Selecting the Next Generation of Breeders
A five part series featuring a survey of views of several well respected racing pigeon selectors on what they look for when stocking a pigeon or bringing in new stock into their breeding lofts.
It is not a coincidence that the best recruiters in college football also have the best coaching records. The more you have to work with, the less work you have to be successful. The elites are those who recruit well and then work the hardest.
In pigeon racing, you don't recruit racers; you "recruit" breeders that produce the racers with which you will work. But what should you look for when you recruit for your breeding team? In parts 1-4 we interviewed several respected selectors or graders who gave their opinions on various aspects of selecting breeders for their own lofts. Now we are going to reprint some of the comments of those in the past.
We must give a caution, though. The comments were their opinions at the time these opinions were published, but it is possible that later in time their opinions could have changed or were modified, for analysis of racing pigeons is always an ongoing process.
Piet DeWeerd
Observations by Coy McKenzie after observing De Weerd:
He takes a bird in his right hand and goes through a series of very definite movements as follows:
De Weerd said:
Champions come in all sizes, shapes and colors.
A summary of de Weerd's comments from various sources.
Body Shape
"I personally do not think that body shape is overriding important, but what
Peeters-Veaufort calls the tendency of the muscles to swell up, seems to make
more sense. Don't pay too much attention to so-called poor frame or type. These
are other qualities which seem to be more important, for many poorly built birds
fly well and many beautiful birds are no good."
Muscle
Piet discovered that all had a robust vitality that was evidence by the
resiliency or suppleness of the breast next to the keel.
"Press the right thumb firmly onto the pigeon's back and exert counter pressure with the closed fingers of the right hand from below against the bird's breastbone. Leave fingers next to each other, and pressing firmly, move them left to right, one after the other, over the breastbone and over into the muscles. Repeated experiment of this sort with all types of pigeons, the firmly built, the loosely jointed, the hard-muscled and the soft, will make your fingers more sensitive to what we are examining and eventually will acquire a feeling for almost infinite small but very important differences in the muscular constriction of our pigeons.
"Breed for pigeons that can stay in good condition on very little feed and easily swell up in the body. He doesn't appear to weigh much, but feels firm and full. The real ace feels like an elastic ball."
Wringers
Piet's second test is to grasp the bird by the beak and extend its neck. If the
bird struggles, he feels that it has spirit. "If it meekly submits, it will go
down quickly when flying becomes difficult. Out of every ten national champions,
nine are strugglers. They possess the early age of four weeks."
Eye
The third test is the eye. Piet scoffs at the so-called "wing" and "eye"
theories and mates without regard to size, color or appearance-strictly on the
basis of his grading system. "A good breeder must have a good eye. Most, but not
all, of the good racers have a good eye." Piet looks for a full grainy circle
with serrated edges, and an iris with many colors (many blood vessels.)
"My second bit of advice is to breed from pigeons that have richly colored eyes. Little variety in color and design of eye usually means low quality. In earlier times, the general opinion was that various lines of color in the eye had to be sharply defined. In my opinion, the reverse is true, the less clear the lines are divided, the more colors are present, the better the eye. The better the eye, the better the pigeon is for breeding. However, one has to remind himself always that the eye is but one good quality of the many necessary qualities that go to make a top quality racing pigeon.
"I have seen famous flyers that did not have a trace of this ring around their iris. I will admit that they were exceptions and their eyes were predominantly light in color. On the other hand, I saw many a bad flyer-often deceptively beautiful with a well marked outer ring around the iris. In these eyes, however the light colored area was less brilliant, the granular structure rather sparse and the pupils large.
"Birds with multi-colored eyes and granulation in them are better breeding birds than smooth colored and metallic-hued eyes."
Wing
"The so-called wing theory has been abandoned and vitality seems to be the all
important requirement now."
Jules Gallez
"Almost all fanciers who handle their own birds go to work in the following manner. First get rid of the no-goods, then the doubtful, then the medium and so until the planned number remains. We think this is a mistake. We think it is better to choose than to eliminate.
"Selection will be very strict because we do not always need a lot of birds to get good results and make money. The less your effort will be, the less birds you keep over, the better you will be able to keep track of them and the better they will fly and work for you.
