What's Your Views On Barkers

[Dannyashton]

I'm thinking about getting 6 barker stock birds to breed my own YB team what's your view on the breed

[paddymac]

Still making their mark in the longer races for those that have them but you'll have to get the right lines and not watered down versions far removed and just a paper pedigree instead of good honest working birds

[Dannyashton]

I have been talking to a bloke from up north and he has been breeding barkers for a while he breeds for order and he has a long list in front of me so I think he is where I'm going to start let's hope I get some good young off them

[greenlands]

Bought a pair of Dick Baldwin Barkers in 2000,pencil cock and a Silver hen,lost both of them (died)after only one nest,lost the hen as a young bird,the cock was one of my best water birds and bred several reasonable birds off him.Gave him to a mate at the age of 9.He bred silver hens that look like himself but have yet to prove themselves over the water.See what this season brings,I have two direct off him,silver hen,blue cock ,nest mates.

Here's the old timer,took this pic.just before he went.

 

PS.Wish I had another like him.

[paddymac]

I have been talking to a bloke from up north and he has been breeding barkers for a while he breeds for order and he has a long list in front of me so I think he is where I'm going to start let's hope I get some good young off them

Best of luck with your purchases Danny

[Dannyashton]

Thanks lads hope you do well in the racing I won't be racing till next year possibly the year after

 

Bought a pair of Dick Baldwin Barkers in 2000,pencil cock and a Silver hen,lost both of them (died)after only one nest,lost the hen as a young bird,the cock was one of my best water birds and bred several reasonable birds off him.Gave him to a mate at the age of 9.He bred silver hens that look like himself but have yet to prove themselves over the water.See what this season brings,I have two direct off him,silver hen,blue cock ,nest mates.

Here's the old timer,took this pic.just before he went.

 

PS.Wish I had another like him.

Nice bird mate

[blood red]

Hope they are good I have just spent a lot of money on a cock bird of tuplin.

[seabreeze]

Ive a good barker here it never stops keeps cats away lol,i have a touch of barker in my own pigeons but of a performance hen,good channel birds ,but pure my opinion isthat they are to outdated youll breed a hundred to get one,forget about dinasaours and go get urself a good up to date winning bloodline janarden or vanloons etc if you go for them older familys you will take one step forward two steps back,i know as i keep the old strains but iam lucky as mine are blended into a family and have sorted the rubbish out by the basket over ten years,save yourself years and you have asked for advice and ive give you it,at the end of the day its your choice,i take it your new start or novice ,anyway enjoy your birds whatever you decide.

[Fly_caster]

Interesting reading here from some posters.

 

The Barkers, via Dick Baldwin, Kenny Hogg & others (Croston Barkers) are one of the most sucessful families flying the tough France to Derry route in the NW of Ireland. (500 miles).

 

I also know of a double Niort winner and a single Niort winner from a kit of 6 YB's given as gifts in 2009, that's 3 separate Niort winners into the NW of England within 4 years from the same kit of 6 birds. So talk about Old Strain being not worth the effort is just opinion (and unqualified at that).

 

Barkers are known for their ability to last on tough days, great orientation skills and their longevity - amongst many other traits. I've had much more success into a difficult location with these birds than "softer" continental types such as Jan Aardens, Florizoones Etc.

 

 

Hope this helps,

 

ATB,

 

Steve

[paddymac]

Have to agree with regards to the Kenny Hogg pigeons Steve, these birds have been nothing more than exceptional since being introduced into the Derry area by Martin Healy and are now found in most of the lofts that are racing the longer races into the city.

[Dannyashton]

Yes thanks Steve I have heard a lot of good stuff about the barkers good strong birds

[seabreeze]

yes flycaster but you could count them on one hand,ask mark gilbert about the old strains,and why would we need hard day birds in ireland its middle distance get a move on type of birds we need,ten hour pigeons to sprint 500 miles not home 500 miles and especially for a new start old strains would put him outta birds hes better with something modern,to many fanciers stuck in a time warp nowadays we must move forward or get left behind or worse still walk in with your clock half an hour behind the leading birds everyweek,even though i myself keep the old strains they are to slow as a matter of fact ive purchased brasspennings to cross into them this year to give them a move on,but they are lovely birds to look at black splash reds,blood reds mealys,silvers ,broad heads short legs ,one flight tails,violet eyes sounds good doesnt it, but they are only plodders ,homers whatever you want to call them, the modern strains leave them for sitting ,they do have guts yes but not speed ,and defiently dont take heavy training,or to much racing,not like the modern widowhood strains,so my point is if your a new starter purchase middle distance birds from an honest fancier in your own area and iam sur thers plenty.

[Dannyashton]

I don't know many fanciers around my part but I will look into it as like you said I'm a new starter but I'm still going to get a few barkers

[Guest nephilim]

The old Barkers where are good middle to long distance birds. I kept them in the 1990's. They was a good bird for the hard days. Back then I flew North, my birds came from a guy out Lincolnshire way. All where chequers with couple white flights. They didn't really show till they hit race points like Morpeth. I breed them and crossed into my kirkpatricks and vandies. Which went very well. But like others before me have put, finding good proper bloodlines and not just some watered down paper strain is going to be difficult. Back then another strain that I wanted to try was the putman. Some of the Irish flyers might have luck finding this strain. But it has probably died out? Anyway good luck with them. If you find them, take your time with them, educate them well this year and put them in as yearlings. These are more Mo Farrah than Usain Bolt.

