Ghent Pouter Pigeon origin description size ornaments colors comment and pictures gallery

Origin: Western Belgium, around the 17th century. Its ancestry is uncertain, but presumably it is related to the Old Holland and Pomeranian Pouters, especially since Holland and Pomerania were conveniently accessible to each other by water.

Description: It is an exhibition breed and is tall and erect.

Size: It is a large Pouter, with a wingspread said to be 30 to 36 inches. It is shorter and with much larger girth than the Old Holland, the Pomeranian, or the Saxon Pouters. Average weight about 25 to 26.5 ounces (700 to 750 grams).

Ornaments:  It is plain-headed, with heavily feathered legs and feet, and with wide muffs.

Colors: The Ghent Pouter is bred in four color patterns:

Dominican: A magpie pattern, but somewhat different from the English Magpie. The head, globe, wings, lower part of back, and under part of the body have white plumage. The neck, breast. upper part of back, and tail are colored. The white marking of the head


covers the frontal and the crown and extends about one-half inch below the eye and over the globe in the form of a bib. It is bred in black, blue, red, yellow, and silver.

Self: According to Jurgens (1959), it is bred in black, blue, and silver, with black bars; blue checkered, red, yellow, barred red (mealy), barred yellow (cream), and white.

Snip or Spot: In this variety the body plumage is all white except for a colored snip, or blaze, on the head and a colored tail. It is bred in black, blue, silver, red, and yellow.

Pied: This variety has the same general markings as the English Pouter. According to Fontaine (1922) it is bred in black, blue, red, yellow, and mealy.

Comment: This Pouter is scarce in the United States. The Pouter known in the United States as the Baldhead German Cropper is probably the Ghent Dominican.

Seven steps must follows for Pigeon growing:

The requirements for pigeon breeding are simple, but they must be followed to be successful. There should be no relaxing or neglect at any time, for it is much easier to prevent trouble than to eliminate disease, parasites or vermin once these have occurred.

1. A dry house with the inside protected from rain or snow.
2. Separate houses for mated pairs and odd birds.
3. A flypen, if the breed requires one that dries out easily.
4. A suitable feed ration protected from contamination.
5. A suitable mineral ration protected from contamination.
6. Water suitable for human consumption protected from contamination.
7. Suitable nesting materials.

If any one of the seven is neglected, trouble of some sort will eventually occur.

References: Encyclopedia of Pigeon breeds by Wendell Mitchell Levi, accepted everywhere as Mr. Pigeon