GREENFIELD — They’re not owls and they’re not Chinese, but Rick Kilgore will have his Chinese Owl pigeons on display at the Indiana Pigeon Club show Saturday at the Hancock County 4-H Fairgrounds.
As president of the Indiana Pigeon Club, Kilgore takes his hobby seriously and will be on hand with Chinese Owls and several other exotic pigeon breeds.
A pigeon show is just like a dog show or a poultry show or cattle show, said Roy Smith, treasurer for the group.
“There are hundreds of different breeds of pigeons,” Smith said, “and each one has its own standard of perfection.”
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By standards of perfection, Smith means what judges look for when awarding prizes in a pigeon.
Smith’s breed of choice is the English Trumpeter. A visit to the Western American Trumpeter Club website (westernamericantrumpeterclub.com) reveals a six-page downloadable document detailing the precise standard of perfection judges look for. Smith boils it down to this: “It’s all about how the birds look — their size, their feathers, their accoutrements.”
The English Trumpeter, Smith said, is one of the fancier breeds of pigeon. It has a shell crest (feathers that curl upwards over the head), a nasal tuft (feathers above its beak), powerful looking necks and bodies and muffs (very large, wing-like feathers on their feet).
The Hancock County 4-H Fairgrounds is a first-time location for the annual winter pigeon show, Smith said. Smith had toured the facility in late summer and was impressed with the full kitchen and the well-lit, heated and well-maintained building.
“The public can come in and walk through, visit, see the birds and enjoy themselves,” Smith said.
Pigeon hobbyists from as far away as Canada, Kentucky and Illinois will show more than 400 birds. The event also includes a coloring contest for the kids, trivia and a scavenger hunt.
Like many people who enjoy hobbies, Smith’s interest in pigeons began at a young age. His father showed pigeons and was quite successful at it. Smith remembers seeing trophies on the shelves. As a teenager, Smith had his own birds, but then, as he said, “Life. Marriage. Kids. You get out of the hobby.”
Now, at 48, Smith has returned to the hobby he loved. A friend gave him some high-quality show birds, and he’s back in the game.
Smith encourages anyone interested in raising pigeons to come out to the show, walk around and talk to people who are already involved in the hobby.
“There are people interested in being a mentor for you,” Smith said, “offering birds, wisdom and advice.”
“You don’t have to have a big space to develop it,” Smith said. “Some people just have a pair of pigeons, like in a rabbit hutch.”
It doesn’t take a lot of room to get into the pigeon hobby, Smith said. His own small loft — 7-by-6-feet — holds about 20 birds is big enough for them to stretch their wings a little.
His loft is unheated.
“Go to Chicago, Minnesota, (or) Fairbanks, Alaska, and you’ll see pigeons strutting around. The same pigeons are here in Indiana. Just keep them out of the wind and wet,” Smith advises.
Smith looks forward to sharing his hobby with visitors to Saturday’s show.
“It’s a family atmosphere,” Smith said, “and free to attend.”
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The Indiana Pigeon Club Show
Saturday, Feb. 16
Doors open at 8
Hancock County 4-H Fairgrounds
620 N. Apple St.
Admission is free
For more information, visit indianapigeonclub.com
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It’s understandable that when people think of pigeons they just think of the common street pigeons. They have a bad reputation sometimes because they can overpopulate some areas and be a real nuisance. But the pigeons we raise and exhibit are usually different from those in color, size and shape. There’s so many different breeds with their own features and beautiful in their own way. And especially when you’re familiar with a breed and you know what a good one looks like then they are especially eye catching. A lot of times people don’t even realize these fancy breeds are pigeons when they first look at them. There’s also a lot of pigeon breeds that are raised for their flying abilities and they’re beautiful in a different way but still a lot of fun to own and raise. — Roy Smith, Indiana Pigeon Club
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