Keepsakes loft
For loft news, upcoming and available birds...
For our waitlist application...
About Us
Breeding pet Classic Old Frill pigeons pets since 2020.
Click below to learn about our loft, the breed, and pigeon-keeping in general.
Meet the Pigeons
Follow to find our roster and some insights into our current flock.
Terms of Service and Policies
Click here for adoption application information and sample adoption contract, policies, and links.
Snapshots from the loft
Our Loft
Keepsakes Loft is a small hobby breeder of Classic Old Frill (COF) pigeons located in the GTA area of Ontario, Canada. We are proudly registered with the CPFA, attend events, and look forward to involvement in shows when that becomes possible again. All of our squeaks go home banded and registered, with a guarantee of health and satisfaction.A lifelong love of these sweet, misunderstood birds led us to the purchase of our first pair of COFs, Duke and Duchess, in May of 2020, who had their first clutch in August 2020. We documented the hatching and growth of the babies, Bedwyr and Galahad, and the immense interest that the internet expressed in them led to us considering the prospect of breeding a small, select number of babies as pets.The loft's caretakers are James, and their partner Adrian who handles the photography and social media.
Personal praxis
Our loft is a part of our home - their space is our space. It also means that we focus on quality, rather than quantity of birds, and will only have a small number of babies available at any given time. We want to ensure that the peeps we produce have the best possible start.The human caretakers of the loft share the view that pigeons have been met with some pretty unfair "PR" in the last 60+ years, and it's going to take a lot to get the public to return to seeing them as intelligent, loving companions. The allure of COFs is that they are just so stunning - they really shatter peoples' expectations of what a pigeon can look like. When we tell people that we have pet pigeons, and show them what we mean, we often hear "that is not what I was expecting!"We focus on breeding robust, healthy birds from the best available stock. Our goal is to preserve the prim beaks of the classic frill while adopting the lean, up-right posture of the modern frill.
Classic Old Frills
Breed History
Much information about the origins and history of the breed can be found on the Wikipedia Page and on the website of the National Frill Club.Originally bred for the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire, for centuries the breed was kept away from the common people."The "Hünkari", or as it's known today outside Turkey, "the Oriental Frill" was first imported to England by H. P. Caridia in 1864 from Izmir. It was first exhibited in National Columbarian Society in 1879 in America.The Old Fashioned or Original Hünkari (Oriental Frill) possess less exaggerated features unlike the Oriental Frill of today. They can still feed their own young, called squabs, by regurgitation, because their beaks have not been bred down to such an extremely short and blunt shape as in the new style show birds. There is therefore no need for foster feeders, of another long-beaked breed, such as homers, to feed the Classic Oriental Frill squabs. The old style Hünkari (Oriental Frill) is still a good flyer as it is not bred in larger sizes." (Wikipedia).
breed appearance
"A small to medium-sized (average weight 11-12 oz) cobby pigeon, with a jaunty disposition. Stations at near to a 45-degree angle with the tip of the tail just clearing the floor. Typical characteristics include a breast frill, peak crest, grouse muffs, and a medium-short thick beak. Satinettes are shield marked / tail marked birds with white bars or laces on their shield and Moon Spots or laces on their tail. Blondinettes are whole colored birds which also possess white bars or lacing on the shields and Moon Spots or lacing on the tail...Some varieties have the lacing extending over most of the body." (Wikipedia)
additional sources
For more information about the breed, we highly recommend joining the Classic Old Frill group on Facebook.
Additionally, TheRamseyLoft and ChickenKeeping are incredible sources of information for all things pigeon related.
Meet the Pigeons
Keepsakes Loft houses breeding pairs of Classic Old Frills, in blondinette and satinette as well as several "hybrid" pairs. Inviting in the genes and temperaments of Archangels, Chinese Owls, and Seraphims we're striving to breed for mellow, attractive, companion alternatives.For information on our current roster of birds...
Click here to view our available birds.
FOUNDATION PAIRS
Duke & Duchess
Duke and Duchess came to us in 2019, our first breeding pair. Their history was largely unknown but their bands implied that they were originally banded by Foy's Supply in the USA.They gave us a four beautiful clutches before we decided to retire them at the end of 2021 at five years old.They will always have a home with us, and we look forward to what their kids can do.
Phas & Barrow
Phas and Barrow came to us on October 31st of 2020. We had different plans for each of them, but they've been inseparable since they met.We've had more than our share of ups and downs with these two but together they've taught us so much of what we know today. Through them we were able to really start to grasp at what our long-term goals are for the project.This pair has thrown so many surprises we can't wait to see what more they have in store.
Gryphon & Kitiara
Gryphon and Kitiara came to us through a local contact in the winter of 2020 along with three others.They're an outstanding pair, and great parents from the start. Gryphon happens to be the largest cockbird in our flock, and Kitiara the smallest hen - in demeanor very much the reverse.Part of the bedrock of our loft, we hope for more pairs like these in our future program.
News and Availability
Young Birds
The winter squeaks are coming of age, and should be ready to go early in the new year!We have our last squeak out of the Duke/Duchess line, Constantine who is a dun lace. We have our first and last two out of Cosmo/Titiana, Sirus and Andromeda who are both black. And we have two out of Phas/Barrow, Topaz and Pyrite, one dun and one burnished silver.As always, feel free to contact us by filling out an application or by emailing me direct at [email protected]Happy holidays everyone!
Adult Birds
At this time we have a few paired and unpaired birds from picking up a loft lot sale. All are healthy, vibrant birds but much more suited to loft than companionship lifestyles.If you have a loft, please feel free to reach out. We are asking a light fee of $25 per individual to ensure these birds go to interested homes. Be advised that COFs are not homing pigeons and aren't the best suited to free-fly.In addition we also have one retired senior, Beorn, who is a great prospect for companionship. Feel free to contact us for further information on him.
Terms of Service / Policies
The pigeons that we breed at Keepsakes Loft are intended to be kept as pets, not to be free-flown outside without a harness or shelter. They were hand-raised with love, and every one of our birds has been tended to with the utmost of care. Their health, safety, and happiness are our top priorities!We are a no-cull breeder with a focus on producing healthy, even-tempered birds first and foremost - they may not win any pigeon pageants, but they will surely win your heart!If any of our birds are not a good fit for their home, we will absolutely have space for them to return to our loft, and a partial refund can be discussed (barring no medical issues for the returning bird).Below are links to our Instagram, email, Tumblr, a Pinterest with sample indoor setups, and the form for our wait list.