SIMPLE TRUTHS OF PIGEON RACING
by Jim Emerton
There are some plain facts which the discerning fancier will spot. Firstly sound physical appearance alone does not a champion make, since the genes and inner constitution must be of exceptional quality. The eye, other than an indicator of near ancestry, health and vigour is not an automatic organ of race winning prediction, although we might think it is or believe it to be so. Race wins are the product of good management under the total prevailing conditions. Inbred birds up to brother x sister levels may or may not be good breeders or racers. A good bird can be any colour, even though I like a dark chequer. Late returnees in short races ie up to 250 miles may be the distance/marathon birds of the future. Good birds at any distance may arise from racers of any human name origin, as they are mixtures anyway - heterozygous origins. Birds will thrive on many individual systems and diets. Some of the UK birds are as talented as any. Bird losses tend to increase along with the distance of the race point. A breeding bird may produce a good bird as long as it is fertile. Seemingly optimal to good weather forecasts do not necessarily indicate maximum returns. All my points are mere generalisations as general tendencies from experience and not intended as dogma set in stone.
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Elimar - September 2014