"I have a special eye for the rich qualities that are there, such as:
The
Head
"The head must be strong and preferably as wide as possible between the eyes.
The eyes must be well protected and should not bulge. Fanciers talk about loose
eyes when the eye is not well embedded in the eye socket. Pigeons with bulging
eyes have difficulty in flying with a head wind, in rainy weather and even in
dust storms which sometimes occur in dry and desert like areas. The eye must be
placed as high as possible, preferably above the extension of the beak line.
Pronounced eye ceres and the size of the wattles are matters of personal taste,
but will have no bearing on the quality of the pigeon."
The
Eye
"Most champions have richly colored eyes, and though the color itself does not
matter, eyes which are well pigmented with thick coloring are preferred. Pigeons
with eyes in which the yellow or white background can be seen through the iris
should not be used for stock, although, even here, one may find champion racers
amongst these birds.
"It has been found that pigeons revealing a full eye sign circle are essential in the stock loft but it is not necessary for all stock pigeons to have this characteristic.
"Nevertheless champion producers all have richly colored eyes in which the color of the iris shows much granulation."
The
Body Itself.
"The pigeon must always give you the impression that it feels bigger than it is
and weighs less than it should do for its size. Pigeons that feel hard and heavy
are usually unbalanced and should not be kept. Muscles should be supple, but
volume of muscle is again, a matter of taste and type. If you have the time and
your fingertips are sensitive enough, you could develop the skill to
differentiate between the different types and qualities of muscles that exist."
The
Throat
"Some fanciers never open a pigeon's beak to look at its throat. This is wrong
since one should make a thorough examination of a pigeon when it is handled,
going into all aspects of quality and its health condition. The pigeon's throat
should have a pinkish color with the larynx having an oval form. Pigeons with a
red throat and a round larynx are sick and need treatment."
The
Structure
"The bone structure should be strong without being too thick and heavy, with the
keel tapering from the front to the back and forming a well closed unit with the
vent bones. A short keel or breastbone will leave an open space between its end
and the vent bones. The same problem will occur with the vent bones lying lower
than the end of the breastbone, although the keel may be long. Open vents are
not a decisive factor, but should be avoided. Pigeons with soft vent bones will
never become real champions. The selection of deep keeled or round pigeons is a
matter to type and taste.
"A well-built and healthy pigeon will withstand a little pressure on the body when you take it in both hands and start squeezing it gently. If it begins struggling and gasping for air with the slightest squeeze, you will know that it has a weak bone structure and in all probability is suffering from some or other ailment. Don't squeeze too hard; it usually simply suffices to hold it tight.
"The back must be strong and should lie straight when you take the pigeon in both hands and pull the wings away so that your thumbs bring pressure on the back. The pigeon with a weak back will immediately lift and spread its tail.
"The back should give you the impression that it is round rather than flat, but one should allow for reasonable width. Care should be taken that the tail and back form a complete unit and that the back does not become narrow at the tail connection."
The
Wing
"As good wing must be supple, with a short, thick, strong forearm. The flights
must be supple, strong and not too wide, well ventilated and with reasonable
openings between the last four flights. Pigeons that possess such wings are
capable of flying under all weather conditions but will excel themselves in the
harder races.
"The portion nearest the body consists of the arm, the short bone connected with the body, and the forearm.
"The secondary flights should be shorter than the first primary flight. The pigeon with a short and thick arm and forearm is preferable as it allows for more strength and leverage at the furthest end of the wing and primary flights.
"The active part of the wing is the hand, which carries the primary flights and this is the section, which makes the actual stroke. It is preferable that the first primary flight be longer than the secondary flights, though you will also find excellent racers where this is not the case or where this difference is not very obvious.
"The primary flights should be thin and cover each other well. As further lengthening of the flights from the seventh flight is also preferable, whilst the last four flights could reveal openings of 2 to 3 cm between their ends. Pigeons with wings whose end flights are not too wide and with definite openings between these flights, are capable of flying in all weather conditions, but will excel in the harder races with head winds.
"On the other hand you will find that pigeons, with wings not allowing much ventilation at the ends, will be faster in races with tail winds. For long distance racing one should strike a happy medium.
