Welcome to all racing pigeon fanciers, especially those who love Sions and in particular, the true line of old line of Heitzman Sions of which my family of "NO SWEAT SIONS" are entirely based upon. Charles Heitzman left this world some 35 years ago but for as long as I am alive he will always be here beside me in his home state of beloved Kentucky. The state of the Bluegrass which produces the finest racing thorughbreds in the world and also the very finest Sions. There is not a day that passes in which Charles Heitzman is not remembered. It would be impossible for me to do so. I have devoted much of my long life to maintaining and breeding his Sions to such an advanced degree that I know in my heart would make him joyous if he were able to return. He adored beautiful long distance racers and so do I.
I have been fortunate in the sport in having developed so many true friendships, none more than with my partner, John Hayes. Between the vigilancve of John and his craftmanship in constructing lofts and always caring for the birds we have managed to have built a dynasty of Sions surpassing any ever prior conceived.
In the photos taken this fall, you see among others my great long distance silver mealy cock named, "HARD CORE." He is now going on 13 years of age. And this year, 2022, he fertiled 12 eggs with the same hen. HARD CORE was my first bird back from 615 miles some 12 years ago when he was a YOUNG BIRD. He was my first bird home returning early on the second day by all by himself. He came home from the middle of Florida, across the entire state of Georgia and into the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee to finally find his way back to his top roost. He flew in nearly 90 degree weather and with a headwind. Pretty fair for a young bird. And that is why I have centered much of my long distance blood with his blood which continues to race well many generations down the line. He is bred from a brother-sister mating. Which goes to show you that not all babies from a brother-sister mating are exactly alike and neither are the babies from any mating. It is possible to breed babies from a brother and sister which turn out to be better than either of their parents. That is a topic I have discussed many times in the past.
And I am showing off some of my other 615 MILE YOUNG BIRDS which are now 12 years old and older and all still virile. Heitzman once said to me that he noticed so often that many of his champion racers which also became great breeders were birds which developed early, remained virile for a long time and lived very long lives. I agree. He also emphasized to me that the best birds to breed from were from racers which had flown the longest distances and that 500 MILE YOUNG BIRDS were so often his very best breeders. I agree. And I must emphaize that generally speaking the best birds are those being bred from birds which have most recently raced and performed consistenly well. Paul Sion knew this and so did Charles Heitzman.
This family of Sions I now have are truly more of a distinct family than has ever been bred by any one Sion breeder. That is due to the fact that I am now entring into my 65th year with nothing but Sions. I have been breeding Sions longer than anyoe alive. Longer than did Paul Sion and Charles Heitzman combined. And I have won some 1,100 first places in all manner of competiton with these Sions. Over the years I have settled basically on three main colos: Blue Bars, Silver Bars and Reds. I do breed some other colors which sometimes crop up. Still, I try to stay within those colors and still make performance and bloodlines the first matter when selecting birds to breed from. Today, the family of Sions I have are truly mine. I have managed to form them more into a basic unit in size and appearance. I have been around long enough to know what superior is when it comes to a racing pigeon. I appreciate balance, class and all that goes with it. My racing pigeons are the truest and finest Sions which have ever existed and I feel at this stage in my life they should be termed "NO SWEAT SIONS" as that is what they are. Heitzman told me that if anyone bred every single bird in a pigeon's pedigree for four straight generations then it deserved to be named after that man. And heavens, I now go back much farther than that. These NO SWEAT SIONS are NOT sions living in the past. Hoping to gain attention because of something one of their great, great, great grandmothers did in a small race. NO. The NO SWEAT SIONS are now racing TODAY in the biggest races in all the world and TODAY competing against the finest racers in all the world--and conssitently beating them. The NO SWEAT SIONS are the Sions of today and tomorrow and not "has beens" of an era long gone.
The No Sweat Sions are generally medium in size but I will ocassionally get a deviance or variation from such, not much. I have a great variety in eyes and many of the birds have wonderful eye signs. But still, I am NOT an "eye sign man." I have yet to witness anyone who can select a pigeon BEFORE a race based on its eyes and definitely tell me it will win and then that actually happen. It is always AFTER a race that these eye sign men "appear" with their vast knowledge. Scientist who have long labored to study the eyes of racing pigeons have found no substantial truth in eye signs.
The main thing I believe is important to look for in a racing pigeon is simply its homing instinct. And nobody can look at any pigeon and tell you hopw good its homing instinct really is. You have to fly birds to learn that. And I believe that the longer races tell more about a bird's actual homing instinct than do the shorter races where so many birds can easily follow each other. And when you begin to fly YOUNG BIRDS out to 500, 600 and even 700 MILES as I have done and also yearlings out to 1,000 miles as I have done---THEN--then you really begin to discover racing pigeons which own the superior homing instincts. At these incredible distances a bird must have that homing instinct and a great deal of heart. And when it does come home--you have a wonderful life-long friend there in front of you to be forever treasured.
