moved to @bluestempigeons

now an archive

[bluestem-archive]

ok, think i'm all set up. head on over to @bluestempigeons ! will be uploading update pictures for the breeders later today

[bluestem-archive]

blog cleanout complete! this blog will now be abandoned on an email i barely use (so it will stay up as an archive but not be on this account)

[bluestem-archive]

I love it when doves have funky hairdos. Like the one that looks like it’s wearing a brown beanie. Or the one with a spike in the back like it has a cowlick. Do you have a favorite?

*rubs my grubby little extinct pigeon breed researcher hands together*

the Lenardo pigeon!! they had a funky little hairdo and were mostly bred by one guy, their crest/mane was only on about half of their head/neck

[bluestem-archive]

Are there any mythical/cryptid pigeons?

not that i know of (unfortunate)

[bluestem-archive]

Hi!! I was wondering how/if having naturally curly feathers makes it hard for frillbacks to fly? Just genuinely curious about it :)

in my time having them, i haven’t noticed any significant difficulty flying based on their curls. Opuntia has some trouble flying (specifically taking off) because her feathers are so long, but Bergamot gets around just about as well as the OGOs do. obviously long distances and such are a no for Frillbacks since they’re not aerodynamic at all compared to other pigeons, but that isn’t a concern in a loft setting. i’ll have to take videos comparing Opuntia and Bergamot’s flight at some point, Opuntia’s long feathers make her LOUD!

[bluestem-archive]

I’m looking to get a pigeon when I move out, but I’m having a lot of trouble finding good breeders. Are there any breeders you can recommend in the US? I’m very interested in Old Dutch Capuchines, Jacobins, Oriental Frills, and Frillbacks. Since you breed frillbacks, could you give me an estimate of how much I would have to pay to get a pair of males?

i think you joined the companion breeders server a little while back? so it would be best to start by looking at the breeders in there. unfortunately, you probably won’t find any ethical breeders of Oriental Frills or Jacobins since i have never met an ethical breeder willing to breed them due to their issues. i’d recommend looking into breeders of blondinette Classic Old Frills as an alternative to OF. there are a couple good Frillback breeders i know of, but i won’t post their names publicly for privacy reasons. feel free to PM me about them if you’re interested in that

i won’t have any Frillbacks available this year, but i’m planning on charging $40 each for pet birds. if you’d prefer a male pair you’ll need to get a pair that’s already established and can coexist, because otherwise they will most likely fight constantly. a female pair of Frillbacks would probably be little snuggle monsters if that’s what you’re looking for in a pet :)

[bluestem-archive]

Hi I saw your post abt american fantail pigeons and are the conditions that american fantail pigeons experience universal to all fantail breeds or is american fantails uniquely bad?

American Fantails are uniquely bad, the fan doesn’t cause any issues besides trouble breeding. Garden Fantails are a personal favorite of mine from the fantail breeds because they’re just plain pigeon-shaped fantails :)

[bluestem-archive]

how do you feel about tumbler pigeons? i've seen some videos of those "races" where the birds struggle to fly and it doesn't seem like they're particularly enjoying themselves.

like with a lot of breed groups, there are good and bad versions of tumbler/roller pigeons. most performance-bred birds, such as Birmingham Rollers, are generally healthy and can fly without any issues. well-bred Birmingham Rollers will be able to control their roll enough to fly properly, and good breeders will cull birds that “roll too deep” (cannot break out of a roll and tumble to the ground while still in it)

i’m guessing the “races” you’re talking about are the competitions for Parlor Rollers, where birds who have a seizure-like roll flop along the ground after being thrown like bowling balls. those are incredibly unethical, and Parlor Rollers physically cannot fly. there is a reason those “races” are done on soft ground/mats, and startling a Parlor Roller into a roll in the loft can lead to injury and/or death. people like to keep them because they cannot fly, which is also yikes for a whole lot of reasons

on tumblers in particular: actual tumblers do not do a continuous roll like rollers do, but only do a couple of flips in midair (same execution, different length). the difference is pretty much forgotten about in most circles since a vast majority of tumblers are no longer performance-bred, but it’s an important one to make. most tumblers (barring Parlor Tumblers (which are not Parlor Rollers, but are still a breed that cannot fly without going into a roll)) are ethical if we’re just focusing on the tumbling aspect

[bluestem-archive]

closed Starling and Kodiak into their breeding cage this evening, going to close in Rutabaga and Jester tomorrow. also going to attempt to take spring update pictures tomorrow, if the sunny weather holds

[bluestem-archive]

trimmed nails today. Goldenrod has mild bumblefoot so she's coming inside tomorrow and i'm lowering the roosts as a precaution. Drosera had absolutely nasty nails and i'm wondering yet again why some birds are so bad at keeping their nails a reasonable length

[bluestem-archive]

clingy.

