# The throat, the eye and the egg.



## vandergill (Jun 29, 2008)

Hi there guys,

I have been going through some DVD's that I purchased, it seems that there is alot of information to be learned from these three things and your pigeons! *(that is of course if you belive in them)*

*The eye*

There are approximately 5 things that they look for in the eye and they manage to judge a pigeon by this? Depth of iris, constriction of pupil, racing lines, distance lines. What do you think?

*The throat*

By looking at a pigeons throat, more specifically the curtain at the back of the mouth, you will see tiny teeth at the bottom, by looking at hese you can tell whether your bird is long distance (shark tooth pattern) or short distance (fine tooth pattern) amongst othe things. What do you think?

*The egg*


The producer of this DVD already culls at the egg stage by looking for inconsistencies in the egg formation amongst other things, he has some pretty convincing proof of pigeons that he has allowed to hatch from the eggs he would have otherwise thrown away. What do you think.


Safe flying

Andy


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

I don't go by any of that


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## DEEJAY7950 (Dec 13, 2006)

I'm going out on a limb here and say the throat is more fact than fiction, but what I'm looking for has nothing to do with the curtains teeth, I just want the fine line to be as straight as possible and the finer the better, if that makes any sense to you?!


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## g0ldenb0y55 (Dec 23, 2008)

klondike goldie said:


> I look in the eye to see if it is bright or dull.


What does it mean if the eye is dull? 




DEEJAY7950 said:


> I'm going out on a limb here and say the throat is more fact than fiction, but what I'm looking for has nothing to do with the curtains teeth, I just want the fine line to be as straight as possible and the finer the better, if that makes any sense to you?!


That's what I go by as well.


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## eyespyer (Jul 14, 2008)

The throat:
I too look at the line, and I only bread if the line looks good. straight and tight.

If it looks crooked or scar tissue I remove them from the breading.

Eye sign:
I like to see a clear and alert looking eye, but that is all, at this point.


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## vandergill (Jun 29, 2008)

It would seem that I am in agreement with you, I also don't really believe in that stuff, I have looked through my flock and what they are saying is different to what I am seeing.

I also look at that thin line


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## g0ldenb0y55 (Dec 23, 2008)

The thin line in the throat is pretty consistent with many people and it's been a major factor in picking my breeders.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

If an adult bird has dull eyes, it is a sign of coccidiosis. It's hard to explain the difference between a bright and dull eye....one is bright in color...one is not  I guess you'd have to see it.


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## g0ldenb0y55 (Dec 23, 2008)

I asked because one of my best hens has what you would see as a dull eye but she's as healthy and full of vigor like any of my other birds. Her off-springs turn out pretty solid so I guess she would be an exception to the dull eye = bad bird theory because she's in my breeding program!


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## vivagirl (Jun 24, 2008)

*Eye Sign*

Dealing with eye sign just make they have one on each side of their head. 

If they don't they will always fly in a circle.

That's my thought for today!! OUT


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

I don't have yet opinion on the eye and throat, but I do have opinion about the egg quality. I am now beginning to believe that if the egg shell looks rough or scaly or what not--not smooth, shiny, etc., the hatched baby may turn out to be not healthy or vital. I have tested this on 3 eggs and the babies don't seem to have vigor. They basically get sick often unlike their counterparts. The hawk excluded them from my loft. I suppose healthy birds start from healthy eggs.


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## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

vandergill said:


> Hi there guys,
> 
> I have been going through some DVD's that I purchased, it seems that there is alot of information to be learned from these three things and your pigeons! *(that is of course if you belive in them)*
> 
> ...


Am going to test your egg theory this year. I have an old hen that only laid me one egg. It was small and oblonged. I decided to let it hatch out. The chick was small but healthy. The hen and the cock are small birds. The is breeding for the first year to a proven hen. We will see what happened. My thoughts are the shell does not contain the genetics. It is just what contains them. What I look to more is the fact that he is a good looking bird, well balanced, strong, and oh yea, he is a grandson of a National Bourges winner against 13k birds. That was her only egg since I have owned her. To me it is worth a chance. 

As for eye, don't give it much thought. Bird needs two. 

Throat makes some since to me in choosing birds to send to a race. But once again the bird might have had the best throat in the world before it was stressed. Maybe the genetic code of the bad throated bird will throw good throats as before. To variable of a factor to use for selection for breeding.


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

vandergill said:


> Hi there guys,
> 
> I have been going through some DVD's that I purchased, it seems that there is alot of information to be learned from these three things and your pigeons! *(that is of course if you belive in them)*
> 
> ...


I am going to study this and see if I can find any scientific articles that can correlate respiratory efficiency with such things.

If I have my way I will x-ray a bird and looks for bigger heart and bigger lung volume. If the bird is not sick with that one, then I am sure the bird will have better advantage. Lance Armstrong had that advantage (bigger heart). The mountain Peruvian people had bigger lungs which help them live in higher altitudes. They don't easily get tired climbing mountain while ordinary folks already ran out of breathe. Secretariat horse has bigger heart and she broke race record, too.


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## vandergill (Jun 29, 2008)

I like to choose a bird judged by its *feet*, the first feet to hit the landing board = best bird


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

vandergill said:


> I like to choose a bird judged by its *feet*, the first feet to hit the landing board = best bird


Hahaha! I prefer the bird that trap first! Some first bird decides to not enter and get beaten by the one slower, yet trap faster.


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## DEEJAY7950 (Dec 13, 2006)

vandergi ll said:


> I like to choose a bird judged by its *feet*, the first feet to hit the landing board = best bird


LOL I must say I've seen many a first bird hit the landing board and not go over the ETS pad so first bird that traps is really what your looking for!


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## Matt Bell (May 5, 2010)

Eh, you can always teach a bird to trap faster, can't teach them to fly faster...


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## jpsnapdy (Apr 4, 2010)

hillfamilyloft said:


> Am going to test your egg theory this year. I have an old hen that only laid me one egg. It was small and oblonged. I decided to let it hatch out. The chick was small but healthy. The hen and the cock are small birds. The is breeding for the first year to a proven hen. We will see what happened. My thoughts are the shell does not contain the genetics. It is just what contains them. What I look to more is the fact that he is a good looking bird, well balanced, strong, and oh yea, he is a grandson of a National Bourges winner against 13k birds. That was her only egg since I have owned her. To me it is worth a chance.
> 
> As for eye, don't give it much thought. Bird needs two.
> 
> Throat makes some since to me in choosing birds to send to a race. But once again the bird might have had the best throat in the world before it was stressed. Maybe the genetic code of the bad throated bird will throw good throats as before. To variable of a factor to use for selection for breeding.


I tend to agree with you. I've had birds contradict all these selection methods, one hen that produced consistent flyers and ALL her eggs had a rough shell. One cock was an extremely poor flyer but produced very good racers. Birds with "broken keels" flew as well as the others, etc, etc. 
About the gully in the throat, it will be more round and pulsating or even slimy when the bird is not in good health or too fat, but narrow when in top form. I only select for racing and breeding when the birds are in peak condition and select the breeders by the performance of their youngsters.
How many good birds have been wasted by the so called experts !?!
I'd say: Always give a bird a chance to prove itself by its results or by its progeny. Unfortunately most of us do not have the patience, they want "Instant Karma".
Would you keep a bird with a paralyzed tail, that is not able to fan it out? I have, and this hen developed a superior pair of wings and muscles to match and could keep up with the best, she was also a terrific breeder and her youngsters' tails were normal. So just give them a chance, you may not regret it. Of course, they've got to be from the best lines. Like my mentor used to say: "Blood will talk!"


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