| Award winning Goldstar Racing Loft, winner of the AU Loft of the Year picture contest 2003 Big Loft Category Picture taken by G. Goeken in July 1999. |
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This site is dedicated to the sport & hobby of racing and breeding Racing Homing Pigeons! This site last updated 7/2/09 See the new listing of "Birds For Sale" and a new SPECIAL price on these Goldstar breeders. Check the other pages on this site for information on some of these fantastic Goldstar birds that WILL improve your lofts performance!! Sold out of 2009 YB kits! To reserve Young bird kits for 2010 send a deposit in now (100.00 min.) Click on the "Other Info " button to see the latest happenings at the ILLINI One loft race! |
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| Goldstar Racing Loft was actually founded in 1973 but the strain is more than half a century old. It wasn't until 1995 they began winning consistently for us at the distance. In fact, that year we won 7 of the Combine average speed awards in old birds alone. The birds, a strain I have named and developed over the last 35+ years in my loft had been bred or created by the late Gene Goldschmidt of St. Louis Mo. The combination of his decades of breeding and several key birds I blended into them over the years has created a family of birds I call the "Goldstars". The Goldstars are a quality breed of birds which excel at the distance and or on hard weather races as well as any distance race from any direction. Everyone who obtains them wins with them and observes how smart these birds are in racing home or just in the loft. Read on and check out all the pages on the site. Any comments or suggestions are welcome. |
Goldstar Racing & Breeding Lofts
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| Above left is a newer photo of the old loft taken 7/23/07. The birds as well as us enjoy the goldfish pond/waterfall in front of the YB Loft. NOTE: the lofts and house at 3244 Chestnut Street in the Bunker Hill, IL area is for sale for only $87,500 if you know of anyone interested. It is a 3 bedroom 1 1/2 story home on a half+ acre of land. It has a double car garage PLUS a 24 x 30 pole barn (club house) and cedar picket fence with many out buildings, flowers and trees and a beautiful yard. Call for more info 618-585-3624 or email me. Goldstar birds are now flying in Hawaii, Taiwan, Texas, Delaware, Washington, Oregon, Florida, North & South Carolina, California, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Minnesota, Illinois, Washington, Wisconsin, Nevada, Utah, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Indiana, and other states. Including Mexico City, Mexico NOW. |
| Old Bird racing 2008: Our Old bird race series results: 150 mi. Race A 2nd and 3rd club, 18th & 19th Combine. 150 mi. Race B 8th and 9th club, 17th & 18th Combine. 200 mi. Race A 1st and 5th club, 15th Combine, 200 mi. Race B 6th and 8th club, 30th Combine 200 mi. Race A 1st club, 6th Combine 200 mi. Race B 3rd and 6th club, 24th & 26th Combine 300 mi. Race A 7th and 9th club, 15th Combine 300 mi. Race B 2nd club, 2nd Combine 500 mi. Race A 4th club, 8th Combine 500 mi. Race B 1st and 2nd club, 2nd & 5th Combine 300 mi Race A 11th club 300 mi. Race B 8th club 500 mi blow home but disaster for us, 11th club Race A 500 mi Race B 22nd club.... Almost everyone had early day birds but us as something is WRONG with the birds form. I think I have figured it out and it is contaminated well water!!!!!!! I have used this well water for years and believe it is BETTER than chlorine water however we have had so much rain recently that septic ground water has gotten in the well. I just noticed that the dogs would not even drink it and am thinking this is the reason for loose droppings and poor performance from the birds. I have switched to city water but the last 2 races have ruined us for this year average wise. 240-mi Race A 2nd and 3rd club, 6th and 7th Combine 240 mi Race B 13th club, 31st Combine Note: Our last loft training toss was April 23rd which was 36 birds to 90 miles. I trained 11 birds 45 miles on 4/29 and 15 birds 45-miles on June 6th and have not trained since. We were winning overall short and overall ALL races average speed until the contaminated water problem. 500-mi Race A 12th Combine 500-mi Race B 13th Combine 600-mi Race A we got a DAY BIRD! Bird 1679 flew 622.562 miles in 14 hours 20 min 16 seconds from Shamrock, Texas for 3rd club and 3rd Combine and one of only 5 day birds and flew the longest distance of any bird in the Combine. Only beaten by one of my club members over 19 miles shorter. It was 20 minutes after sun set when 1679 arrived. In Race B we were 6th club 12th Combine. |
