# Pigeon breed information.



## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

I was wondering what breed of pigeon or pigeons do most of you keep and raise. Then what do you look for in breeding that or those breeds. As to breeding towards the set standard. The way you pair the birds to off set faults. How you was able to learn more on the breed or breeds you raise. I would like to read some of your methods on raiseing the pigeons you chose to keep. I think shareing some of these methods pertaining to the select different breeds will enable others to share and learn more perhaps about the different types of pigeons and methods used to promote and improve there birds. I would be willing to read the small books of knowledge anybody is willing to share


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## re92346mos (Jul 21, 2005)

Hi, My favorite breed I have are Modenas. One thing I do when pairing up my birds is breed best to best. I dont breed a bird with a fault to one without that fault hoping to improve the birds. It doesnt improve them. Join a club of your breed and show your birds. You learn alot from watching, talking to people who breed the same birds. Know the Standard of your breed. Study it until you can visulize it. Last but not least have fun with whatever breed you have!


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

Touching on faults. All pigeons as to the standard will carry a fault .As to the degree its alined to the point of each section defined within the standard. Say you have a modena that really looks great. But has a little loose feathering in the vent area showing it as a drop from a smooth round curve after the legs. You take that bird put it over to a bird that carrys tighter featheing To off set that problem. Just as you have a bird that is off colored but is a very good stock type bird. That bird put on better colored birds produces better colored youngbirds. And very often top stock birds produce more show type birds then straight type show birds. The standards show 100 points. NO bird at this time can meet the full 100 points. Take a 60 point bird 70 point they look great show you are coming closer to the standard. I noticed a mag in you postings. Mags have to be cross color bred to keep the mag color better. Bronze schietti sulpher schietti So a person raises both types in color to keep producing the mag color. Mag times mag can produce pure mag being near white in color and used to be said pure mags have bad eye sight. But that is not allways true. But the mag color does change. To a non show type bird. But can be a very good stock bird. And yes visiting others who raise the same breed Showing the birds and such is a very good way to understand the select breed. The minds eye is a good way to see birds being bred closer to the standard. Sometimes looking outside the box really improves over all quality of the birds. Takeing a bird that is a different color then the desired color but carrying extra needs on improvement to a stud of birds. Putting that color onto the desired color THen bringing back the desired color to a better quality Just as red schietti to yellow improves color depth of yellow but causes off set color to the red. But when used back to red the off colored reds throw better color agin. So its just a a color set back And a improved color for the yellows. Agin faults was off set. Now poor legged modenas should not be used for breeding As its a hard fault that does not improve very well. So certion faults just do not make the bird. Where the slight faults carried by all birds are off set improve the total on the goal to a showable bird. I hope I did not go to much off the deep end here trying to explain fault outlines towards improved quality.


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## Jiggs (Apr 1, 2005)

Well I dont breed for show BUT I like nice looking birds (to my eye that is) I do try not to put, for instance, two darks together I would put a good dark with a good shaped hen with lighter feathers and see what happens. Also depending on times etc. In order to have a well rounded bird. I also take a lot of stock in the shine and colour of the neck feathers after their moult and try to breed the healthiest and shiniest together to produce sleek well shaped birds I have seen that if they look good they fly good!.

Most of mine are in moult now.

I also try not to go too light as it seems mine have a tendancy for softer feathers although I have seen that some race and win with white birds. I am still experimenting with diet to try and possibly fix this.

I am waiting for a pair of ash reds to breed and will see what comes of them.


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## re92346mos (Jul 21, 2005)

Thank you so much for your information! I know the Mag needs to be mated to bronze to darken them. The Mag you seen (I think its it) was grizzle, and Mag, two whitening. Now these guys have been saying especially with loose feathers not to breed them, because once your birds get loose feathering it is very hard to get rid of, and legs of course, now they say breed best to best. Unless like you said you have to bring in birds to improve your birds. Thats why the Mag Grizzle were mated to get the type, now they are mated to Bronze, to improve the color. I had two new good bronze hens brought in to mate to the two best Mags, which I think will really improve the type, and hopefully will darken more. Please E-Mail me with more, I like to learn whatever I can, I dont want to talk you to death! But I like to hear any information people offer, if you dont mind. [email protected] Thank You for the tips! Rena PS What effect on bronze and red mated together, I was told you have to be careful mating red and bronze but they didnt say why! Any imput?


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## re92346mos (Jul 21, 2005)

One more question please. How do you get rid of feathers on feet. I tried mating to clean legged birds and all came out with feathers on their feet? Its like they do not want to go away! LOL Any suggestions?


