# Cross Breeding



## Chuck K (Jan 12, 2013)

I have been reading through quite a few posts here in the performing breeds section of this site, and I have seen numerous mentions of crossing this breed to that breed.

Many of the breeds in existence today took hundreds of years to bring to perfection. Think about what you are doing when you create crosses, and for heaven sakes don't pass those crosses and back crosses on to unsuspecting fanciers. You are destroying the work that it took many dedicated men centuries to create.

I have seen this in the American show arenas time and time again. The Modena of my youth, a small sleek bird that could fly like a bumblebee, has been reduced to a huge colored King monstrosity wth a Modena pattern stamped on it. The small type Lahore has had the same fate. I could name more than a dozen other show breeds that have gotten the same exact treatment.

Think about it before you take it upon your self to destroy the work of those men that first domesticated, and then separated the pigeon into all the beautiful variety of breeds.


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## hamlet (Oct 26, 2004)

Hello. I agree with not crossing breeds for show. We live in different times now, here in the states with the b.o.p. population so high: we need to figure out what breeds can survive their freedom. Therefore sometime i think maybe we should breed crossbreed and anything else possible to keep them strong in the air. 
Do you have a picture of a Modena from the years past? Thanks.


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## ROBERT L (Nov 4, 2006)

Hello Chuck,
I can empathize with your attachment to the archetypical old breed standards of the past, I also believe we should preserve the purity of ancient breeds.

On the other hand the NPA and other organizations are constantly refining the direction "New Standards" to which a breed should adhere, hopefully in agreement by the majority of fanciers.

Cross breeding isn't a dirty word, it's the process though which "All" of our different domestic animals have evolved.
Without it, dogs would still be wolves, pigeon fanciers would still be showing and flying (Columba livia) the European Rock Dove.

In my case, I love flying performance breeds!
Before purchasing in new breed I would research the breed, to know what I should expect of it's performance.
Years (three decades) I would fly these breeds only to be disappointed, their performance fell short of the literature, I had researched.
The conclusion I reached was: "Contemporary Fanciers" were breeding out of old tired blood.
The old blood wasn't meeting my criteria's, I would have to create my own, through "Cross Breeding".
A breed that met my criteria: 1st it "Loves to fly",Aerobatic, Fast, Highflying,
Hawk/Falcon evasive etc.
Below are links of "Mutts / Crosses", I've created over an 8 year period.
Vieshian's (size of Homers) and Vieshiana's a smaller strain (Figurita size), create from a total of 4 to 5 crosses.
Through "Crossing" I now fly birds beyond my wildest deams, I have yet to find any breeds on You-tube, that fly with such speed, style (subjective) and exuberance!
Can anyone tell me when a cross becomes a breed, but remember a breed is not objective or a biologically verifiable classification.
Robert
Vieshiana's in 50 mph winds;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1ud...ns;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrQsaNouTC4


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## Chuck K (Jan 12, 2013)

hamlet said:


> Hello. I agree with not crossing breeds for show. We live in different times now, here in the states with the b.o.p. population so high: we need to figure out what breeds can survive their freedom. Therefore sometime i think maybe we should breed crossbreed and anything else possible to keep them strong in the air.
> Do you have a picture of a Modena from the years past? Thanks.


Hamlet,

I don't have a picture of the old sytle Modena. They are not all that common anymore but there is one club in the US that has been trying to restore the Modena. In my opinion they seem to be focused on getting the height down to nine inches or less. The height is not the only thing wrong with the modern Modena. The old birds could fly great. They looked like a bumble bee buzzing through the air. The link is to the what they are calling 'Toy' Modena club. The bird pictures on the site show a bird that is much better than the modern montrosities, but still not as refined as I remember the old sytle to be, but at least they are making an attempt. I believe they have a yahoo group set up as well.

http://toymodenaclubofamerica.sharepoint.com/Pages/default.aspx


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