In my humble opinion one of the best racing pigeon book of all time. I’m not alone in this assessment as many people I’ve talked to who have read and own a copy of the book share the same view. What sets this book apart is how candidly the author shares his experiences to the reader.

A no nonsense book written by Joseph “Joe” Rotondo, a champion American fanciers during the 1960s and 1970s.

The book was published by Silvio Mattacchione and Company. I got my copy from Foy’s Pigeon Supplies but the book can be ordered directly from the publisher’s website or second hand sources.

My copy is a maroon covered hardback with very simple gold embossed lettering and outline of a flying pigeon. Don’t be fooled by the simple cover as you’ll find “gold” inside the covers of this masterpiece. Approximately 8.5 inches wide, 11 inches high and 1 inch thick with 320 pages.

Aside form the Introduction, Author’s Preface, Index and Some Race Results pages the book is divided into 25 chapters.

The chapters are;

I           In The Beginning

II          A Hobby For You

III        The Loft and Accessories

IV        Selection of Superior Birds

V         The Art of Breeding

VI        Natural Old Bird Racing

VII       The Widowhood System

VIII      The Youngsters

IX        The Mould and the Feathers

X         Health Program

XI        Injury, Sickness, Disease

XII       Purchasing Stock

XIII      Characteristics of Champion Pigeons

XIV     Champion fanciers

XV       Clubs, Officers, Committees and Rules

XVI     The Auctions

XVII    The Rise and Fall of the Shows

XVIII   The Races and Average Speeds

XIX     Combines, Concourses, Centers

XX       National Organization

XXI     The Stage of the Sport

XXII    Why Does It Happen

XXIII   Today I Lost a Friend

XXIV   Theories and Some Facts

XXV    Author and His Pigeons

Tips and explanations are plenty in this book but I won’t go too deep. I’ll just mention one of my favorite chapters. That is chapter XXIII “Today I Lost a Friend”.

In this chapter the author talks about a bird banded IF-61-PFM-1100 or simply 1100 which he considers one of his best birds and the father of his racing colony. He continues to tell the story of “1100” and describes him in details including his outstanding children. What touched me about this chapter is how a man got so attached to a bird and how he treats his birds. No wonder he is a champion!

Highly recommended. Try to get a copy while it’s still available.

Though this book is not technically a racing pigeon book (it’s actually a novel), I still included this here as this was the book that started me in my interests on pigeon arcing and book collecting.

My copy of the book is a first edition in hardcover format with a yellow dustjacket with a red wagon on the center. It’s approximately 5.5 inches wide by 8.5 inches high by 0.75 inches thick with 157 pages.

The story is about a man reminiscing on his childhood which he spent with his grandfather who was a pigeon fancier. During his childhood he experience a heartwarming moment when his beloved grandfather got sick during a big race where his favorite pigeon “Dickens” was entered.

A heartwarming tale between the relationship of a grandfather and his grandson and the band between them that is – racing pigeons.

The book was actually made into a movie (which I also have a DVD copy) starring Michael Landon of “Little House in the Prairie” and “Bonanza” fame.

The Racing Pigeon Formula written and compiled with the novice racing pigeon fancier in mind.

The main racing pigeon ebook consists of 5 modules and is 45 pages in all.

Module 1: The Loft & Loft Management
Module 2: Stock Selection
Module: 3: Feeding & Nutrition
Module 4: Breeding & Mating
Module 5: Training & Conditioning

And comes with the following bonuses for all purchasers.

Bonus 1: The Pigeonary: Elite Edition
Bonus 2: Loft Management Templates
Bonus 3: Instant Pigeon Vet
Bonus 4: Champion Fancier Q&A
Bonus 5: Racing Pigeon by Dr. Rob Marshall
Bonus 6: Eyesign 101
Bonus 7: The Ultimate Guide to Pigeon Feed
Bonus 8: Surprise Bonus

As an ebook, it can be bought directly from their website. Payment could either be by credit card or Paypal. The transaction is fast and as soon as the payment has been confirmed, the buyer will be given a link where he can immediately download the whole package. Make sure to follow all instructions during the checkout process.

This ebook would be a good introduction for new pigeon fanciers and the information contained would quickly initiate any novice pigeon flyer. It is however not for the more advanced flyer but he may still be able to get a tip or two which he can use that will make the purchase price a good investment.

Personally, I don’t see electronic ebooks replacing the real things anytime soon. I get satisfaction in holding the book in my hands and getting comfortable in favorite chair while reading and won’t be changing my preference just yet. But in our day and age, digital products do have their place and their popularity will definitely grow in the future.

If you’re looking for a book that covers most aspect of the sport for the beginner, this should be on the top of your list but more about that later.

The most distinguishing thing about this book is its orientation. The book is wider than it is high. It’s about 28 ½ cms long, 21 cms high and 1 cm think. The only other books in my collection with this type of orientation are “Healthy Pigeons” by Ludwig Schrag and “Fancy Pigeons” by Erich Muller/Ludwig Schrag.

The book covers many topics of the sport not usually found in one title. Most books concentrate on a single topic or subject.

Though covering many topics, the book is too short to be thorough but for a beginner, it is a good introduction to the sport.

Some of the topics covered are; Selection & Pairing, Young Birds (feeding & medication, preparing for the special, preparation, techniques), Old Bird Management, Polygamous & Rotational Breeding, Selection Theories (eyesign, muscle, vents, etc.) Useful Odds & Ends, Feeding, Widowhood Hens, Wing, Clocks/timer, Traps and more.

Before I end this review, here are the most interesting topics on this book for me.

