Always money (27-01-24)
One of the things that is wrong with pigeon sport is that there is too little laughter and too much complaining. The latter mainly by losers. Pathetic figures, so to speak.
'Expensive pigeons' is a favourite subject for those lamenters. Blaming the sellers? Not smart. As if they don't realize that 'what one pays' is very different from 'what one asks'. BUYERS make the price!
JANSSENS BROS
For example, the Janssen pigeons were always extremely expensive and the brothers were accused at the time of being utterly greedy. But believe me, without buyers, they would have dropped in price quickly.
If these pessimists would look further than the end of their pigeon noses and check the past of many top fanciers, they would come across plenty of names that have come out of nowhere to where there is so little space: At the National top.
Living proof, then, that it is not true that there is no place in pigeon sport for 'the common man' in 2023. He just has to be a little smarter now.
When Easterners visit Europeans fancier the European always wonder 'do they want
good pigeons or good pedigrees?' Unfortunately it is good pedigrees in many cases.
NOW IT IS
Z is one of those men with 'eternal' criticism of his fellow human beings. Someone who can't sdmit that a fellow fancier has good birds or played well. For example, he pointed out to me a Belgian 'sprinter' who barely 3 years ago had no pedigrees of his pigeons, but now he has expanded them as much as anyone else.
"So what?" might be my response.
As Z suggests, it certainly has to do with business.
But is that wrong? The sprint champion in question may have discovered that you can't sell a pigeon without a pedigree and isn't it his right to call in his daughter for help to make them? Like many others, Z has his pedigrees in English now. The 'why' is anyone's guess.
UNGRATEFUL
In Belgium lived a man who did very well with birds from a Dutch ‘friend’.
As often happens as people get older, their contacts faded, but he certainly did not become a paragon of gratitude. He claimed that the Dutchman owed his fame to him because he performed so well with his Dutch pigeons. 'The world upside down'.
OTHER JANSEN
The late Gust Jansen was a fancier from whom I bought countless pigeons over the years. E D (USA) and John W (England) in particular were successful with them.
I myself also had a very good one from him, the 067. Paired to the 230, an unsightly brother Ace Four, they produced incomparable racers, also for others. There is still a great demand for their off spring. On the pedigree I put 'Gust Jansen' as breeder for that 067.
Until a 'trader' from Flanders saw pedigrees. 'I thought the Dutch were smarter, Ad. Leave out that 'Gust' anyway. Then it says 'Janssen' and that makes a difference in your wallet.
NAME
Pedigrees and names are becoming increasingly important in the 'pigeon trade'.
In 2023, there seem to be two types of pigeons. Those with sporting value (pigeons that perform) and those with commercial value (pigeons of renown).
For example, I once had a bird that I called my 'Ugly Deep', a good one, with only one thing missing. No one wanted its babies. But that was about to change. Just by changing his name to 'Fast Blue'.
ORIGINAL
There is nothing wrong with the bizarre number of online sales these days. They make the pigeons cheaper. But one should realize that the naivety of many is the daily bread of some(!) sellers. They don't manage to impress with results, so they have to go with names and pedigrees.
They publish pictures of them and some top player. How little self-respect can you have. Do you read something like 'A sale of Verkerk pigeons?' You can assume that it is not he who is selling, but that it is his species. Well, 'sort of'.
EXPERIENCED WITH
In that regard, something I experienced myself. A Friday afternoon with one phone call after another. From fanciers who wanted to know more about pigeons that ‘I had for sale’. They were very surprised because my wife was very surprised. I didn't have any pigeons for sale at all.
Someone who once got eggs here had advertised with the descendants. His name wasn't there, but mine was, with my photo and (my) achievements.
KLAK
Acquaintances of the late Jos Klak know that he had what he called a 'black list' with names of fanciers who could no longer buy pigeons from him. Because they bought to make money only. And how did it often go, according to Jos?
Someone bought about 10 youngsters at a moderate price (Klak was never overly expensive). And what happened if he was lucky and there were 2 good ones?
Those were retained, the other 8 traded. Sometimes for more money than they had paid for them at Klak.
TRADE
Make money? The most profitable business is health trading. Advertise the names of famous players who perform with 'stuff' that you sell and soon you will be buried under the ghost you have let out of the bottle.
When once homeopathic remedies were said as being indispensable for pigeons, it became painfully clear to me again:
The mystique of the medicine man who grinds tree bark at full moon and puts together concoctions from it to make winners out of ordinary pigeons will appeal to as long as the sport exists.
Give your fellow man the illusion that he will live forever if he swallows "..."(stuff that you happen to sell) and he is willing to sacrifice his last penny.
The pigeon fancier is little different.
THEATRE
All those jars, bottles, powders and leaflets come across as a theatre of laughter full of hilarious effects in which no attribute is too crazy for some. Even scantily clad female beauty is brought in. Administering excess junk to pigeons seems to be a collective infatuation that has taken on chilling proportions.
People deliberately resort to expensive-sounding names such as oligo, enzymes, biotin and so on. Unfortunately I've never heard anyone shout: "What's the point of that if I don't have the good pigeons?"
After all, learned words presuppose knowledge, knowledge is power, and with power so many pockets are shamelessly filled. Until the moment comes when those clowns are ruined by their own playful creativity.
SELF
In all those years that (many) fellow fanciers were looking for better vets, better medicines and supplements, I was looking for better pigeons.
I haven't regretted it for a moment.
In case you want to be a successful racer, this will not help !!