"Mixed Sex" Kit

Jack Prescott
(Internet Published) Oct 2000

It is on record that MR BRIAN WHITE, of SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND, flew a kit of Tipplers in the old bird series and exceeded 20 hours. That kit was 1 cock and 2 hens.

With young Tipplers, flown during their year of hatching, sex problems are hardly ever a problem, but with adults, I'd reckon that the sexual maturity is the greatest of all problems. For this reason each individual Tippler kit pigeon was placed in it's own isolated cell, in solitary confinement, and very often in total darkness. If Tipplers become familiar with each other within the loft then they will certainly attempt to form pair bonds, no matter whether conventional or homosexual.

It takes a lot of expertise to be able to fly a mixed sex kit without the fly being ruined due to too much sexual interest whilst in flight. Brian White had the expertise and his issue of Tipplers are temperamentally inclined to be nervous and less inclined to be excessively sexual, when flying. Most old timers would only fly a kit of hens, and less commonly a kit of cocks. The cocks are more inclined towards sexual display in the air, which is not only a pain to behold, but is exceedingly wasteful of energy.

At the time when Brian White excelled with a mixed sex kit, he did not do it from choice. His losses were so severe that he had no option. It takes more expertise, more patience and more luck to fly a mixed kit than it takes to fly a kit of hens or even a kit of cocks. A kit of 3 hens holds the world record and I do not believe that any kit of cocks or mixed kit will ever beat their record.

In all contests we must consider what kind of opposition is involved. A man may very well win if he is competing with fools. It is not only the fools who bend or break the rules. So don't forget that either.

I know of no other sport where the rules are so complicated and so subject to interpretation as those of the flying Tippler sport. Unless you are an exceedingly lucky person, I would not advise flying an ADULT MIXED KIT.

[Internet Published Oct 2000 at http://www.tipplers.com/jack/]