| This site is for the purpose of promoting the sport of Racing Pigeons. We want to show everyone our beautiful birds, the lofts and express the enjoyment we have in caring for these wonderful creatures. For those of you that do not know, THIS is the ultimate hobby. It involves not only caring for a living thing but much more, such as in interacting with fellow fanciers in pigeon shows and competing in races. In order to do these things there is much more involved than simply "caring" for them. There are club memberships, meetings, outings, visiting, auctions, and a whole list of other happenings that will keep you busy all year long outside of just caring for the birds at home. However, the efforts of this hobby include loft building and re-modeling, breeding the birds which can involve hours of studying which birds to mate together (if you so desire). Feeding the birds, giving supplements, cleaning, banding babies and settling them to the loft not to mention training them to home and to race home all this is only a pittance of this hobby. There is so much to learn about these wonderful birds! They are individuals that are extremely smart and all have their own unique personality. Even after 35+ years I am amazed by the birds and learn something new about them and working with them all the time. People in my life have came and gone but once you acquire the love for these birds and this hobby you instantly have many brothers (and sisters) as you will feel that kinship with other people who enjoy the same thing. For those people who are not involved in a pigeon hobby, especially in the Racing of them, you have no idea what you are missing! It is unexplainable the excitement and satisfaction we get from this sport and the birds. I feel I am the luckiest guy in the world to know this and enjoy this hobby and that I was born to do this and thankful for it. |
| Here is another picture taken June 27th 2009. The grass looks brown because it is cut water grass. We have had more rain since I moved here, in the last 12 months than we EVER had in any 12 month period in history I think. Having 5 acres I do allot of mowing and am getting a little tired of it. You can see the old bird loft aviary door is open to let the remaining late hatches exercise. As predicted I am down to 6 pair and all have been trained 5 miles many times. The last 11 days of well over 90 degrees as put a stop to training for now. The temp has went down today so I will continue to test these late hatches. The building to the right is a chicken house. We have Welsummer chickens (a rooster and 3 hens). These are nice hardy chickens and very good brown egg layers. The eggs are the darkest brown eggs you ever saw. I recently set eggs under the pigeons (1 per pair) and hatched out 4 baby chicks. Of course I have to move the chicks ASAP when the hatch. |
| At the left is the NEW Goldstar racing loft. New Picture taken June 2009. Not even a year yet so we continue to make it better and decorate it as well. As you can see we have put a large clock by the landing board so my birds can see what time they get home. Also Gold Star for decoration. The loft in total is 24' x 8' at this time (now with an 8 x 10 breeder loft in the back). The young bird section is on the left and old birds in the middle with a small hall way storage on the right. One big advantage to this loft is having one landing board/trap instead of two. I will no longer have to re-train the YBs to the OB board and trap. There is a box inside where I can direct them to either loft. I have learned over the years that having only one drop hole for the birds is the only way to go. This loft is more than 24" off the ground. High and dry is better for sure. The roof is slanted front instead of back so I can see the birds. Other buildings are far enough away that they will land on the loft (mostly). The aviaries are all 1 x 1 welded wire which is perfect for pigeons. MY YB perches are made of 1 x 6's and are 12 x 12 with dividers 2 " up from the bottom. I have over 60 YB perches but my normal team will only be 50 birds. The roof is white metal with insulation R board under it so as not to transfer heat or cold into the loft. Even when it is very hot out it stays nice inside much to my surprise. I am still perfecting it & landscaping it so it will get better with time. |
| "Superior Long Distance Racing Pigeons" |
| Loft news and update: Around the Goldstar Loft. The rain has let up but we have had 11 days of 90+ temps with heat index's about 100 degrees. The birds seem to take heat very well. I just give them plenty of water and allot of bathes. Finally today a front came through and we are back to more of a normal temperature range and humidity range too. I am still getting the late hatches (08 birds) out for 2 hours every EVENING open loft. What a difference it made to let the YBs out in the morning. I let them out at 6 AM (or earlier) and they get high and fly for a good while now. I have about 60 YBs in the loft now and most are going out and flying some. Different ages are slowing them down but now they are coming of maturity. I usually don't have birds on the race team more than a month age difference but having to build a new OB team I need a few extra. I give them plenty of feed until about 10 AM then remove any left overs. By evening they are hungry again but the only feed they get is what I feed them by hand. I sit on the floor in the loft and if they come to me they eat. I have done this for years as it helps the birds bond with me and makes them tame. I am somewhat excited as I jumped some of the settled 08 birds out 5 miles and they actually came home. I still have doubts that I will end up with more than a hand full of good race birds out of them. But as we know all we really need is a few VERY GOOD birds to compete. It took about a year but I finally have birds homing to this new loft. It is hard to explain but it feels good. It is sort of like starting over and makes me excited to just watch them home from anywhere. Getting started in this sport takes some time but with knowledge and having bred some of the BEST birds in the world I know I will be on top of the sheet in a very short time. All it takes is Excellent health and Superior birds (and be a dedicated fancier) and it is easy and FUN to compete in this sport. |
