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Where, what and how

In the previous article I pointed out what foreigners should NOT do when buying birds from Belgian and Dutch fanciers.

The point is there are so few good birds.

Super racers produce mainly junk and this also applies to proven(!) breeders.  

If a pair has produced good babies in the past there is no guarantee at all this will happen again. There are pretty many good racers. But good racers that have brothers or sisters that are equally good are very rare. Now you may understand why I find luck (here we go again) so important.

 

OWN FAULT

Many fanciers who fail with birds that they bought should not blame the breeder but themselves. They are na've.

Take buying old birds for arguments sake. This is (in most cases) the most stupid thing you can do. Or' you must be so na've as to think that the breeder will sell his best and keep the junks.

Not one serious fancier will sell a bird of which he thinks it may be a good breeder.

Furthermore: All those foreigners that believe in "Golden Couples" are dreamers. 

Couples that only produce "supers" only exist in auction lists or on auction sites.

Or they are framed by professional sellers, their middle men or auctioneers.  

 

EXAMPLE

Take a pair that gives 2 good birds out of every 10 babies. People who are honest and realistic will admit this is a good pair. And from "good pairs" we want babies, do not we? In case you buy a baby off such a pair the only thing you can do is pray that you are the exception, the lucky guy who has one of those few good ones.

Now you may understand why I do not understand people that pay crazy prices for just babies, regardless the pedigree.

I find it smarter to buy more babies at a reasonable price than buy just one baby at a high price. Even if that is a baby of a so called top pair.

 

The best thing you can do when buying pigeons. Luck is more important than money.

ADVICE

What I myself would do then if I were a foreigner that wants good birds from Europe?

- As I said I would never buy old birds, unless the fanciers quits (sells all his birds).

- Find champions you can trust. They should not only race well themselves but they also should have good references. If others do well with the birds of a champion the man is serious.

(I said before to watch out for "medicine men". It is hard to get good birds from fanciers that medicate their birds a lot, since their health is not natural but artificial and those are not the birds that you would want).

- What I should also do is try to find help from middlemen, auctioneers or just fanciers that you can trust. I would ask them how they think about the birds of the champion I have in mind and about the champion himself.

I would gladly pay some commission for their assistance. Good advice is worth it.

 

IN PRACTISE  

So you are ready for it.

You have your mind set, you found it is time to improve your family and you have found a good man from whom you would want birds. Let us call him "Champion X".

The following step is to apply to one of your confidants in Holland or Belgium and ask him about this "Champion X".

- Is he really that good?

- Is he serious and honest?

- Are others successful with his birds?

Are all answers positive? Then, if possible, ask another confidants the same questions about this "Champion X". If he is positive as well, this Mr X might be your man.  



The so-called pigeon Market in the town of Lier. Real super birds were purchased here for 20 
euros or less. Pigeons without a pedigree in most cases. 

 

AND THEN

A mistake that some make is to think they know the pigeons of a fancier better than the fancier himself. Some even dare advise him how to mate and do not realise they make a fool of themselves by doing so.

Anyway, your next step is let your confidant (friend, middle man or whoever) contact "Champion X" and let him order some youngsters at reasonable price. 

Not two expensive birds off his "Golden Couple". That is like Russian Roulette.

Better buy a bunch of cheaper babies and definitely NOT early breeds.

Since old bird racing is the name of the game for most fanciers in Europe they will not sell early breeds they believe in. European fanciers themselves also prefer late breeds if they want to improve their family. The mistake that especially Taiwanese make is that they have no patience.   

 

UP TO YOU

When "Champion X" is real good and honest you have a chance that there are some good ones amongst the bunch of birds that you bought from him.

But now comes your greatest challenge.

The problem you face now is to find out WHICH of the birds are any good, which is

far form easy.

A mistake that many make is to buy pigeons everywhere.

Better stick to birds of 2, 3 or 4 fanciers max.

If they are good and reliable that is a better way to enhance your chances than apply to other fanciers again and again.

 

OTHER LOGIC

Europeans do not pay much money for babies, since they are more realistic and they know how little chances are to get good birds. Therefore you may now understand why many champions have two prices:

- A cheaper price for fellow country men.

- Higher prices for foreigners.

Not fair? Hmmm. Again, foreigners themselves that are to blame for this.

They think pigeons cannot be any good if they are cheap.

An expensive car is better than a cheap car.

An expensive suit is better than a cheap one.

This logic however is not applicable to pigeon sport.

Let us praise the Lord for that!  

 

G v d Wouwer. His birds are very hot now. Recently he auctioned over 300 birds. Would 
30 of them be any good? If so he is a super man indeed. Who has 30 good birds?   


FINALLY

I said that many fanciers/sellers have 2 prices; one for foreigners and a price for local guys. There is this Belgian that is famous in the Far East. His price for babies is 1,000 euros or more. But in his own country no one seems to want his birds.

In winter, when vouchers for youngsters are auctioned on line the highest bid for a voucher of this man is seldom more than 150 euros.

When I once showed a Chinese that he could buy a voucher for a baby for 100 euros from the same man who charged him 1,000 euros he was shocked.

That is what I mean with "finding a confident". He could have told him.