Do saddles make good homers?

[MaryOfExeter]

Yep I definitely plan on racing him. If color held me back, I'd have a lot of 'loft potato' birds My flock is definitely not all blue, haha.

[RodSD]

I like saddles, too, and yes they are homing pigeons (I only saw one at the show). Maybe you can race them and select the best one to breed and so forth until you get a saddle that can be race and win. But if George says that it is hard to breed true saddles, then you have more challenges than just breeding any color to race. It would be cool though. I don't know how many years you have to put in one though to develop a saddle racing homer.

[LokotaLoft]

nothing wrong with a little color when having your birds take to the racing circuit

[g0ldenb0y55]

Originally Posted by LokotaLoft

nothing wrong with a little color when having your birds take to the racing circuit

I agree with you on this one. Nothing wrong with having the best of both worlds!

[SmithFamilyLoft]

Originally Posted by g0ldenb0y55

I'm curious to know if anyone has won races with saddle homers and are they short or long distance. I don't know much about them so that's why I'm asking. I found some really nice looking ones online and will purchase if they are worth it for racing stock.

Henry

I produced one once, I was doing some very close multi-generational inbreeding and a white pigeon with red wings was produced. It never returned from his first training toss. It looked like a show bird, but in this case, a racer he was not.

[ace in the hole]

Originally Posted by SmithFamilyLoft

I produced one once, I was doing some very close multi-generational inbreeding and a white pigeon with red wings was produced. It never returned from his first training toss. It looked like a show bird, but in this case, a racer he was not.

I have one of these in the nest right now. It is from long distance stock. I will place it with a top flyer and we will see what he does. I will post pics of this bird and it's odd colored nest mate tonight.

Ace

[RodSD]

The problem with white birds is that they can't hide properly. They are too visible from the sky which led me into thinking that a predator most likely can spot them first. Left alone with nature they will be selected out through natural selection. That happens during the industrial age where a black moth survived more than white moth because the places were all dark and dirty. It favored the darker ones. These white birds most likely will survive where snow is frequent. They have advantage there.

[ace in the hole]

Originally Posted by ace in the hole

I have one of these in the nest right now. It is from long distance stock. I will place it with a top flyer and we will see what he does. I will post pics of this bird and it's odd colored nest mate tonight.

Ace

Sorry it took so long to get these pics posted. We had a snow storm that night and I didn't want to mess with the babys in that.

Attachment 11803

Attachment 11804

[ace in the hole]

Here it is with it's nest mate. What color is this? The feathers seam to be half red and half gray! What would you call this color.


Attachment 11805

Attachment 11806



Ace

[LokotaLoft]

wow thats not something I would have thought would come from your loft but oh hell yeah they sure are cute and will surely be pretty by the time they are feathered out sure do wonder what they will be capable of an hope someone will keep track when you put them in the race ring

[bluecheck]

As others have said, it's family line and not color that's the key. I can tell you that back in the 80's and 90's, a buddy of mine flew a family that often produced a few saddles (though we never called them that), they were always known around the club and in casual conversations as "seagulls" because of their color pattern. They flew and won their fair share of races and our club was fairly competitive. BTW - as an aside, the use of the term "seagull" is somewhat common among the racing guys I know and it was also common in Germany among some of the Color Pigeon Breeders, hence the name of the "Swallow" pigeon, which mimicked in color he "Sea Swallow" (Sterna hirundo) (a tern) and not the barn or other swallow.

Also - your babies -- the unknown one looks like it's going to be a recessive opal check (I'd like to see pics of it again when it's more feathered out)

[LUCKYT]

Great point George. I am sure it could be done in time, but it would take one very DEVOTED flyer! Dave

[whitesnmore]

A guy in our club has been working on color birds (saddles, grizzles, yellows, opal, and every other color possible) for 10+ years now and has alot of success with his birds. So dedication, patience and selective breeding will allow the colors to fly just as good. He does lose alot to hawks though so be prepared for the losses.
Ken

[Lovebirds]

Ace....what do the parents look like? Just curious if it's a sex-linked mating.
I've got one pair of sex-linked breeders. Have been breeding from them for about 4 or 5 years. ALWAYS, 100% of the time, I got red splashes (like you're little one) and black splashes (like the nest mate).....however, this second round, the baby is turning out to be a silver (or red bar), whatever you want to call it.
Seems odd to me to get this color variation after so many years. I know red is red, but still............

[george simon]

Well I know that the saddle color birds would be called splashes and on the race sheet they would be BBSP, or RCSP,BCSP and if one wins its called a splash.I also know that splashes have won races. Just stop and think in a race of 1000 birds what is the presentage of splashes or whites or odd color birds as compared to blue bars and blue checks so if 85% (850birds)are BB,BC. that would leave 15% (150 birds) in the odd colors. THINK about it! .GEORGE