Criterii de Selectie

SELECTION & GRADING NEW PIGEONS By Bob Prisco
Every time I write an article on this subject, I seem to develop new enemies and hurt a great deal of feelings because I disagree with many on how to select and grade pigeons. I have always tried to be as honest and helpful to fanciers and to offer the best advice based on our actual experience. My opinions are based on the following results from our loft:


We have bred and raced 28 “HALL of FAME “ BIRDS;
We have bred and raced 40 “ACE PIGEONS”;
We have bred and raced 14 “REGISTERED CHAMPIONS”;
We won 4 TIMES “GRAND ALL-AMERICAN”;
We won 17 TIMES “ALL- AMERICAN”;
We won 47 TIMES “AMERICAN CHAMPION LOFT” ALL DISTANCES and LONG DISTANCES;
Total of 175 National Awards won against all USA and Canadian Lofts competing against 1000-7,000 birds each week and 100-600 lofts; and
We have won large prizes in the biggest and best futurity races in the USA.


Thousands of birds are imported every year to Taiwan in hopes of finding the right birds to handle the difficult and challenging style of young bird racing. The selection process varies for each buyer or fancier. Some use color of eye, various eye sign theories, body type, wing formation, strong or weak back, throat size, color of toe nails, short or long keel, strain names, particular country, performance, pedigree / ancestry, self-proclaimed professional graders and maybe 20 more physical characteristics for buying, selecting, breeding or flying birds.


EYE COLOR / EYE SIGN THEORIES

I have been very fortunate in my life to be successfully involved in various competitive sports – HUMAN and ANIMAL. Only in the pigeon sport have I ever heard of evaluating athletes by “EYE SIGN or COLOR”. I have never witnessed nor heard of coaches, owners, general mangers or parents looking into the eyes of their players, young children or livestock with a “jeweler’s loupe” to see if they were going to be a good performer, top breeder, sprinter, long distance athlete, etc.

The same applies to horse racing, dog racing, fighting chickens, dog fighting or other types of animal competition that is legal or illegal. Nobody practices or even talks about eye sign. WHY? They would be laughed out of their sport for such a theory. It is ridiculous for those sports or competitions, and it is just as silly to believe they can be used in the pigeon sport to help with success.

You can read advertisements from the SELF PROCLAIMED EXPERTS about eye sign specialist, racing eye, breeder eye, eye sign pairing and their scientific research about eye sign. However, only in the pigeon sport can they find individuals foolish enough to listen and sometimes practice their methods. WHY? Some in the sport look for any short cut to success. There are no short cuts.

Can you look into a bird’s eye and see intelligence, homing ability, navigation skills, heart, motivation, determination to race home in the tough weather conditions in Taiwan week after week? NO, YOU CANNOT. TO SPEND YOUR MONEY AND TIME APPLYING THESE METHODS TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS IS FOOLISH AND A RIDICULOUS MYTH. Keep your “JEWELER’S LOUPE” in your pocket, and use it only when buying diamonds.


GRADING ON PHYSICAL APPERANCE

Many fanciers evaluate their birds on their physical appearance and qualities. Yes, like eye sign, we have so called “PROFESSIONAL GRADERS”. They believe they can buy and cull on appearance alone. They judge birds on wing configuration, muscle quality, feather quality, size of bird, throat shape and size, strong or weak back, short or long keel, color and several other physical characteristics. These fanciers have turned their grading and selection of their birds into a “BEAUTY CONTEST” based on physical qualities.

THE REAL TRUTH IS “NO ONE CAN PICK A CHAMPION RACER OR BREEDER FROM THE PHYSICAL MAKEUP OF A BIRD”

Grading on physical appearance will lead to “NO PRIZE OR POOL MONEY AT THE END OF THE RACE SERIES”. Fire your professional grader! “All brawn (physical) and no brain will not make a Champion in any country, especially in Taiwan.”


HOW WE GRADE AND SELECT

I have said in many other articles that the best and most reliable graders in the world are the training basket and race day. When training and racing your birds you are evaluating yourself as a trainer as well as testing and culling your birds. Our selection process has been Health, PERFORMANCE (HOMING INSTINCT) and BIRDS THAT CAN FLY IN TOUGH RACES WEEK AFTER WEEK.

