Welcome to the South African Distance Roller Federation

The SA distance roller pigeon. Why the name and where did these roller pigeons come from? In this article the story of this breed’s history unfolds, and the reason behind the name SA Distance Roller Pigeon is revealed.

Very little was recorded about these pigeons in the early years, and it is speculated that these pigeons were developed out of West of England and Oriental roller pigeons, but this is not a confirmed fact. Up until 2000, these pigeons were known, by the people who kept them, as local roller pigeons or Locals as apposed to Imports or Birmingham’s.

A part of the origin of the SA distance roller pigeon, as it is known today in South Africa, can be traced as far back as 1945 when the first Birmingham roller pigeons of British born fancier Ken White were imported to this country. Other local fanciers, like Tommy Alison and Henry Scott, also imported pigeons from Britain and other parts of the world.

Kent Birds

A part of the origin of the SA distance roller pigeon, as it is known today in South Africa, can be traced as far back as 1945 when the first Birmingham roller pigeons of British born fancier Ken White were imported to this country. Other local fanciers, like Tommy Alison and Henry Scott, also imported pigeons from Britain and other parts of the world.

It was purely by choice that the SA distance roller pigeon came to be. The fanciers that imported the Birmingham roller pigeon kept by the British standard and rules of kit performance. These pigeons had to be very active and had to roll as many times as possible during a competition and for this reason the ideal pigeon had to roll only between 1 and 2½ seconds. But some of these imported pigeons had the tendency to roll much deeper than required... Click here to read the full article

Goodrum Birds

The Goodrum strain most probably originated out of imported pigeons but their country of origin is not known today as it was never recorded. These pigeons were bred by Dr Goodrum who at the time lived in the Eastern Suburbs of Johannesburg. They were medium in build, clean legged pigeons, mostly mottle in colour. They were also known for their ability to roll very deep and were very good flyers.

These pigeons also took some time to become active rollers but not as long as the Kent strain and when they did it was usually a spectacular site to see. It is believed that the Goodrum strain was developed out of the American High-Flying Tippler (Roller), thus giving these pigeons their strong flying ability and their distinct mottle colour... Click here to read the full article

Ketap Birds

The Ketap strain was bred by Brendan Ketap, also from the East of Johannesburg, and again no records were kept as to where their forefathers came from. These pigeons were small in build, and mostly muffed pigeons with the ability to roll deep. They, however, did not have the strong flying ability the Kent and Goodrum strains possessed, but they were sought after for the one quality that these other two strains lacked, namely activity.

These pigeons became active rollers at a very early age, sometimes only weeks after weaning, and at the same time they were very frequent rollers, sometimes rolling in such succession that it became impossible for them to fly back to the kit and regroup, making them unsuitable for competitions in the purebred form... Click here to read the full article

South African Distance Roller Federation

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Welcome to the South African Distance Roller Federation