These are photos which I have taken in September, 2022 of some of my birds, both young and old. I hope that you enjoy them. Please feel free to contact me at any time:
Earl Lowell "ROBBIE" / "NO SWEAT ROBBINS, JR.
207 LONGVIEW DRIVE
RICHMOND, KENTUCKY 40475
859-624-8113
[email protected]
**************************************************************************************
I have been fortunate in the sport in having developed so many true friendships, none more than with my partner, John Hayes. Between the vigilancve of John and his craftmanship in constructing lofts and always caring for the birds we have managed to have built a dynasty of Sions surpassing any ever prior conceived.
In the photos taken this fall, you see among others my great long distance silver mealy cock named, "HARD CORE." He is now going on 13 years of age. And this year, 2022, he fertiled 12 eggs with the same hen. HARD CORE was my first bird back from 615 miles some 12 years ago when he was a YOUNG BIRD. He was my first bird home returning early on the second day by all by himself. He came home from the middle of Florida, across the entire state of Georgia and into the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee to finally find his way back to his top roost. He flew in nearly 90 degree weather and with a headwind. Pretty fair for a young bird. And that is why I have centered much of my long distance blood with his blood which continues to race well many generations down the line. He is bred from a brother-sister mating. Which goes to show you that not all babies from a brother-sister mating are exactly alike and neither are the babies from any mating. It is possible to breed babies from a brother and sister which turn out to be better than either of their parents. That is a topic I have discussed many times in the past.
And I am showing off some of my other 615 MILE YOUNG BIRDS which are now 12 years old and older and all still virile. Heitzman once said to me that he noticed so often that many of his champion racers which also became great breeders were birds which developed early, remained virile for a long time and lived very long lives. I agree. He also emphasized to me that the best birds to breed from were from racers which had flown the longest distances and that 500 MILE YOUNG BIRDS were so often his very best breeders. I agree. And I must emphaize that generally speaking the best birds are those being bred from birds which have most recently raced and performed consistenly well. Paul Sion knew this and so did Charles Heitzman.
This family of Sions I now have are truly more of a distinct family than has ever been bred by any one Sion breeder. That is due to the fact that I am now entring into my 65th year with nothing but Sions. I have been breeding Sions longer than anyoe alive. Longer than did Paul Sion and Charles Heitzman combined. And I have won some 1,100 first places in all manner of competiton with these Sions. Over the years I have settled basically on three main colos: Blue Bars, Silver Bars and Reds. I do breed some other colors which sometimes crop up. Still, I try to stay within those colors and still make performance and bloodlines the first matter when selecting birds to breed from. Today, the family of Sions I have are truly mine. I have managed to form them more into a basic unit in size and appearance. I have been around long enough to know what superior is when it comes to a racing pigeon. I appreciate balance, class and all that goes with it. My racing pigeons are the truest and finest Sions which have ever existed and I feel at this stage in my life they should be termed "NO SWEAT SIONS" as that is what they are. Heitzman told me that if anyone bred every single bird in a pigeon's pedigree for four straight generations then it deserved to be named after that man. And heavens, I now go back much farther than that. These NO SWEAT SIONS are NOT sions living in the past. Hoping to gain attention because of something one of their great, great, great grandmothers did in a small race. NO. The NO SWEAT SIONS are now racing TODAY in the biggest races in all the world and TODAY competing against the finest racers in all the world--and conssitently beating them. The NO SWEAT SIONS are the Sions of today and tomorrow and not "has beens" of an era long gone.
The No Sweat Sions are generally medium in size but I will ocassionally get a deviance or variation from such, not much. I have a great variety in eyes and many of the birds have wonderful eye signs. But still, I am NOT an "eye sign man." I have yet to witness anyone who can select a pigeon BEFORE a race based on its eyes and definitely tell me it will win and then that actually happen. It is always AFTER a race that these eye sign men "appear" with their vast knowledge. Scientist who have long labored to study the eyes of racing pigeons have found no substantial truth in eye signs.
The main thing I believe is important to look for in a racing pigeon is simply its homing instinct. And nobody can look at any pigeon and tell you hopw good its homing instinct really is. You have to fly birds to learn that. And I believe that the longer races tell more about a bird's actual homing instinct than do the shorter races where so many birds can easily follow each other. And when you begin to fly YOUNG BIRDS out to 500, 600 and even 700 MILES as I have done and also yearlings out to 1,000 miles as I have done---THEN--then you really begin to discover racing pigeons which own the superior homing instincts. At these incredible distances a bird must have that homing instinct and a great deal of heart. And when it does come home--you have a wonderful life-long friend there in front of you to be forever treasured.
These are photos which I have taken in September, 2022 of some of my birds, both young and old. I hope that you enjoy them. Please feel free to contact me at any time:
Earl Lowell "ROBBIE" / "NO SWEAT ROBBINS, JR.
207 LONGVIEW DRIVE
RICHMOND, KENTUCKY 40475
859-624-8113
[email protected]
**************************************************************************************
