The ‘806 Delbar Colony

The ‘806 Colony of Delbar pigeons can be traced back to ring numbers as old as 1958, when the owner of the colony purchased birds directly from Maurice Delbar at the Blackpool Show in 1963.

Suitable additions to the colony were purchased and acquired through the years, keeping the colony pure, tested and true to type. One of the main suppliers to the colony was the late Steve Stoker. Steve Stoker had a long relationship with Maurice Delbar, indeed Steve’s father was also a client of Mons. Delbar and they had been importing Delbar pigeons from Ronse for almost 45 years.

The current family is based mostly around 2 majorly significant pigeons, both bred from a Cock who latterly became known as “The 19 Year Old Cock” – both of these 2009 pigeons were bred in his final year of breeding and he died soon afterwards. They were half-brother and half-sister, and almost all of the colony comes down from these 2 pigeons, in fact we have children from this pairing, making them double-inbred grandchildren of the 19 Year Old Cock.

The 19 Y.O. Cock was bred from a Grand Son of “Le Petit Bleu, which also makes him a Great Grandson of the famous “’806” Cock of Delbar – probably Delbar’s most famous pigeon. Other notable pigeons captured within the colony are “L’Angouleme”, “Le Barcelona”, ”L’Olympique”, “Irish Mint” and “Le Perpignan”. Additional bloodlines were also added from the famous breeder and racers of Delbar pigeons Ian Axe, all of which reach back into the same bloodlines of the Stoker Delbar pigeons.

The colony, in its various forms, has been extensively tested down through the years, and includes notable performances within the Scottish National Flying Club, including 2 first Open positions from 500 mile races. The Cocks handle Medium to slightly larger than medium and the hens handle medium to slightly smaller than medium. They possess superb eyesign and are very typical of the strain, with Powder Blues, Pieds, White Flights and some Chequered lines to be seen. The “old” traits of white beaks and large wattles are evident in the older cocks.

To the future, we will be maintaining the colony through inbreeding tightly, interspersed with some out-crossing to other Delbar lines, to prevent inbred characteristics forming within the colony.