Schmalkaldender Mohrenkopf

Written By: Ed Maas of Orleans, MA.
They at one time were called Mane pigeons in this country. They are from Germany and are named for the town Schmalkalden which is where the monks in the monastery bred them. They were very popular before World War II but were almost wiped out with the elimination of breeders and pigeons during the war. One or two breeders has now become almost 100 in Europe. I happened to see some in the for sale section and bought two for my dad. He did not want them as he has fallen in love with the frills so I kept them in my coop. They are very docile and stay to themselves. They come in Black originally which is Mohrenkoph, BlackHead in German. They now are also blue, red, yellow, dun, silver and lavender. They are listed under rare breeds for NPA and they are in the book of standards.