The modern homing pigeon activity in China was developed in Shanghai and other big cities in the 1920s. 1929 Shanghai pigeon racing club was established to hold pigeon racing competitions. There are two kinds of modern carrier pigeon competitions: racing and tasting. The former is a race in which pigeons race for the fastest homing time according to different distances. The latter is based on the comprehensive score of the winning racing pigeon's body shape, hand feel and head. 1948 After the establishment of the International Pigeon Federation, the World Pigeon Championship was held every year, and the International Olympic Pigeon Tasting Competition was held every two years. 1984 After the establishment of China Carrier Pigeon Association, the national carrier pigeon competition and tasting competition were held every year. Up to now, four China international shed-opening competitions have been held. China Carrier Pigeon Association held the National Carrier Pigeon Competition and the National Carrier Pigeon Appraisal Competition during the 11th Asian Games in 1990, and held the National Carrier Pigeon Competition of the 1st East Asian Games in Shanghai in 1992.
The rise and fall of a pigeon house, from the breeding point of view, largely depends on the choice of young pigeons. Pigeons should be chosen. If we raise them regardless of the pros and cons, it will not only waste energy and material resources, but also lead to the decline of the whole shed. On the contrary, careful selection of high-quality squab is very beneficial to breeding and competition. So pigeon owners must pay attention to the choice of young pigeons.
First, bloodline is the foundation. According to the pigeon racing practice, young pigeons with good pedigree and outstanding performance in the shed are selected as the next generation of breeding pigeons. Hybrid pigeons can prepare for the competition by choosing the best young pigeons, so they must find their own pigeons. That bloodline should be the main blood, those lineages as a matching group, keep the main blood, and the hybrids will participate in the competition.
Second, the choice of young pigeons depends on the size. In the fierce competition, a racing pigeon will win in front of thousands of strong pigeons. Even in tens of thousands of competitions, besides excellent pedigree, appearance and eyes, the remaining condition is physical fitness. Physical fitness includes body shape, and pigeons with streamlined body shape should be selected. According to the aerodynamic principle, streamlined homing pigeons have the advantages of small flight resistance, good balance, long flight time and low physical consumption. Therefore, choosing any streamlined pigeon is the first choice. From the overall shape, the length and width are body length, back width and chest thickness. Judging from the data of the winning pigeons in the competition, most of the winning pigeons in the short-distance competition are short and thick, or short and lean. This kind of racing pigeons often have strong explosive force and short flight time, which is determined by their physical characteristics, that is to say, the physical characteristics of short-distance racing pigeons are different from those of long-distance and ultra-long-distance racing pigeons. Therefore, when selecting young pigeons, we should choose the body shape of young pigeons in combination with the participating events.
Third, the choice of pigeon eyes. Because it is a young pigeon, everyone has different ways to identify pigeons, and some still can't see why. But practice tells us that pigeons with good sand, good pupils, good eyes and good internal lines are beneficial to breeding and competition.
Fourth, the squab's bones are also very important. "Flying bones" is a sentence written by Zhang 300 years ago. Unfortunately, it has not been valued by all pigeon lovers. Skeleton is the foundation of racing pigeons, the part of all sports of racing pigeons, and the support of producing sports muscles. Only a strong, soft and solid bone structure can provide suitable support for different parts of muscles. When a squab is held in its hand, it should feel hard and strong. Keels should be long, thick and curved. One end of the pubic bone is slightly upturned, the pubic bone should be short, thick and strong, closed tightly, and the upper bone should be thick and hard, which can increase the frequency of flapping.
Fifth, muscles. The pectoralis major appears plump and firm, with a sense of tightness. After training and competition, the fat of racing pigeons disappeared completely, and the chest muscles changed from soft to elastic. When a pigeon is held in its hand and unfolded, its wings will have a soft and elastic feeling.
Sixth, feathers. Feathers are required to be smooth and bright, and the feathers are as thin as silk, closely arranged into flat, thin and elastic feathers, which are close to the whole body and feel slippery in the hand.
Seven, comprehensive appearance. Pigeons have strong posture and intelligent, calm and confident behavior. To give people a sense of balance, your feet should not be too long, too straight or too short. Male pigeons should have a natural and graceful male appearance; The mother pigeon has a dignified and delicate female appearance. There must be "quiet as a virgin, moving as a dragon." Have a sense of closeness to the host and a high degree of vigilance against strangers.
My opinion on the choice of squab is just my humble opinion, because there is no professional school, no fixed teacher and no fixed model in squab breeding at present. Learn and explore by yourself, and communicate with pigeon friends more. Therefore, if we are not afraid of failure and setbacks, we cannot rest on our laurels and stagnate in our achievements. We should learn from others with an open mind, understand the advantages of other pigeons, introduce pigeons with good pedigree in time, add new vitality to our pigeon house, and may also receive unexpected results.