11/07/2024
Racing Pigeon Show Standards according to American Racing Pigeon Union (AU)
a. General Impressions and Overall Appearance (15 Points) — regardless of color or pattern class, flown or unflown background, the racing homer should immediately give one the impression of an athlete primed for competition. It should be alert and aware of its surroundings. The bird should exhibit health, vigor, strength, intelligence, a calm demeanor and confidence. Due primarily to their genetic diversity, racing homers tend to vary in length and size, however, the bird must be proportional, appear balanced, and the body must be smooth, with no apparent bulges or lumps, except as may be noted within this standard.
b. Skeleton, Keel and Vents (20 Points) — the entire skeleton should exhibit a feeling of balance, and its structure should be strong and firm, medium in weight, proportional to the pigeon, and strongly resistant to any pressure of the fingers at any point. There should be no obvious signs of irregularity, such as lumps and deposits (a common characteristic of older birds with arthritis). Bones of the wings and legs should be straight. The keel should be straight and strong, of medium depth and length, in proportion to the size of the pigeon. It should slope gradually upward from its deepest point to its rear extremity, forming a smooth, unbroken line to the touch along its length, with no suggestion of rising, to the extent that it narrows down or pinches the abdominal cavity. It should almost 3 form a union with the vent bones. The vent bones should be strong, resistant to the fingers when pressed in any direction. They should be close together at their lower points, and close to but not touching the end of the keel. Note: somewhat wider vent bones in a laying hen are not a disqualification.
c. Overall shape and size (15 Points) — the racing homer’s size will vary from one family of birds to another; however, in general, the bird should be of medium size, with developed c***s weighing approximately 15-1/2 to 18-1/2 ounces, and developed hens weighing approximately 14 to 16-1/2 ounces. The body must be oval shaped, flattened on top, but smooth all over, and well filled out. It should not be too deep below, and should smoothly taper back from the front to the stern and tail.
d. Breast and Overall Muscle (10 Points) — the breast should be strong throughout, firm, and amply broad in proportion to the size of the pigeon, setting the legs well apart. It should be slightly curved, especially as it descends, without any useless weight or puffiness. It should be thickly and smoothly covered with fine, silky feathers. The muscles should exhibit a sense of strength, being firm and well developed, particularly those of the back and the chest.
e. Feather and Quality (10 Points) — In general, the entire feather surface should be even, smooth, with a high sheen throughout, except in white birds. It should overall be dense, thick, firm and soft. There should be an added, iridescent luster clearly visible along the length of the neck and the bird’s hackles. The feather should cover evenly, with a feel of silkiness, free from roughness of any kind. “Fret marks” in record class birds are to be expected and their presence should not be counted against a bird. *Note: Please see the earlier note referring to moult anomalies and feather condition.
f. Head, Face, Eye, Beak and Neck (10 Points) — the head and neck should indicate strength. The head should be round and sit smoothly on the neck, with no visible bulges at the ears. The eye should attract with its fullness, richness, clarity and fiery glance of intelligence, and should be placed in the head with the center of the beakline pointing to the center of the eye. The pigmentation of both eyes should be of the same rich, clear color. The iris and pupil should be unbroken and very responsive to changes in light. The forehead should make a clean transition to the face in younger birds and hens, but will naturally take on a broken line as the bird ages and the cere develops, especially in c***s. The cere should be clean, white, almost powdery looking, and should not cover the mandible or be of such a size so as to obstruct straight on vision. The beak should be dark in dark colored birds and somewhat pink in lighter colored specimens, but always matching the color of the toenails, which must all be the same color. The beak and mandible should close smoothly together, with no sign of overgrowth, crossed tip or other obvious defect. The tongue must not protrude. The neck should be proportional, of medium length and taper smoothly and roundly to the chest and back.
g. Back and Rump (10 Points) — the back should be broad, strong and smooth, the muscles readily felt with the thumbs, firm and resistant, with minimal pressure. It should be rather flat, forming one plane to the tail. The rump should be firm and smooth. Beginning broad, it should run well back, tapering into the tail. Both rump and back should be covered with fine, silky soft feathers, the feathers of the rump covering the quills of the tail tightly and running well back, both over and under the tail, providing a cushion both above and below.
h. Tail (5 Points) — the tail should be of medium length, extending approximately 3/4 of an inch to not more than 1 inch beyond the tips of the outermost primaries of the wings. The quills should be finely textured, strong and free from defects. At rest, the 12 (twelve) tail feathers should fold evenly and closely together, giving the impression of one feather.
i. Wings (5 Points) — the entire wing should be abundantly dressed with fine, silky smooth feathers, the surface of which appear and feel like a piece of fine velvet. When spread out by hand the wing should feel soft, as though the pigeon had laid it there, with no fear or tendency to “snap” it back. (Some birds may have as many as 11 or 12 flights, however, as long as each wing has the same number of flights it is not a disqualifying factor.) The wings should be proportional with the size of the pigeon, when together over the tail, the tips coming not more than one inch from the end of the bird’s tail. When it is spread, the primary and secondary flights should fit well together, forming an even overlap to make one unbroken, smooth airfoil, without a break between feathers. All quills should present a fine texture. The primaries and secondaries should be wide to medium wide in the web, clean and free from pinholes or other imperfections—either genetic or parasitic in origin. At the butt, the wing should be strong and muscular, thick, without exaggeration to any degree.
