class pigeons ? your choice

[Guest Silverwings]

when given a racing pigeon to handle  ,what are the three most important things you look for ? Balance ,feather quality, eyesign,wing type / structure, back ,tail ,heart / muscles , head ,expression, general health /condition, keel / bone structure, handling composure/stressing, vent bones ,size shape and colour or any others not listed ....ray

[Wiley]

are we on about racing or breeding that is the question

[birdman55678]

Its impossible to check just one box as they are all important other than the last three, to me anyway.  Ed

[Guest Silverwings]

wiley , breeder /racer ? or do some fanciers prefer diferent qualities in the stock  ? loft my own choice would have to be dual purpose given the space i have . birdman agree with you they shoud have all the qualities the poll is for the three most important to the individual ? to me soft muscles , eye qualities and feather texture  ,then i look at the rest ......ray

[Wiley]

yea i believe some people do have different qualities. But personally for any pigeon i like to see a pigeon in the hand with balence, good strong bone structure, racing wise for cocks medium racing wise for hens small - medium, breeding for hens medium - large, I don't know anything about the eyesign theory but i like to see an eye with richness and full of vitality, i would like to see a silkyness in the feathers, but most importantly if a pigeon doesnt have the heart excluding all these other factors, if he hasnt got the love of his home,box and hen/cock, the pigeon will never win no matter what shape,eye,wing,feather texture,body composition.

[Guest Silverwings]

good post wiley , love of his box etc would be down to us ? ie; enviroment ,motivation, nest condition even down to the  hen that hits the spot for him ,....is it all down to us though ? is some of the all important amor and ardour inherited  from the parents ?.....ray

[Wiley]

good post wiley , love of his box etc would be down to us ? ie; enviroment ,motivation, nest condition even down to the  hen that hits the spot for him ,....is it all down to us though ? is some of the all important amor and ardour inherited  from the parents ?.....ray

 

I think you could be right there silverwings and i do believe that some traits like these are inherited, like if you have a calm family, most of the young birds bred from these can be relatively calm. But one year one pigeon was just extremely nutcase, bred young birds from the pigeon as it was quiet a successful pigeon, they were all like there mother extreme headcases flying about crash bang walloping in the lofts. I defaintly believe temprement is inherited

[westy]

ray i like big pigeons with muscules and a good eye like the putmans i have had of you but also i like quiet pigeons that keepn them self to them self like my janseens i have and the flor engels i have had of you i also like small hens and big cocks but in most cases with the pigeons i have  both sexes are big this will be a interesting topic when people reply, i would like to here jimmy whites reply to this.

[Wiley]

ray i like big pigeons with muscules and a good eye like the putmans i have had of you but also i like quiet pigeons that keepn them self to them self like my janseens i have and the flor engels i have had of you i also like small hens and big cocks but in most cases with the pigeons i have  both sexes are big this will be a interesting topic when people reply, i would like to here jimmy whites reply to this.

 

ive never like quiet or timid pigeons, theres a difference to what i like and that is tame pigeons. Quiet pigeons and timid pigeons i wouldnt like these in my widowhood loft to be honest,even quiet timid hens i dont like. I personally like pigeons that dont like each other specially hens, i like hens that dont like each other builds up motivation. Even with cocks i dont like cocks that are quiet i like boastrus cocks, who will if it comes to it defend his territory to the end against pigeon or man. I like the pigeons with extreme confidence. Pigeons like these motivate themselfs. I have a cock in my loft now and i have noticed he has an extreme hate for his brother, they hate each other to bits and they will motivate each other just of these. I would watch out for what ya say big cocks westy theres a difference, between muscle and fat, with experience you will notice that. Pigeons win in all shapes and sizes but big pigeons aren't for me unless its breeding hens, i dont know what it is i do like a big bodied stock hen. But  more then anything in the hand i look for the shape i like the body to be streamline.

[schouwman71]

Good subject,Ilove talking about breeding qualities when it comes down to pigeons,the first thing i go for is the handling of the pigeon,it should sit calm in the hand and the tail should just dip slightly,the wing should come into shape with the body,the head should be sharp aswell has the eyes ,nice and clear( white wattles ) also i have found out the best ones will have a very soft heart beat.

[carl]

Its impossible to check just one box as they are all important other than the last three, to me anyway.  Ed

 

I agree with ya ed,i look for all qualitys so would tick all the boxes if i could

[Guest Paulo]

bird should look alert and full of bounce when perched. Must fit the hand good and its feathers must be nice like silk.Like birds where tails dip slightly or are level don't like birds where tails stick up.

