1. EYE
In many cases, there is too much
importance placed on the eye. On the
other hand, leaving the eye out in
selecting breeders would also be a
mistake. Only traits in the eye that
hold true each and every time are used.
The eye should be placed high in the
head. If you extend an imaginary line
from the slit between the upper and
lower beak back to the eye. It should be
placed at least in the middle of the
line or better yet above the line. Good
eyes come in all colors but most have a
lot of contrast or granulation in the
iris. Stay away from large pupils. A
good circle of correlation around the
pupil is very important. If the circle
of correlation becomes too thin in the
make up of the family then the family as
a whole is on its way down. Eye movement
or quick dilation is an added plus. I am
not into speed, distance lines or even
clusters. For every bird with speed
lines I can show you another that is a
top short distance racer that has no
speed lines and so on.
2. THROAT
The Throat is my favorite Even at an
early age you can tell if this bird will
be a top breeder. Not 90% but 100% of
the top breeders in the world that I
have handled all have great throats. I
look for several things while I have the
beak open: Starting with health. No dark
redness in color or signs of canker. The
opening in the back of the larynx or
tongue should be in the shape of an
oval, not completely open or round. This
opening is used for extra oxygen when
needed. If it is wide open already then
you have no extra oxygen supply if
needed. A hen that is in labor will have
an enlarged opening but remember she is
in labor and has the extra added stress
at this time. At the back of the throat
you can see two sheets hanging down that
come together from the top of the throat
called curtains. The best breeders have
a very thin line between the curtains,
no wider than a human hair. The birds
that have a wide space or curved line
between the curtains need a lot of help
when it comes to being a great breeder.
Behind the Curtains there is a vein that
carries the oxygen to the brain. In the
good breeders you can see this vein very
easily. In the best breeders this vein
rather than going straight up will be
curved or better yet twisted then
extends upward. This shaped vein will
carry more oxygen to the brain than the
others.
3. CHARACTER
The true will or fight of the pigeon.
Many fanciers believed that pulling or
tugging the beak as seen by Pet de Weerd
was the only way he judged character.
This was not true. There are 3 good ways
of checking for character that I use.
The first one and best one is what the
Germans call a ringer. Pigeons that when
picked up will fight to be free. Then
comes the tugging of the beak. A pigeon
that does not want their beak held also
has character. After these two tests if
you still find no response than I will
place my finger under the wing of the
pigeon to give it some support. If the
bird's wing when extended vibrates this
is also good vitality or character sign.
You do not need positive results in all
three tests. If none of the 3 tests are
positive then the bird is plain lazy.
Lazy birds will not win races and will
pass this trait on to their offspring.
4. BALANCE AND BUOYANCY
For a pigeon to travel an extended
distance he must be balanced. Checking
the balance of a pigeon comes with
practice. A pigeon placed in your hand
should just lay there, not front or rear
heavy. It is an added plus if the birds
are also buoyant. Buoyant pigeons are
very light in the hand. Light as cork
the saying goes. Some pigeons seem to be
buoyant all the time while others get
more buoyant as they get into form.
5.
SKELETON
The Skeleton of a pigeon is compared to
the foundation of a house. Without a
good foundation the house or the pigeon
in this case can be worthless. The
breast bone should not be very thin. The
2 back vent bones or cartilage holding
in the cut of the pigeon should not be
thin and very flexible. If you can move
the vent bones back and forth too easily
this is a bad trait. Never mate two
birds that have this bad trait together.
While applying a little pressure on the
rump of a pigeon no sound should be
heard. If a pigeon is weak in this area
he will make a grunting sound. In this
case the body structure is not perfect.
Regarding the wing: I also like to see a
medium or short forearm. I like to
compare the wing structure of a pigeon
to the oar of a row boat having 3 main
parts. First the handle section) then
the pivot point and last the extremity.
The handle or the forearm in the case of
the pigeon should be short. This gives
greater movement to the extremity.
Moving the pivot point out creates a
longer forearm giving you less leverage
at the other end.
I am not a wing man but I do like to see
the last 3 flight feathers well
ventilated. Not too sharp like a steak
knife and not to wide like a butter
knife.
6. FEATHER QUALITY
All top families of pigeons have great
feather quality. The feather covering
being excellent and the texture of the
feathers very soft and smooth. The
smoother the feather the less drag you
have. Extra drag over several hundred
miles can and will wear a pigeon down.
Knowing the difference between a very
good feather quality and just the
average pigeon comes with practice. By
placing other fancier's race birds into
the basket, in a short period of time,
you will be able to tell the difference
between good or bad feather quality.
Loft sanitation, feed mixtures including
quality of grain can all add or decrease
the feather quality as well. To much
direct sun will also fade and diminish
feather quality.