Lou Abbott German Roller Show

Last weekend, I judged German Rollers in Chicago.



Exhibitors, Ed Nagy left and Dave Galloway right, listened intently to the teams with me. Dave won Champion Young Team! Congratulations Dave! Yes, that's the same Dave featured in the lizard article.

Dave, like myself, enjoys breeding a variety of canaries. The old timers use to believe that if you wanted to bred rollers, you had to get rid of all other kinds of canaries.

We know now that rollers have such selective hearing that they do not even hear other kinds of birds! Mine are in cages below and above and side by side with my Borders, Staffords and Colorbred. As one of those non-roller birds sings, the roller does not even look there way. They only pay attention when they hear another roller sing. So having many kinds is not a problem but you can not let them hear a faulty roller or they just add the bad note to their repertoire!


Eli Prole stopped by the show. Eli is wanting to get into German rollers. He and four or five others are already in the early stages of planning a new affiliated roller club in Indiana.


Cabinets are left open after the judging.


A cage with German Roller hens for sale is sitting on top of one of the cabinets.


Show manager Robert Wild, stewarded the birds and kept the books.


It is always special to see all of my roller friends! Among those friends is Roller judge Billy Richardson, a special mentor, who provided guidance as I came up the ranks as a novice way back in 1982 through becoming a roller judge and continuing today as I will begin training new roller judges in Oakland next weekend!! Thanks so much Billy for sharing your knowledge and experience with me!!


Roller show trophies could even be seen from the parking lot!


Roller judge and Grand Champion show winner David Bopp, reviews his winning birds with Eli. Eli left with some of David's winning birds for his foundation roller stock. Roller people are not just friendly with words but they commonly share their best birds with other roller exhibitors so that next year they will breed and show better birds!

David is a very special friend and a wonderful ambassador for the roller fancy. David was another of my mentors and helped train me as a roller judge. Thanks so much David for all your words of encouragement and sharing your knowledge with me!

David even drove from Ohio to Canada to be there if I needed him to judge for me because of the terrible chest cold that was making me so sick. Thank goodness, I was able to judge their show but it was such a comfort to know he was there for me if I needed him!


Robert invited all to his home for dinner Saturday night.


This display at the front door is your first clue that this is a bird house!


A well-aged Kellogg Trophy is displayed prominently right inside the the front door amongst the Christmas and Bird memorabilia.


Thanks so much Robert and Char for a lovely evening!!


As I write this, I am reminded that roller shows have a special attraction. Roller people like most other bird fanciers are nice, helpful, and friendly. Perhaps the social networking is facilitated by less people attending roller shows, usually it is less than eight or ten, so that we can even get one table at a restaurant and we coordinate all of our meals with each other starting with breakfast each morning. It has always been that way for me, even when I first started as a novice.

With fewer people, we also have plenty of time to talk birds and share our experiences. Having met Dave last year at the national, it was so good to spend a lot of one on one time with him at the Chicago show and really get to know him!!

This weekend I am judging rollers in Oakland. Come on out and enjoy the hobby!!