I know its too late at this point, but Ive always been told not to buy from people at shows because they are getting rid of the birds for a reason. Now buying a bird that shows well from the breeder is a different story. But buying from the guys in the back with the sales coops, not a good idea...
Absolutely worth it. I would start with 2 or 3 pairs of quality stock. Most guys in the pigeon racing game love to help out new members. Build your flock up over time. Like the other poster commented, those 2 or 3 pairs will be prisoners for a very long long time or for life.
Just curious if you do anything with your homers? I had homers when I was young and I did have 1 white pair. The old guys with homers told me that white homers are never as good as any other colored ones. I think they meant at longer race distances. Mine always came home though.
Thats horrible. Sorry for your loss. I remember as a kid when I started with Homing Pigeons I had a cat get in thru the bars and kill one of my baby pigeons. To make it worse, the cat caused another bird that had been sitting on eggs to break one open. When she stood up, the whole bloody mess...