nicksiders
312 posts
Dec 10, 2005
10:10 AM
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I know this is not a roller topic, but does anyone know of a breeder who has Westies that roll?
From what I am hearing the roll has been bred out of them.
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bluebar
10 posts
Dec 10, 2005
5:18 PM
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Every West breeder I've ever known (including guys who flew them back in the 60's out of English birds) told me that the birds tumbled, not rolled. That is, they only went over a few times. Wests were bred more for highflying than rolling - hence the name, West of England Tumblers and not rollers.
BTW some of the birds I used to have around for feeders or as pets for my niece/nephew to play with did tumble when put up. One brown bald hen, in fact, used to fly and tumble pretty decently but nothing like my Orientals did - but she did tumble like a pretty good West :-) Of course, mine were the "culls" from some of the show lofts and not specifically bred to the air. (I know a lot of the top West breeders in N. America)
Last Edited by bluebar on Dec 10, 2005 5:21 PM
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MCCORMICKLOFTS
292 posts
Dec 10, 2005
6:29 PM
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Nick, as Frank mentioned, the general idea behind Wests was tumbling performance rather than rolling. The West was part of the whole big gene pool the various different named rollers and tumblers came from before and during the turn of the century. Each group just kind of went their own way with what they wanted them to do in the air. Tipplers are a good example of drastic the same birds can change over time. Anyways, a West's performance is more of a clap..glide, flip. Some will do this with a tail ride too. Some will flip twice. If they roll like a roller does, they have roller behind them. That isn't bad because way back when they were basically the same bird.
I have mentioned it in other threads that I give some of my baldhead culls to a friend who flys them. These are straight out of show birds. Once he gets them flying good, they will fly for hours, usually dotted out where it is very hard to see them. Wests will do their tumbling on the way up and sometimes on the way down.
There are very few guys around with the real deal old time flying Wests here anymore. Dudley Shoemaker(sp) is one that comes to mind and from what I am told, he doesn't part with any birds. If you want to fly some Wests, find someone with some baldheads, there has been little to no crossing with the baldheads.
Brian.
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upcd
90 posts
Dec 11, 2005
1:58 AM
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I have westies bladheads and other colors. I don't put them up much. They tend to end up as hawk food they just aren't fast enought to get out of the way.
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jord
10 posts
Dec 11, 2005
9:03 AM
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hi im from england and keep westis only one out of eight tumble.there nice to look at but thats about it to be truithfull i cant waite to get rid of them and concentrate on my rollers i dont think anything comes close to rollers no matter what breed they are
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