Mary Allen
Pigeons are not only very different in color and pattern, but also in size and weight. In this regard, they no longer have much in common with their ancestor, the rock pigeon. And for the breeder, the question arises: Can I keep big and small together?
The Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) is actually a very unspectacular phenomenon. Most people – not excluding pigeon fanciers – would at first glance hardly notice any difference between her and a street pigeon. They are more or less gray – breeders say blue – with two black wing bars. The legs are featherless and there are no other feather structures to be seen. Rock pigeons are very fast and agile fliers, so they can sometimes outsmart birds of prey in the wild. Despite its simplicity, the rock pigeon is the ancestor of all known pigeon breeds. However, there are still some pigeon fanciers who cannot believe this. And because of the variety of pigeons, you could almost think that they are right. Studies have definitely proven the opposite.
The development of pigeon breeds has been going on for a very long time. Today it is assumed that the rock pigeons have joined the humans. Even today you can keep pigeons in complete freedom, without them leaving their people. The bond between man and pigeon has always been very close. So you can imagine that the pigeons were closely watched by the people. The first mutations, i.e. changes in the genetic material that led to a different appearance, were certainly a sensation. In the beginning, it was probably other colors that fascinated people. Drawings were probably added later, which were selected in the truest sense of the word according to the personal taste of the “breeders”. Pigeons have always enriched the diet and one cannot blame the breeders of the time for slaughtering pigeons that they did not like.
Even the Romans Knew Giant Pigeons
Over the centuries, pigeon breeds with the most varied of colors, drawings, and feather structures have emerged. Depending on the region, personal taste was favored. That is why, for example, pigeons with colored wing shields are actually known in all Central European countries, and yet they have characteristic differences such as slippers, hoods, caps, color intensities, and so on.
The breeds that are almost the same as the rock pigeon in size and weight or only slightly larger are today commonly referred to as field pigeons in refined form. The number of breeds that differ significantly from the rock pigeon in this respect is quite large. Significantly larger and heavier pigeons have been known for ages. Writers from the time of the Roman Empire reported very large pigeons. It is now assumed that these are the ancestors of the pigeon breed known today as the Roman. Alongside the French Montauban and the Hungarian giant pigeons, they are still the absolute giants of the pigeon kingdom. More than a kilogram body weight and a wingspan of more than one meter are numbers that impress. They appear coarse, coarse, and massive – without missing the nobility typical of the breed. The Viennese bottlenose dolphins, for example, are in stark contrast to this. They hardly weigh 300 grams and have extremely delicate lines.
One could certainly compare the two breeds in the comparison of a St. Bernard with a Whippet or a Shire Horse with a thoroughbred Arabian. This makes it clear that size and weight also have an influence on the mobility and agility of a breed that should not be underestimated. In the case of pigeons, this means that there are breeds that hardly fly anymore because of their weight and their anatomy. This is not a problem as breeders create optimal living conditions for them. The heavy form pigeon breeds, which were bred for fattening purposes in the United States of America at the beginning of the 20th century, are one of them.
Most pigeon fanciers have a preference for a certain type of pigeon. And pigeons of the same type can usually be kept together without any problems. But some also love the opposites and enjoy the sometimes very different breeds. The question arises whether such animals harmonize with each other and can be housed together in the same loft.
No matter how different they may look, they are all direct descendants of the rock pigeon and accordingly have the same needs and requirements. In principle, therefore, there is nothing to be said against a common attitude between big and small, as long as a few things are observed. These include nest cells adapted to the breed, feed components, excursion sizes, nest bowls, to name just a few points. But even if everything is optimally prepared, the individual races will play off their advantages against each other in the long run. The smaller and more agile breeds are likely to occupy the higher nest cells, while the heavier breeds will occupy and defend the nest cells that are closer to the ground. In this regard, there is something like a “gentlemen’s agreement” among the pigeons, provided there is enough space.