#Voorburg Shield Cropper Pigeon

[starskynder]

Voorburg Shield Cropper Pigeon

[gamerpidge]

Aww man, her ice cream melted

[ego-sum-arbor]

Inktober 2018 day seventeen: swollen

I haven't given up quite yet! Here we have a voorburg shield cropper, a breed of pigeon bred for long legs, long necks, and the ability to inflate their crops to enormous size at will.

[theramseyloft]

Twin Cities Winter Classic Champion Best Voorburg Shield Cropper

[pigeonbreedaday]

What is the best pigeon breed to start with for a new owner

Old German Owls, Classic Old Frills, Seraphim, Lucernes, Garden Fantails, and Voorburg Shield Croppers are some of the biggest recommended. Certain lines of Frillback make good companions, other lines can have more of a field pigeon temperament and are a bit more skittish. I can vouch for OGOs and Lucernes being super friendly!

[everyone-needs-a-hoopoe]

[id: a picture of a voorburg shield cropper pigeon with a crustily edited birthday hat, cake and confetti, and the text ‘birdday’ in the meme font. end id]

[augustheart]

okay! here’s my justification for why everybody received the pigeon they did. i based this off a combination of personality and aesthetics, but some selections did lean toward one over the other. these are basically a rundown of each breed, which should help explain why i made the choices i did! i’m putting it under a cut because it’s really long and honestly pretty silly.

courtney: frillback (shell-crested). frillbacks are kind and good-natured birds who are overall docile and bred for friendliness. they have a long lineage going back centuries--darwin himself owned a few. plus, when they’re almond or ash-red, they can have “blonde” curls.

yolanda: valencian figurita. valencian figuritas are one of the smallest pigeon breeds, and they make up for that size with tenacity and agility. they’re sleek and brave despite their small size.

beth: chinese owl. owl breeds are on the smaller size and are overall very delicate. chinese owls have a distinct feather whorl on the center of their chests that can sometimes impede vision if it gets too big. very beth. plus, y’know, owl. 

rick: giant homer. giant homers are a show breed that can also be used for meat. they’re strong and bulky (exceptionally large individuals with more of a meat build to them can get to be over two pounds--for comparison, a great horned owl will typically weigh just three pounds) but typically have a gentle disposition underneath it all. 

pat: standard racing homer. one of the most common breeds, and the primary genetic contributor to the feral pigeon in cities. they’re kept by breeders of exotic breeds that can’t feed their own young because of bill length (ex: turbits, oriental frills, and other frankly unethical breeds) because they’re used as “pumper birds”--i.e., as foster parents. 

jordan: danzig highflyer (pied/white). this one is much more based off aesthetics. just... look at that pigeon. that’s him. danzigs are also good parents and their unique head shape means they don’t have problems raising their squeakers, which fits too.

henry sr.: pygmy pouter. another one based more on aesthetics, pygmy pouters are a cropper breed that know exactly how much they’re “all that” to other pigeons and love to stand tall and stomp around. they’re a bit less friendly than their voorburg (shield) cropper cousins, which is why i ended up choosing them over voorbies. 

anaya bowin: ancient (altstämmer) tumbler. the last of the ISA birds based largely off aesthetic. tumblers are a performance breed bred to look as good on the show table as they do in the sky. very classy pigeons, those ones. 

paula: english magpie tumbler. yes, aesthetically the “ginger” color is nice for tigress, but like i said, tumblers are performance breeds. sport breeds. of course i had to pick one for her. tumblers are bred to fly and do multiple backflips in the air, similar to a gymnastic routine. they’re agile and can turn--or flip--on a dime. 

crusher: spanish pouter x marchenero. spanish pouters and marcheneros are also sporting breeds...just for a different game. bred to be one of the peaks of pigeon attractiveness, spanish pouters/marcheneros are used to seduce other pigeons back to lofts, with whoever successfully lures a bird first/lures the most birds winning the game. i’m very aware it sounds like this is a sport i made up. it isn’t. people have literally been stabbed because a marchenero seduced a prized bird away from an opposing loft. 

cindy: felégyhazer/felégyhaza tumbler. largely for the aesthetic of that sleek crest and careful pied marking, but again--tumblers are performing breeds. gotta give the head cheerleader one of the backflipping pigeons. 

cameron: lazurek (ice) pigeon. ice pigeons have a distinct soft blue coloring with “frosted” feather tips and large foot muffs like snowshoes. i could’ve given this one to jordan too, honestly, but the pointy-headed danzig felt much more right for him, while cameron gets the soft and quiet lazurek. 

henry jr.: lahore. lahores are big, bold, and bossy. people who breed lahores don’t actually breed lahores, they are graced to be in the presence of them. while not as chunky as giant homers, they can weigh in at over a pound, and are often able to out-compete other birds in multi-breed lofts because of their size and determination. 

i hope this explains why i picked the birds i did for anyone who might have been interested! i put...way too much time and effort into everything, and i couldn’t just let people think the selections were arbitrary when i had reasoning for everyone, some of it kind of extensive. 

[mellifexfarm]

Any suggestions on a starter pigeon breed? Or where to read up on them? I’ve been trying to find breeders that socialize/handle all their chicks but which breeds get recommended to me has been a tossup so far. I’m just looking for something relatively docile that doesn’t need a very large/outdoor cage.

Well Lucernes are the best in my very unbiased opinion. They’re docile and good as long as you give them plenty of out of cage time and a good sized kennel. But they’re the only breed on this list I have hands-on experience with, the others are just breeds I’ve heard are good. Louis Gurino has handfed birds for sale from time to time, in this breed and many others. 

