Articles.
The content (content being images, text, sound and video files, programmes and scripts) of this website is copyright of Racing Pigeon Post. All rights expressly reserved.
Reflections of Pigeon Poop and Much More!
As I scrape the pigeon poop off the perches I can’t help thinking, “how’d a nice girl like me end up doing this?” It isn’t on The World’s Dirtiest Jobs lists, but for some would be on the Jobs Other People Won’t Do list. For me it “makes my day!” The scraping part doesn’t make my day, but the time I spend with the birds does.
I’ve always been a sucker for animals. I don’t dare go to the local animal shelter because I’m sure to come home with at least one dog - evidence that we have four rescue dogs! Growing up I had dogs and cats, but never a bird. So, when after a few years of marriage, my husband expressed an interest in getting some pigeons, I was interested. Our home had a small barn behind it. It was at the rear of the barn our first pigeon loft was built. I loved the idea of having birds in the city. While our oldest son would play on the jungle-gym, my husband would spend time with the birds. I had no interaction with the birds except to watch them. I didn’t scrape then! I felt kind of left out, my son had his enjoyment, my husband had his, but what did I have? Perceptive as he is, my husband asked if I’d like to get some pigeons of my own. Reading through The Pigeon (Levi, 1969) one day, I found a breed that interested me, the Lahore.
Levi states that “the Lahore is an Asiatic breed and derives its nomenclature from the city of that name in India” (p. 105). The Lahore is a calm, gentle, good-natured bird that is a bit smaller than the King pigeon. The colors are beautiful and varied on a white base, the colors of “black, blue, red, yellow and lavenders” (p. 106) are added in a formation similar to that of a penguin and the feet are muffed. I was so impressed with the description and pictures of the Lahore that I decided this was a bird I’d like to breed. We obtained two pairs of the Lahores and eventually I had around 2 dozen beautiful Lahores. This was my introduction to the “hands on” aspect of pigeons, scraping. The time spent with my own birds translated into spending time with the racing pigeons and the love affair began.
Levi states that “the Lahore is an Asiatic breed and derives its nomenclature from the city of that name in India” (p. 105). The Lahore is a calm, gentle, good-natured bird that is a bit smaller than the King pigeon. The colors are beautiful and varied on a white base, the colors of “black, blue, red, yellow and lavenders” (p. 106) are added in a formation similar to that of a penguin and the feet are muffed. I was so impressed with the description and pictures of the Lahore that I decided this was a bird I’d like to breed. We obtained two pairs of the Lahores and eventually I had around 2 dozen beautiful Lahores. This was my introduction to the “hands on” aspect of pigeons, scraping. The time spent with my own birds translated into spending time with the racing pigeons and the love affair began.
As I think about my increased involvement with the birds, I also think of various incidents that have occurred over the years with not only the birds, but with various flyers.
We were fortunate enough to have a local club to join that was comprised of friendly, knowledgeable flyers. Unfortunately, one of the members was found to be cheating with the end result being he was banned from the club and from the organization. He moved from the area and we never heard of him again. Needless to say, the incident left the club shaken. In the long run though, it brought the members closer to together. Even though we’ve since moved out of the area, a few of these flyers are still good friends today.
We were fortunate enough to have a local club to join that was comprised of friendly, knowledgeable flyers. Unfortunately, one of the members was found to be cheating with the end result being he was banned from the club and from the organization. He moved from the area and we never heard of him again. Needless to say, the incident left the club shaken. In the long run though, it brought the members closer to together. Even though we’ve since moved out of the area, a few of these flyers are still good friends today.
A story with a different ending is when we purchased six birds from a breeder out of state. The birds were around 2 or 3 years old and were to be breeders. When the birds arrived we were excited to get the birds out of the box to see what they looked like. We were very satisfied with the birds and after closing and locking the door to their section, we went back into the house to get our record book to make an entry about them.