"Furthermore the wing should be supple, with supple flights that can withstand pressure from the wind when the pigeon flies against it. For this reason the primary flights must not be flat and straight, but must have a slight downward curve when the wing is opened and also show a curve away from the body, to provide for the end flight openings.
"If the wing is opened to its full length, but without pulling it at an incorrect angle, the first soft secondary flights should remain on the pigeons back and should cover the opening between these flights (the wing) and the body. For this reason the secondary flights will curve towards the body and form quite a thick pack on the back. This is very pronounced in champion racers. An opening between the secondary flights and the body will allow the air to escape, with the result that the pigeon will have to make many more strokes to stay up. Thus it will tire quickly and will arrive home when all the prizes have been taken.
"I have stated that the pigeon with a wing which displays openings between the end flights will excel in the harder races with head winds. This type of pigeon will also excel in races to be flown in "thick air"-(races are often flown in rainy conditions or cloudy conditions when the humidity or moisture content of the air is high.)
"On the other hand, pigeons which display less opening between the end flights excel in the races to be flown in "thin air" or with the wind behind them.
"It stands to reason that it would be easier to pull the wing down which has openings which would allow less air to be taken in, in "thick air" than to pull the wing down which has no openings and therefore allows much more air to be taken in "thick air" when he has no resistance and when every stroke of the wing only means so many more meters per minute.
"In "thin air" the position is therefore reversed and the pigeon with the openings at the end flights will become exhausted, though not as badly as the one with the closed wing in "thick air."
"In Belgium it is possible to win short distance races with long distance pigeons which display openings at the end flights, since weather conditions are such that a short distance race could mean quite a few hours on the wing in "thick air."
The
Feather
"This brings us to the one quality on the basis of which selection may be
carried out and which reveals the most to the fancier namely, feather quality.
Pigeons which possess a rich, soft and silky feathering will, in most cases,
also excel in other aspects on which selection is based. Feather quality, as
described above, tells us that the pigeon has inherited excellent natural good
health, that it has been bred under ideal conditions and from ever super
parents, or parents that were enjoying excellent health at the time when it was
bred. These pigeons possess something that can only be inherited. No matter what
you feed or give your pigeons, and however much you improve on their feather
quality, that one special pigeon's feathering will always be more luxurious.
"In these pigeons one finds that their internal organs, which are after all the factories providing the body with all the necessary nutrition, are working to perfection. For this reason they will always have a strong bone structure, richly colored eyes and perfectly healthy throats. This is the one and only quality which reveals the perfect health of the bird and it is for this reason that experienced selectors can sometimes select the champion when he has only felt its feather quality whilst the pigeon is still in the basket and has not yet been handled.
George Fabry
Learning To Select
"All breeders of livestock must know how to make selections from the stock they
breed, i.e., in the case of pigeons they must know what to retain and what to
reject from a season's youngsters from the point of view of their racing and
breeding requirements.
Making Comparisons
"The keen and studious fancier makes occasion to visit the lofts of successful
fanciers whom he asks for permission to examine their best pigeons. He handles
them carefully and after noting the physical qualities, as they appear to his
eye and hand, he draws certain conclusions. His conclusions will always be the
same, i.e., the good pigeons including those who behave meritoriously in all
winds at all distances, are invariably well balanced. These conclusions hardened
by many inspections, will then resolve into mature judgment and dominate the
fancier's future selections of his own pigeons."
The
Requirements
"For my part, as a fancier of over 50 years experience, the principal qualities
I desire in the racing pigeon are as follows:
"I believe that, if any of these characteristics are missing, it is useless to continue with an examination of the pigeon because it will be quite incapable of giving full satisfaction."
The
Back Wing
"Wherever I go I continue to find the above-mentioned indispensable in the good
long distance pigeon. The expressive eye (quite regardless of the iris color) is
important and must be well protected in front. The back-wing (secondaries) must
be thick but relatively short while the complete wing must be fully in harmony
with the form of the pigeon's body. The end flights of the wing must be very
long, relatively narrow across the vane and very, very flexible."
Pedigree
"Here, I must make it clear and be understood to say that all the good qualities
I have enumerated will be valueless as pointers to the prospects of the pigeon
if the breeding of the bird lacks origin (pedigree.) I affirm that it is
impossible to base expectations on a pigeon, even one possessing the above
requirements if it does not ensue from high ascendant ancestry.
