Parlor Roller

The Parlor Roller is a small fancy pigeon kept for one particular trait: it tumbles backward across the ground in a rapid series of somersaults. The bird has lost the ability to gain height in flight. A roll starts from a standing position, and the pigeon flips end over end across the floor of a loft or a level outdoor patch. What matters at a show is the distance covered, not how high the bird goes.

The breed originated in the United States, bred up from older rolling and tumbling pigeon stock. It belongs to the performing category of domestic pigeons, where breeders prize an inherited tumbling reflex over fine plumage. The body is small and compact, and the legs are short.

Parlor Rollers are lively, inquisitive birds. Fanciers describe them as spirited and full of play, which fits the energetic rolling they are bred for. They handle well once used to a keeper and settle into loft life easily, though they do need a clean surface, free of hazards, to roll on.

Who it suits

The Parlor Roller suits keepers looking for a performing pigeon rather than a flying or racing one. Since it cannot fly, it stays exactly where it is placed, so there is no risk of losing it the way free-flying breeds can be lost. It suits hobbyists with a secure loft and a safe rolling surface, and anyone curious about the genetics behind the rolling trait.

Pigeons that tumble in the air have been kept for centuries, and rolling pigeons that spin backward during flight were well established long before the Parlor Roller came about. The Parlor Roller descends from this wider family of performing pigeons.

Breeders in the United States selected for a more extreme version of the rolling reflex. Rather than rolling mid-air, the chosen birds rolled on the ground and, over time, lost the ability to fly altogether. Generation after generation, the trait grew stronger until the breed could perform only on level ground.

The name comes from the early practice of showing the birds indoors on a smooth floor, where a roll could be measured accurately, much like demonstrating a trick in one's drawing room. Competitions are built around roll distance: birds are released from a fixed point, and the length of the unbroken roll is recorded.

The Parlor Roller continues to be a specialist hobbyist breed, kept by pigeon fanciers rather than reared for any commercial or utility purpose. Performing-pigeon enthusiasts maintain it today, still selecting for clean, long rolls along the ground.

The Parlor Roller has a small, rounded body, a smooth head and a short neck. The legs are short and the stance low, which keeps the bird steady while it tumbles. On the whole it gives the impression of a neat, well-proportioned pigeon built for repeated ground rolls rather than for display in the show ring.

Since the breed is judged on performance, plumage has never been standardised to one pattern. Birds turn up in a wide range of colours and markings.

Coat and colours

The feathering lies smooth and close to the body. No single colour defines the breed. Self colours, checks, bars and pied patterns all turn up, since breeders give priority to the rolling trait over any fixed colour standard. Eye colour varies too, and generally follows the plumage.

The Parlor Roller is an alert, active pigeon. The same drive behind its energetic ground rolls comes through in everyday behaviour: the birds are curious about their surroundings and quick to move about. Fanciers describe them as playful and spirited.

Around people, Parlor Rollers are generally calm to handle once they know their keeper, and they are not aggressive. With loft mates they are sociable and do well kept in groups, as domestic pigeons typically are. They show no strong instinct to hunt or guard against other animals, but being small birds they are vulnerable, and cats and dogs should be kept well away.

The breed is not noisy beyond the soft cooing typical of pigeons. Most of its character comes through in movement rather than sound.

Grooming

• Check feet and legs often, since the short legs take repeated knocks against the ground during rolls
• Give a shallow bath two or three times a week to keep the plumage clean
• Look over the feathers for parasites and treat as required
• Trim overgrown nails if they do not wear down on their own

Exercise

• Allow the bird daily time on a clean, flat, hazard-free surface for rolling
• Keep the rolling area free of sharp edges, gaps and obstacles
• Avoid hard, abrasive flooring, which can injure the bird during long rolls
• Limit very long rolling sessions so the bird does not tire or strain itself

Environment

House Parlor Rollers in a secure, dry, well-ventilated loft. As they cannot fly, they cannot escape predators or rising water during heavy monsoon rain, so the enclosure needs to be fully predator-proof right down to ground level. Keep perches low and add ramps wherever birds need to move between levels. Keep the bedding dry and clean the floor often, particularly in humid weather.

