Jack Barkel

Hello Spencer, Yes the Y chromosome of the hen dictates the sex, but it is not a sex gene. A hen inherits all its sex genes from its father. Regards Jack

MY BREEDING METHODS Contd. I hope my next explanation will not make the reader lose interest, but I have to be sure that we understand that in pigeons the sire has the XX chromosomes, that is to say they are fixed, and the hen has the XY chromosomes which we refer to as the loose chromosome. The Y chromosome will denote the sex of the youngsters so the hen denotes the sex in pigeons, unlike a human being where the male denotes the sex and carries the XY chromosomes. Fanciers who are not aware of this fact become horribly unstuck when they try to pair pigeons the same as the laws of human genetics, for they are exactly the opposite. Consequently we cannot have a direct line from a hen as we can from a cock. This must be fully understood, for fanciers are still stating on forums that you should pair an old hen to its sons and grandsons. These are outcrosses and do not achieve any concentration of the hens genes that we are looking for. The only true line of descent is by pairing daughters, grand daughters, and great grand daughters back to the original sire. We do not have to take into consideration how many unrelated hens are selected for the original sire, as the daughters from these pairings will not inherit any of the sex genes from their mothers. Hence all the sex genes are inherited from their father, which is how we come to refer to true line of descent. Sex genes are those that contain, colour, vitality and stamina, and seem to be the main ones we need to harness to produce the offspring we are looking for. I am putting these sections on in small portions so that everyone can read and digest what I am trying to put across. I do not wish to make these segments long and boring for we need a working knowledge of every step of the way, and the reason for doing it. The next section deals with the selection and method of pairing selected stock pigeons. jackbarkel@mweb.co.za http://mysite.mweb.co.za/residents/jackbarkel/

Hello Spencer, I concur with all what you have said in your last e-mail. We are about to start with articles on line breeding and inbreeding to replace a top stock cock and to concentrate the gene pool in the family. Regards Jack

Introduction to my methods on controlled breeding. I do believe from my travels to many parts of the world while evaluating pigeons, that the average fancier is not aware how to reproduce their top stock cock. Many are of the opinion that a son of a top stock cock that may be the same colour and pattern is the reproduction of this original sire. This is a misconception, because to the unenlightened, the pigeon geneticists although they are aware of the fact, have omitted to explain that although they are correct in saying a bird inherits 50% of its genes from both sire and dam, they omit to mention that a daughter inherits none of its sex genes from its mother. Based on this fact alone such statements are misleading, and they also fail to make it clear that because of genetic drift in the progeny of the pairing, the genes we are seeking to control are possibly never inherited 50 / 50 in any bird we are trying to breed. I am sure that this will make many of the purists hot under the collar, but I have never heard them refer to genetic drift, or even to its existence. To make it perfectly understandable what is genetic drift, it is plainly this. When the genes combine from a sire and dam to produce a new pigeon or pair of pigeons, the genes we are seeking will most certainly not be inherited fifty fifty, and may even drift towards some other ancestor introduced in the last three or four generations of uncontrolled parentage. This changing of the genes which often produces a bird entirely different to its parents is what we refer to in this case as genetic drift. Genetic drift also occurs in viruses in our pigeons, where an entirely new strain can emerge from the particular strain of virus as we know it, and for which when it first rears its ugly head we have no serum or antidote. This is not my field, but these medical scientists certainly know about genetic drift, and their frantic search to develop a cure. My whole point here is to make the reader understand that to breed a successful strain or family of pigeons, we must have an understanding of what genetic drift is, and try to control it in the genes we most desire to install in the progeny our selected pairings produce. What I have written here must be fully understood before I proceed with my methods of pairing and breeding. If anyone is not sure please ask and let me try and elaborate further before we proceed. Best Regards jackbarkel@mweb.co.za http://mysite.mweb.co.za/residents/jackbarkel/

Hello Ted, We are going to go through this again, but the answer is I have done it without regress seven times, but usually within three to four generations you will achieve what you are looking for. Regards Jack

