Wednesday, June 22, 2011

How select good quality pigeons-Pigeon standards


     Now we know about some popular breeds of fancy pigeons.But how we recognize the original breeds of pigeons from the cross breeds? It is very important to differentiate the pure breeds from cross breeds.As a pigeon lover we should know to do it.
    Here i am explaining some standards used to differentiate pure breeds of fancy pigeons.These mainly includes the explanations of body,feather characters,wings,characteristics of tail,beak,head etc.These standards are set by National pigeon Association in United Kingdom.The winners of the pigeon shows conducted by NPA is according to the following criteria.

Indian Fantail
  • Judging of Indian fantail is divided into six main categories.Tail,body,stance,colour,markings and               condition.By analysing these categories we can identify quality bird
  • Tail:The tail of an Indian fantail should be large,full and round.There are some measurable specification also.
English pouter
  • Head: The Head should be Dove shaped,small,smooth on top,fine and narrow in proportion to body.
  • Eye : Eye should be Full and of mild expression.
  • Globe:Proportionally large in comparison with size of bird.
  • Body: Tapering like a wedge from shoulder to the end of tail,becoming very fine behind the legs,giving very slender appearance.
  • Waist: Slim,tight and well-defined.
  • Shoulders: Small and flat,set high and tight to the body. 
Lahore
  • Head: Large,wide and well rounded on the top without flatness.Forehead as steep as possible.
  • Eye: Large,dark,cere small and red
  • Beak: Medium length,strong,flesh colored,small dark traces of pigment on the wattle are not objected to,particularly on young birds.
  • Neck: Medium length,strong,slightly curved.
  • Breast:Broad(wide)round and full,the better it is cultured the more value the bird.
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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Frillback


 The Frillback is an ancient breed of pigeon which is supposed to be originated in Asian countries.The speciality of the bird is its curled feathers over body.The flights and tail are only slightly altered and the bird has a strong power of flight.They are best examples for human selection opposite to natural selection as they were converted from ancient Frizzle.
  Even though different colored Frillbacks are present,black frillbacks and white frillbacks are more common.The bird  walk a lot and it love it rather than flying.The curled feather is its main attraction and it makes this bird as one of the cute pet bird.
 
 This breed is not common in Kerala compared to other varieties of fancy pigeons,but some serious fanciers have good collection of frillback breeding pairs.
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Monday, June 20, 2011

Tumblers


  Tumblers are a special variety of birds who got special characters while flying.This breed is not common in the hands of breeders in India.Originally members of this group were flying/tumbler breeds but have now been refined to such a degree as to be purely ornamental/exhibition breeds.Tumbler the name refers to the bird's ability to spin or tumble while flying. They will often tumble every two to three feet in flight, making for a remarkable performance.
  

  There are different breeds of tumblers available.Main breeds are

  • English Tumbler 
  • Turkish Tumbler 
  • Budapest Tumbler 
  • Armenian Tumbler 
  • Australian Tumbler 
   Even though all tumblers are well known,Turkish tumbler is more famous and more beautiful.The Turkish Tumbler is a fancy pigeon breed originally created in Turkey and related to the various other tumbler pigeons found throughout Europe and North America.
   You can have a comparison between tumblers and other fancy breeds by checking different varieties of fancy pigeons.
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Sunday, June 19, 2011

Pouters

  Pouters are well known for their big sized crops.Among different varieties of pouters,English pouters are most popular among fanciers.Their big crop is their main attraction and the chest is raised upper like staying in two legs like man.It is observed that in some pouters,the crops are enough big to cover their faces.While feeding them,special attention must be taken to include enough girts as it is necessary for all pigeons especially pouters.The above shown is a pair of English pouters.
  Among different varieties of fancy pigeons,pouters are having lots of sub-breeds which proved their show qualities.Pouter family is one of the costly breeds among pet birds.


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King

 King is a big sized pigeon originated in united states.It is a little bit fat size pigeon.There are mainly two types of kings Show kings and utility kings.Show kings are used as fancy pigeons and they have different color variety.
  They are quite and commonly white in color.Other colors also present.Their behavior is very similar to a real king and will add an extra ordinary beauty to the loft.When mingled with other varieties of fancy pigeons,they have their own characteristics which help us differentiate them very easily.They are one of the costly breeds in fancy pigeons.
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Saturday, June 18, 2011