When we came back 3 of the birds were outside on the lawn! We knew we had left the feed door open to the outside, but we were sure we had latched the breeding section door, so what happened? We’ll never know, but not knowing what to do, we slowly walked by them and went into the feed room. There my husband grabbed the feed cup and went back outside. He put some feed down on the ground in a line into the loft hoping the birds would follow the feed inside. One bird flew away into a tree next door. The other two flew up on top of the fly pen. We were panicking because half of our investment was literally going to fly away!
My husband usually calls our birds by whistling to them. These birds didn’t know his whistle, and this certainly was not home. Not knowing what else to do, he decided to try whistling. One bird flew back to the ground and followed the grain into the loft, and into the breeding section. We quickly secured the door. That left one on the fly pen, and one in the tree next door. With no other choice, we decided to wait and see what would happen. Two things happened at the same time. The bird in the tree flew away, and the bird on the fly pen flew into a tree next door.
About an hour later as my husband was putting things away in the storage room, he looked down and watched as one of the birds walked into the room, looked up at him, and then walked over to the breeding room door. The bird did not move as my husband opened the door, just waited for the door to be opened, and then walked into the section. Pigeons walk funny, they walk; wait for it, pigeon toed! The other bird never came back. We have those last two pigeons to this day and they are amongst our better breeders. What made those pigeons come back, we’ll never know, but it is an interesting story to relate.
As the years have passed, my Lahores have gone, only to be replaced with a deeper love of the racing pigeons. I scrape now and have learned that the scrapings tell a story too. They tell the health of the birds. I look at the bird’s droppings and occasionally leave a message in the office for my husband if I find something of note. Pigeons take time, as does any animal. My granddaughter, JB, who is an expert on animals, especially horses, will tell you that to properly care for a horse each day, for example, can take up to 1 ½ hours. By the time the water is changed, the night rug is replaced with a day rug, the hooves are checked, the stall is mucked out and new straw shavings are added, feed is put down, you’ve invested quite a bit of time with the horse. This doesn’t include using the hoof pick if necessary or brushing. The same goes for the care of the pigeons.
Unless I had cared by my own Lahores and now for our racing pigeons, I wouldn’t have understood the amount of time required to properly care for the birds. I can empathize with wives who don’t engage in the care of the pigeons who lament the time their husbands spend with their birds. It’s difficult to comprehend how a few birds can equate to hours spent away from the home. My husband is the one who does the bulk of the work with the pigeons. My involvement is basically the scraping and time spent with the birds. Just these two aspects take time, as I try to hold the birds and spend time in each of the sections each day. With both of us working, it would be difficult at best to have all the responsibility on only one of us. I appreciate those who do all the work themselves and know how much commitment they have to do everything necessary for the birds. I must admit, with the Christmas break and my husband home from school these past few weeks, it is nice to know he’s been able to spend as much time as he would like to each day with the birds.
Ever spend time with a friend and then wonder where the time went? You have enjoyed being together so much, time just flew by? When I’m with the birds I feel much the same way. I love spending time with the birds and look forward to that time. I love spending time with the birds. When stress of the day rears it ugly head, I know I need to take a break and go in with the pigeons for a while. The birds are a stress reliever they have yet to bottle and market. And, unlike most medications advertised, there are no adverse side effects. Ever listen to some of those ads for medicine on television? If you don’t have a problem when you start taking the medication, you’re sure to end up with one because of all the side effects caused by it, including death. The birds are like a calming balm that helps melt stress away. Unless you spend time with the birds, it’s difficult, even impossible to understand where all the time could go.
I am thankful pigeons are part of what defines me and what they provide for me. They provide stories, good and bad, friendships otherwise not made, a connection to my husband, and a calmness that I can’t get from a bottle. This reflection article all started because it’s time I go out and do some scraping and I wondered once again, “how’d a nice girl like me end up scraping pigeon poop?” I ended up here because God in His wisdom knew how much pigeons can offer to those of us who are ready to receive the blessings they offer. But, then again, maybe it could be because I look at pigeons from a Chick’s Point of View!