Introduction to Better Breeding. If we may recap before we proceed with a breeding program let us go over the ground of selection once again. We have covered most aspects of the genetic imprint on the eye without boring anyone with the technical aspects of this complicated organ. Likewise we have pointed out how we can use the signs in the eye to give us a strong indication of the genetic qualities we can expect, without going deeply into genetics. This is for those who do not wish to be burdened with all the technical jargon that goes into the subject of better breeding by the use of the theoretical study of genetics. I likewise make the claim that I have not seen better results obtained from these theorists than that which I have achieved with this method that is for the practical person, and unlike the scientific methods, it works every time when applied correctly. I believe that the reason for this is that most pigeon geneticists have either never heard of genetic drift, or do not know how to retard or control it, neither do they seem to know, that the most obvious place we can see it is in the eye. Genetic drift occurs in the product of almost every pairing we put together. It can vary considerably depending on our knowledge and ability to recognise and control it by the signs in the eye we have portrayed and discussed previously. Several qualified geneticists in the world involved with racing pigeons, are at this very moment arguing over what should be the genetic name for the only colour mutation in the world for the last 100 years or so. They can argue until the cows come home, but I have named it and so it will stay, for it was my discovery and I developed it into a strain. As one world renowned geneticist stated, "Jack Barkel discovered it, propagated it and named it, all of them will not be able to put that genie back in the bottle". I mention this just to add proof that one does not need a piece of paper ( degree ) to be as successful or knowledgeable as the person who has. Together with the knowledge of eye sign and physical attributes and how they originate, we are armed and ready to venture into the world of breeding. Before I stock a pigeon, I check that it has the physical attributes I mentioned previously. No step in the wing, the humerus bone very close to the body, and that I prefer a long deep keel and a medium sized well balanced body. These attributes together with the well balanced sphincter muscles of the eye, leave very little to chance when it comes to eliminating unwanted genes. I also prefer stock pigeons to possess pedigrees or printed history of a pigeon. I do not select on performance pedigrees but on the breeding pattern of a pedigree. I believe that a pedigree that shows a lot of wins, does not show the breeding qualities of a pigeon, and that it is just a performance pedigree and of little use to a breeder, neither does it make such birds a definite proposition to install it in the stock loft. Many breeders sell pigeons on a performance pedigree and although it is very impressive to the purchaser, they soon find out that the flow of winners seems to end with the bird they have purchased. It is a proven fact that pairing winner to winner hardly ever produced the desired effect of breeding many more winners, more often than not it shows a decline in the performance of future progeny. I believe that all stock pairs should be housed in separate pens, and better if not separated at the end of the season. I have found by leaving the pairs together throughout the year, that the hens lay less eggs than they do when separated. They also very rarely breed in the off season, but lose the urge to procreate until spring, much as we see practiced by the wild birds. Separate pens not only guarantee you proof of parentage, but also as the cock does not feel threatened by other cocks as they do in communal dwellings, for he does not go into drive mode with his hen. This means that the hen will not be laying eggs under threat, and is able to gather all the necessary nutriments together to lay a good egg. I doubt if many champions have been bred from a pair where the cock has deprived the hen of food by driving her to the nest. If the readers would like me to proceed with this mode of discussion that includes using selection of the eye and physical characteristics, I am willing to explain the rest of my methods here for all list members. Those who are interested please let me know your feelings on this matter before I continue. Let me say before I go any further, that although I am a breeding station, I no longer export pigeons. Therefore my aim here is only to help fanciers who are interested in my methods, and not to sell pigeons. At my age I have enough continuing sales from my reputation in my own country, to keep me busy for as long as I shall live. Regards jackbarkel@mweb.co.za http://mysite.mweb.co.za/residents/jackbarkel/

Hello Slugmonkey, Thanks for your reply, it is gratifying to no that people are sifting through what I have to offer, and taking out what they feel may be useful to them. Regards Jack

About Preferences Racing Cocks Or Hens. It has been the opinion of good and bad fanciers alike that hens race better than cocks, it has also been stated by many world-class fanciers, that nothing will beat a good widowhood cock. I am of the opinion that both these statements are based on personal experiences and not on what created this situation in their own private circumstances. Why I say this is because it is a well-known fact that many hens have won the most coveted races, and so have just as many cocks. You can also say, because many countries fly predominantly with cocks in their part of the world it will tip the recorded performances in their favour. What I am about to reveal to you is what my recorded evaluations and findings which run into several thousand lofts have shown to be points well worth taking into consideration. This has also drawn me to the conclusion, that one sex is just as capable as the other when it comes to racing. First of all I flew roundabout for many years because I felt that when only flying widowhood cocks it was a waste of good hens. I have one particular cock pigeon that won the longest last three races of the season, he could have made this six, but I clocked three separate hens to beat him when I could have clocked him first. This is only one instance and the best one for me that proved the hens were no better than the cocks or vice versa. There are those who do not believe my methods of evaluation, which is eye sign together with other physical attributes. Be that as it may, for those who wish to go along with me on these findings of mine, I would like to point out the following, of which I have a file cabinet full of fancier’s records to back up what I have discovered. This is FACT which I can prove, be it as it may that some would like to say it is only theory and contains no facts. With the average know how in breeding techniques amongst the average fancier, if one is putting too much guesswork into their choice of pairings, there is a definite deterioration in the racing ability and breeding ability of the future stock pigeons. Now here is the astonishing point that I can substantiate from many lofts in various parts of the world. When that deterioration clicks in, it is seen to show a rapid decline in the eyes of the cocks first, at this stage it can be corrected or halted, but years later when this decline in quality has started to show a marked presence among the hens eyes also, it is usually too late to do anything else but start again, hoping we have learned from the experience. I have never evaluated a loft where the cocks had a better average than the hens, which is also factual proof that this is a situation that is a predominant one, or at least is showing a very strong pattern. When hens outperform cocks over a given distance or season, beware of what I have stated here. I know some will get hot under the collar, but it is only my opinion and documented findings. I think it is my duty to point it out to those who find it interesting, and to those who would rather condemn it without a trial so be it. My conclusion, and it is why I submit this information, is that whichever sex you concentrate on and prepare to win, can and will be as good as each other if they are prepared as to their individual nature. jackbarkel@mweb.co.za http://mysite.mweb.co.za/residents/jackbarkel/

