Ray,
 
Yes, the pedigree doesn't make wise decisions in selecting stock. The owner of the family must do that.
What the pedigree tells me is the blood is there to produce great rollers if I am willing to learn the many secrets of the family and learn how to pull them to the surface. (it may equally tell me I am wasting my time)
 
There are probably many rollers families we could work with and have excellent results, especially after many years of experience.
Pensom has been gone long enough that we can't rely on getting Pensom bred birds and have any hope that the blood has been maintained except by seeing the proof in the air. What we get now is a new family of birds built by those who put forth the effort consistantly to maintain the family in the correct manner.
Pedigrees will ruin a family of birds if they are used to make matings. A pedigree should be nothing more than a journal of where you have been. It should not make decisions as to where you are going. The pigeons will tell us that as we watch them every day and see what they are telling us.
 
I guarantee I could take birds from Rich Hayes, Rick Schoening, Jerry Higgins, Charlie Stack, Heine Bijker, Ivan Hanchett, Dave Szabatura, Don Simpson or a dozen others and work them into something that suites me just fine. The hard work has already been done, and that is what the pedigree tells us.
A useful pedigree should have nothing but excellent rollers from the air listed. When you see the words "bred for stock" proceed with a jaundiced eye. The bird could and most likely was a cull.
 
Out of 100 pigeons the typical is 7 stock pigeons and 1 that will produce well in the stock loft. When the family is established it will come up to about 34% good usable kitbirds. Ones you can put up and feel good about in front of a judge. Anything beyond that is typically just dreaming.
The pair I have is some kind of breeding phenomenon that I have faith will drop off dramatically in their offspring. Time will tell and I am honest to a fault so you will know too.
 
So, anytime a pigeon is stocked without being flown there is a 99% chance it will not produce what you want for stock. There is a 93% chance it will not produce what you want in your A-team unless it is from an excellent family and then only a 64% chance it will not produce usable rollers for your kitbox.
 
I probably should write in my pedigrees what the birds did in the air. I sometimes do but usually am too lazy to bother.
Basically what I am saying is that pedigrees are just telling you if the blood is there then it is up to you to make the best of the blood.
Breeding rollers is pretty much like building a car. The parts are there in the box and you have the tools but to get it put together and running you have to work hard until it's done. You can't get the box of parts and tools and complain that it didn't build itself.
 
Ken Easley