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

Putting red on bronze. Would just be done for improvement. As you would want only to add quality to either red or bronze. Then take the best bird raised from that matiing back to the color you wish to improve. This of course should be a cockbirds raised from the matings. As the cock carrys both colors. Bronze in both gazzi and schietti is one of the oldest colors in modenas. What you see in the red times bronze is the blueing agin showing back up in the red for several generations. Just as the old line reds had many years back. BUT this if done for improvement is a workable fix. loose feathered birds the vent area. This can be bred down and out. IF the bird has certion quailties that you need. AS you notice also A bird has to be bred for show. Being able to hold a postion legs and roll for sometime. So even breeding for birds that do not get lazy as fast is a breeding effert. feathers below the hocks. Well this to breeds out in steps certion birds will have NO to none from a matting Use only those bred from the birds that you have selected. Then you are breeding that out Not masking it to show back up later. Now Mags you notice darken with age . A good marked young mag often by a three year old may be to dark to show. But be a good breeder. Sulpher colored schiettis work in a mag program also. And produce decent birds. But some lighter. People say bronze to mag but sulpher will work But use just a few. To keep balanced color. Good type hens short legs 2 inche legs best. Help maintain Type. And will help keep over all size shorter. As modenas still call for a 9 to 9 and 1/2 inche tall birds. BUT you notice they are much taller SO a good prospect would be try to put the power and type on a shorter bird. This will be work reduceing over all hieght now days. BUT when a person gets back closer to the standard height And the shorter bird can compete with the larger bird agin. They will have a very large edge on the shows for years to come. Locked leg birds saying birds that carry very good legs. Set the pattern of improvement in a stud of birds. The over all bull look of modenas today has really improved large wide heads strong frontal power is well defined. Breeding towards birds that pull up into a roll head carried well and hollding that for sometime. They are easy to show. This is bred in quality. I would never hesitate to use a different color to improve anothers quality. As only time brings back the desired need. And time is all we really have if you look at it. Of course obtaining top birds in the color is good To go forward is to build . Look at REX Arnold he has raised bronze gazzis for near say 40 years. And has managed to maintian a good stud of birds for many many years


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Robert, I hope you continue to post this type information. Even though I have never bred any pigeons like the breeders on this forum, I really enjoy learning about the process. You have a wealth of knowledge and I thank you for sharing it. You should consider writing some type of guide so folks can benefit from all your wonderful wisdom. 

I enjoy your posts so much.

Maggie


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

Thank you I enjoy talking about the birds. And I feel thankful I wasable to meet many people over the years that shares the great wealth of raiseing and breeding pigeons. Without us all learning and shareing I would know nothing.


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

Jiggs. As for feeding to improve feather I would not say it would work. For just it allows say a better finish to feather. You want to breed harder feathered birds to improve feathering. As for most Ash reds they have hard feather If you look at the birds quills you will notice the thickness. A stronger quilled bird has a better feather. And for flying you try to breed towrds that. They break down less from the battering they get in the races. When you say dark birds. Are you stateing blacks. If you notice this in blacks the good deep black has a stronger beeetle sheen around the neck area But they do have slighlty softer feather. Try some of the sooty blacks times the better colored birds to build stronger featherd birds. And as you breed your birds increase feather quality by looking ta put stonger featherd birds over the softer featherd birds. Now as for softer featherd birds for racing They do just fine. But race them out less distances and have at least two teams. SAVES on feather quality through a season. Some of the added colors in raceing pigeons are nice to add to the loft. But know they need to be cared for in a many that enhances ther performance. This would In my view be short distance raceing. Then to have that color for the distance birds You build it slightly harder which reduces the strong color but yet its still there but harder feathered.


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## re92346mos (Jul 21, 2005)

re lee said:


> Thank you I enjoy talking about the birds. And I feel thankful I wasable to meet many people over the years that shares the great wealth of raiseing and breeding pigeons. Without us all learning and shareing I would know nothing.


I do too. The competition is stronge in the Modena shows! Some judges like this and others go for that! I like how Willi Richert, Rick Barker judge. Dan Tucker also. I havent seen to many other or I didnt know them. But these guys explain things. John Buehler has been helping me with my Mags, he referred Dave Cook to me for the bronzes. And mostly encourages me to keep going!


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## pigeonmama (Jan 9, 2005)

What is a "mag" 
Daryl


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## re92346mos (Jul 21, 2005)

A Mag is short for Magnani (Almond) Modena


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

Willie is another person that has raised Modenas for many years. He used to raise very top Black schietties He also bought the rest of Bob Gathrights modenas the late 70s Think around 1977 or 78. Bob had about the best legs on a modena you could find. He raised reds and yellows. Several champion reds . Good pigeon people share there birds and there knowledge. And yes at a modena meet there are some very top birds there. I would though like to see the modenas drop down to the shorter bird agin. But a good show will see at least 400 birds and more depends on the area. I used to look hard at stock birds at the different shows These birds not being show birds but the thing you need to produce show birds. With several of the old timers left they have done alot of work on developing the modern modena. Thats where to get some of the top stock That is dependable.


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