Hello Ted, Anthony and PJ, I thank you for your replies. I try to keep the articles interesting, and hope to many they are believable. I do not write about things that are borderline cases, such as speed lines and distance lines. However what I do write about I hope many can find them believable, for through many years of applying them, I have come to rely on them for my selections. I understand we cannot all believe in everything I write, but it would show better manners if the things we do not accept, we say so in a well mannered reply and then discard it. Unfortunately we are all not made that way or brought up that way, and the writer can be subjected to unnecessary criticism which has turned away many good scribes from even this web site. Most of my articles will now be on how I use these methods to coincide with my breeding techniques, for we have covered most aspects of what I know about eye sign, which I prefer to call iridology. Regards Jack

Hello Ted, This is the first time I have tried to answer a request like yours, I have shown the three positions to the eye in relation to the beak line. I hope this is explanatory enough for all viewers. Regards jackbarkel@mweb.co.za http://mysite.mweb.co.za/residents/jackbarkel/

Hello Ted, I have not any drawings or sketches of what I am trying to portray. I am not very good at that sort of thing. Ted I have no intention of stopping, I have to put up with some not so pleasant letters privately, but that doesn't matter. I know many people like yourself appreciate what I am trying to share, and that is all I need from this exercise. I have worked hard over the years to categorise all my findings in the pigeon world, and I think it would be a pity to take it to the grave with me. I do feel that most of what I say is original although I did not discover the five circles etc. I do feel that much of what I am writing here the readers are reading it for the first time, and it may help them along the road to selection and breeding. I have had a great life travelling to several countries, giving seminars and evaluating pigeons. The results have been phenomenal, and it has all added to my knowledge of Racing Pigeons. Although my work is original based on fact from my experiences, there are a few that will continue to condemn me to a hocus -pocus theorist. I work close with some top pigeon geneticists in the world today. There are also Doctors on my books. These people respect and many rely on the work I am doing, many write to me asking questions in a search to further their own knowledge. Why we have some people that have not put anything concrete of their own to further the subject and condemn it and my works without consideration or trial I will never know. Any way I will feel misjudged by some until my dying day, but will carry on for those who are still willing to learn something from my writings. Thanks for your kind words Ted. jackbarkel@mweb.co.za http://mysite.mweb.co.za/residents/jackbarkel/

Hello Merlin, I have found it in several pigeons that have spent sometime living wild whilst trying to find their way home. We call it going feral. It is a situation where the brain imprints on the eye the stress of the wild of any domesticated creature that has been forced to return to the wild. Regards Jack

