# Show questions.



## nancthiery (Jun 24, 2008)

I have not yet showen my birds. I have a few questions. I plan to show them next year, so I want to get ready this winter. Pics would be great. 
1. Do you keep your show birds with your breeders. 
2. Can you show a delute or are they a disqualification.
3. I was wondering if anyone would recomend a book that has the diffrent colors and breeds. Maybe more on showing the birds. I have read the e-book from PT. Wonderful!!! I printed it out and cary it with me all over.
4. How do the judges handel the birds, so I can handel them the same way to get them used to it. I looked at the pics from "Eye Candy" wonderful pics. Answered may questions right there! Thanks. 
5. How could I go about starting a local club and hosting a show. (In the future.) 
6. With rabbits we had a poster with breeds and colors, is there such a thing with pigeons?
 Thank you!


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hi Nancy,

I don't know the answers to most of your questions but have moved the thread to the Show Pigeons Forum. Hopefully some of our knowledgeable members will be along shortly.

Terry


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## Margarret (May 3, 2007)

Nancy,

Go to the National Pigeon Assoc. website http://www.npausa.com/ and see if there are any all breeds clubs in your state. I'll try to answer your questions.
1. I keep my birds in an open loft. Some people separate their breeders. It is all up to the individual.
2.Yes, you can show a dilute. It depends on the breed of bird. Each breed has a standard of perfection that they are judged by. What breed of pigeon do you have.
3.The National Pigeon Association book, Pigeons of North America in the Twenty First Century is a good one to learn about all the different breeds. There is a color section.
4.They use the standard hold of the legs and wing/tail held in the left hand and the right hand supports the keel.
5.Get to know other pigeon fanciers in your area. The best thing to do would be to join an all breeds club if there is one close enough to you.
6. I don't know of a poster that shows all the breeds. The individual breeds sometimes have a poster of the colors and the standards.

If you have any more questions, I'll be glad to try to answer them. Showing your birds can be a lot of fun.

Margaret


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## Revolution Lofts (Aug 7, 2008)

*Can you show pigeons...*

Can you still show pigeons if your bird is not banded? Like its not a wild bird, but it is not banded. Cause there was this one year when the people mailed my bands too late, and my pigeons got to big to get banded. Any who try to get real friendly with your pigeons. They shouldn't feel scared when in a strangers hand. And always keep the loft clean. Put a lot of sawdust so the droppings don't get stuck to their feathers. Because a clean good looking bird has a better chance of winning than one with pigeon droppings everywhere. And also the day before showing, give every single pigeon like a makeover. Clean their feet, feathers, EVERYTHING! Clip any nails that are too long. They should look good is what most shows are about. And then there is the posture. The pigeon should stand in a good posture. It's just like a dog show. Only with pigeons and more feathery. You have to give like each pigeon at least 15 minutes to see if they are perfect. Try doing this the morning or the night before because pigeons tend to get messy soon.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

To show a pigeon, it must be banded with a seamless band. Without a band, you can't properly identify or claim a bird that may win.


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## JuliePigeon (Sep 11, 2008)

To write the info on a band... how can you tell where to start writing from? I mean how can you tell where the number/letters begin? I'm clueless.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

A bird with a seamless band gets it when it's just a baby.(6 to 8 days old) The bands are ordered through your local club or one of the pigeon suppliers. The bands are made so that once put on the bird, they stay on the bird for it's entire life. It's not possible to take it off and put it back on or put it on another bird. Each band is unique to that bird. There's not another band exactly like it.


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## JuliePigeon (Sep 11, 2008)

Oh. But like when you're writing the info down from the band already on the pigeon's foot... how do you know where the information officially 'starts'? I mean, it's like a continuous loop. Does it matter?


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Normally they start with the organization letters, then year, club letters or band size, and their own ID numbers.

Like for example
AU 08 TRC 951
Or some might have the size as a number, and a couple other letters you go buy when ordering bands to fit certain breeds
Like:
NPA 08 10 FR 837


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## JuliePigeon (Sep 11, 2008)

Whoops. Sorry guys. I posted two of the same message by accident. Something weird's going on with this computer... on all of them. I keep on having to constantly re-log in before I can access different pages, and it won't let me post the thing the first time, but then when I try to do it again, it tells me that it's already posted it and.... whoo. It's a mess.


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## JuliePigeon (Sep 11, 2008)

Oh, ok. Thanks a bunch!


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## JuliePigeon (Sep 11, 2008)

Oh! Julie's says '10 06' and then a number. What would the number stand for? I'm guessing it means she was born in October 2006. I'm sorry I'm asking so many questions... it's just something I've long wanted to know.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Hmmm. Is it a snap on or seamless band? Usually the kind that don't say much other than that, are snap ons, or custom bands. So really I guess you wouldn't know, but that's a good guess


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

JuliePigeon said:


> Oh! Julie's says '10 06' and then a number. What would the number stand for? I'm guessing it means she was born in October 2006. I'm sorry I'm asking so many questions... it's just something I've long wanted to know.


That sounds like an NPA band to me, but even if it isn't, the "10" is most likely the band size. There are different size bands for different breeds of birds. The month a bird is hatched isn't on the band. Just the year.


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## nancthiery (Jun 24, 2008)

Thank you all so much. I have Italian Owls and the one I think is a beautiful bird is a yellow bar. (I think that's what you call it) I'm about 95% sure it's a hen. She now is going throw her first molt. I was kind of thinking of putting her in a serperate cage and bringing her in the house, but I also have 2 cats and I don't trust them while I'm at work. So I will keep her in the loft. I live in a small town in ND and there aren't many clubs around here, that's why I asked if I could start one, but we are involved with 4-H so I think we'll be OK with joining the national club and The IO club. Sorry it's taken so long to respond, computer when to the dr. LOL Thanks again.


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## JuliePigeon (Sep 11, 2008)

*Hey, people. Sorry I haven't responded in so long!*

I really haven't been on at all for a while. Julie's band is permanent. Seamless, and it's blue.


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## JuliePigeon (Sep 11, 2008)

P.S. Sorry for interupting your thread!


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## nancthiery (Jun 24, 2008)

JuliePigeon said:


> P.S. Sorry for interupting your thread!


No problem, I don't mind. PT is here for every one and I too haven't been on for a while either. LOL 
Now with Jullie's band, why don't you pick where you think it should start and tell us the numbers and letters and we can help you with them. I have a couple pigeons with blue bands, I also have one with two bands one on each leg, but the other one can come off, I like it and have left it one him because it helps me tell him from the others. I just banded 4 babies yesterday. And for the life of me I can't remember any thing on the bands other than the main numbers 1807, 1808, 1809, 1810 mine are gray 
actually here are a couple of my bands on my other birds, (I found my note book)
NPA 06 BJ326
NPA 06 AL6
NPA 07 CD93
Now I'm guessing out loud and feel free to correct me, NPA is where the band is from (club or store) the next number is the year the bird was born. and the finall group is the identification I beleave the NPA is side ways.


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## JuliePigeon (Sep 11, 2008)

Ok. Let me just go and see what it says...


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## JuliePigeon (Sep 11, 2008)

Ok. It reads (from left to right)

NPA 10 06 FC 122

There we have it! She 'went' on me when I was getting her band number. I suppose that's one of the things that people who have pigeons have to take . Thanks for helping, BTW!


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## JuliePigeon (Sep 11, 2008)

Oh! Right, the 'NPA' is sideways on her band, as you said.


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