All round excellence

Jack Prescott
(Internet Published) Oct 2001

It is a mistake to selectively breed based upon just one or a few special points. Other points must be considered. The only logical way to estimate the value of livestock is to consider how the specimens withstand the strain of use in a given environment and how such livestock reproduces a practical number of specimens of the same calibre.

In my strain, weaklings and rejects occur. Specimens, even though of good strain and family, will fail to respond and confirm to the required standard. I have said with monotonous regularity that pedigree on it's own with little or no selective pressure is a disaster.

Racing pigeon specimens, which arrive home at speed but fail to dive quickly into the loft, are useless. Tipplers, which fly for many hours and yet fail to respond to droppers and enter the loft, are useless. Rollers, will roll to perfection and yet have no control, will crash and kill themselves. Many high flying breeds have poor homing instincts and no resistance to up-draughts and thermals.

Some excellent pigeons are pathetically poor breeders and poor parents. A lot of show pigeons are basically weaklings, quite incapable of flying or even rearing young ones. Why the show pigeon fraternity wants to mess about with such thrash is beyond my comprehension.

I reckon that we need to selectively breed for good ALL ROUNDERS even at the sacrifice of extreme performance or appearance. Who, among us has a CULL FREE STRAIN of any kind of working livestock? Is my own strain of high flying Tumblers cull free? It certainly is not.

[Internet Published Oct 2001 at http://www.tipplers.com/jack/]