Purebred Pigeon Sept/October 2025

Breed of the Issue - AMERICAN GIANT HOMER GIANT HOMER – Page 21 – Purebred PIGEON J uniors & G iants By Larry Wilmes H ello Everyone! This beautiful magazine special is focusing on our American Giant Homer, so I’ll share one of my favorite aspects of this treasured breed in this article I would title: Juniors and Giants. My Giant Homer beginning includes another breeder, Don Roscoe – a short road trip with dad when I was half my size yielded a red check cock bird and a blue check hen. I was already familiar with raising pigeons, having Utility Kings. But this “new” breed was totally docile. I could manage them without them flying away on me. I came back to Roscoe’s the next year picking up an unrelated bird to pair up with the growing flock I had. The rest is history. Since the late 1990s I have been banding over a hundred a year most years. Throughout that time, I have given away many pairs to juniors who were interested. Many like the eye-catching colors like grizzles and splashes – eye candy. Or they like the fact that when they accidentally get away at an event during showmanship, they fly up to the rafters. It really brings joy to me when I hear or get a text that they did well, raising a bunch, showing and winning best utility, or winning ribbons and trips to the state fair! A few years back, I was awakened by a phone call one night from the parent of an ex- cited junior telling me that her son won 4H Champion Pigeon at the State Fair. This past spring, I was able to gift nine pair to the juniors. Just recently, I got a call from a judge telling me how excited a junior was with the Giants he received Larry M. Wilmes, holding one of his Tiger Grizzle Old Hens that he gave to a Junior Tyce Faber holding his 4-H Champion Utility American Giant Homer at the Minnesota State Fair which he received from Larry Wilmes