When we came back 3 of the birds were outside on the lawn! We knew we had left the feed door open to the outside, but we were sure we had latched the breeding section door, so what happened? We’ll never know, but not knowing what to do, we slowly walked by them and went into the feed room. There my husband grabbed the feed cup and went back outside. He put some feed down on the ground in a line into the loft hoping the birds would follow the feed inside. One bird flew away into a tree next door. The other two flew up on top of the fly pen. We were panicking because half of our investment was literally going to fly away!
My husband usually calls our birds by whistling to them. These birds didn’t know his whistle, and this certainly was not home. Not knowing what else to do, he decided to try whistling. One bird flew back to the ground and followed the grain into the loft, and into the breeding section. We quickly secured the door. That left one on the fly pen, and one in the tree next door. With no other choice, we decided to wait and see what would happen. Two things happened at the same time. The bird in the tree flew away, and the bird on the fly pen flew into a tree next door.
About an hour later as my husband was putting things away in the storage room, he looked down and watched as one of the birds walked into the room, looked up at him, and then walked over to the breeding room door. The bird did not move as my husband opened the door, just waited for the door to be opened, and then walked into the section. Pigeons walk funny, they walk; wait for it, pigeon toed! The other bird never came back. We have those last two pigeons to this day and they are amongst our better breeders. What made those pigeons come back, we’ll never know, but it is an interesting story to relate.
As the years have passed, my Lahores have gone, only to be replaced with a deeper love of the racing pigeons. I scrape now and have learned that the scrapings tell a story too. They tell the health of the birds. I look at the bird’s droppings and occasionally leave a message in the office for my husband if I find something of note. Pigeons take time, as does any animal. My granddaughter, JB, who is an expert on animals, especially horses, will tell you that to properly care for a horse each day, for example, can take up to 1 ½ hours. By the time the water is changed, the night rug is replaced with a day rug, the hooves are checked, the stall is mucked out and new straw shavings are added, feed is put down, you’ve invested quite a bit of time with the horse. This doesn’t include using the hoof pick if necessary or brushing. The same goes for the care of the pigeons.
Unless I had cared by my own Lahores and now for our racing pigeons, I wouldn’t have understood the amount of time required to properly care for the birds. I can empathize with wives who don’t engage in the care of the pigeons who lament the time their husbands spend with their birds. It’s difficult to comprehend how a few birds can equate to hours spent away from the home. My husband is the one who does the bulk of the work with the pigeons. My involvement is basically the scraping and time spent with the birds. Just these two aspects take time, as I try to hold the birds and spend time in each of the sections each day. With both of us working, it would be difficult at best to have all the responsibility on only one of us. I appreciate those who do all the work themselves and know how much commitment they have to do everything necessary for the birds. I must admit, with the Christmas break and my husband home from school these past few weeks, it is nice to know he’s been able to spend as much time as he would like to each day with the birds.
Ever spend time with a friend and then wonder where the time went? You have enjoyed being together so much, time just flew by? When I’m with the birds I feel much the same way. I love spending time with the birds and look forward to that time. I love spending time with the birds. When stress of the day rears it ugly head, I know I need to take a break and go in with the pigeons for a while. The birds are a stress reliever they have yet to bottle and market. And, unlike most medications advertised, there are no adverse side effects. Ever listen to some of those ads for medicine on television? If you don’t have a problem when you start taking the medication, you’re sure to end up with one because of all the side effects caused by it, including death. The birds are like a calming balm that helps melt stress away. Unless you spend time with the birds, it’s difficult, even impossible to understand where all the time could go.
I am thankful pigeons are part of what defines me and what they provide for me. They provide stories, good and bad, friendships otherwise not made, a connection to my husband, and a calmness that I can’t get from a bottle. This reflection article all started because it’s time I go out and do some scraping and I wondered once again, “how’d a nice girl like me end up scraping pigeon poop?” I ended up here because God in His wisdom knew how much pigeons can offer to those of us who are ready to receive the blessings they offer. But, then again, maybe it could be because I look at pigeons from a Chick’s Point of View!