Movement & Positioning Of Eyes. Most good birds have a swivel reaction in the eye. I believe it is there for the bird to be able to be able to swivel its eyes in any direction. Not only in the forward motion to see where it is going and to prevent it flying into objects, which in later years of advancement included electric cables and high tension wires. They are also capable of swinging their eyes backwards and upwards to observe birds of prey that may be contemplating catching an easy meal. Not all birds have this startling ability, but I can assure you that exceptional birds all have it. Not only does it seem to increase the birds orientation in flight, but also the balance bone of the inner ear. One can grade the good racers on these particular points, but not necessarily in the stock pigeons, although I prefer it to be a feature of all my birds. Many top fanciers prefer the eye to be above the centre of the beak line. To add my findings to that statement, it is my contention that the racing pigeon inherits its main attributes from the species with long distanced capabilities, and the attributes of the navigator. However as I said previously to give the pigeon more buoyancy, fancy pigeons were added that had smaller bones and were very light in body weight. These birds could fly high up into the clouds and had eyes running below the beak line as they needed this facility to scan the earth and all things below the heights it was designed to fly. The navigator however needed the eye to be above the beak line to be the fixed hub of its circle of vision. There are many variables to that which I have tried to explain, but the good breeder is always aware and on the lookout for these physical differences that separate the normal homer from the athletic types we are looking for. The racing pigeon was always at risk of being struck down by birds of prey that flew above him, and because they are hunters have their eyes in the front of their head by the way. That is why I believe nature placed the eyes of the long distance pigeon in this advantageous position so it could see the enemy before it struck and could also see the whole terrain in any direction. I am always on the lookout for degeneration in racing pigeons; it is quite common amongst pigeons today for the pigeons to regress to its original state. Too much attention therefore cannot be exercised in observing that the attributes of the racing pigeon are kept intact with no allowances tolerated for variables either to the homer or the fancy pigeon. Once again I am sure that I will be criticised for what I have said here, but I know of no person that has been willing to share their findings as much as I have on racing pigeons. I have no peers and can assure everyone that all what I write is my own work, neither copied or referenced from anyone or anywhere else. This is not the end, there is more to come for those who are still interested. Regards jackbarkel@mweb.co.za http://mysite.mweb.co.za/residents/jackbarkel/

The Mascara Line In this illustration a black outer circle can be seen at the extreme perimeter of the eye. Many refer to it as the health line and others regard it as another circle or sphincter muscle. Let me assure you it is neither of those things, but a build up of mascara like powder or deposit that can be rubbed off with the thumb while holding the bird. As with speed and distance lines this is another feature that can be totally ignored as many good pigeons do not display this feature at all. Many tend to read into the eye a lot of questionable signs which assist in branding eye sign with the tag of being Hocus-Pocus. jackbarkel@mweb.co.za http://mysite.mweb.co.za/residents/jackbarkel/

Hello FT, I think your e-mail would have been better placed on EYES by the Author Eagleowl. This is a special thread used for Eye sign by Jack Barkel. To make it a thread to judge the eyes of the readers pigeons will divert it from what this thread was created for. Regards Jack

Hello Merlin, As far as I am aware, you are correct in saying it will only appear at random. Although in a strain I have developed of my own, where this eye has been introduced more than once, it is a regular occurrence. However I am unable at this stage to produce it at will. Regards Jack .

The Catalyst Eye. To some of you this may be a repeat of what I have already said previously. I print it again because I cannot find it on this thread and I wish to be sure that all readers are aware of it. Please remember this is my theory based on facts as I have found them in my experimentations. For many years I have researched eyes that to me were not a common everyday occurrence among racing pigeons. I very rarely view less than 1000 eyes in any particular month, in a professional capacity. The following is a special research I have been doing on this particular type of eye for several years and feel it is time I have it recorded although I did mention it in my previous books. One will be able to notice in the picture Illustration 27, that the base colour of this eye is a pale yellow, and that the iris is the deep pink of the pearl eye. Now when one has to judge the colour of this eye on the two basic colours we have for a long time accepted as normal, we are at a loss whether to decide if it is a yellow or a pearl. Many of us view colours differently for colour is in the eye of the beholder. Some will say it is a yellow eye whilst just as many will say it is a pearl. I would prefer to make this statement that neither is correct; for I believe it is split genes which in some way have given this eye the enhancements of the two basic colours. In many cases it has been called a False Pearl, which I think is not a satisfactory name, as it could just as easily be named a False Yellow as the basic colour is faded yellow. It has also been referred to, as a Dominant Violet, which I feel is also incorrect, and I will give my reason for this decision now. When paired to a pearl it appears to only breed that basic colour, ( recessive ) yet when paired to a yellow it will produce both. ( Dominant & Recessive ). On this assumption I would say, although I believe the gene is split it leans more towards the recessive pearl than the dominant yellow. I do not agree that there is such an eye as a dominant violet, and from the photo’s such claimants have shown, the eyes are normal violet hue in the pearl, and if we are all agreed that pearl is recessive, we can’t have such an eye as a dominant violet unless it can appear in a yellow eye. Here are a couple of interesting experiments I have done which have very often produced the following results. The catalyst eye, which is the one in the centre photo, (Illustration 27) has a pale blue adaptation and fifth circle, whilst the eye on the top left photo, (illustration 26), has a yellow adaptation and fifth circle, then when looking at the pearl eye on the top right, (illustration 28), you will see that the adaptation although partially covered with a strong black composite, has a grey to pale pink adaptation and fifth circle. Now here is what I have discovered, when I pair the catalyst eye with the blue eye sign to the yellow, I can guarantee that many of the offspring will be Yellows with the green adaptation and fifth circle. Likewise when I pair this catalyst to the pearl eye I produce many Pearls that have the violet hue as well as normal pearl eyes. If the yellow eye carries the pearl-eyed gene which I suspect, the pearl-eyed birds bred from this pairing also produce birds with the violet hue. So for the fancier and breeder that is an Eye Sign Enthusiast, if they should wish to produce more than the average Greens & Violets, this is one way of ensuring much better success than lucky chance. Better still than having to wait until you have a compatible Green and Violet to pair together. I do not know of anyone else who has conducted these experiments or published their findings. Maybe it is a first, and only time will tell, I am also breeding rare coloured pigeons that have the capabilities of being competitive flyers. My experimentations in this field are not anywhere near completion yet, although some good progress has been made. I would like to state, I am not a geneticist, but do seem to have a good practical knowledge of what is required to produce these rare colours whilst preserving their racing qualities. I would like to say that what I have reported here is hard facts of work done and discovered by myself.