Modena

  Modena is a show type pigeon with big size compared to other pigeons.Its origin is in Italy and then exported to Germany and US.The National Modena Club in UK is well known for their contribution to promote Modena among fanciers.You can reach to the website using the URL posted at the bottom of the post.They are known for conducting Modena shows and award best modenas to promote the fanciers interest in modena.
  The Modena pigeon is a bird of curves, being round in shape in many facets. It is also a colored pigeon and probably the bird with the widest variety in colors, patterns and factors of any known fancy pigeon breed.So Modena is always considered as beautiful pet among fanciers.They have poor fertility rate.so we have to be very careful during breading seasons.Even though every fanciers have at least one pair of Modena.Its a good breed worth to have a collection.
  The bird is a non ornamental, show pigeon in that it's distinctiveness is not derived from feathering, but rather conformation and markings. Modenas are bred in all basic colors, which when combined with one or more genetic factors offers an almost limitless rainbow of color expressions ranging from the stark contrast of black and white to the subtleties of the pastels.Modenas are very active and expressive in a community loft
 The URL for national Modena club in UK is http://www.nationalmodenaclub.co.uk/
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Lahore/Siras

 Lahore/siras pigeons are known for their gentle nature.This breed was grown in Lahore and then exported to Germany.In old ages this pigeon was grown mainly for their meat,but now it is a fancy bird.Its ornamental beauty makes it as one of the favourite breed for fanciers.
   Lahore or siras is a large pigeon.Its markings are also unusual- the base color is white, with a secondary color beginning at the junction of beak and wattle and spreading in an arc over the eyes and across the back and wings. The rump and tail are to white.Lahore can be seen in different colors.Lots of cares must be taken during breeding season.The diseases from parents may affect the embryo.so make sure the parental diseases are treated before the mating season starts.

  Fantails and siras are common breeds for a starter fancier in Kerala.Other fancy breeds are also present with fanciers but not this much popular for a starter.
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Jacobins

   Jacobins are a unique variety in fancy pigeons.They have feathered hood over its head which helps us to distinguish them from other pigeons.The quality of the feathered hood varies when quality of the breed varies.It is a medium sized pigeonwith body quit slender and tail.As their faces are covered by feathers,it is very rare to see their faces even by their owner.
    jacobins require special attention and care as they have a slender body and are prone to various diseases.During Breeding seasons each pair needs separate nest as they like to have some privacy.we need to treat them as individuals.Jacobins have a lifespan of 10 years,but most of them stop laying eggs after 6 years.their mating season is around july.it is around this time that breeders will cut the hood feathers and trim feathers around the vent to allow more efficient mating. The hood is so large that it can interfere with mating.Once mated, Jacobin hens will lay two eggs and 17 days later hopefully hatch two chicks. Foster parents such as homers are usually used to hatch and raise Jacobin chicks as the Jacobin has been so developed that the beak is short and they have trouble feeding them.
  you can have a check through different types of fancy pigeons to differentiate jacobins from other breeds.
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Fantails

  Fantails are beautiful variety of fancy pigeons.Its one of my favorite pet bird.The definition of Fantail is"Pigeons having a rounded Fan-type tail". It has a slender neck, small head and a beautiful fan shaped tail.It has a high uprightly carried chest.they are mainly seen as in white colors and other colors also seen.
   They can be easily grown in our lofts without extra care that most of the other species require,but minimum care like clean water,healthy nest,essential foods are must.i will explain in details about the cares that should be provided while we grow fancy pigeons in another post.
    It will be very good if we can buy a one year old fantails as a starter.we can also buy two small babies and grow them,but it is not recommended to buy old fantails as it is not profitable.Making good connections with local fanciers will help a lot to get a good ,locally adapted breeding set .I will post the available stocks in my hand in another post where you can find good quality fantails pairs.
  There are lots of videos available in YouTube regarding training of fantails.One of such video i found interesting is this video click here.To know about other types of fancy pigeons,go to this page-different varieties of fancy pigeons. commonly recognized pigeon standards helps to recognize quality pigeons.
    
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Friday, June 17, 2011

Different varieties of Fancy pigeons


  
   As mentioned in my welcome post,we are starting with some pigeon breeds which are commonly recognized as Fancy pigeons.There are lots of varieties of pigeons available,but mainly these are the categories.

I will describe about each variety in detail in coming posts and update this list to cover almost all varieties

NB:Above shown is a Fantail Pigeon:)
                         you can have a look at names of different breeds through the link

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Welcome




Hi,


  I am an Agricultural farming lover in Kerala.Even though it is not my profession,I keep it as a hobby and doing researches to develop it to successful business.I know there are lots of people who love Green plants,animals and birds.But due to lack of ideas,their hobbies are still just hobbies,but for the good of our Earth,our Environment,our life we need to develop such hobbies,interests to successful business strategies to ensure its sustainability in long run.As a small step towards it,here I am introducing some hobbies related to farming which can be developed to higher levels.Some of them are Fancy pigeon farming,Emu farming,Vegetable gardening etc.Hope we can develop them to a successful career to accomplish a greener Earth...

                                    Thanks

                                                     Ideas For Earth And Life

  

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