Breeding A Million-dollar Bird

Pigeon breeding and racing remains a popular pursuit, with some fanciers aiming for the ultimate goal of turning their hobby into a career. Sabrina Dean visited brothers Daniel and Justin King of Kingslea Lofts in Bloemfontein to find out more about the demands, and thrills, of the sport.

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There is not a cloud in sight on a crisp Free State winter’s day as brothers Daniel and Justin King scan the open sky above them. They dismiss each speck that flutters by until they spot the flash of white in the distance. The racing bird circles closer, distinctly different from the wild pigeons that flew past earlier.

This pigeon is small and streamlined, built to race. It has flown nearly 450km since being released that morning and is the first of 16 birds expected to clock back in at Kingslea Lofts today.

The King brothers and their father, John, have been involved in pigeon breeding and racing for many years, and are currently members of the Shannon Pigeon Club under the Bloemfontein Pigeon Federation (BPF). Last year, they finished second overall in the BPF league. This year, they hope to win as they move forward in their quest to turn their hobby into a full-time career, and ultimately to breed, in their words, “a million-dollar pigeon”.

ORGANISED RACES

All pigeon races in South Africa operate under the auspices of the South African National Pigeon Organisation (SANPO). According to vicepresident George le Roux, the annual racing season runs from the first weekend of June for about 18 weeks until the end of September or the beginning of October.

To compete, individual lofts, such as Kingslea, join a club in the area where they are based. The clubs in a town or region form part of a federation, such as the BPF, and the federations, in turn, fall under SANPO.

There are two race classes, namely yearling races for birds that turn one year old in the year they start racing, and open classes, into which any bird can be entered.

“Normally, people will race a bird up to the age of four or five. After retiring from racing, if the bird has an exceptional race pedigree, it goes to the stock loft for breeding,” says Le Roux.