Birmingham Roller

The Birmingham Roller is a small pigeon kept for what it does in the air rather than for racing or showing. Mid-flight, it tucks into a backward somersault and spins hard toward the ground before pulling out and rejoining the rest of the birds. How well it does that, the speed of the spin, how deep it goes, and how tight the turn is, is really the whole point of keeping the breed.

The breed traces back to the Birmingham area of England, where fanciers picked birds for that rolling trait over generation after generation. A Roller flies as part of a group, known as a kit, and the birds often roll together, which gives the display keepers rate most highly. Some birds barely tumble; others go deep and fast.

It's a hardy, lively bird, small in build, and suits someone who enjoys training and flying a kit outdoors in all weathers. The Roller isn't a bird you keep indoors or perch on your hand. It wants a loft, time in the air every day, and a keeper who watches the flock as a whole rather than fussing over one bird.

Who it suits

The Birmingham Roller suits a keeper who fancies an active outdoor hobby and is willing to fly the birds most days. It rewards patience and steady watching, since getting a kit to roll well together takes time. Anyone after a cage bird or an ornamental show pigeon should look elsewhere.

Tumbling pigeons, birds that flip over backward mid-flight, have turned up in many countries for centuries. The Birmingham Roller grew out of this older tumbling stock in the English Midlands, where working people around Birmingham took up pigeon keeping in large numbers through the 1800s.

These keepers weren't satisfied with a bird that could tumble once; they wanted one that would spin through several rotations in a fast, tight roll. Generation on generation, the breed moved away from loose tumbling toward the rapid, deep spin that marks out a Roller today. Flight was what mattered, not feather pattern or points on a show bench.

Through the 1900s the breed travelled from England to other countries with emigrants and fanciers trading stock between them. It took hold in the United States and further afield, where local clubs picked up kit flying and competition. Performance flying, where judges score a kit on how many birds roll together and how well they do it, became the standard way of comparing birds.

Because so many independent fanciers bred the Roller for that one behaviour, there's real variation across the breed. Lines differ in how deep and fast they roll and how reliable they are, and keepers still choose their breeding stock by what they see overhead.

The Birmingham Roller is a small pigeon with a tidy, well balanced body and no exaggerated features. It has the look of a working flyer: a smooth head, a medium beak, a full but not heavy chest, and a body that tapers to a neat tail. Nothing about the build is meant to catch the eye on the ground, because the breed is judged in the air, not in hand.

The wings are well developed and held close to the body. Overall it gives the impression of a compact, athletic bird able to fold quickly into a spin and pull out of it just as fast.

Coat and colours

The feathering lies smooth and close to the body, which helps with fast flight. The breed comes in a wide range of colours and patterns, since fanciers bred for rolling ability rather than any single colour standard. Common types include solid (self) colours, blue and silver bars, checks, mottles, and badge or baldhead markings. Colour makes no difference to how a bird rolls and comes down mostly to what the keeper fancies.

The Birmingham Roller is spirited and full of go, with a strong urge to fly. In the loft it's generally settled and gets on well with other pigeons, since the breed depends on flock living and kit flying. The birds are sociable with each other and put up with handling for routine care, though they won't show the same affection as a tame parrot or a dog.

Toward people the Roller is wary rather than standoffish or hostile. A bird handled gently and fed by the same keeper learns to trust that person and comes back to the loft reliably, which is what matters most in practice. Around other pets the pigeon is prey, plain and simple, and needs to be kept safe from cats, dogs, and birds of prey.

The trait that defines the breed is athleticism in the air. A well bred Roller is keen to fly, holds its place in the kit, and spins with real energy. That same drive means the birds need to fly every day and grow restless if kept cooped up too long.

Grooming

• Pigeons groom themselves; put out a shallow bath two or three times a week so they can wash and keep their feathers in order.
• Check feet and toenails regularly and trim overgrown nails with care.
• Watch the vent and the feathers round it for soiling, which can point to illness.
• Keep an eye on the moult each year and back it up with good feed.

Exercise

• Fly the kit daily whenever the weather allows; flying is both exercise and training rolled into one.
• Build up flight time gradually for young birds so they build stamina before they start rolling hard.
• Don't overwork birds in extreme heat, and let them rest during the heaviest part of the moult.