[bluestem-archive]

in case you were wondering why there needs to be better animal cruelty and welfare awareness for even something as niche as pigeons:

this is an American Fantail. they’re a popular breed among older pigeon-keepers who want a ‘challenge.’ this bird is not just posing like this, it cannot move its head far from where it is in this picture. this is NOT a similar situation to Seramas (who set up to look Like That, and are overall pretty normal-looking chickens), this bird is just tragically deformed

this is a posed skeleton of an American Fantail with the breed standard drawing overlaid. i’ve seen these birds at shows. they can barely move and they jump at every noise because they cannot see what could be coming at them. they’re either skittish or completely shut down, and watching them try to get food is just heartbreaking (they have to turn sideways and swing their head down their tail to peck at their seed. i don’t know how they even manage to drink). sometimes when the try to walk to their food they nearly fall over because their tip-toes stance is what they’re like a majority of the time and their fan is heavy enough that they can barely support it with such delicate balance

the kicker is, people are fascinated by these birds. they marvel in how such a monstrosity is alive and want to try their hand at raising fantails themselves, because that’s what the experts do! these are the bird that everyone chooses to point out as a marvel of artificial selection, but anyone who has been around pigeons for any stretch of time knows that they are intelligent, social birds. they rely on nodding to communicate a large portion of their language, and guess what an American Fantail can’t do?

of the issues with animal welfare in bird breeding, the problem with American Fantails is one of the clearest ones with which to illustrate just how little some people care for animals. people breeding these birds are not beginners who don’t know better, they are people who have been raising pigeons for 10, 20, 50 years and got bored with birds who can function. the people who breed birds like the American Fantail view pigeons as disposable, as something not to care for but to shape as you want to create an extreme caricature of an animal. the Jacobin, Zitterhall, and Modena are also examples of this, but no breeder is as proud of himself for perpetuating an animal that cannot function as an American Fantail breeder

[theramseyloft]

God bless you for finding a skeleton!

Story time, guys.

The first time I went to a pigeon show, I went expecting to meet other people who loved pigeons.

One of the first clubs I ran into was the American Fantail club.

And overhearing them talk about what a struggle it is to keep them in that perfect shape when nature wants to revert them back to bird shaped was horrifying.

This is how these poor little birds have to move their heads.

Here are a few video compilations of they way they move.

This is the healthiest American Fantail I have ever seen in person:

Speedy is a trainwreck of a bird, but he can lift his head, lower his tail fan, and stand flat footed, which I don’t see any of the Show Quality fantails even coming close to pulling off.

Once we trimmed his beak, he was able to eat normally.

Now look how he moves;

Here’s his intro video.

And here is how the rest of the flock reacted to him.

None of the other birds have any idea what to do or how to respond to him.

Nothing about this breed is even remotely near the concept of humane.

[bluestem-archive]

clingy.

[homeofhousechickens]

Beautiful and striking Lady Tide (above)will be going to her new home tomorrow along with her sister Captain Flint (below)

Very thankful for these sweet girls they were a joy to raise.

Scoot and Greenie Weanie are their parents so their new owner has been informed of their parents various health issues. They are being sent to a nonbreeding home for this reason.

It may seem counterintuitive to breed unhealthy birds together but sometimes it can be necessary to learn what your dealing with,this pairing has taught me alot about Scoots cancer and what "type" it most likely is and why a bunch of other Ayam Cemanis here in the US are developing ocular cancer.

My theory is that Scoot had an Orbital Fibroblastoma. Its very strange that both of his daughters have heterochromia caused by a big pigement spot on one side of their eye (the same side and literally spot scoot developed his cancer)

Orbital Fibroblastomas tend to develop more readily in males, so my theory is that hens who carry this gene rarely end up developing cancer and instead pass it to their sons who may or may not develop the cancer themselves who then pass it on to their daughters and ect.

Couple this with the fact that fibro breeds are more at risk for this type of tumor anyway and that fibro breeds can naturally have very dark eye color, I dont think its an easy issue to catch.

Hopefully me talking about this will eventually garner interest for someone with the actual equipment, education, and funds to actually study fibromelanisosis and how it impacts health and cancer rates in chickens more. At the very least I can provide some possible ideas or starting points if anyone ever deals with the same problem i have.

These pullets will hopefully go on to live a happy spoiled life, even if they develop a mass their owner is a good person knows the risks and shares the same vet as me so these gals are lined up for a good life regardless

[bluestem-archive]

perpetual confusion

[bluestem-archive]

very beautiful, very powerful

[duckrabbit57]

Mauritius blue pigeon reconstruction almost complete 2021 by D.Frampton .