How to select quality racing pigeons | How to judge a racing pigeon

Here are the criteria I use to select or judge racing pigeons. It’s a long video, but the content should provide pointers when purchasing racing pigeons which can be VERY expensive!

What other physical traits or criteria do you use when selecting a racing pigeon? Put them in the comments!

[leunisvandewege]

Old Ko (Jacobus den Exter) had one of the best strains in the world. He bred about 20 youngsters every year and over a period of about 40 years he always had pigeons capable of classifying 25 times of 26 races. (1:4) In ONE season. Selecters that selected on fysical caracteristics almost always thought very little of his birds. Ko didn't say a word and just smiled.

[ditty]

As a newer flier, I really appreciate you going into detail with this. This topic is a area that new fliers like myself don't really understand.

[peterjansen]

This is, hands down, the best educational video on pigeons I've ever seen. Well done and thank you for taking the time to share your experience and expertise.

[bontano]

Whenever you got to visit other pigeon fanciers loft, try to hold their champion birds and assess the physical traits..it will help you alot sir.. take note the "champion bird"

[normawingo]

Really helpful information, I’m moving farm across the country and building a loft at new place for retirement hobby. Learning ahead of time and I thank you very much.

[kevinnorton]

THANK YOU JAMES, I agree. The first thing my FATHER taught me was BALANCE and VENTS the VENTS are what my FATHER called
( THE WORKING CAPACITY) . If you can get your little finger in between the vent bones and they are very sharp at the ends that pigeon is no good as a breeder, probably not a racer either. Unless it is a very fast sprint race with the wind behind it. Any work to do it will be gone. HOPE ABBY IS STILL GOING STRONG. SHE IS A LITTLE FIGHTER AND WHILE THERE'S FIGHT THERE IS HOPE.
GOD BLESS HER 🙏 ❤

[JMFLOFT]

Hands down one of the best informational videos for newer fancier in the hobby like me! I live by those 3 criteria when selecting my breeders and who I want to breed out of and will also use it for the race team ! One of the first videos I watch before I started with birds 5 months ago.

[pigeonsofparadisejamaica]

Your birds look very healthy and beautiful, respect from Jamaica 👊🏾🇯🇲👊🏾🇯🇲

[thunderstrucklofts]

Thanks for this video. I'm a long time show pigeon breeder but just recently decided to get into racing homers and videos like this help me a ton. Keep em flying !!!

[pinoyryker]

I have a question did you race your bird? Please make videos on your winning bird I’m interested, all your birds looks good.

[pigeonbirdaccessoriesfacto]

Hi James, so glad to see you here . I'm so proud of ever making pigeon bands for you

[bluelagoontipplerloft]

Thanks for sharing, The three criteria‘s will be very helpful to begin my new journey in my selection of quality racing homer’s, I’m looking forward on learning about all the good pedigrees that’s available to choose from, wish me luck on my new journey, your videos are inspiring, Thank you!

[iamxsapper]

Thanks for sharing! Can’t say I agree with you on a lot of your talking points but it’s nice seeing people promoting the sport and/or their birds.

[danielherman]

Good traits on your birds. They look like super quality to me too.

[andreitamas]

Hey James, I am Rehoming two stock birds. BRED OUT OF FULL SISTER OF 2ND AVE SPEED SOUTHERN BELLE OLR and a bird directly out of Frank McLaughlin loft(OUT OF THE FREAK!!!!) . 892 Mclaughlin is the sire to these two. Sire to 892 was 1st at 1st river valley round
Birds are extremely balanced and they keal bones are almost perfectly plum with the breast muscles! Let me know if interested. I would rather have the birds go to a good loft where I could see them on the videos every now and then.

[omegadivingacademy]

Thank you for the video bud. One thing though if you put the Rock on a slippery surface I choose you. By this I refer to conditioning, loft management and fancier skills. The reality is that I have seen a multiple overall federation loft winning fancier who for health reasons had to give up his birds. The guy who took over his loft did absolutely nothing with these birds for the next two seasons. Eventually he just wanted to get rid of the lot fortunately the previous fancier heard about it and went for a visit where he found the birds well but unfit as the particular strain he used to fly needed way more training and training flights than they were getting compared to the birds that the new guy was racing successfully. He could not believe the training program the old guy gave him. Things like, bird flies a 250 mile on Saturday gets a training toss 100 mile on Sunday. Anyway a couple other things but long story short after splitting the two groups the new (previously no good) won the last 6 races of the year and took the loft to Federation overall champion. I do realise that pigeon racing has changed a lot with people like yourself doing these videos and instructional information is easily available for the new fancier to me that is almost more important since not all fanciers can afford the one loft and on the whole pigeon population quality levels on the average have improved drastically over the last 20 years.

[ysabelandfriends]

Thanks for this video sir its very helpful specially to the newbie to the pigeon industry like me btw im from the Philippine more video like this

[GuardianAngel..]

Maybe one day if I’m lucky you might name one of your birds Jason Legacy, by the way you got some real nice specimens there Sir 👍

[CarranzaHugo]

18:03 The white claws just means how close their genes are from the top breeder. If the great grandparents had white claws and they were top pigeons you’d most likely select based on those genes. But if you don’t really know the blood strain and characteristics of their ancestors, white claws wouldn’t matter. Great video by the way! Keep it up 👍🏻😃

[tkacer]

Thank you for this video, lots of great information. I’m brand new to racing pigeons and this is very helpful.