Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-07-14
The HdSkin Letter 81 s : 2ssz.
PIGEON BREEDING.

the habit of stopping to drink and it
is likely to be struck from the navy
roll for lack of stamina or a deficient
sense of responsibility.
OF Many CoIors
When you first go into one Of the
navy lofts you are struck with the
great variety of size, coloring, and
marking in the pigeons. Blue is the
ground color of all pigeons, and the
rainbow colored birds in a prize loft
are all descendants of the ledge roost-
ing blue rock dove. But by Use of sports
and by skillful inbreeding and cross
breeding man has developed no less
than 400 separate types as distinct as
400 flowers. There are large and
small varieties. Some are mahogany
red, others buff yellow, others silver,
and a great many are gray, black and
white. Some are almost one solid
color and others are beautifully marked
in bands and Splotches. Almost all
including the pure white birds, have
iridescent c%olorings in the neck feath-
ers.
After you note the variety you begin
to see how many of the single breed
are in the loft, and you wonder how
the breeders can tell the birds apart.
Yet they know every ole Of the good
homers and other fine birds. Out oe a
cage Of 100 birds the navy pigeon train
err can point out number 1t9 that flew
500 miles from Napponee, Indiana, to
Washington in IL hours, 81 minutes,
with a cross wind. He points out
Truthful. a blue bird with white flights
across her wings. This pigeon is al
ways reliable. She has flown 800 miles
three times this year and came out
first in n race and second in another.
There is no guesswork about it. The
pigeon lover knows his birds. Out at
the Baird farm jacobson gave an ex-
hibition of his familiarity with his birds.
He went into a loft of about 100 hon.
ers.
Il know practically every one of the
800 homers on the farm" he said.
THAT one is 49," And he pointed
to a bird. Then with a skillful swoop
be caught the pigeon and showed the
number on the leg band. Number after
number he called without a mistake.
and he told the birds record in diff
ferent races. To remember so many
numbers alone would have been a feat.
Pigeons look different. just like
people," he explained. Bills are diff
%ferent, eyes, shape of head, coloring,
marking and the walk"
But the average person could as
easily know one sparrow from an
other as to distinguish some of the
pigeons of the same ~parentage.
The pigeons know Jacobson. too.
He led the way into loft after loft,
pointing out the ingenious equipment
and especially fine birds, and in every
cage the birds showed no sign of fear.
They have confidence in me-" he
said. "And even if | bring in 9
stranger it is all right"
The 400 varieties of domestic
pigeon do not represent the possible
range of pigeon types, we are told
Pigeons are said to be better subjects
for scientific breeding than any other
creature. This is partly because Sc
many centuries of cross-breeding are
back Of the pigeon and it responds
quickly to experiments. and because
the cycle of generations is so short
The Baird farm is primarily
squad farm. but il is 10 be a laboratory
as well. McAtee and Jacobson expec'
to produce a blue king pigeon and 6
blue Baird. no pun intended. These
will be entirely new types. Then. too
breeders always work for better speci
mems of the usual varieties.
Aside from its place in the sport
ing world, the homing pigeon is a birt
Of war. and it is bred for endurance
strength and reliability. In squat
raising, rapid production and size ar
the aims Of the breeder. Other pigeon
breeders are fanciers, raising ant
studying birds as a lover of roses nigh
experiment with his bushes, Witt
them the showroom is the objective