The Parlor Roller eats the same base diet as other domestic pigeons: a mix of grains and seeds such as corn, wheat, peas, sorghum (jowar) and millet (bajra). Provide insoluble grit to aid digestion, and a separate source of calcium, especially for breeding hens. Fresh, clean water must be available at all times.

Active rolling birds burn energy, so feed enough to keep them in healthy condition without letting them turn overweight. Adjust portions for activity and for the weather, cutting back a little in the hot, humid months.

Treats and supplements

Small amounts of greens and safe seeds can be given as treats. Keep grit and a calcium source, such as crushed oyster shell or a mineral block, available at all times. A pigeon vitamin and electrolyte supplement in the water can help birds through breeding or moult, used as directed.

The Parlor Roller is a hardy breed when kept in clean, dry conditions. With good care it commonly lives 10 to 15 years. Most health problems are the same ones seen across domestic pigeons and are largely preventable through hygiene, parasite control and quarantining new birds before mixing them in.

Since the bird rolls repeatedly along the ground, pay extra attention to its feet, legs and eyes, which take more wear than in flying breeds.

Preventive care

• Keep the loft clean, dry and well ventilated
• Quarantine new or returning birds before mixing them with the rest
• Carry out routine parasite checks and treatments
• Provide clean water and fresh feed every day
• Arrange periodic checks with an avian or pigeon-experienced vet

The Parlor Roller's defining trait, the backward ground roll, is an inherited reflex rather than a learned skill. Selection over generations produces it; no keeper can teach a bird to roll. What handling achieves is a calm, manageable bird that performs reliably once released.

Training therefore centres on conditioning and safety: getting the bird used to being handled, to its release point, and to the surface it rolls on. Quiet, consistent routines suit a small, active bird of this kind best.

Basics

1. Handle young birds gently and often so they get used to being picked up
2. Introduce them to the rolling surface at a calm, unhurried pace
3. Use the same release point each time so the bird settles into a routine
4. Keep sessions short so the bird does not tire or strain itself
5. End on a positive note and return the bird to a familiar loft

The Parlor Roller lives in a loft like other domestic pigeons, but its housing carries one extra requirement: since it cannot fly, the enclosure has to protect it at ground level. The bird cannot rise to a high perch to get away from a predator or from rising water, so the loft needs to be fully secure from below and around the sides, particularly during the monsoon.

Provide a dry, well-ventilated space with low perches, nest boxes for pairs, and easy movement between levels. Add a clean, flat area, indoors or in a sheltered run, where the birds can roll without risk.

Setup checklist

• Predator-proof mesh and a secure door
• Low perches and ramps suited to a bird that cannot fly
• A clean, smooth, flat rolling area free of obstacles
• Nest boxes for breeding pairs
• Fresh water and feed stations
• Grit and a calcium source available at all times

Like other domestic pigeons, Parlor Rollers usually lay two eggs to a clutch, and both parents share the incubation. Eggs hatch in roughly 17 to 19 days. Newly hatched squabs are fed crop milk produced by both parents before moving on to softened grain.

Most breeders let the parent birds incubate and raise the young, since pigeons make attentive parents. Artificial incubation is possible when needed, but it calls for careful control of temperature, humidity and turning, along with hand-feeding the squabs.

Hatching steps

1. Let the parents incubate wherever possible; step in only if a pair fails
2. For artificial incubation, hold a steady temperature and humidity
3. Turn the eggs several times a day until a few days before hatching
4. Stop turning and raise the humidity as hatching approaches
5. Leave hatchlings undisturbed so they can dry out and gain strength
6. Make sure squabs get crop milk from the parents, or a suitable hand-feeding formula