# Frills in homers



## Kastle Loft (May 7, 2008)

I entered a baby in our club's futurity a few months ago. Last week when we were counting birds, I was checking out my bird and noticed it's feathers were growing a bit strangely on it's chest. I asked one of our old-timers about it and he said it was a frill - a throw-back to an old, old variety. He said it pops up every now and again. He also said they usually don't fly very well (and by that he means race very well), but that they usually make great breeders.

The feathers were twisting up a bit right along the upper half of the keel. Pretty subtle, but noticeable. I thought he had injured himself by running into something at first!

Funny thing is, this bird is the product of some birds he gave me to start out. After I told him that, he jokingly said he wouldn't have given me those birds had he known they would produce frills. He has told me in the past that my birds he gave me are down from Havenith/Bastin. A mother/son pairing produced this frill I'm speaking of.

So obviously that makes me want to know more about this. Anyone have any similar or differing thoughts? I'll probably go ahead and keep the bird in the futurity and at the end of racing get him/her back. Sorry I don't have pictures, maybe I can shoot some next time I'm over there.


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## 1981 (Aug 9, 2006)

Well, the older guys in my club told me that the frills they bred can fly as well and/or as bad as any other pigeon. And they can be great or not at all at as breeders. They have success with both. I never had a frill until this year. Those birds were from the older guys in the club. Someone once told me that inbreeding causes birds to have frill. Is this true? Can someone verify this.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Every once in a while I'll have a zipper frill pop up in my birds. I have one in the loft right now with a small one. One of the core breeds that went into making homing pigeons, was the Antwerp Smerle - which basically looks like an owl. So when they say it's a throw back to an old variety, they're right. A _very_ old variety. But it's part of what made them what they are today, so the old genes are still there in a lot of birds.
Just because it has a frill, doesn't necessarily mean it's no good. The only way I would doubt the ability of a bird like this, would be if it has a frill because a dropper was bred into it recently. Otherwise, I would still give it just as good of a chance as any other bird in the loft.


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## Guest (Jun 6, 2010)

MaryOfExeter said:


> Every once in a while I'll have a zipper frill pop up in my birds. I have one in the loft right now with a small one. One of the core breeds that went into making homing pigeons, was the Antwerp Smerle - which basically looks like an owl. So when they say it's a throw back to an old variety, they're right. A _very_ old variety. But it's part of what made them what they are today, so the old genes are still there in a lot of birds.
> Just because it has a frill, doesn't necessarily mean it's no good. The only way I would doubt the ability of a bird like this, would be if it has a frill because a dropper was bred into it recently. Otherwise, I would still give it just as good of a chance as any other bird in the loft.


my mentor when he was still with us would never have excepted a bird with a frill as he saw it as a weakness but what it all comes down to is what is exceptable to the person breeding the birds themselves  there have been many homely looking birds that have won races so looks arent what it all comes down to in the end if you ask me


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## Kastle Loft (May 7, 2008)

Yeah, I realize that nothing is set in stone until the true tests are applied either in the basket or in the nest box. It's nice to know what others have experienced or studied. 

The exPerience of those on this forum are great for helping me understand what to Expect and look for, so thanks everyone.


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## Kastle Loft (May 7, 2008)

MaryOfExeter said:


> Every once in a while I'll have a zipper frill pop up in my birds.


Yeah, zipper frill it is, I guess. Looks just like this bird pictured over in this other thread:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f14/baby-for-anyone-interested-44805-4.html










Funny - and I thought it had been injured


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