They Breed Pigeons To Roll On The Ground

They Breed Pigeons To Roll On The Ground AG WORLD Ag World Did you know there s a breed of racing pigeons that roll on the ground instead of flying? We d never heard of the rare birds until a reader told us about them Parlor Roller pigeons somersault backward across the ground rolling hundreds of feet The pigeon handler holds the bird in the palm of his hand and releases it with a little roll like a bowler aiming at some pins They are strictly a ground bird and can t fly at all says Mark Roberts who raises and sells Parlor Roller pigeons and other pigeon breeds in Afton Minn The rare breed dates back to the 1850 s in Scotland and the Philadelphia area Rolling on the ground is what the birds do naturally and serious pigeon owners breed to reinforce that trait Rolling 200 to 300 ft is considered good The world record is 662 ft held by a well-known California breeder There s a fairly large group of roller fanciers We enjoy the performing Roberts says During local events and at National Pigeon Association shows there s often a roller pigeon competition Birds are judged 60 percent on performance and 40 percent on appearance A Parlor Roller is a simple looking bird that weighs between 7 and 10 ounces Its care is similar to other pigeons though food and water must be available on the floor since they don t fly Because they don t fly Parlor Roller pigeons are a good option for city dwellers The birds can live in a rabbit hutch Roberts says he has raised pigeons all his life and when he was a chemical dependency counselor he incorporated the birds into his work I developed an animal therapy program and I brought in my Parlor Rollers It helped the kids focus he says Parlor Roller pigeons are often sold at $1 for every foot they typically roll Birds that only do one or two backward somersaults are called Parlor Tumblers The Parlor Roller breed is different from another performing breed called Roller Pigeons developed in the 1700 s in Birmingham England They somersault in the sky spinning backward like balls for up to 40 ft During competitions pigeon owners release a kit 20 birds At least five birds minimum have to roll in unison to score says Tony Chavarria who breeds and sells Ruby Roller Pigeons in Seymour Mo www rollerpigeon com For more information on all pigeon breeds go to www npausa com Roberts has videos of his ground-rolling pigeons on his website You can find other videos on YouTube Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Mark Roberts P O Box 311 Afton Minn 55001 ph 651 436-4984

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