THE GHENT CROPPER A WILFUL AND ACTIVE PIGEON By: Maarten Mees (Belgium) Seeing a Ghent Cropper at exhibitions, in free flight or simply in the loft is a joy to watch. Few breeds combine so many characteristics into one single pigeon. Apart from their large globe, the Ghent Croppers also should impress you with their beautiful type, stance and their beautiful range of colours and markings. They make the Ghent cropper a true gem to have in the loft. Left: Super Champion during the European Ghent Cropper Championship from October 22 23, 2011 in Merelbeke/Belgium, this self white old cock by Karel Minnen won Super Europa-Champion. The choice of 5 varieties: Self (Roek), Dominican, Pied (Witlap), Tigered and Spotmarked (Verhemelstaart) and all five coming in many colour varieties, makes that they are often considered as a 'colour pigeon'. Although, selecting on colour & markings should never result in neglecting the overall type of the bird. It is in the first place a Cropper Breed. However, we must honestly say that the breeding of a good Dominican, Pied or certainly a Spotmarked is not easy and many young will be mismarked. Right: De Ghent Cropper is recognised in many colours and markings, although it is not easy to breed a perfect Ghent Cropper A beautiful Dominican that has a black spot on it's head, or a Dominican with a marking that does not go completely around the chest - both miss-markings and regarded as a major fault - is unfit for exhibition. It is therefore not easy to breed a perfect bird in the aforementioned varieties. Respect for a nicely marked Dominican or Pied that also shows the allover breed characteristics has to be great - in the first place the respect to the bird, and in the second place for the breeder. Left: As soon as the colours begin to show, it is clear what is wrong. The red fleck on the cheek of this dominican Ghent Cropper young, excludes the pigeon from exhibition. As a novice breeder it would be best to start with the Self variety. 90% of the Selfs is show
worthy, which will make the starting fancier more motivated to get good results and good Judging reports. So why don t we all breed White Selfs? It is a fact that a Dominican has much more charisma, and also because of the difficulty in breeding. So it is not without reason why the Ghent Dominican cropper is pictured in the logo of many Clubs. The final thing I will say about this subject is: Les gout et les couleurs ne se discutent pas (One cannot argue about taste and colour) if you see a Ghent Cropper and you are convinced that this bird in this particular colour and marking is the most beautiful pigeon in the World, then go for it, start with this variety and show the world how beautiful such a bird can be. Right: The parent bird means well, it is protected his young. But you can also consider this as aggressive behaviour (hitting with the wings) because there are plenty of breeds that do not show this behaviour. Left: Not all birds are aggressive; as you can see in this black Dominican. Often the different colours show a different behaviour. Before you can participate in exhibitions you obviously need to breed young birds. Some breeders say that the Ghent Cropper is one of the hardest birds to breed. Others state completely the opposite and say these birds have no problems during breeding. My personal experience tells me that both are right. In my loft I have pairs who without any problem produce 4 to 5 rounds, each round rearing two youngsters, while others with the utmost difficulty produce only 2 rounds or even none. Why this is? Often in some lines the bad breeding has slipped in over the years. For a number of years I have been removing the birds that don t produce well from the breeding program, thus trying to build a prolific line, and this is easier said than done. Left: A pair of black dominican Ghent Croppers at their favourite nesting place. A beautiful sight, such an impressive pair of birds! What does a Ghent Croppers Breeding Year look like? Shortly after New Year, the cocks are put in the breeding compartment to let them chose their favorite nesting place. You will see that old cocks are likely to prefer the same nest box as the previous year and this will often provoke
some competitive fighting, which could be very serious. Right: Self Black Ghent Cropper, who built a big, high nest of straw. The Ghent Cropper is a habitual pigeon and will also often try to return to its former hen; so give that some attention, in case you had other plans for him! When the mating goes smoothly, after 10 to 15 days there usually are eggs in the nest box. (Keep in mind that a young cock, born after May, cannot easily be paired, because the Ghent Cropper is a pigeon that needs a full year of maturing and thus it probably will not be matured enough to be mated.) The Ghent cropper likes to build a big, high nest with hay, branches and anything they can find. Not all Ghent Croppers are alike when it comes to breeding. The one bird is a better parent than the other. Some are clumsy and may crush the eggs, others are very gentle. Through their large globe, heavy weight and long foot feathers, the birds often do not see where their eggs are and it is possible that they may destroy them. Many breeders cut the foot feathers, so that the pigeons are less hindered. They also put a larger egg e.g. a bantam egg in the nest, thus they will sit a bit higher and won t destroy their own eggs. When the eggs are hatching it is best to leave the parents alone for a few days, as they will act very protective and may crush the young. For this reason, some breeders prefer to use foster parents, but generally speaking the Ghent Croppers are perfectly capable of rearing their own young. Left: Promising young black Ghent Croppers in the nest, they are well fed and in good condition. Right: Several young Ghent Croppers born this spring, together in an aviary. As you can see, the marking is not always perfect. Around day 10, the young will start to grow feathers, and soon you will see whether the bird will be well marked or not, such as marking faults on the head, fish tail which is coloured or white feathers in the foot feathering of the Selfs. Often you can already see what you can enter in October in the exhibition cages. But do not too quickly disregard these birds. A Ghent cropper must also have the right type, class, elegance and globe and these qualities will show only after two months or longer.
Above: It already shows that this young will be a top bird with perfect marking. The ringing (banding) with a closed leg ring has to be accomplished when the foot feathers are about 2 cm. long - which will keep the ring on. Always check the next day if the ring is still there. Depending on the breeding pair, after the 20st day the parents will start laying a second clutch of two eggs. Keep an eye open, for this might happen earlier, and a Ghent Cropper is a passionate bird and is likely to forget about its former nest and cease to feed their young. Right: A Self Red Ghent Cropper, ready to defend its nest. The Ghent Croppers that hatch from February to mid May will be ready for the exhibitions in October-November. The birds that are born later will only be ready by December or even later. Keep this in mind, because a Ghent cropper needs time to mature into a beautiful pigeon.
During the maturing of the birds it is important that they are being handled regularly and get accustomed to people. Even the blowing should be encouraged in a quiet way. Speak to your birds and let them know you like them. After about 3 months, the tamest will begin to react and show off. Do not forget that a Ghent cropper is a proud bird. The better they get to know you, the better it goes to make them blow and show action at an exhibition. This also ensures that the pigeons will need less training for the exhibitions and are not easily stressed. Left: Red dominican Ghent Cropper on the nest with young. Right: Added by the editors: This Ghent Cropper of the author, Maarten Mees, won Best of the Red and Yellow Dominican Class, with 96 points at the European Champion Ghent Cropper Championship held from October 22 to 23, 2011 at Merelbeke, Belgium. De KONINKLIJKE KROPPERSCLUB GENT K.K.G. This is the oldest Specialty Club for all Cropper Breeds; from the little Brunner Cropper and the playful Leuven Pouter to the Norwich with its enormous balloon and finally the proud and elegant Ghent Cropper. Do you have any questions concerning this age-old Flemish club or the Ghent Cropper? Don t hesitate and contact the secretary Maarten Mees, e-mail kroppersclub.gent@gmail.com Copyright 2012 Aviculture-Europe. All rights reserved by VBC.