"The breeding of a pigeon is the first requirement and a knowledge of the family in which it was bred is essential to the fancier who appraises its possibilities. Therefore, providing the subject is raised in a successful loft from the winning family it is the above physical requirements that govern the ultimate selection."
Jan
Aerts
"A strong back, supple muscles and a model wing are three of the most important factors (among others) that make a pigeon as crack over any distance.
"It is difficult to make people understand that a young bird will never acquire anything it hasn't got. It will not outgrow any physical handicap nor will this disappear at moulting time.
Shape
"I
still think that an egg-shaped frame is the ideal shape. There may be some
short, cobley pigeons among the champions, but their numbers have declined
noticeably and they are only found occasionally among the short-distance racers.
Deep-keeled is usually taken to mean V-bottomed and that is undesirable. Not all
breeders like round pigeons. In the U.S. and Germany, they prefer duck-keeled
birds-a somewhat compressed shape to the breast. Huyskens-Van Riel pigeons are
not compressed in the breast. They are rounded, but there is a slight, almost
imperceptible curve in their sternum."
Muscle
"The muscles on either side of the breastbone must feel supple and spring back
when lightly pressed. Hard muscles are no good. At best they will make a good
short-distance racer. Middle and long distance birds must have supple muscles.
The degree of suppleness tells an experienced classifier if a bird is suited for
middle or long distance. But even the expert never classifies the muscles of a
pigeon that is not fully grown-a yearling. No one can judge the quality of
supple muscles by casually holding a bird in his hand just once. Muscles can be
in various states of tension. They feel different depending on the condition of
the pigeon, tired, relaxed, at rest, in form."
Structure
"The breastbone must not have a sharp edge, like a knife, but rather be rounded,
like a thin pencil. There must not be much of a gap between the breastbone and
the vent bones. In cocks, the distance between the keel should be no more than
sufficient to allow one finger to lie comfortably between and not more than 2
fingers tightly pressed as a max allowance. In hens, somewhat more leeway is
permissible. The vent bones must resist slight pressure without moving back and
forward, and they must lie close together. The bones of the vent should be
strong, resistant to the fingers when pressed in any direction. The vent is one
of the most important physical qualities of the racing pigeon because the vent
bones largely sustain the internal organs.
"Pigeons with strong backs sometimes hold their tails horizontally but more often than not they press the back up and the tail down. The rump must be like as cushion thickly feathered and well padded, and hide most of the tail feathers. The most common fault found in youngsters is absence of back. There's nothing there when you press on the junction of the tail with the back. The vent bones are too far removed from the breastbone. They give to the slightest pressure and their tips bend like rubber. All fanciers value pigeons with a strong back and rump. If a six-week old youngster has a weak back and rump I get rid of it without anymore ado.
"The lowest point of the keel should be approximately 1/3 of the way from the front end."
Wing
"The final decision on the wing cannot be made until after the yearling moult.
When the wing is spread, the primary and secondary flights should fit together
so as to form one piece without a break between them. A good wing must have a
short, well-curved upper arm. The back wing should be straight (none of the
feather tips should project when the wing is fanned) and of medium width and
length. Do not all good flights now have rounded tips? Nearly all pigeons, at
least all that are fast over all distances, have round tips were found to give
better performance. If the wing is fanned slowly so that the tips of the
feathers glide on top of each other, each tip should bend slightly backwards as
though it was reluctant to detach itself from the next feather. Another
indication of flexible quills is when tops of the last four flights curve
backward like the ends of a bow when the bird is at rest.
"The secondaries should be straight-none of the feather tips should project when the wing is fanned. The step can be as much as inch.
"The quills of the first six primaries are straight and the tips of the feathers square. They lie in a straight line when the wing is fanned. If the 7th primary projects slightly this is all to the good. The last 3 feathers are of equal length; sometimes the 9th primary is a little longer than the 8th and 10th. They are slim and have rounded tips and the web along the leading edge narrows to a minimum. The quills of the last primaries bend slightly inwards. When the last four primaries are fanned out, the tips must have gaps between them.