Classic old frills are spunky and a commonly recommended starter breed. Along with their other owl breed cousins like Old German owls, Seraphims and Chinese owls. Speaking of old german owls, I have a facebook friend that raises some amazing ones, and all of hers are socialized. PM me for her name I dont want 1000 people spamming her

Portuguese Tumblers are small with a big attitude. 

Show type racing homers seem friendly and calm, though thats just from watching @theramseyloft‘s money penny whom i love and cherish. Giant homers and American show racers too, but giant homers need a looot of space.

Mindian fantails are like bantam versions of normal Indian fantails. Easier to manage and house than the huge indian fantails and the few I’ve seen as pets seem nice. 

 Voorburg Shield Croppers are silly and never stop showing off.john mcdougall is a good breeder of these and socializes his birds very well. 

[richardcampbells]

@ravencyclenetwork search: tv tropes - eccentric mentor

“Birds, Gansey, the king of birds.” Gansey exchanged a look with Adam. “An eagle?” “Don’t be blasphemous. Pigeons! It’s the regional today. I used to show them myself, you know. Don’t have the time these days, but I still love the look of a quality Voorburg Shield Cropper.”

[birdthany]

members of charlies angels pathfinder as pigeons

@qilby

@thebreloomroom

@the-insidejoker

@lizbian

@stgawain (don’t worry, this pidge is fine and a perfectly healthy breed! voorburg shield croppers are able to inflate like this at will when they feel like it and return to normal when they’re done showing off.)

[gamerpidge]

Some cute gifs for you guys 💕

[josephkitchen0]

Pigeons Strike a Pose

Bret Hartman has photographed everyone from comedian Will Ferrell to legendary actor Dustin Hoffman, so we challenged him with a new assignment: pigeons. He captured these stunning shots at the The National Pigeon Association Grand National Pigeon Show in Los Angeles (2015).

More than 7,000 birds and 200 different breeds were shown at the event, including a few by former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, according to the event’s host, the Los Angeles Pigeon Club. “LAPC spent almost two years in preparation for the show, and the fruit of that hard work and team effort was evident in any direction you would look at,” said Muhammad Shaheed, the club’s media liason. “What I liked most was the bonding of humanity that was displayed. People came from all over the world, of different races, colors, social classes, religious backgrounds … and they all became a part of a family, enjoying not only the birds in display, but more importantly, enjoying each others companionship. In a world full of stress and anxiety and hatred, the show offered peace and comfort, and love for each other as humans.”

Abigail Copeland. Hungarian; Natasha Soares, Gold Fantail; Mia Bella Mefferd, English Shortface; Emily Isom, Oriental Roller; Alisa Foster, Old Style Saddle Muffed Tumbler; Niah Mauldin, Racing Homer; Zachery Ferrell, Voorburg Shield Cropper; and Vincent Pizzuto, Modena

Justin Curl, Portuguese Tumbler, Two Color Tiger

Peter Frantangelo Jr., Domestic Show Flight, Yellow Plain Head

Larry Wilmes, American Giant Homer, Brown Bar

Larry Schulz, American Show Racer, Opal

Robert Sanchez, West of England Tumbler, Almond

Samantha Wendell, Western Fantail, Black

Kathie Johnson, Pomeranian Pouter, White

National Pigeon Association President Jerry Gagne (left), and National Fancy Pigeon Association President Fadilius Hendricks, English Tumblers, Splash

Keith Chadd, English Tumblers, Splash

Eugene Sande, Show Roller, Red Checked Beard

Teresa Reyes Barrow (left), and Monica Soareds, Black Headed Tumbler, Black

Donald Roscoe, Dragoon, Blue Bar

Sherri Owen (Artist), Pigeon Painting — Holy Spirit, White

  All photos by Bret Hartman, www.brethartman.com.

Originally published in the April/May 2015 issue of Backyard Poultry magazine.

Pigeons Strike a Pose was originally posted by All About Chickens

[theramseyloft]

what are your favorite pigeon breeds and why?

mine are the cauchois, danish subian, and starling pigeons- i'm a sucker for interesting patterns and markings.

I just went into them in the previous post, but I'm entirely a Temperament girl!

Classic Old Frill

Seraphim

and Lucerne

Are my absolute favorites.

I love their shape, their adorable little crests and grouse muffs, the frills on two of them, and their sweet expressions.

Their temperaments are generally every bit as sweet as those lovely little faces.

The are small, mellow breeds that are easy to house.

Frillbacks

Gorgeous, fascinating, sooooo sweet!

Mellow, laid back bird-clouds.

Voorburg Shield Cropper

This leggy balloon on stilts is a playful, silly clown of a bird whose breed standard docks points from birds who don't try to flirt with the judge.

They are so much fun and such a joy of a companion bird!

Show Type Racing Homer

Pure elegance.

An homage to perfectly streamlined curves.

Magnificent in its simplicity.

Lahore

God, I love this pattern...

Hate the muffs on the American lines...

But wooow, that face...

That sweet face hides a mile wide aggressive streak!

This breed will absolutely throw wings and straight up sock the taste outta your mouth! XD

[pigeonbreedaday]

Hi! I was wondering if you could help me find a specific pigeon breed I remember reading about before. They looked kind of like german long faced tumblers (in terms of being skinny and stretchedblooking), but with taller legs, and I remember them being specifically described as weird looking but structurally sound, with a good temperament for being a pet. Love your blog, I'm always learning something new from it!

Maybe Voorburg Shield Croppers?

(Produced by John McDougall)

[gamerpidge]

A golf ball and his sleeby wife

[gamerpidge]

A few cursed Valentine pics for you to enjoy :)