12 points for selecting a pigeon for breeding or racing the distance

Let us start at the pointy end the birds head I like the eye to be level or above the beak line and when looking from the top of the head you can see the blacks of both eyes, it also helps if the head has a slight swelling behind the eyes giving the appearance of a bull head,

I know nothing about eye sign so that does not come into the equasion but the pigeon should have a bright eye if it is slightly dulled it shows that there could be a problem with it’s immune system that could carry over to it’s off spring

When the pigeon is standing upright the tail should touch the ground with the body straight from a sloped angle

The keel should be not to deep, tapering off to a gentle rise to the vents which should not be to wide at the most be able to fit one finger between them the closer they are the better I like it sometimes the hen has slightly wider vents

The back and wing also come into contention the back should be strong and straight tapering off to the tail which should be as close as you can get to one or two feathers, there should also be a slight bump at the area where the back meets the tail take note of the photo below, notice the long body tail touching the ground and the slight lump where the back meets the tail, the tail should also drop down when holding the bird in a relaxed position and the front of the wing buts just slightly forward of the neck line

I prefer the cocks to have a bit more length than a lot do as these type of pigeons usually have a longer wing than the smaller type

In the wing I look for a fairly big step between the 6th and 7th flight and find the bigger the step the better they fly at the distance as long as all the rest of the parts are in place

The wing is also a very important and necessary part of selecting the pigeon, to start where the wing joins onto the body is one of the most important things in selecting a long distance pigeon hold the pigeon in your hand until it relaxes, then if you place your index finger between the rib cage and the first knuckle it should be tight and the pigeon should squeeze your finger until it shows a indent in your finger, that shows that the pigeon has a strong wing muscle, if you can move your finger between the rib cage and the wing knuckle the bird will never fly a distance for you, it is like a weightlifter having long arms he can never lift any sizable weight,

At the end of the flights the last three should not be flat but should taper off nearly to a point with the end of the last two turning slightly back, this I call the propeller, the eight flight should be looked at also one of the things that I look for is the length from the outside of the quill from the end of the flight before it starts to taper out it should remain straight for at least two inches

Another thing to look for is the inside of the birds mouth, first it should have a full curtain near the gullet, the linear cleft down the centre of the palate should be closed it often has cilia or serrations that hold the two sections together like a zipper, the rear part of the cleft in the roof of the mouth should have a large near rectangular hole which permits air after entering the nasal passages to flow directly into the larynx on the lower beak behind the tongue, there is a lot more on the throat but this will surfice for the moment

I take my youngsters out of the nest at 21 days show them the water by dipping their heads in it for two days and have a tray of feed in front of them to pick through, any pigeons that that show any sign of stress an do not develop are not considered as potentional breeders

I think I have cover most of the points I think go together to make a good racing and breeding pigeon, there are bound to be some things that I have missed that could be just as important

After saying all this the things that make a champion racing pigeon can not be seen by man they are the heart the brain and the lungs for without all those three functioning together the bird will never make a champion