"I believe the 7th primary is the most critical feather. Its quill must be as straight as possible. The wider half of the web must be equally wide over almost the entire length of the feather and narrow as close to the tip as possible. The tip must look like the point of a well-worn table knife. The tip of this feature must curve slightly backwards like the end of a bow.
"The quality of feathering can be judged in a young bird when it is no older than 6 weeks, but nothing can be said about the wing until the bird has its thing wing."
Eye
"I am all for an eye with a small pupil, small and lively. I like to see a
complete ring round the pupil. I prefer this to a partial ring or no ring at
all. The color of the iris must darken towards its outer edge. I also prefer an
eye in which the pupil is slightly based toward the beak. Why? I have found this
in many good pigeons but rarely or never in poorer ones.
"I think there is something in the 'star eye', i.e. and eye, which have very fine lines radiating outwards through the iris. Very often these are hardly visible to the naked eye, but they become increasingly obvious when the pigeon is in form. I like an iris that is bordered by a thin rim. In winter the rim is grey. With improving form it changes from dark grey to black or blackish-green."
John Lambrechts
The
Eye
"I
do not keep birds with insipid or faintly colored eyes. Both for purposes of
racing and breeding I prefer richly colored eyes full of detail, well pigmented
(the pigment offers protection against glare) and containing innumerable small
blood vessels. Richly colored eyes, full of drawings, full of pigment, with or
without complete circle. Real stud birds possess them always.
"When the ring of blood vessels surrounding the iris is dense and wide, this indicates a stock pigeon. The iris color of good grey-eyed pigeons is fuller and richer, the very vest fliers and breeders belong to this group.
"Circles: if this is taken to mean that the circle has to be visible all the way round the pupil, I cannot agree. I have seen too many fine birds in whose eye that circle was wholly absent. Experience in my own loft shows that birds whose eyes show a wide complete or partial circle are at their best in sunny weather and are less successful when it is dull or when it rains during their flight.
"Many experienced connoisseurs look for a starry eye showing several fine lines radiating outwards from the basic eye sign over a large part of the iris. A good proportion of pigeons with eyes of this kind are first rate fliers. But note that such lines seldom appear before the pigeon is one year old.
"I have made it clear that for stock birds I look for specimens with the richest eye coloring and that, in doing so, I discard those with eyes that are too light. It is often true that the light-eyed group many contain some good racers and for purposes of complementary breeding that may be mated with individuals with more heavily pigmented eyes. Their progeny may well contain some good elements but the wastage is likely to be considerable, and if it is one's object to build up a good stock, or to maintain its quality, this is to be avoided at all costs.
"Rich, heavy coloring is not synonymous with dark, lusterless eyes, wholly devoid of life.
"The marvelous wealth of black spots in the iris, both large and small, is a feature only found among the greatest of pigeons."
The Wing
"The seventh flight should form a straight line with the 8th, 9th, and 10th, have a nicely rounded tip and a stem somewhat bent at the lower end. This is a long distance characteristic.
"By far the most ace fliers have excellent wings, but this is not the same as saying that all pigeons with good wings are necessarily good racers. I have handled too many worthless and feeble birds without character or b rains, yet with perfect wings. Therefore, wings by themselves are not a reliable guide to the quality of a pigeon.
"I like the wing when spread out to show that the 8th, 9th, and 10th flight feathers are of approximately equal length and that their tops are nicely rounded. The 7th should be of nearly the same length as the 8th. In this case the difference between the 6th and the 7th is likely to be more pronounced, and the 10th flight feather will seldom reach the length of the 9th.
"Pliable wing feathers, soft as satin are also a good feature especially when their tops are well rounded.
"The flexibility of the largest quills should be noticeable. I also like to see a clear difference in length of 5 to 10 mm between secondary and primary. The 7th should be considered against the background of the wing as a whole. I like to see its top well rounded, especially in stock pigeons.
"The web should be fine, soft, supple and look as it were, oiled. When releasing the barbs after having pulled it apart it should immediately stick together again; if not, the feathers are of poor quality.
"Certainly, the wing plays a role in the flying ability of the pigeon. There are more good flyers with a prime wing, than with a poor one. Also, there are good for nothing with an ideal wing.
