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Theodor Backs GmbH
products for pigeons, poultry, rodents, birds and dogs
fabrication - wholesale

The history of the oldest
european company, that produces just
feed supplement for pigeons.
 

Firmengründer It was in 1898 when Theodor Backs starts to produce his first picking stone for pigeons in Bochum, the heart of the german pigeon sport. Theodor Backs was perhaps the best and best known german fancier of his time. As every good player he had a good powers of observation and noticed that his pigeons were picking the clay out of the walls from his loft instead of taking it in loose form. So the idea of “Backs picking block” was born. At first the picking block was made out of clay, quartz stones, feeding calcium and salt and it was dried in grandmas oven. Soon friends asked for the picking block and the demand was increasing, so that grandmas oven quickly becomes to small. So a professional production was built up in Gelsenkirchen.  

Firmengründer
Later the company was overtaken by his son Hubert Backs, but in world war II everything was destroyed. Hubert Backs who was suffering at a lung disease, an aftereffect of the war, decided to settle over to Bad Rehburg a climatic health resort in the near of Hannover. There he slowly starts to produce the picking block again. In 1954 the products of the company are shown on the national german pigeon exhibition for the first time. At that time there are just 4 products. The picking block, Backs Sieger-Grit, Remedy, a home receipture for the upper respiratory and Darrecapsules for stomach trouble. Since then no exhibition was missed.

In 1960 Theodor Backs jun. starts to run the business. He expanded the company so that the rooms in Bad Rehburg quickly were to small. In 1982 a new factory was built up nearby in Münchehagen to meet the increasing demand. Meanwhile this factory is extended for the third time and the next extention is planed for the next year.

Theodor Backs 

In 1993 Michael Backs, the fourth generation starts his work for the company and the product range increases again. Meanwhile the Backs company sells about 400 different products in whole Europe, China and Taiwan. Mostly for pigeons, but also for birds, rodents and dogs.

The last extention was in 2004 when Michael Backs bought the grainfeed producer Matador in Recklinghausen in the neighbourhood of Bochum were everything starts. “It is a little bit like coming home” Theodor and Michael said on the reopening party in April 2004 and “now we can mix the feed ourselves that we are looking for the last years.”

Not only in business but also in pigeonsports the Backs family is in the fourth generation. Theodor and Michael Backs race pretty succesful. “It is the daily work with the pigeons that create new ideas to make better products” Michael Backs says. “We have the same problems with our pigeons like other fanciers. To solve that problems is our job.”