Environment

Keep the birds in a dry, draught free loft with good ventilation, secure perches, and room to move about. Keep the loft clean, since damp and droppings spread disease fast. Guard the flock against predators, hawks and cats especially, both during flying time and when they're at rest.

Birmingham Rollers eat a mixed grain diet, usually a commercial pigeon blend of seeds and legumes such as corn, wheat, milo, peas, and other small grains. Performance birds are kept lean as a rule, since extra weight cuts into flight quality, so feed is measured out rather than left down all day. Many keepers shift the mix toward higher carbohydrate grains during heavy flying and add more protein during breeding and the moult.

Grit needs to be on hand at all times to aid digestion and supply minerals. Fresh, clean water is essential every day, both for drinking and for bathing.

Treats and supplements

Small amounts of safe seed make a fine reward during training. Many keepers add vitamin and mineral supplements to the water on a set schedule, particularly during breeding and the moult, and offer a pigeon mineral block alongside. Follow the directions on any supplement and don't overdo it.

The Birmingham Roller is a hardy breed and lives roughly 10 to 15 years given good care. Most health trouble comes from conditions common to kept pigeons generally rather than anything specific to this breed. Clean, dry, well ventilated housing and a sound diet head off most problems, while crowding, damp, and dirty water cause a good many of them.

Preventive care

• Keep the loft clean and dry, and change the water daily.
• Avoid overcrowding and keep new or sick birds apart from the rest.
• Stick to a routine schedule for deworming and parasite control.
• Provide grit and a balanced diet to keep birds in condition.
• Watch droppings and behaviour daily for the first signs of trouble.

Birmingham Rollers are trained as a flock rather than one by one. The aim is a kit that flies together, stays up for a set stretch of time, and comes back to the loft on cue. Rolling itself is mostly instinct in well bred birds and comes on as they mature, so training centres on flock discipline, recall, and stamina rather than teaching the roll as such.

Routine and feed are the main tools. Birds fed at the same time and place each day soon learn to come back promptly. Flying at consistent times builds the habit of kitting up and flying as a group. Young birds are flown in steady, lengthening sessions so they build fitness before they start rolling hard.

Basics

1. Settle young birds into the loft so they know it as home and return to it reliably.
2. Feed on a fixed schedule so the birds link the loft and the keeper with food.
3. Fly the kit at the same time each day to build the habit of flying together.
4. Lengthen flight time gradually to build stamina before deep rolling shows itself.
5. Use a steady recall signal at feeding time so the kit drops down and returns on cue.

Birmingham Rollers are kept in a loft, a purpose built shed or pen that gives shelter, perches, and space for nesting. The loft needs to be dry and draught free but well ventilated, since stale, damp air brings on respiratory illness. Each bird wants its own perch, and breeding pairs need nest boxes. The loft should be easy to clean, because hygiene is the single biggest factor in keeping the flock well.

Beyond the loft the birds need open sky to fly in. A clear stretch with few obstructions lets the kit climb, fly, and roll safely. Predators, hawks, cats, and rats among them, are a constant worry, so the loft must be secure overnight and the keeper should time flying for when the risk is lower.

Setup checklist

• Build or buy a dry, ventilated loft with secure doors and wire.
• Fit one perch per bird and add nest boxes for pairs.
• Provide feeders, waterers, a grit container, and a bath pan.
• Set the loft up for easy cleaning so droppings can be cleared out often.
• Pick out a safe, open spot for daily flying.

Birmingham Rollers, like other pigeons, normally sit their own eggs. A pair lays two eggs to a clutch, and both cock and hen take turns on the nest so the eggs stay covered almost round the clock. Incubation runs about 17 to 19 days. Once hatched, both parents feed the young on crop milk, a rich secretion both sexes produce in the first days after hatching.

Most keepers leave the parents to it, since pigeons sit and feed reliably. An incubator can be used in special cases, but hand rearing pigeon squabs is hard going, and letting the parents do it is far simpler and usually better for the birds.

Hatching steps

1. Let the pair settle and lay; expect two eggs to the clutch.
2. Let both parents share incubation without disturbance.
3. Keep the nest area clean, dry, and quiet while they're sitting.
4. Expect hatching at around 17 to 19 days.
5. Let the parents feed the squabs on crop milk and grain as they grow.