Just because it's a White King, doesn't mean it's a Utility King!

An old fashioned White Utility King
from the publisher's loft

As often happens with breeds of animals that are often originally bred for utility or sporting purposes, it doesn't take long until some breeders begin to change them with other goals in mind.

The White King pigeon breed was first developed in the United States for squabbing purposes back in the 1890's. According to most sources, the breed was developed by crossbreeding the Duchesse, which is a rare Italian Mondain breed with white plumage and feathered legs; the Racing Homer, the Maltese and the Giant Runt pigeon. The first White Kings were selected for their snow white plumage (hence yellow-white skin), large size, fast growth rate and their fast breeding rate. These attributes helped the breed to quickly establish itself as one of the most valuable breeds in the booming commercial squab industry, which prior to about 1920 had been largely dominated by Racing Homers which had been selected for plumper squabs opposed to their homing abilities

By the 1930's and 1940's, some pigeon fanciers began to select their White Kings with another purpose in mind and began to exhibit them in pigeon shows around the country. These fanciers sought a cobbier, harder feathered bird with a more erect posture. They crossbred their Kings with other breeds like White Schietti Modenas to attain their breeding goals.

In the meantime, following World War Two, the popularity of pigeons as food began to decline except among the wealthy classes, resulting in fewer numbers of White Kings being bred each year for their original purpose.

These days, it is sometimes to difficult to find good squabbing bloodlines of White Kings and other Utility Pigeon breeds. Most of the White Kings you see available in newspaper ads, on Craigslist or on online pigeon auction sites are Show Kings or Show King crosses.

Before investing your hard earned money into breeding stock, it is recommended that you learn as much about real Utility Pigeon Breeds by studying them in books on the subject and getting to know a breeder who actually keeps his birds with meat production in mind. A little bit of study and shopping around for the right birds will save you money and time in the long run.

Show King Pigeons from Wikipedia.org