Swifts prices and questions to ask
by Adel Salem

What are they based upon? Are you paying the right price?
What information should you get from the seller before you pay?
The following information is based on various questions by many interested fanciers. I have included some thoughts to help you in determining why Swifts prices vary and what you should expect from class birds.
I will cover briefly the status of Swifts in the USA, importing from Egypt, questions to ask to find what you looking for and last, what is being done in
King Tut Loft to maintain this fine breed.

The current status of the breed in the West:
1-Multi-purpose bird with flying ability and excellent showing appearance.
2-Strictly show, which is marked with a noticeable body length and exotic head and neck structure as you see in the standard sketches and pictures.
3-Swifts from highly inbred stock, German imports of Rehanis and Swifts of crossed groups.

Importation Process of a multiple purpose bird in the USA:
A major factor determining their base price. Direct importation from the Middle East for a pair of pigeons until it clears the US quarantine is over $500.00 in 1999 and on the rise consistently. It includes, air fair, accommodation for two weeks, shipping and Quarantine. Bird's prices vary a lot, depending on their quality and how much time I have to buy the birds. Shipping and tips are usually more consistent. This price is unfortunately way above the average for what many fanciers accustomed to. While dropping down the price of the prime bird will be applauded by many, importation will be stopped in its track. Relying on inbreeding will be the only source of an already tenuous shortage of a good gene pool, leading to inferior breed in a short time.
Selection and bird's quality
Reputable flying lofts cull more than 20% from the product of cross breeding within the same group and 50% or more from inbreeding of successive generations. Poor traits typically detected in unchecked breeding or excessive inbreeding will bring about the demise of any loft in a brief time. Don’t hesitate to ask about the genetic makeup and group classification of what you getting or you will end up getting mixed groups.
If you looking for flying birds, you must see the birds flying or at least ask the seller for a prove that he is engaged in flying or have racing records? Don’t accept the slogan "they all fly and its only a matter of training" for an answer. As you know, flying pigeons come exclusivley from mating two flown birds.
Those who are interested in the show case bird, must get birds as close as possible to those sketches you see in the standards. Flying qualities might be then sacrificed.
How much the seller knows about diseases? Salmonella, Pox, Coccidiodes and other diseases could be carried without displaying any symptoms until the proper opportunity arises. Do they vaccinate at least annually against Paramyxovirus?

More questions to Ask
Always ask about the Quarantine certificate number and make a call to verify it. The number in Los Angeles is (310) 725-1970. I will site an example for how important that is; An Egyptian person who lives in LA approached me with a claim that he had imported birds from Egypt and would like to sell a few. When I questioned him about the quarantine papers, he claimed that "they were smuggled"! Turned out that he buys ES from local lofts and sells as imports.
If you are interested in both the flying-show type be aware of "we don't fly because of Hawks" that means their birds don't fly". As a rule of a thumb if you don’t see the birds performing, then request performance evidence.
If they claim that their stock comes directly from reputable name lofts, then ask them for the birds band numbers and verify them. I document sold birds of group A and B in a computer database along with buyer’s name. I will be glad to run a computer check for band numbers you might have, if the birds were mine.

Steps adopted in my lofts to insure the purity of the flying and show breed
Selecting and breeding from properly matched birds. Growing up in Egypt and becoming familiar with the breed early in my childhood has given me the opportunity to experience the multifaceted of the breed. I strive for the best possible according to the Swifts standards to assure their purity and flying ability as presented in the video "Duel in the Sky".
The video was initiated to answer two major questions ; Primarily, providing an insight views for the ability of the Swifts as not only an epitome show bird with brilliant colors and patterns, but also as unquestionably an intelligent flying bird. Secondly, it illustrates a clear-cut difference between the flying (compacted bird) and its lesser weak image of non-flying (loose- feathered bird). Many of the later groups should have been culled, but nonetheless were sold as genuine flying Swifts. A genuine flying Swift is an intelligent bird and has the ability to stay on the wing ,for most groups, for over 6 hours during tosses . It posses at least 80% of a showing quality.
In conclusion: Bird’s prices are mandated by their actual performance in the air and show. Mixed birds or poor quality are of no value.

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