A story of the sport.

[Devo1956]

I was reading about the sport in different countries, and came across this.


Dear pigeon fancier,



"I would sooner get rid of my wife and children than my pigeons!"

This is a quote from my father. He liked to shock non-pigeon fanciers who wanted to know what the pigeons meant to him.

I would really like to know if he had carried out his threat. But since he was an active pigeon breeder until his death, the question could never be answered. But I'm sure that I would be a child of divorce today if our mother had asked him to get rid of the pigeons.

He probably wouldn't have gotten rid of my brother Richard. In his own way, Richard was just as crazy about pigeons as my father. When I tell people around me that I have a severe allergy to pigeon dust and still keep pigeons, they are met with deep incomprehension.

This allergy is actually responsible for the fact that we have been producing aviaries and mobile dovecotes for 12 years that make feather dust exposure bearable.



Most of us have had pigeons since childhood. I myself grew up in a mining colony in the middle of the Ruhr area. There were pigeons on every roof and on Sundays our garden was almost as full as Schalke. My father and my brother Richard traveled in the RV Herne with over 700 traveling lofts at the time. On the first prize tour in spring, over 60,000 DM were bet. Even back then, a "fat one" cost 39 DM. If it was "in" we went out to eat at Pfetzing in the evening. If it "flattered" my father did a "double" at the colliery.

In the fall, the club exhibitions were so well attended that the breeders stood in rows of three at the counter. There was a live band everywhere, in which my brother Ferdinand played the accordion. Any government would have been voted out of office immediately if it had banned smoking in bars.

Even the neighbors were closely connected to pigeon racing. You bet 5 DM “B” or played a series of three. There was a “street tip” with over 200 DM in the pot.



Yes, why am I telling you all this. I know we can't turn back the clock.

We all know where pigeon racing is going.



So let's make the most of it!

[Devo1956]

The Deutsche Mark, abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark", was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later the unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it was typically called the "Deutschmark". One Deutsche Mark was divided into 100 pfennigs.

https://www.taubensporthaus.de/mobiler-taubenschlag/

[Andy]

Those lofts are very open with the large aviaries or full wire fronts. Pigeon racing certainly is different than in the past. But I think it will be around for a longtime yet although in a different way. The feeling I got at our club meeting last weekend was that all our members from the eldest to the youngest are keen to continue with the sport and are happy to embrace any change that helps to keep the sport alive.

[Devo1956]

Those lofts are very open with the large aviaries or full wire fronts. Pigeon racing certainly is different than in the past. But I think it will be around for a longtime yet although in a different way. The feeling I got at our club meeting last weekend was that all our members from the eldest to the youngest are keen to continue with the sport and are happy to embrace any change that helps to keep the sport alive.

Yes Andy, the club is only a strong club. When members like your own are working together to move the club forward. Great to hear young and old all pulling together, well done to your club and its members.

[Andy]

Those lofts are very open with the large aviaries or full wire fronts. Pigeon racing certainly is different than in the past. But I think it will be around for a longtime yet although in a different way. The feeling I got at our club meeting last weekend was that all our members from the eldest to the youngest are keen to continue with the sport and are happy to embrace any change that helps to keep the sport alive.

Yes Andy, the club is only a strong club. When members like your own are working together to move the club forward. Great to hear young and old all pulling together, well done to your club and its members.

Our youngest is 17 and the oldest in their 80s.