"The shoulder joint also has our attention because this is the source of the suppleness that enables a pigeon to perform its work. This suppleness is not easy to detect in all pigeons. There are some birds, so calm of nature, or regularly handled by their owners that seem to give their wings but other nervous types that don't like to be handled and immediately pull back or refuse to give their wing to the owner when he wants to open it. These birds give a first impression of having a stiff wing without flexibility. Still this is not always so. If the master handles this bird more and it gets used to it, it will often be proven, that the stiffness only seemed so. Pigeons that totally lack suppleness of the joints are useable for any purpose.
"There are good pigeons, national cracks on short and long distance races with short, medium and long wings. Although we do not recommend the so-called wing theory, it is true, certain signs can be discovered in the wing, signs for which we luckily do not need a measure to judge them. For instance, let us take the four last primaries. They must deliver the hardest work during the flight of a pigeon.
"I like to see the 8th, 9th, & 10th primary about the same length and the tips nicely rounded when the wing is opened. Also, the 7th may be equal in length to the 8th. In this instance there is even a larger jump between the 6th and 7th primary and the lengthening of the 7th is at the cost of the 10th flight which in that instance almost always remains somewhat shorter than the 9th.
"In the wing of most flyers on all distances, the last flights or primaries are not straight, but slightly waved. What else do I like in a wing? A jump (difference in length of approx. 5 to 10 millimeters) between the secondaries and primaries.
"I also like a beautifully rounded tip on the 7th primary flight. Yes, indeed, with a little reservation we may look upon it as the trade mark of a long distance strain. This is something that we will not find in a specific short distance strain."
Structure
"It
is not essential that their backs should be excessively strong. I have had many
aces less endowed in this respect. Of course their backs were not too weak as
otherwise they would never have been crack fliers.
"The two small vent bones below the breast should be short and strong, their ends close together, especially in long distance fliers. These bones support the bird's intestines and when the pigeon has to manage an arduous and long flight, its loins and backbone are over taxed. The nearer the two bones approach one another and the stronger they are, the longer the bird will be able to fly without discomfort. I do not breed from pigeons where this requirement is not met, nor when their keel is too thin and sharp."
Muscles
"In
judging the muscles of a pigeon, it should not be forgotten that they will feel
differently according to the time at which they are examined. When under tension
a pigeon's muscles appear to be firmer without actually being hard to the touch.
Immediately after its return home from a race its muscles are likely to be
somewhat slacker. The ideal moment to judge a pigeon and its muscles is when it
is relaxed and at rest. Experience, stretching over many years, is required to
appraise the quality of suppleness and there are few that are able to do this
with any degree of success. One must train one's fingertips. In one bird the
main muscles many lie near to the keel, in another they may lie higher by one cm
or more. By rubbing the muscles they can be felt more clearly.
"I like to see a muscular pigeon, but will never maintain that the best birds must necessarily have large muscles.
"When a pigeon is as fit as can be its muscles can be felt to vibrate under one's fingertips. The better shape the pigeon is in, and the more nervous it is, the greater the muscular tension is likely to be."
Weight
"A
good pigeon when weighed in the hand must seem lighter than its size and build
would lead one to assume."
Joe Rotondo
Wing
"The wings of the sprinter are very important. These are shorter than usual.
This is easy to see in blues and checkers. The tips of the wings on the birds do
not touch the black band at the end of the tail when the bird is standing. They
come within a half-inch of this band. Any bird with wings shorter than this
should be destroyed. The flight feathers are wide and close together. There is
no step between the primaries and the secondaries. The wider the flight, the
more suitable for speed and short distance races. The reason for this is simple.
A short winged, wide flighted bird must flap his wings more often to stay in the
air. By using his wings more often, he automatically flies faster but also tires
faster and cannot stay aloft for a long period of time.
"Again, we have proved that a speed bird cannot compete successfully on a hard distance race. It is a known fact that the old timers in Belgium would sometimes clip a centimeter from each side of the tail and a centimeter from the tips of each set of secondary flights to increase the speed of a bird. Although we do not approve of this method, it confirms our theory that a short winged bird is the fastest for a certain length of time.
