In conversation with Alexander Wendt: Breeding season for pigeons

Alexander Wendt is a passionate breeder of pedigree pigeons. He has been breeding Genuine Homers for over 10 years and previously had Mittelhäuser for decades. You can read how he got his pigeons and how he approaches the breeding season in this article.

Mr. Wendt, how did you get into breeding pedigree pigeons?

“Actually, through my grandfathers, they had large farms and they always had pigeons. One of my grandfathers was also involved in the club and that’s how it happened that I also had pedigree pigeons. I started in the mid-80s – first a little bit with my grandfather and then eventually on my own.”

What breeds do you breed?

“I have had Genuine Homers since 2012. Before that I had Mittelhäuser. I never liked the progress of the medium-sized pigeons, they kept getting bigger and heavier. This was actually a meat pigeon, so it was supposed to perform. About 17 to 18 youngsters were expected per year. And in the end I still had 10 out of 18 youngsters, and I decided: This isn't working anymore.

And then I turned to Genuine Homer. I had my eye on him before, I always liked him, but I hadn't been able to get hold of any material until then. And in 2012 I made the decision to switch. Looking back, that was a good step.”

What does the breeding preparation look like?

“My breeding preparation currently consists of giving OptiBreed with Entrobac in the feed on Monday and Wednesday and OptiBreed and Immune Booster on Friday. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday I have Taubenfit E-50 with herb-vegetable mix and calcium in the feed.

I have Darmfit in the water from Monday to Friday. On Saturday and Sunday there is nothing in the drinking water. That is what I use as additives. At the moment I am feeding them Mifuma Fitness, but I am now slowly switching to ZJM Vital, which I will then give them until the last exhibition in Leipzig.”

When does your breeding preparation start, Mr. Wendt?

“Breeding preparation actually starts after Leipzig, when I start feeding the pigeons down. So they get 25 grams throughout. For fitness I also add a little barley, so I stretch it a little. The feed is weighed, I am very consistent so that I can get the pigeons down a little. That has worked well for me.

They are still fat and do not starve, as some people think with the amount of feed. For breeding you can give 30 grams, but 25 grams is enough. As I said, they shouldn't be too fat and that works quite well.'

What other preparations do you make besides the care?

'I sent stool samples to Leipzig two weeks ago to see if everything was OK. If that's the case, I don't really do much.

Every now and then I do a carrot cure, i.e. carrot soup, for a week. You take a kilo of carrots, two liters of water and three tablespoons of salt and let it boil for two hours and then add the cooking water. That makes the stool nice and thick, so that works really well.

I don't actually do any vaccinations, except for paramyxovirus and rota at the beginning of September before the exhibition. Thank God I don't have that many problems otherwise.

Yes, and I give the OptiBreed from the start and it works really well. Overall, I am convinced that the Röhnfried concept works and I am absolutely satisfied with the products. My pigeons are well looked after!”

What top tip do you have for other breeders?

“The most important thing is vital pigeons. They should be vital and keen to breed. You should pay attention to that, the rest comes naturally in my opinion. Vital pigeons are obtained through selection. I always take young from pigeons that have lots of young and where there are few to no problems. Then I also look at the size and shape of the eggs, that should be fine. And you shouldn’t overfill the lofts, that’s also very important. It’s better to have a little less and healthy pigeons.”