We have always believed when we look at a pigeon we do not care about the pigeon we can see (PHYSICAL MAKEUP). More important is the bird we cannot see. WHAT IS INSIDE (MENTAL CAPABILITIES) COUNTS! These mental qualities are more important than the physical appearance of the bird. The bird must possess the internal qualities of intelligence, orientation, navigating ability, compass, homing instinct, motivation, determination, desire, heart and good health.

With all our success in the sport never did we select a bird to breed or race by physical appearance or eye sign. What we are looking for in a Champion racer or breeder cannot be found in the bird’s physical appearance or looking into its eye. It can only be found by studying the bird’s performance and health.

“PERFORMANCE” means the type of results necessary to compete in your area or location where you fly. Has the bird competed successfully at the speeds, distances, weather conditions and land or sea racing? Can it fly each week?


TIPS

1. Breed from any bird that has shown it can fly over water, even if it did not complete the race series;

2. Breed from birds that have a strong history of successful young bird racing in the past, generation after generation of young bird results in tough hard races at distances of 100-350 miles and at speeds 900–1300 YPM. Also, yearling races of 400-500 miles are good signs of fast maturing pigeons with proper physical and mental qualities;

3. Breed from a family of birds that has already proven itself to be successful in Taiwan’s tough style of racing. Bloodlines from this family must show results in 1st or 2nd generation of the birds’ pedigrees;

4. Breed from any bird that has raced at various speeds (900-1500 YPM) and distances (100-400 MILES) as a young bird or yearling. A bird’s ability to handle different types of weather conditions and its endurance ability to fly speeds necessary to compete with the leaders of the race is important for Taiwan racing. This import should come from a fancier and country that has had success with Taiwan racing;

5. When selecting new breeders, a buyer should require proof of the bird’s ancestry, versatility and race records of birds listed in the pedigree. It is more important to know the various speeds and distances of the races the bird flew rather than the position the bird finished and the number of birds and lofts competing. We all know the tough conditions a bird must face in a race series, and you should give special attention to birds and bloodlines that fly the tough and long distance races as young birds and yearlings;

6. Many clubs in the USA have 1 bird futurity races. Each loft enters its best bird (1 only) for this special race: 50 lofts - 50 birds, the best against the best at distances of 300-500 miles. These birds are special because they have intelligence, orientation, navigating ability, motivation, determination, desire, courage and heart. They fly as individuals or alone for distances of 300-500 miles with only their own ability. They are leaders, and the birds that fly these races usually become excellent breeders that can be a great value to the Taiwan fancier;

7. When buying birds, a buyer must look on both sides of the pedigree: the sire and the dam. The dam side is more important than the sire and you should give close attention to HENS that have a good racing and breeding record. Always buy the best HENS you can afford. They are more important than the cocks. Proven racing and breeding hens are the most valuable birds in the loft;

8. Before you buy birds, keep your mind clear and understand what you want and need. Buy on information and results, not emotion and fancy advertisements, names or fancy pedigrees. Do your research and homework before you invest your money and your investment will be rewarding and pay dividends. Buy only from a fancier with an excellent reputation in the sport and who is known for selling good birds. He must have a good and honest reputation, the integrity and honor of his good name and his birds are always more important than money. YOU CANNOT BUY HONOR AND A HONEST REPUTATION, YOU MUST EARN IT. Always go to the original owner or source to buy birds. The fancier has his reputation, honesty, integrity, honor and his birds’ good name to keep safe. He will always give you a better selection and a better deal;

9. Take a good look at the fanciers that are having the great success in the race series year after year. Many are not buying birds every year. Many are flying local racing pigeons of various strains and have discovered the true value of breeding from birds that have successfully competed in Taiwan and have adapted to style of Taiwan racing. These birds are a combination of European, American, Japanese and other countries blended together, and have become the modern Asian pigeon of today. The birds coming from the USA are the HVR’S, and crossing them with other families has been a great success. The Huyskens-Van Riel (HVR) birds have continued to prove themselves for over 50 years in Taiwan. A great deal of publicity, fame and honor has been achieved and credited to the HVR’S in Taiwan racing history, both past and present. But buyers must be careful only to buy from fanciers that can show you race results with their HVR family;

10. You get no second chance in a race series in Taiwan. A bad race performance eliminates the bird. Your breeders must show you they can produce young birds with good health, homing ability, and navigating skills. You cannot find these abilities by looking into the eyes of a bird or judging its physical appearance.