"The wings of the router (distance bird) are very different from those of the sprinter. He has long wings and long narrow flights. There is usually a difference in length between the primary and the secondary flights. This is about a half-inch and is called the step. This is more frequent in cocks, but if a hen has this feature, then she should be highly valued. In recent years, many wing theories have been put before us. Most of these theories are just that-theory. We have read about the oil spot and the length of the last flights and many other theories that have been proved false. Any information put down on these pages has been tested and proved successful, not just once, but many times and for many years. Almost all my champions of long distance have their last flight shorter than their ninth flight. The flights are long, thin, and pointed. They are also strong; that is, they will bend without breaking. When the wing is opened, there is also the theory that a wing must not snap back when opened and released. An excited bird, like the one whom wants to get back to its eggs, will snap its wings to shut. If you take this same bird and open its wing in complete darkness, the wing will not snap back."
Throat
"The throat of the router must appear to have a lot of room when looking into
it. A throat that appears to have everything compacted is a throat that will not
take in a lot of oxygen and will result in the bird getting tired. The palate or
slit on top of the mouth makes no difference whether it is open or closed. The
older a bird gets the more this slit will close."
Muscles
"The muscles are very important and also different in a speed bird. The wing
muscle (pectoral) has its start at the crest of the breastbone and terminates at
each shoulder. The shoulder is where the wings join the backbones at the base of
the neck. This shoulder is also known as the humerus. This muscle is most
noticeable on the underside of the body where the wing joins the body. If you
take your two fingers and feel under the wing on the body, you will notice a
hard bulge on each side. This bulge sometimes feels as large as a small marble
and is very hard. A bulge such as this is suitable for a sprinter. The larger
the bulge, the faster the bird. But if this bird has to fly for any length of
time, he will also become muscle bound. A bird that has no muscles here at all
should be destroyed.
"The muscles of the distance bird are much softer and there is no bulge under the shoulder of a router. The muscle must be easily found, but will feel more like a long, flexible piece of rubber. As very slight bulge is acceptable but not preferred."
Structure
"The keel of the sprinter is thin. The vent bones of the sprinter protrude
farther out than the vents of the long distance bird. The distance between the
end of the keel and the vents is also greater than in the distance bird.
"The back of the sprinter is flat but solid. As good back is solid and has no ridge running down the center. This ridge is easily found by feeling along the top of back with the finger tips. Any bird with a ridge on its back should be destroyed, as they will not only fly poorly, but breed birds with ridges. When checking out a back, take the thumb and apply pressure to the back, as you run your thumb clear down to the tail. If the back gives or you get the impression of a dip where the tail joins the back, then this bird should also be destroyed.
"The breastbone or keel of the router must be thick and strong. The thicker the better as thickness means strength. The distance must be very short. If more than one finger fits into this gap, then the bird is not fit for distance. The protruding ends of the vent bone must be flush with the breastbone. There should be no noticeable difference when running your hand over the breastbone and back across the vents. Except for the slight gap, it should feel like one bone. The back should be strong and should pass all tests that were explained in earlier paragraphs. The router will have a broader back and it will give the impression of being humped or arched. The broader and more arched the better.
"The head and wattle of a router is larger and the cock usually has a breast bone that may be considered deep, but again there must be no gap between the breast bone vent. This is where the birds' vital organs and intestines are located. Too much space in this area means weak support for the birds' vital organs and will result in what we know as a stomach-ache, after a few hours on the wing."
Size
"The sprinter can be large, small, or medium, although the large sprinter will
give his best on a very fast, windy day."
LaVerne Schumann
"In evaluating a bird for the stock loft one must consider pedigree first, then
in the following order-conformation, health, performance and eye sign."
Throat
"The closed cleft is best for the distance as the wide open "V" shaped cleft is
at best good for only short races and should be eliminated in a long distance
family."
Wing
He likes the typical long distance wing that reaches to within 1 inch of the end
of the tail with #9-10 primaries of almost equal length with rounded tips and
plenty of ventilation between the tips of #8-9-10 primaries when the wing is
fanned.
"The upper arm should be short and curved. In addition there should be a step."
Eye
LaVerne believes in eyesign to some extent but long distance breeding and
conformation are considered first. A bird designed for the breeding loft must
conform to the long distance family type, be healthy, be a long distance winner
or line bred to one.
