Racing white pigeons

[Lynnette]

hi

does anyone race white homing pigeons or know of anyone who does?? When I check out pigeon sites to do with Racing pigeons, the birds all seem to be coloured. Actually I was told locally that white is a colour that is too obvious to birds of prey. Perhaps that is the answer. I just wondered how strong they are in flight. Any interest or experience in this, I would like to hear. Thanks a lot.
Lynnette

[Lee]

Lee here,
I have white racing pigeons i use them for my business however i do enter my birds in one loft races that are all white .. They seem to do as well as colored and have the same stamana and health. Most folks dont race whites and therefore they dont know what they will do.. I have some pletinckx crossed with bandits and janseene they are good birds.. Hawks will take any bird it can catch and that is usualy the slowest or the sick or one that isnt watching ..By far my biggest danger to my birds are cats not hawks ..the color has little or nothing to do with being a hawks dinner as the hawk will select the slowest or sick or any bird it can sneak up on reguardless of color ....I fly all white birds and usualy lose about 2 or 3 birds a year from known hawk hits . I fly my birds a minimum of 800 training miles a year....Pletinckx birds can be trained out to 1000 miles and the mexican bandit is a good sprinter bird and very hardy. The janseene is a biger bird also hardy and usualy enjoys good health with proper care , They also have a longer neck and good eye placement ...... hopes this helps some........

[ZigZagMarquis]

Check This...

http://www.whiteracers.20m.com/

[Lynnette]

Lee

thanks so much Lee for all that information. I found it very interesting and helpful. I would love to see any pics of your birds sometime. I only have 4 young birds.....I just started in Dec last year so am very new. I am to get 2 squabs in a few days & continue handrearing, so they will be really tame. I am building up a good relationship with the other 4. I am just going to enjoy my birds....not race or show, but I'm keen on all information relating to them & all pigeons. I really enjoy this site.

[re lee]

You do not see as many whites being raced as years back. BUT they can race. A person should try to keep a course feather on the whites to aid conditioning. Softer feathering has happened over the years. And I have not seen as many colored eye whites lately. To build I would out cross to say blue or blue check even ash red. And bring back the color. This can aid feather quality. And improve performance. White from above can be spotted easyer by hawks. From the ground up its hard to see. That is why they are seen better by hawks at a distance. And hawks have made a big come back compared to 20 years ago.

[SmithFamilyLoft]

Originally Posted by Lynnette

hi

does anyone race white homing pigeons or know of anyone who does?? When I check out pigeon sites to do with Racing pigeons, the birds all seem to be coloured. Actually I was told locally that white is a colour that is too obvious to birds of prey. Perhaps that is the answer. I just wondered how strong they are in flight. Any interest or experience in this, I would like to hear. Thanks a lot.
Lynnette

"They" say the same thing about Red racers. My hits from hawks have been on my slower dumber blue ones. My best racer in 2003 was red. At about nine weeks of age, I saw him out fly and out manuver a Cooper. That day his name became Mister Cooper. He has been retired to my breeding loft. I would like to try someday to offer a release service for veterans, of a flock of all reds and see what the reaction is. Check out my little web page to see a red velvet.

http://hometown.aol.com/smithfamilyl...e/profile.html

[Jerry]

Lynnette, There are members of this forum who do race white homers quite successfully. There are lots of "excuses" made for why there are not an abundance of them racing, but if they were bred as selectively as the colored racers we would see more of them. Like life in general, if anything is a little different from the norm, there will always be someone to justify why "it just can't be". I have white homers of mostly Plentinckx strain but I do not race them. Some of them would make decent racers, but I originally acquired them for the release business. And, in my remote location, I am too far from a racing club location to be able to devote the time to it.

[re lee]

You have a point there Jerry. And if White birds started winning some good races. Alot of flyers would go out and get some. I have said it befor If a bird was pink with yellow polka dots And was winnning the races. every body would want one. When working with colors. A person has to keep feather quality. And some colors lone there self to softer feather. Whites can keep a hard feather when bred that way.