Pigeon Pairs Record Cards

Like many pigeon fanciers, I love the spring breeding season. The process of pairing up birds and raising babies is exciting. Good record keeping is essential to a breeding program, and I wanted to find a way to easily record my pairs and the details of their progeny.


I keep a calendar in my loft to jot down notes while I'm out there, but wanted more details. Something was needed to show me which birds were paired up and located in which breeding pen. I wanted something durable, and easier to keep clean than a piece of paper tacked to the wall.

While looking for ideas amongst the office supplies at a local WalMart, I found a great solution ... plastic badge holders! They came in a package of 12 for $1.88, and little binder clips to hang them with were 12 for 88 cents. These are a little smaller than an index card would be, but I love them.

Later that evening I designed a record card which I printed out, then cut apart and slid into the plastic holder. It has basic info for a pigeon pair, dates of eggs laid and hatching, the babies' band numbers and a little space for notes. I saved this into a PDF file, and I will share it with you here!

 Now I'm ready when my beautiful pigeon pairs hatch out the new babies soon. I hope this gives other fanciers some ideas too!

Happy flying!

First Toss - Training Racing Pigeons

The young racing pigeons have been enjoying sitting outside their loft for several days. It's always an anxious time; hoping they won't get scared off too far, and waiting for them to go back inside.


I know they have figured out how to navigate their loft entrance, and they have taken short flights around the homestead. So today I got their travel crate out, fit it up against their window, and then herded them in.

I am currently experimenting with this method of "basketing";  at present it is easier than catching them individually.


Some flyers don't like to do this, preferring instead to catch each bird and check it over. I figure I can look over each  pigeon as I transfer it to the bigger transport crate.

Once secured in their crate, we headed off down our lane. I chose a spot about 3/4 of the way out, clear of overhead power lines, in plain view of our home.

Upon opening the door, one bird walked right out, and continued over to the edge of the lane where he checked out some weeds. The other three remained in the crate, nervous about the outside world. Finally they decided to leave their box, and joined the first one outside.

For a few minutes they just walked around. The silly birds might have been seriously contemplating just walking home, so not dignified for this beautiful racing breed! After waiting impatiently, I picked up their crate and headed back up our lane. This spurred them to launch into the sky.

They circled overhead several times, meeting up in the air. They flew towards their loft and landed gracefully on their roof. They haven't yet learned to go directly to their entrance, I'm told that will come later as they mature. In the future, at the end of a race, you don't want birds that only sit on their roof, swapping race day stories amongst themselves.

Raising these birds is a great hobby, and I look forward to taking them for many more flights. Stay tuned for updates!

Green Thumb

I am blessed with a green thumb when it comes to plants. I guess it’s in the genes. After all, I am from the Garden State. My Poppop was an avid gardener, and I remember plants on their windowsills. My Mom had one of the largest gardens around while I was growing up. Despite the trials of a short Colorado growing season, she continues to raise all sorts of yummy vegetables, but she claims that houseplants don’t like her.

Ever since I married and started my own home, I have grown lots of houseplants. I delight in God’s creativity with leaf sizes, shapes, and colors. Every type of plant has its own “personality”; some like lots of light, others not-so-much. Some prefer to be kept high and dry, others desire to have their “feet wet”.

I even remember where most of them came from. Some were gifts. A few were bought to add to my collection. Most were obtained as “babies”; snippets of plant parts that were carefully cultivated to grow. And now, some are “children” or “grandchildren” of plants I’ve had in the past.

I have a special fixation with palm trees and tropical plants, keeping Hibiscus, Bougainvillea, Croton, Mandevilla, and Brugmansia (Angel’s Trumpet). My thumb is more brown when it comes to actual palms, so I compensate by owning several silk palm trees. I DO, however, have one real live Fan Palm in my kitchen. This one seems to like me, and is quickly outgrowing my home.

But I love it. I love ‘em all. Luckily, my husband has grown to love them too. I am blessed.