"A pedigree full of long distance winners does hold promise of success from the distance and is more reliable than the eye sign qualifications."
"The best breeders have a brightly colored, deeply grained iris with irregular mottling throughout, a wide starred outer eye sign of black, green, yellow, gray or violet and a strong full inner circle."
LaVerne considers plain colored eyes with a definite perfect circle of color, poor eyes and not worth perpetuating.
LaVerne feels that many lofts have been ruined by selecting only by eye sign. Long distance heritage, conformation and health are more important than eye sign.
"I like a strong inner circle, but I also like a wide serrated outer circle and of course the well granulated iris as he does.
"In all fairness, the eye is only one part of the bird's anatomy and it is not the final and only criterion of quality one must observe.
"I prefer the well marbled iris that is three dimensional with "mountains and valleys" and plenty of dark color variations.
"In assessing the eye sign quality as such, I find that the total width and density of the full circle is important and, with the serrated edges, surely indicates strength of breeding.
"The single colored eye sign would be superior to the composite type eye for breeding in the final analysis if the pedigree indicates a long distance heritage.
"In summing up the value of the eye, I feel that the iris quality is most important, as a well-marbled van colored iris with depth indicates ascendancy of the family. A full circle of eye sign that is wide, serrated and of one color also indicates strength for breeding, especially if it is complete and full at the rear of the eye.
"The full wide circle of eye sign with the black overlay at the front of the eye (composite) represents an excellent racing eye and, if complete and full at the rear of the eye, the bird could be a good prospect at stock providing it had a high quality iris and long distance pedigree.
"Most champion racers have a strong composite eye and the best breeders carry the heavy marbled iris and single color eye sign. This does not rule out the composite eye for breeding, but only indicates that the percentage of winners produced would be greater with the "breeder eye."
"I prefer the black, violet, yellow and green colored signs in that sequence."
Mark Gordon
Shape
"I
like an egg shaped chest tapering gradually not sharply to the tail. A fairly
good chest tapers gradually, not sharply to the tail."
Muscle
"Now we come to the muscles. The ones we are concerned with run parallel with
the keel and then run across the chest to the wing. They, of course, control the
beat of the wing. Muscles should feel corky and round in a bird that's in good
shape. Graders such as Piet De Weerd pay more attention to the muscles on a
pigeon than any other aspect of its confirmation."
Back
"I
like a rounded back, not one with a sort of hollow in it. I have never had a
good head wind bird that didn't have a strong back-no depression. A good back is
one where you can run your thumb over the back and tail and there is no
depression. Where the tail joins the body, there should be no depression. Vents
come in 2 forms, thinner vented and the thicker vents. The thicker need not be
tight and seldom are. Thin vented birds must have not only tight vents but firm
ones. I don't like their wobbly vents. Perhaps of even more importance, I like
vents that are well up and into the body. Birds with vent bones that drop down
below the level of the keel-baggy vents, are slow birds."
Keel
"The keel should be of medium length and, while I prefer it straight, of course.
I don't like sharp keel bones. In fact, if the keel and vent bones are thick,
then all the bones are thick. Now as the bones are hollow and full of air, so
theoretically, the thicker they are, the more buoyant the bird will be."
Wing
"A
wing must open easily. A thick wing butt is also desirable and the arm
connecting the wing to the body as short as possible. The ideal wing has as step
down to the secondaries. The primaries should gradually grow longer until the
6th. There should be as big a step as possible between the 6th and 7th; that is
the 7th should be longer, and as long as possible. In fact it is desirable to
have it as long or nearly the same length as the end three primaries. The last 4
flights are narrower than the others, and when the wing is opened, it should be
possible to drop a pea between each feather. Also the tips should be rounded,
not pointed."
Eye
"I
like to see a healthy iris with lots of life and rich looking. True, most
outstanding pigeons do have it but I have seen some without it."
Selection Series Conclusion
Well, there you have it-different noted pigeon men, different approaches. The nuances of what they disagree on are left to your own analysis to reconcile their differences of opinion. Is one's opinions influenced by distances, terrain, climate? We will leave with a quote from Lord Bacon often cited in the Digest: Read not to contradict and confute nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider.