Oriental Roller

The Oriental Roller is a small domestic pigeon with roots in the Middle East, and Turkey in particular. Fanciers keep the breed chiefly for its flying performance: birds climb hard, then spin backwards through the air before pulling out and climbing again. This tumbling action gives the breed its name and is the main reason it is flown at all.

The build is light and athletic. Birds carry themselves upright, with a trim body and real stamina on the wing. Fanciers usually describe the breed as spirited, agile and full of go. These qualities show up in flight rather than in any one physical trait, and individual birds differ widely in how often, and how tightly, they roll.

Colour is the other side of the breed's appeal. Oriental Rollers come in a very broad set of patterns and shades, and breeding for colour is a pursuit in its own right among fanciers, some of whom keep separate lines for the loft and for flying.

Who it suits

The Oriental Roller suits keepers after an active flying breed rather than a purely ornamental loft bird. It needs room to fly and steady training to bring on its roll. Those who enjoy watching aerial displays, and who can give the birds daily attention, tend to get the most out of the breed. It suits less well anyone wanting a sedentary show pigeon kept entirely indoors.

The Oriental Roller belongs to the family of Middle Eastern performing pigeons. Its origins lie in Turkey, a country with a long-standing tradition of keeping flying pigeons chosen for tumbling and rolling on the wing. Breeds of this type were kept by fanciers in towns and villages who prized aerial display above meat production or message carrying.

The rolling habit, in which a bird spins backwards through several rotations before pulling out, turns up in a number of pigeon breeds. Over time the Oriental Roller was bred towards this performance alongside stamina and a wide colour range. Birds were selected for how they flew and for the markings they carried, so distinct local strains took shape.

As fanciers across Europe, and later further afield, took an interest in performing pigeons, Oriental Rollers spread well beyond their homeland. Colour and pattern became a major focus for keepers outside the original flying tradition, and the breed today is kept both for flight and for its looks.

Because the breed took shape through fanciers' selection rather than any single documented foundation, precise dates for individual milestones are not well recorded. The broad picture is of a Turkish flying pigeon refined over generations for rolling ability and varied colour.

The Oriental Roller is a small pigeon with a light, balanced frame built for flight. It stands fairly upright, with a slim body, a rounded head and a moderate beak. The wings sit close to the body and the tail is carried in line with it. Overall the bird has a neat, active look rather than a heavy or bulky one.

The breed is best known for the sheer variety of its colours. Few pigeon breeds carry as many recognised colours and patterns, and this range is a large part of why fanciers keep it.

Coat and colours

Feathering is smooth and lies close to the body, which suits a breed that is active on the wing. Colour is where the Oriental Roller stands apart. Birds appear in solid colours and in many marked patterns, with mottling, barring and lacing among the variations seen. Eye colour tends to follow plumage, so darker birds often show darker eyes and lighter birds lighter eyes. The exact colours recognised depend on the standard a given fancier or club follows.

The Oriental Roller is an active, spirited breed. Its energy shows most in flight, where it is agile and keen to climb and perform. In the loft the same birds are usually settled, particularly once they know their keeper and their routine.

With their keeper, Oriental Rollers can grow tame and will tolerate handling, though they are not lap birds and would rather be on the wing or about the loft. With strangers they are wary at first, as most pigeons are, and settle as they grow used to a person. With other pigeons they are sociable and are kept in groups, which suits their flock instincts. They are not aggressive, though cocks may spar during the breeding season, as is normal for the species.

Grooming

• Provide a bath pan once or twice a week so birds can clean their own feathers
• Keep the loft dry to protect plumage and feet
• Check feet, beak and feathers during routine handling
• Watch for external parasites and treat the loft as needed

Exercise

• Allow daily flying time outside the loft when weather permits
• Train young birds to route and home before expecting rolling performance
• Build up flight time gradually to develop stamina
• Give settled time in the loft or aviary on days when free flight is not possible

Environment

The Oriental Roller needs a secure, dry, well-ventilated loft with perches, nest boxes and shelter from wind and rain. Because it is a flying breed, it also needs safe access to open air for exercise. Guard the loft against predators and rodents, and keep stocking density moderate so birds are not crowded.

The Oriental Roller eats a standard pigeon diet based on a mix of grains and seeds such as maize, wheat, peas, sorghum and small seeds. This balance can shift through the year: richer, more energetic mixes during heavy flying and breeding, lighter mixes during rest. Grit should be available at all times to aid digestion and supply minerals, and fresh, clean water should always be on offer.

Treats and supplements

Small amounts of greens or sprouted seed make a suitable treat. Mineral and vitamin supplements, including a grit and pickstone source of calcium, support breeding birds and feather growth. Bring in any new feed gradually and keep treats to a small share of the diet.

The Oriental Roller is a hardy breed and, given a clean loft and good feed, commonly lives 10 to 15 years. Most health problems are the ones that affect pigeons generally, and hygiene, clean water and quarantine of new or returning birds keep them in check.

Preventive care

• Clean and disinfect the loft on a regular schedule
• Provide fresh, clean water daily and keep feed away from damp
• Quarantine new and returning birds before mixing them in with others
• Keep up routine treatments and vaccination where these are used in your area
• Watch birds daily so problems are caught early

The Oriental Roller is a trainable breed because its flying and rolling behaviour responds well to settling, routine and steady flight practice. Training has less to do with commands and more to do with conditioning birds to home reliably, fly as a kit, and build the stamina that lets them roll well. Patience matters here, since young birds bring on their roll over weeks and months rather than all at once.

Basics

1. Settle young birds into the loft until they treat it as home
2. Trap-train so birds enter the loft promptly when called or fed
3. Start with short, supervised flights near the loft and extend them gradually
4. Fly birds together as a kit to encourage group routing
5. Let rolling develop naturally, and avoid overworking young birds

The Oriental Roller is housed in a pigeon loft built for a flying breed. The loft should be dry, well ventilated without being draughty, and secure against predators and rodents. It needs perches, nest boxes for pairs, and a trap or landing board that lets birds get in easily after flight. Because the breed is active on the wing, site the loft so birds can fly out safely and find their way back.

Setup checklist

• Secure loft with good ventilation and no draughts
• Perches and nest boxes sized to the number of birds
• Trap or landing board for returning flyers
• Bath pan, grit container and clean water supply
• Predator and rodent proofing on all openings

Oriental Rollers normally incubate their own eggs. A pair lays two eggs, and both parents share the sitting, with cock and hen taking turns through day and night. Eggs hatch after roughly 17 to 19 days. Most breeders leave the parents to it, since pigeons sit reliably and feed their young well. Artificial incubation is possible but less common, and it demands close control of temperature, humidity and turning.

Hatching steps

1. Let the pair settle and lay their two eggs in a nest box
2. Let both parents share incubation undisturbed
3. Check eggs for development without letting them chill
4. Expect hatching around day 17 to 19
5. Let parents feed the young on crop milk in the first few days
6. Give the feeding pair extra protein and grit as the young grow