[Guest Owen]

There is no such thing as a Barker. There are literally hundreds of generations gone by since the original family lived. It would be impossible to keep a strain pure for all this time and if it were attempted the level of inbreeding involved would have ruined the birds anyway.

There are many people, mostly pigeon sellers, who like to convince you that there are pure breeds like Barkers but it is shear fantasy.

On the other hand there must be pigeons out there that started life as Barkers many years ago and have been carefully selected and tested down the years that are well worth acquiring to start a racing team.

However, to call them Barkers is stretching credibility beyond common sense limits.

[philg50]

I think that there is no such thing now as a pure strain the names they have actually come from a miss mash of different peoples birds .After all the years gone by since Barkers, Osmonds, Grooters ,etc were top of the game there hasnt been crosses ,i dont think so!! .So choose a few" breeds " cross them and make your own strain.

[BLACK W F]

There is no such thing as a Barker. There are literally hundreds of generations gone by since the original family lived. It would be impossible to keep a strain pure for all this time and if it were attempted the level of inbreeding involved would have ruined the birds anyway.

There are many people, mostly pigeon sellers, who like to convince you that there are pure breeds like Barkers but it is shear fantasy.

On the other hand there must be pigeons out there that started life as Barkers many years ago and have been carefully selected and tested down the years that are well worth acquiring to start a racing team.

However, to call them Barkers is stretching credibility beyond common sense limits.

spot on as normal good honest answer

[Fly_caster]

Hiya,

 

This fella here is as close as anything to a Barker you are likely to see or handle - he is a direct Alan Bullen bird, 10 years old now. Bullens stock all came from Dick Baldwin and Reuben Eastham, the base of these can be reliably traced back to the early 1900's. You can argue that, of course, there is nothing such as a "pure" family, but progress will show that there are always judicious crosses into families as they start to degenerate over long periods of time.

 

 

The base of this family originally come from Jimmy Nolan and Ruben Eastham Barkers which go back to the 1900’s. These were complimented by additions from Tom Blackstone and Reuben Eastham (Directly) in 1954. (The notable birds from that family were “Chimney Jack†and grandchildren of Eastham’s “Dol hen†and “Wild Blueâ€).

 

In 1979, the further addition of birds from Ronnie Wilson, also Reuben Eastham Barkers, was made. This included what was to become the Great Grandfather of the Bullen loft for many years, a Blue Pied son of Eastham’s 2nd Section, 98th Open Pau of the mid 70’s. These were the only pigeons brought into the family ever !

 

 

 

 

 

Hope this is of interest,

 

 

Steve

[paddymac]

Cracking pigeon Steve, have you any birds off him flying into Donegal yet

[Fly_caster]

Cracking pigeon Steve, have you any birds off him flying into Donegal yet

 

Hi Pat,

 

Nope, not yet, although I have plans for many birds off him to fly into here

 

I have a 2yr old son off him here too along with two other directs (both 10yrs old too) and a further 10 from the same family - all arrived in October, most have just laid or have had their first round floated in the past week.

 

Really looking forward to seeing what we can do with them, but in "type" terms, they are the dogs !

 

I'll keep you up to date, but will know nothing until after the first 3 races early next year.

 

Cheers,

 

Steve

[paddymac]

Good luck with them Steve, they'll definately be put to the test flying into your place

[showman]

There is no such thing as a Barker. There are literally hundreds of generations gone by since the original family lived. It would be impossible to keep a strain pure for all this time....

 

Even since Northrop Barkers passing, his family of pigeons could still be around even to-day, and regarded as pure. I can't see where you get 'hundreds of generations' from. Indeed, it would be possible to have pure Barkers around at present,after only 15-20 generations of breeding, maybe less. There ability to 'race' could be questionable, but to make a statement that 'there is no such thing as a Barker' doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

[frankdooman]

The one big thing about any of the old great family,s is that even in a small loft it's far too easy to breed the them out in just a few years so what wee are calling a family can be very much removed from the original so move that up to a bigger set up with many birds and even less control they are then condemned and normally sold in and spread even thinner but still being called a family , and just like all the rest they don't all keep producing good stock but if u can find a good seem this family were and could be one of the greats and lovely birds too look at too

[dublin boy]

Beautiful looking bird Fly_caster , Good luck with him .

[greenlands]

Bought a pair of Dick Baldwin Barkers in 2000,pencil cock and a Silver hen,lost both of them (died)after only one nest,lost the hen as a young bird,the cock was one of my best water birds and bred several reasonable birds off him.Gave him to a mate at the age of 9.He bred silver hens that look like himself but have yet to prove themselves over the water.See what this season brings,I have two direct off him,silver hen,blue cock ,nest mates.

Here's the old timer,took this pic.just before he went.

 

PS.Wish I had another like him.

Here's a daughter off him.