Describe the performance you see in your best Ruby Rollers:
I want to qualify my answer by stating, I do not fly my Ruby's in contests but instead breed for individual performance within the kit. I keep and fly a small loft of a maximum of fifty birds.
I fly every bird in my loft, even the breeders. Experienced enthusiasts will realize the fewer the birds the harder to maintain quality. I require a minimum performance standard from my birds which consists of the following.
1.A quality of "X" to "H" in wing position.
2. A minimum depth, with a consistency of thirty to thirty five feet. Note: I have many that exceed this standard depth but fail my personal standard in quality of spin. However this is not a fault of Ruby Rollers but of my strict insistence of the standards, from the beginning to the end of each roll.
3. Speed in the spin, I feel Is a product of wing position. The Ruby Roller comes with the capability of incredible speed, as long as the breeder maintains or improves the compact body and wing position inherent of the Ruby strain.
4. Kitting is well instilled within the strain but as with any can degrade with over feeding or non-flying. My kits do their best when flown six days and rested one every week. This pertains to young birds as an excepted standard, ( opinion) but with the Ruby, even the old birds benefit from frequent flying.
What would you say to anyone considering the Ruby Rollers strain?
I think the Ruby strain is easily adaptable to contest or backyard flying. They are able to do well in small or large loft situations. They are a hardy and strong strain requiring little medications if bred in isolation and a clean dry loft. They are suitable for beginners or experienced enthusiasts alike.
I would be glad to discuss my Ruby's and experiences in depth with anyone interested in Tony's birds. Thomas Hale (flycontroline@yahoo.com) in Southern Ohio.