John Moore

John hails from the sunny city of Gardena, California USA and he has been in the roller game since he was a kid in the 60’s. Now, John is competing against some of the best; he tries to fly in every major competition. He also flies with his local club, Outlaw Rollers Club. His loft is roomy and is designed in an “L” shape which includes the breeders section as well as his kit boxes. He has a total of 6 kit boxes where he also has a couple break-up sections divided by a narrow hallway. He uses both “open loft” and individual sections to breed from.

John has experience with several families including Monty Neibel’s. Now, he is primarily working with rollers from or with Steve Agent background. He calls his loft “Spin City Loft” and he bands with an interesting acronym which is very fitting for the family of birds he works with: “SWARM”. A friend of his was watching his rollers fly when he first got them and said they kitted like a swarm of bees. It doubles also as “Started With Agent Rollers of Maryland”.

 

Q&A

John Moore, 40-60, Gardena, CA USA.
I try to keep 22 or 23 cocks and hens on hand. I only breed out of 20 pair. I keep the extra birds just in case one isn’t fertile, dies or something unexpected happens.
I have 6 kit boxes but try to fly 4 or 5 kits.
I started with rollers as a kid in l the late 60’s. I use to buy birds from Mr. and Mrs. Cook that use to live on 70 something and Vermont. I would ride my bike from 58th and Vermont to purchase birds. I got back into birds in 1999.
There are many big name breeders and flyers who have influenced me in one way or another. The person who has influenced me most would have to be Steve Agent. Steve not only sold me birds but allowed me to pick his brain over the years. He also told me what to do to get his birds to work for me.
The Agent birds. These birds are fast and have great quality. They also go in big bunches and kit like a swarm of bees.
The Big Unit (bred by Steve Agent). He seems to be behind most of the good ones. He is a lite tort which was a great producer for many years and as still fertile up until this year (2015). I got the last youngster he produced this year (he is no longer fertile). His band number is MTS 04 526; he’s on many of Steve’s pedigrees.
I want a bird that spins with good quality and speed. I want a bird that is 20′- 40′ that hustles back to the kit.
I don’t really look for much on the ground. I want a bird with a clear eye but I’m not raising show birds so I’m looking for the performance in the air. You hear people talk about expression. If the bird shows expression and has a good clear eye then that’s a bonus if he does it right in the air. We could probably find a commie with a good eye, good feather quality and that shows good expression. None of those fore mentioned traits makes it a roller. It’s about air performance first and foremost.
I think the quality (of the roll) is the first thing. Then, the speed and the depth. I say quality first because a bird can be fast and sloppy. Also, deep and sloppy. If there is quality but they are short, you can make them deeper by stocking deeper birds within the family. You can also add the speed by breeding from the faster birds within the family. Now if the quality isn’t there, then how can you improve what’s not there to begin with.
You can always get better. Steve Agent says this on a regular basis. I believe that also. If you use a motto then you don’t become stagnant. Climbing to the top of the mountain is hard but staying up there is even harder if you’re not always trying to improve or up your game. I just try to improve every year. It may not mean putting up big numbers but maybe improving the stock loft.
I think the most disappointing thing has to be the predators. Thinking, okay I have a decent kit only to have wiped out in only a few days. You are always replacing birds in the kit and just when they start to gel, it happens again. It’s a never ending process but it’s part of the hobby.
1) Not wanting to fly (landing on the wire, pole, tree or roof)
2) Not kitting
3) Landing early (if there is nothing physically wrong )
Go out and see as many rollers as you can. Find out what a champion looks like. Then you can strive to try an produce champions.