Old rascals (09-11-24)
Old rascals
Especially things that are important for us personally arouse interest.
-If someone has problems with paratyphoid, he will follow conversations about it or columns with attention. If, on the other hand, he never had to deal with this ailment, he usually lets it pass him by carelessly.
-If someone blames his poor performance on his lofts, he will pay extra attention when lofts are discussed. If he's been playing well for years, it's not interesting for him. Because then he knows that the lofts are good.
-The man who did not breed even one really good youngster from his older breeders last year, wonders whether you should breed from old pigeons. That is why this matter is now receiving his attention. Day-to-day practice provides an answer to that question.
OPINIONS DIFFER
Whether older pigeons can produce good pigeons as easily as youngsters? Opinions differ.
- Quite a few people don't think so. That's why you often hear about a sale of all pigeons 'older than'. Those are usually good fanciers who are supposed to know what they do.
- But there are also those who prefer the youngsters from the oldest pigeons when they buy something. 'They must be good ones, others they wouldn't be there for so long', they think.
Who is right? The pigeons tell it. More specifically the pedigrees. You shouldn't attach too much value to those pedigrees when it comes to quality. Because the good ones also give so many bad ones. And also because, if a couple gave one super, that is no guarantee that they will ever do it again. The pedigrees also teach us that, and not only that. They make you wiser whether, for example, quality has to do with the age of the parent pigeons.
RULE AND EXCEPTIONS
When it comes to super pigeons, I am interested in pedigrees. Not to have that sort of bird, but to become wiser from it. In particular, they learn that almost all really good pigeons are crossings. Very often one of the parent pigeons has been brought in. It is not uncommon both are imports.
In old pigeon books you could still read that you have to form a stock, or family, if you want to become a champion.
And sometimes how. Forming an own family? It's best to leave that to your competitors.
Most good pigeons have young parents. More specifically, five years or younger.
Parents are also yearlings pretty often.
Do you have to breed from young pigeons only? You don't have to do anything, but you have to realize that there are many exceptions.
A minority of the really good pigeons come from older birds, but that is too many to completely push the old ones aside.
And the older pigeons of that man that bred so well before, but did not produce a really good youngster this year? I think there's something else in it...
Can't believe those were ALL bad. ‘Be careful with cleaning up’, I advised him. He'd heard that before.
In conclusion: Most super birds were bred from younger parents. With a lot of exceptions.
I daresay 721 is an exceptional racer. It once won first from over 800 birds with a lead of 12 minutes. From over 2.000 birds it won with a lead of 8 minutes in hard weather. The parents are not real young nor old.