Editor's note: Mr. Aikawa Ishizu is one of the two surviving xiangsheng in the Japanese pigeon industry, and his huge work "Making and Racing" truthfully records his decades of pigeon breeding experience and experience, which is worth learning and learning from later generations. Thanks to mr. Shogo Akami, publisher of the Japanese magazine "Friends of Pigeons", for his enthusiastic help, Mr. Kawayasu's tome can meet Chinese fanciers. Pigeons of any lineage have their own unique body shape characteristics. For pigeons of a certain lineage, it is a fact that a certain characteristic may produce excellent offspring, or a certain characteristic may fly a good result. We must know our pigeons very well, and only by raising and releasing a certain pigeon for many years can we appreciate its characteristics. Whether in the East or the West, the owner of the loft who has the most say in the selection of pigeons is the owner of the loft. The introduction of a bunch of defective products based on only a half-understanding or one's own preferences is too numerous in the pigeon world. It is not right for novice pigeon breeders to focus on the upper part of the neck of the pigeon when selecting pigeons, because pigeons do not fly with their heads. A visiting American fancier tried to explain this, covering the head of a pigeon photo with a piece of paper and saying, "The pigeons must be selected this way." He was absolutely right. Below I will introduce the characteristics of some famous pigeon breeds abroad. Pigeons in the Opel breed are out of shape if they have thick bones. Because the pigeons in this breed are characterized by their weak bones, the breeders always want their bones to be stronger. The first three main wing feathers of oppel pigeons are generally long, and most of the pigeons in this series that have achieved good results have this characteristic. The wings of the Opel pigeons are perfect, which is probably the source of motivation for their ability to fly in bad weather. Robinson's pigeons are very well proportioned and the pigeons with many white spots in the plumage tend to fly amazingly well. Occasionally, chocolate-coloured pigeons appear in the Azaxon breed, which is considered the best breeder. This breed also features red eye circles, which are also characteristic of excellent breeders. Most of the mainstream pigeons in the Logan family are not well proportioned, and it is this pigeon that has achieved results. For example, the famous breeding pigeon Tevaylet in the mazareira loft has a particularly deep keel, which is unspeakably pleasing in size. Many famous british pigeons have this shortcoming, and the "Lankasha. Rhodes is no exception, probably because the British long-range pigeons are more or less influenced by the Rogen family. Belgian pigeons with Stasha's ancestry, such as Golan's and Cobb's, generally have deep keels and a slightly skeletal feel. The Tirpas are not thick enough at the waist, and when held in the upper hand, it gives a feeling of "what is the disadvantage". However, the more such pigeons are, the more likely they are to fly out of the way. On the whole, Belgian pigeons are better than English pigeons, and there are more pigeons close to the so-called standard physique. In terms of performance, British pigeons are generally more tolerant of bad weather, and Belgian pigeons are mostly faster. This is probably also related to their different body shape characteristics. Pigeons with fine feathers are more common in Belgium, such as van Buliana, which is a common feature of late-ripening pigeons in the scorching sun. This pigeon can be placed in the near and middle distances at a young age, and cannot be released until it is fully mature. Regarding the question of what size pigeons are better at flying, it should be said that there is no standard, and it can be considered that pigeons with good body proportions are more ideal. It is just that we should not only see this, but also conduct a more in-depth study of the pedigree of pigeons, and know what kind of characteristics of pigeons of which bloodlines may lead to what kind of results. In particular, a thorough understanding of the system used in this loft is necessary in order to be able to breed pigeons with a clear purpose. If necessary, you can make more records, count the size of the pigeons that have more results, analyze the growth process of the pigeons, etc. Pigeons undergo many amazing changes in their growth and development, and their processes vary depending on their lineage. In summary, to study the size of pigeons, we must first hold as many pigeons as possible, experience the differences in the size of pigeons of different systems, and gradually understand the characteristics of excellent pigeons with the accumulation of perceptual understanding. I believe that after long-term efforts, everyone will be able to improve their ability to identify pigeons in terms of body size. Re-study of the breeding pigeons At the end of the young pigeon race, the results of the past year should be reviewed and analysed. We raise a limited number of breeding pigeons in a limited loft space and use the offspring they produce to unleash our dreams. If a pair of mediocre breeding pigeons are raised, the same effort is also required, and the multiple offspring they produce also occupy valuable space. After years of training, we can only feel a great loss when we send mediocre players to the field and face the result of no harvest. Isn't this situation worthy of deep reflection? However, many pigeon breeders have become obtuse to the return of the runners, and often just say "lost again" in disappointment. Now that the competition in the Japanese pigeon world is very fierce, we must conduct in-depth analysis and study of our breeding pigeons and racing pigeons, and realize that it is impossible to win without a team of elite pigeons. At the end of the year, it is time for us to analyze and make decisions. It is important to reflect on whether the breeding pigeons currently used are appropriate and whether the runners who make them deserve our full trust. In fact, we thought about these problems at the beginning of the introduction of breeding pigeons, and it is precisely because we firmly believe that they will definitely produce future champions for this loft, so we carefully manage them day after day and take good care of them. So, what's the result? Every winter I have to compare the results of the young birds in this year, which is one of the pleasures I enjoy in the pigeon breeding process. By analysing the total number of pigeons produced, the number of