes as he realy was not into genetics. Here is what any new person in racing should do 1. subcribe to the "Racing Pigeon Digest", 2. Get an up to date book on racing pigeons. I would recomend the book "The Flying Vet's Pigeon Health and Manaagement" by Dr. Colin Walker,priced at 65 dollars in JEDDS 2010/2011 catalog.This way you will see what people are doing TODAY and not what was done 40 or 50 years ago. * GEORGE


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

Thanks George! Our knowledge about gene has grown exponentially! Forty or 50 years ago our knowledge about genes are still in infancy. People use classical genetics then or basically at the organism level. Now we are at the DNA level or molecular level. It should make sense then that Rotondo's idea/concept on gene was probably outdated. Unfortunately the book probably can't be updated (He is dead, right?). So in that sense Rotondo's book probably reflects the knowledge or bias of the time. So, yes, probably he is outdated then!


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## Kal-El (Oct 10, 2008)

I would take the Rotondo book over Dr. Walker's book. But that's just me.


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## Thunderbird Racing (Jul 24, 2010)

Kal-El said:


> I would take the Rotondo book over Dr. Walker's book. But that's just me.



I would like to read them both, without shelling out $100+/- 
isn't looking good for the home team though.


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

george simon said:


> *In his book pages 63 -65 he speaks of genes, he would have been better off not even speaking about genes as he realy was not into genetics. Here is what any new person in racing should do 1. subcribe to the "Racing Pigeon Digest", 2. Get an up to date book on racing pigeons. I would recomend the book "The Flying Vet's Pigeon Health and Manaagement" by Dr. Colin Walker,priced at 65 dollars in JEDDS 2010/2011 catalog.This way you will see what people are doing TODAY and not what was done 40 or 50 years ago. * GEORGE


You are correct he only knew the basics he did not breed for color. The book will teach you how to breed winners, or to breed breeders of winners. He does say that it will take you 3 years to breed the color you want. All this new stuff about genetics will give you pretty birds, but it will not give you birds that win races. If you want to win READ THE BOOK if you want to show read some thing else. 
If you want pretty birds that win your time would be better spent finding some one that has spent a lot of years breeding that kind of bird. There are masters that could breed pretty birds that win. I would bet that Ludo could have done it he is a true master, but people like him are far and few between.
Dave


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