Mary Allen
A red-eye rim is required for many pigeon breeds. Breeding to perfection is not that easy. Since he gives too much charisma, the breeders pay a lot of attention to it and do a lot to promote him.
You look a pretty person in the eye. Breeders and judges do the same with pigeons. Even if the eyes of pigeons radiate less radiance than that of humans, they still look different. Depending on whether the iris is white, dark, or yellow-orange-red in various shades, the dove looks completely different. From rather cool to really fiery, everything is represented.
The edge of the eye is at least as important as the eye itself. This is the lid surrounding the eye. Depending on the breed, the edge of the eye can appear very narrow and inconspicuous, but also very wide and distinctive. One could almost think that the edge of the eye is almost more important for the appearance of the effect of the pigeon than the eye itself. Both aspects must be seen at least equally.
The shape and coloring of the rim of the eye are almost as diverse as the number of breeds. One often reads in standards that the edge of the eye should have the color of the surrounding plumage. This almost always means that the edge of the eye must be inconspicuous. In terms of structure, it is then also mostly delicate. It doesn’t matter what color the plumage is. The edge of the eye can adjust. But it can also stand in total contrast to the plumage color. There is even a yellow eye rim, a dark one with white head feathers, and red-eye rims in different shades.
Interestingly, there is a red-eye rim across almost all racial groups. Breeders usually associate positive qualities such as vitality and liveliness with this. In fact, the red rim of the eye is something of a gauge of health. A pigeon that must have a red-eye rim and is losing color almost always has something wrong with it. An attentive breeder pays very close attention here
thereon. This is a good indicator even for judges.
Feeding Has an Impact
Many fanciers would like to have a patent recipe on how to breed a red-eye rim on their pigeons. But unfortunately, this does not exist. There are several factors that lead to red eyes. First and foremost is the genetic component. If a pigeon does not have the ability to develop a red eye rim in its genetic makeup, you cannot use all the tricks to be successful. For the breeder, this means that selection and mating must be designed in such a way that animals with red or reddish eye rims remain inbreed. Crossbreeding with a foreign breed may also be necessary. If you always pair the animals with the reddest eye rim together, you can promote this in a relatively short time. But you have to be careful not to neglect the other breed characteristics.
So if the pigeons have a tendency towards a red-eye rim, the coloring can be intensified. We know from breeding practice that pigeons that live under covered aviaries tend to have problems with the intensive red coloration. Light, air, and, above all, unhindered solar radiation are immensely important. Breeders who can keep free-standing aviaries or even their pigeons in free flight have an advantage here. Conversely, it also means that this is not so favorable for pigeons with the lightest possible eye rims. If they only have a tendency towards a somewhat reddish tinge, this will be supported.
Another factor can be feeding. Successful breeders like to use an increased proportion of seeds and also corn. The carotene in the corn is said to be stored in the rim of the eye. Perhaps that is also the reason why the intensely dark red corn is so popular. The fat contained in the grain is said to have an influence on the red color of the rims of the eyes. All in all, that can only support it. Personal experience teaches that the red-eye rim can be achieved without any problems even with a high proportion of barley in the feed, provided the genetic predisposition is present.