male and female pigeons, the number of pigeons participating in the training competition, the number of winning pigeons and the number of missing pigeons, it is not difficult to see whether the purpose of the original attempt was achieved. When judging the performance based on the performance, the criteria for evaluation are very important. The first thing to note is the perception of the results of the competition. If the pigeons fly well, especially in succession, there is only one answer, and the question is whether the answer can be immediately negative if the performance is not good. When pigeons return home slowly, the causes of the slowness need to be analyzed. For example, what is the state of the moulting and whether the main wing feathers have fallen off? What is your health? What is the situation in the house, and is the mental state peaceful and stable? All of this has to be taken into account. We tend to deny missing pigeons, but it is not uncommon for them to lose their lives in the mouth of birds of prey on their way home, or to escape danger by rushing into dense forests or hitting obstacles, losing the ability to return due to injury. Therefore, the fact of the disappearance cannot simply be attributed to the poor performance of the pigeons. My idea is that the pigeons that come home are better, and the pigeons that fly faster in bad weather are better, but the missing pigeons cannot be denied. In addition, if more than one pigeon from a breeding pair is missing, the more pigeons missing, the more certain the pair is wrong. For example, one pigeon born in a pair is sent to race after training, three pigeons are given to a pair b, and five pigeons from pair c are given. If all these pigeons are missing, the worst of the three abc pairs will of course be the C pair, followed by the B pair. For a pair, it cannot be considered bad because a pigeon is missing. The weather conditions at the time of the race should also be taken into account. As we all know, the weather has a great influence on whether the pigeons can return home, and the pigeons that fly back in bad weather are largely due to the inherent ability of their bloodline to tolerate bad weather. That is, the pigeons that can return to the nest are inherited for this performance. Therefore, the homecoming rate of pigeons from a certain region or online should be judged in combination with the weather and the pigeon breed. The speed should also be regarded in this way, and the pigeon's ability to use the downwind to fly fast, the strength of the ability to shuttle in the headwind, all have a certain relationship with the characteristics of its bloodline. Secondly, the health of the breeding pigeons may also be the cause of the disappearance of the young birds, which is very important but most easily overlooked. We tend to think that the offspring do not return to the breeding pigeon's genetics is not good, and it is easy to deny the performance of the breeding pigeon from the essence. In fact, in my experience, the poor condition of the breeding pigeons is one of the biggest reasons. So don't simply apply Mendel's doctrine, but try to avoid rushing to conclusions. As we all know, the decisive factor in the return of the pigeons is the strength of the orienteering ability, but the orienteering ability is ultimately achieved by being able to fly over the race line. The physical strength of the pigeons has a lot to do with the health of the pigeons, as the breeding of the pigeons begins with the combination of two pigeon cells and the production of division and proliferation. If the broodstock are in poor condition and the cell vitality is insufficient, the dividing sexual cells in the body will lack vitality and can only give birth to young pigeons with low ability. Therefore, after having a good breeding pigeon, it is also necessary to ensure its 100% health in order to make a satisfactory runner. For example, breeding pigeons imported from abroad prematurely is usually not a good player because the breeding pigeons have not yet fully adapted to changes in the environment and feed. Imported pigeons are able to make full use of their breeding performance after about three years of importation. In addition, when breeding hens with excellent results in long distance races, a recovery period of more than three years is required, otherwise it is difficult to produce pigeons with extraordinary flying ability. That is to say, it is only after the fatigue of the game is completely eliminated that it is possible to breed healthy offspring. Based on past experience, it is not necessary to be so careful when breeding cocks. In addition, the parent pigeons are less physically tired at the beginning of the breeding season and have a higher probability of producing excellent offspring. In the later stages, it is difficult to produce good pigeons due to the accumulation of fatigue. The same is true of the loft as a whole, some of the pigeons hatched well in March, some hatched well in July, and often the average performance of the young birds hatched in a certain month is higher, which is also related to the status of the breeding pigeons. In general, the pigeons should be concentrated for a period of time after the beginning of the year. When it is confirmed that the breeding pigeons have made poor results and the offspring are not ideal, the breeding pigeons should be re-matched. Due to genetic coincidences, male and female breeding pigeons can be combined or mismatched. Some pairings make pigeons that outperform their parents in performance, while others do the opposite. Therefore, when the young birds are not performing well, do not continue to use the original breeding pair in the following year. Of course, breeding pigeons should not be killed because of a failure in mating and breeding, at least the male and female should be re-matched and tried again. This is especially true for imported breeding pigeons, especially those that have been frequently raced as runners. I will explain later how to match hermaphroditics and how to select breeding pigeons. All in all, once the breeding pigeons have a problem we will achieve nothing. Therefore, in order to continuously analyze and study the breeding pigeons in this shed, it is also necessary to try to introduce at least one xenomorph pigeon every year. I often tell people that inbreeding is a very dangerous, almost futile method of mating that is not worth the loss. Of course, finding a matching blood is not an easy task. But from the perspective of the probability of success, I will not hesitate to adopt the method of heterogeneous mating.