1. Eyesign – I have many eyesign books in my collection like those of Jack Barkel, SWE Bishop, Rob Woolliss, R Fleming, Colin Osman, Felix Gigot, Brian Vickers and Jan Lambrechts but in this book the author gives a brief summary of eyesign and discusses particular theories like Line of Sight theory, Inner-eye Muscle theory, Bishop’s theory, Fleming/Neeley theory and Metallic Fleck theory. The topic is not as thoroughly discussed but it does give the reader a clearer understanding of eyesign.

2. Individual Fanciers – The book also includes articles on Remi de May, Armand Zazueta, Bill ‘Red’ Solt and Campbell Strange. In all the years I have read and researched about pigeon racing, there are few articles on Armand Zazueta (protégé of Hank Vernazza) and Campbell Strange (former owner of Oak Have Farms). Remi de May’s widowhood hen system is nicely explained (he is also covered in “Masters of Breeding & Racing” by Victor van Salen). Unfortunately I am not familiar with Bill Solt except from what is in the book.

3. Avian Medical Formulary – This was compiled by the Association of Avian Veterinarians. Click here of a copy.

4. Medicine Combos – With the number of available medicines and supplements needed by our birds, sometimes there doesn’t seem enough days in a week to administer them all. Here the author gives some medicine combos for treating several concerns at once.

All in all a very good book and as I said e very nice introduction for the beginner.

Will to Prepare book

My copy is a hardcover book with a very colorful and beautifully designed dustjacket. The board’s design is the same with that of the jacket which means that even without the jacket you’ll have a very beautiful book on your shelf. The book has a total of 322 pages, with many colored photos throughout, divided into 9 sections with 48 chapters. The book is about 2 ½ cms. thick, 29 cms. high and 22 cms. wide.

Dr. Walker is one of the world’s leading avian veterinarians and it is just fitting that he writes one of the most complete book on the subject of pigeon health. Aside from his profession, he is also a very successful pigeon racer and has many top caliber birds.

The book starts with an introduction in Section 1 where the author briefly gives a description of pigeon racing. He then explains the importance of pigeon health on the success of any loft and how modern pigeon medicine can assist the fancier.

Section 2 covers the more common diseases like canker, respiratory infection, e. coli, paratyphoid, viral infections and parasites.

Each disease is carefully explained and analyze for the lay person and medications are recommended. Colored photos are provided which helps the reader to visualize what is being explained.

Young birds are then covered in Section 3. This includes weaning, development medical problems and racing. Though not very long, the author looks into all aspects of young birds and there are many tips included which will help the fancier understand more about young birds.

Covering Racing, Section 4 is the longest with 13 chapters that includes, health & its effect on race form, disease control in the race season, developing race fitness, selection of birds for the race team, basketing & race day and race recovery protocol, stress, winning, cortisone use, visible indicators of health in the head and throat, management of pigeon health during the race season, exercise, diet & electrolytes and pigeon racing in Australia. I will not go deeply into the different topics as they are self explanatory.

What I can say is that this section is a book in itself and many tips and knowledge can be gained by the perceptive fancier.

Section 5 then covers Breeding. There is only one chapter in this section which covers problems of the breeding season.

We now come to my favorite part, Section 6 covering Health programs. There are two chapters in this section, one covering program development in the race loft and the second covering health management programs for all stages of the pigeon year.

Illustrations are use in this section to help the reader visualize what the author is explaining. These programs may be followed as is but I recommend to the reader to try and understand the underlying reason for the program and try to adapt it based on his situation or area.

Section 7 covers Management keys to aid performance and improve clocking time. Chapters include loft design, loft humidity and temperature and their effect on health, moulting and race performance, food for thought, fungi, feed & form, testing of “bad food”, the use of probiotics in racing pigeons and natural supplements.

Most of the chapters’ titles are self explanatory so I’ll just go into the chapter “Testing of bad food”. I’ve read about this topic on the internet before but cannot find my reference files. Basically the chapter covers testing for fungal toxins on grains. It seems that these toxins could be present on the grains fed to the birds which may not kill them but will certainly lower their health and affect their racing form. One more very good tip from this book.

In Section 8, the author covers Diagnosis and Medications. Topics include diagnosis at a distance, submission of samples, dropping interpretation, the use of the microscope by the fancier, practical microscope use, a pictorial guide to microscope use for the fancier, pigeon queries a-z, medication guide and Dr. Walker’s Australian Pigeon Company.

The most important part of this section are the tips and guides on how to use the microscope for self analysis by the reader. I have only read one other time where microscope use was discuss in a pigeon book, from Dr. Whitney’s Keep Em Flying, and here it is very well explained. Color photos of worms eggs, coccidian, trichomonads, etc. are included which really helps the reader identify what to look for under a microscope. This section alone is very good reason to get your copy.

The book ends with Section 9 titled Management Diary covering the pigeon year – a management diary for the southern hemisphere. The year is broken down into each month and explained. Keep in mind that the author is talking from his experience in Australia.

There you have it, a short review of Dr. Colin Walker’s book, “The Flying Vet’s Pigeon Health & Management”.

Final thoughts:

The book covers many topics not just pigeon health. It is one of the mostly complete book I’ve ever read. The author is authoritative on the topics he covered because not only is he a veterinarian, he is also a very successful pigeon racer as well.

We’ll finish this review with a blurb from the book’s dustjacket.

Pigeon health and Management covers such a wide range of topics that

there is sure to be something here for every fancier. Yet at the same time

it no doubt will be referred to by veterinarians world-wide. This book is

long overdue and lifts the veterinary knowledge available to fanciers into

the 21^st century. It is sure to prove very popular and within several years

is likely to be found on the bookshelves of most fanciers world-wide.