The
Dilemma Of Selection
By John
Marles, Sylvan Lofts
Now that we live in the technological computer age your television may
receive over 100 channels! Your new television dish will show pay per view and
all the movie channels. Your computer is capable of programming your coffee in
the morning, setting your alarm clock, arming your alarm system when you leave
the house, collecting any messages, sending any e-mail or faxes while you are
away and perfectly cooking a good pot roast while you are at work. This is just
the tip of the iceberg when we consider the advances that man has made in the
last few decades. The future possibilities are mind boggling! With computer
programming on the cutting edge we can actually pit one boxer of a bygone era
with another and give you a result. One might get the impression that with these
modern technological advances that you would be able to programme to receive any
information that you need. Right? Wrong! We still cannot solve the mystery of
selection!!!! How do you select
good pigeons from bad pigeons? That is why so many fanciers all around the world
regardless of their results, background or expertise are not able to
conclusively sift the wheat from the chaff. Next time you are with a top fancier
of repute then ask him whether it is possible when culling to always choose his
best from the rest. If he is an honest fancier he will tell you this is just not
always possible. Why?
Plethora
There
has literally been a plethora of articles written on how to select to ensure
both excellent pigeons and an excellent racing future. We know that how we
select will determine how we compete for the next few years. Each pigeon book
that is written attempts to address this Rubix cube. We know that we have to
breed many pigeons each year in order to acquire one super pigeon. (If we are
lucky) We also know that the fancier who breeds five super birds over a couple
of years will be a great Champion. Some have become famous because they had one
super star on their team. Unfortunately there are many who are afraid that when
you cull you might just be killing the golden goose.
There
are many different ways that fanciers proceed when selecting. Some look at
pedigrees, others results and then there are those who look for body
conformation. They are probably all a little bit right. But, to cull by one
method alone can result in failure. There are lots of pigeons with First Class
pedigrees who do not live up to their pedigrees at all. They are simply not
worth the paper that their band number is written on. If a pair breeds three
good ones does that mean that the fourth or fifth will be just as good or that
they will ever breed another good one? There are no guarantees. How about
selecting by results? Numerous examples are available of pigeons who as young
ones flew like Champions, but afterwards never reached the same plateau.
Remember, when it comes to conformation some very ugly pigeons can and have
decimated their very beautiful opponents.
We have always been told that they must have this or that; they must have
a certain length of wing or this kind of feathering or body or that they must
have a certain eye etc. Can anyone say that these attributes will ensure a super
pigeon? This is what makes selection difficult even for those lofts that are at
the very top of the game across North America and yes even in places like
Holland and Belgium. The very honest fanciers have told me many times that the
art of selection is extremely difficult.
Old
Bird Culling
Most
would readily admit that old bird culling is far easier than the selection that
takes place after the young bird season. The easiest task is after a bird is
finishing its second year in other words, as a two year old. If the bird does
not already possess four or more top prizes in the top 5- 10% of the entries
then it is definitely culled. Pedigrees and beauty do not count at all. Results
are the only measure of success. This needs to be done right after the season
while the result sheets are still fresh in one's mind. Actually most top lofts
will have already eliminated a number of candidates after their yearling year. I
have culled many birds that have only one top prize because what I am looking
for are repeaters, those birds that can win a number of prizes in the top 5-10 %
of the Combine consistently. I would rather take a chance and place a young cock
on the widower team than keep a yearling or two year old that can not
consistently be on the top of the sheet.
Breeders
It
always amazes me how fanciers will ask to purchase young birds from your
breeders, but very seldom will ask for any from your top racers. It is like this
in Europe also. They would rather purchase from a pedigree or birds of a certain
origin because it is in vogue. We all know of merchants who keep a certain line
of bird because of the colour of its eye or the common great ancestor just to
make a profit. It is unfortunate that novice fanciers on hearing of a certain
family name feel that they must have this family or they will not have success.
I much prefer purchasing a young bird from a top widower over just a pedigreed
high cost breeder.
Young
Birds
What
do you do with young birds off your best breeders who do not handle well? I had
an excellent example of a bird who in its first year flew well, but handled very
poorly. I called it Rien which In French means nothing. That was exactly what I
felt about this bird. I tried to give it to my partner in the hopes that someone
would test it as a yearling. In the end my partner did not want the hassle of
breaking the yearling to his loft nor did he like what he handled. In actual
fact he also felt the bird was ugly and handled poorly. For some strange reason
I kept it and it flew extremely well as a yearling and two year old and became a
Registered Champion. So what do you do with these ugly ones that have excellent
results? To me, results speak
volumes and therefore I would definitely give such a bird a spot on the team.
Also what do you do with the beautiful ones who fly poorly while the ugly
nest-mate performed very well? Again, if the results and the vitality are not
there, then beauty becomes a non issue. The great selector Piet de Weerd, during
a visit to Canada tried to impress upon the Canadian fancier that the vitality
of a bird should be prominent in making selection decisions. This is one of the
most important criteria by which he selected. This vitality helps to explain the
longevity of the great pre-potent breeders. Some birds return late from smash
races. Does that mean their racing is over? Quite often if I have the space I
will keep some of these latecomers. I always press the chest bone lightly to see
if the bird opens the beak or groans. If the structure is not sound then it is
not kept. Other criteria that I consider in making my decisions as to whether a
bird stays or is culled include the following. If a pigeon is built in two
pieces it will not have the balance or aerodynamics required for top level
competition. When choosing between big and small I will keep small. Pigeons
which are far too light or heavy will not be retained. They must have rich,
silky, soft, thick, feathering and give the impression of being dense yet
buoyant. I also like a bird with a supple wing that does not give it too easily
and the last four flights must be knife-like in appearance and well ventilated.
Generally speaking, the wider the flights the fewer hours the bird can stay on
the wing. If you are looking for long distance (12-16 hours on the wing) birds
generally their flights will be slender. Of utmost importance is a pigeon's
health. I have never had a Registered Champion that suffered from an illness.
Between big and small, I will keep small. If a pigeon is built in two pieces
then it is gone. They must have balance. Watch the health! I have never had a
Registered Champion that suffered from an illness.
What
then can we summarize about selection in the loft? For me results, health and
vitality as well as conformation together are the top three benchmarks that I
use in my loft.