[snowy]

like to feel silky soft feathers that nearly slip out your hand, strong & well proportioned, like to breed big cocks with smaller hens, & most of all keep them fit not fat.

for racing i like a medium to big bird that has a good eye (as in colourfull & strong pattern)

& looks a picture of health.

[Guest slugmonkey]

I look for

1. muscle

2. bone structure

3. tight vents

     I think you have to sometimes discount things like feather quality and overall apperance as where a bird is at sometimes has a lot of bearing on how he handles if you are in the loft and a bird sticks out go to him first if a bird is being poorly cared for and still feels like a quality animal in the aspect of he is equipped with all these things then whith proper feeding and care he will turn into a superstar a quality bird is a quality bird even if he is overcrowded and underfed and ridden with mites, lets face it we all want our birds to feel as if they just won the Barcelona and have been in the loft for 3 days just because a bird handles well dosent mean he can win the race !!!

I look for birds that fight me they don't want to be caught, handled, or messed with in any way they fight to get loose and bite your hand when you put them in the nest and the babys do the same if I have to lock him in his box so the other birds can get to the feed tray so much the better

[Tony C]

I suppose the best way I can answer this is when I first handle a pigeon I sort of look away whilst feeling the pigeons balance, feathering, vibrancy. I next look at the expression of the pigeon, eyes beak head to be in proportion to the size of the pigeon. Thirdly I will look at the wing, again this has to be in proportion to the size of the pigeon.

If I dont like what I feel first in the hand, no matter what other qualaties it has I will never like it.

[stevebelbin]

I like medium shaped cock-birds that are calm in the hand and feel like silk, with nice bold heads. And for hens I like small to medium that also feel like silk. Ive had big pigeons that win, but only in sprint races as they seem to burn out really quick if pushed any further.

[Beanz]

Winning birds come in all shapes and sizes so it is hard to choose just 1 of the features, I know fanciers who have hated certain pigeons as youngsters but as soon as they win they become the nicest birds in the loft. One fancier near me once had a youngster with a twisted keel which he did not like but he trained it and raced it and it won it became one of his favourites.

[jimmy white]

Winning birds come in all shapes and sizes so it is hard to choose just 1 of the features, I know fanciers who have hated certain pigeons as youngsters but as soon as they win they become the nicest birds in the loft. One fancier near me once had a youngster with a twisted keel which he did not like but he trained it and raced it and it won it became one of his favourites.

 

would go for that def. ,, no farmer has yet bought a chicken that lays more eggs than others , by handling or looks , or no farmer can buy a cow that can have more milk than another by looks [was going to say or by handling ;D] they come n all shapes and sizes and looks,, if anything i would go more by there actions , vibrant , bouncy , bright , but even that is just a guess ,, sometimes i think you can get a hunch , through experience, again this is not fool proof , by the proer management ,the good bird will show itself, by results

[gangster]

i cannot believe 3% voted just read the pedigree.... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D  we obviously have some muppets on here..... :o :o :o :o

[gangster]

  IF ANY OF THOSE WHO VOTED PEDIGREE WANT SOME 1ST CLASS PEDIGREES CONTACT ME I WILL SUPPLY THEM TOO YOU ALSO THE RINGS I TOOK OFF THE OVER PRICED CRAP...FREE OF CHARGE COZ TRY AS I MIGHT I CANNOT GET THE PEDIGREES TO FLY....................... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[pigeonpete]

i cannot believe 3% voted just read the pedigree.... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D  we obviously have some muppets on here..... :o :o :o :o

 

i can make some pedigrees up then and 3% will buy them for thousands!!  ;D ;D ;D

[Guest CS]

i cannot believe 3% voted just read the pedigree.... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D  we obviously have some muppets on here..... :o :o :o :o

 

;D ;D ;D ;D Pedigree don't make pigeons better....

[gangster]

YOUR RIGHT CRAIG PEDIGREES ONLY FOR REFERENCE  IN BREEDING...........

[yearling]

i think birds with small feet tend to be the best,for most distances,doesnt matter if its a hen or cock,what colour shape of head etc,aslong as i can get the rubber off quick lol ;D

[jacksafc]

Although i didnt tick any of the boxes the 3% who ticked pedigree are probably the most correct.

Bearing in mind that maybe 90% of any birds, no matter what eyesign they have, how long their wings are, how they handle, look, act in the loft or anything else will be rubbish.

Countless studies have been done on Horses Greyhounds AND pigeons checking eyesign, measuring lengths of this and that, bone structure or whatever without arriving at any conclusions, the only factual thing affecting any livestocks prowess is its ancestry.

Of course a lot of good pedigreed birds go in the bin, they also have a high failure rate but not as high as those with the other attributes.

Ask a race horse dealer what he looks for, successful ancestry (or pedigree)