Hello Carlesburg, This is only my personal opinion and must not be construed to be 100% correct. I believe eye sign judges on a whole judge on the thickness of the adaptation, the amount of serration thereof, a heavy composite and brightness of eye . I personally would not pair birds on their recommendation, rather choosing to favour my own selections for breeding purposes. Regards Jack

Hello David, You have beaten me to it, this is a subject that I must address in full in future articles. However to keep your pairs pure as they are now, you can pair the pearl eyed pigeon to the the yellow of your choice. All progeny with pearl eyes from such a pairing can be paired to the other three yellows. This is the way to go if you do not wish to introduce any new hens with pearl eyes. Regards Jack

Pairings to avoid. We should by now have realised that we need to pair birds with a similar uniform set of sphincter muscles. When one makes injudicious pairings the progeny of such bad joining, either show a widening of the iris and a decrease in the correlation or fifth circle until both these circles are completely overlapped by this iris. I have often likened this type of eye to a water bucket full to the brim, which any attempt to put in more water will prove futile, for once it is full it is full, and any attempt to try and rectify this mistake has proven erratic, unreliable and unsatisfactory. We then move on to the eye that has a very weak iris, this eye shows real signs of deterioration, the correlation breaks through the thin iris and joins up with the fifth circle. This pigeon type of eye may only have one thing going for it and that is speed. It will lack stamina and homing ability and if let loose in the stock loft can reduce your future family to a lot of junk. This eye is exactly the opposite to Illustration 20, for although eyes that are full have been known to be good long distance races the eye with the weak iris has shown very little claim to fame other than at short fast blow home races. I have referred to this eye as the bucket with a hole in it, for no matter how much you try to put in, it will not hold water. One must never consider trying to rectify these problems by pairing a bird with a too full eye, with an eye that is too thin or weak in the iris. It has the same effect as putting a small and large bird together. It does not breed medium birds, but large and small taking after one or the other of the parents. Likewise with the eye it will not compensate for the problem, but will breed mostly thick or thin irises from the genes of one of the parents. Very seldom will the genes of both parents combine to give us a happy medium, to restore future progeny to a well balanced eye. This is another fallacy I wish to expose and which is practiced by many eye-sign enthusiasts. jackbarkel@mweb.co.za http://mysite.mweb.co.za/residents/jackbarkel/

Hello Merlin. I do not know much about the third eye lid, I agree with you, it could be health related. Regards Jack

Hello Spencer, The pearl eye brings in extra speed and vitality. Where two yellow eyes are paired together we lose a certain percentage of speed and vitality. Where two pearl eyes are paired together, we lose a percentage of stamina and homing ability. The yellow eye is an inheritance of the homing pigeon, Dragoon-English Carrier etc. The pearl eye is the inheritance of the fancy breeds that was introduced to make the homer more lighter and give added vitality. Smerle - Cumulet etc. Regards Jack

Hello Merlin, You have got it exactly right, and if you pair two yellow eyed pigeons with narrow correlation you will increase your chances in a two day race much more. Increased stamina and increased homing ability will be the expected results. Regards Jack

A hen with opposite eyes will still have a base colour either pearl or yellow but not both. I would like to see a photo of the two eyes before making any further comment. I would grade the bird on both eyes and not on one of them. However a hen does not transfer its sex genes to its daughters, therefore if it is the cocks that are doing well it comes from the Sire and Dam. If it is the hens that are doing well, you can give the cock most credit for that. Regards Jack