Colour & Character
(Internet Published) Sept 2000
Is character related to colour? I've listened to debates on this issue.
In my time, I have known men who opted for just one colour or, one colour
related type. Tipplers, Rollers, and Flying Tumblers do better when they are
of uniform character. Anyone who has seriously been involved with these
breeds, will know that the character and potential of individuals is
extremely varied, so much so, that their behaviour may very well lead one to
believe, that they were of different species. Some specimens, even from one
family are so vastly different in character that it is difficult to believe
how this is possible.
Many years ago I decided to keep only the black badged marked specimens.
I had more of these, than the red badges. My original competition rollers
came from a noted fancier who kept both the red and the black badge issue.
Very often one nestling was red and the other one black. I suppose that this
was uniformity of sorts because no other colour cropped up. I selectively
bred for the black badges and gradually over the years succeeded in what, I
reckoned, was a homozygous (pure) strain.
I suppose that it was just a fad of mine and I have always been a stickler
for order and uniformity.
Some Roller pigeon men, liked to have a wide range of colours and markings
their issue looking like a patchwork quilt but for some reason I prefer the
simplicity of a checker board design, black and white. What could be more
plain, simple and more uniform than that?
After several years of killing all reds as soon as they were identified in
the nests, I succeeded in assembling and maintaining a large kit of black
badges. Never perfectly marked and hardly two of them were marked precisely
alike but there was a uniformity at a glance. All were black with white
flights and some white on their heads. The tails were either all back or
mixed black and white. I wasn't concerned about these differences. I had
what I'd aimed for, a large kit of basically black badges. In addition to my
colour selection I was ever on the look out for individuals that didn't
conform precisely as kit pigeons. I used to get just a few that had the
habit of drifting out of the kit and I always killed those if they
persisted, so my selection was not confined to colour only. Gradually, I
found that I was killing less and less, for these two faults and I honestly
believe that my kit improved as flyers and mass performers. I have not had
an outcross for many many years and have no need of one in my expected life
time.
However, in May, 2000 one of my pairs threw a red which was also 50% white.
I bad throwback. I decided to keep it. It's an excellent kitter and uniform
performer, so far, but it carries its wings under its tail and is much more
tame than all of my other 54 kit pigeons. It also has split pupil eyes. For
the time being I'll keep it.
I really must be getting old----------