In raising show type King pigeons, we generally refer to bad or unwanted features as “faults”. Occasionally I find myself making reference to “good faults”, which means the bird has a bad point in the judging pen, but that might be a benefit in the breeding program. I will talk about “good faults” at a later time, but for now let’s look at some faults that we don’t want in our Kings.
The first one that I want to discuss is the obvious fault many of us Show King breeders refer to as “high shouldered”. This visual fault makes the bird appear to be leaning back and being off balance. It is hard to describe this fault in writing, so the photos should help. In photo #1, we see a Grizzle hen showing this fault. This bird is fairly short, has an excellent body with good, hard feather quality and a deep keel. If she were to lean or tilt forward, her balance would be excellent and she would be well thought of. However, she always “rears” back when in the show pen, not conforming to the King Standard picture. This particular bird shows a mild form of this fault, some will be much worse.

#1 #2

Closely related with this fault, and sometimes combined with it, is another bad fault appearing more often in our Show Kings. there may be several names for it, but most King breeders on the West Coast refer to it as “sucking”. This term refers to the bird pulling or holding it’s head down with the beak touching or resting on it’s frontal or crop.
When a bird “sucks” it appears out of proportion and does not conform to the standard which pictures a bird standing with it’s neck outstretched and erect with beak fairly horizontal. Photo #2 shows a “sucking” fault, as well as a slight high shouldered appearance. In many cases, the birds with this fault also have bad temperaments and display a condition we often refer to as “huffy” or “pouty”.
Compare photos #1 and #2 with photos #3 and #4 !! The bird in photo #3 is an A.O.C. Ash Red Bar hen with excellent balance and conformation, with head held high and straight. Giving a very rounded appearance, this hen is close to the standard and displays no “high shoulder” or “sucking” faults.
#3 #4
Photo #4 shows an Ash Red Spread hen also displaying the qualities of a Show King, with her biggest “fault” being her head: not enough skull over her eye and a slightly pinched frontal at the beak, but this is a fault we will discuss at a later date.
As for breeding from birds with these faults, it is not recommended. Not to say it can’t be done, but birds that “suck” and are “huffy” will probably pass this off to their offspring and you will probably find it a waste of time. However, I have used high shouldered birds with some degree of success. You do not want to mate two birds with this fault together, but one mated to a good balanced bird may produce some well balance offspring, but you will get your share of high shoulders also. Sometimes a high shouldered bird mated to a bird that leans forward and could be referred to as “dumpy” will balance out the offspring, producing well balanced pigeons. But these matings should be considered experimental without high expectations, and you should breed from the best possible birds with no major faults !
The king standard states that the head should be “moderately large and broad with a skull well rounded in proportion to a full neck and broad body. Must not be pinched above the wattle or snaky in appearance”. And the beak should be “short, stout, and carried in a horizontal position”. There are many good show kings today that exhibit these qualities, but we are also breeding a lot of birds with less desirable heads. I am certainly guilty of this myself, for in my quest to breed for good balanced birds with good legs and bodies, I have lost the head quality ! With continued improvement by selective breeding, this is the challenge I face. Other breeders face different challenges, all in search of the same goal - THE PERFECT KING !
One of the biggest problems with less desirable heads is that of the pinched face. Many heads will look good from the side view, being well rounded and large, but when viewed from the front the area just above the wattle will be “pinched”, or narrow, and not broad as required. Along with a narrow and/or long beak, this condition certainly is negative in appearance ! Photo #5 shows a front view of a king that displays this narrow or “pinched” head, along with a beak that is too narrow and long. Photo #6 shows a good head, displaying a full, round appearance and a short, stout beak.
#5 #6
Another fault which detracts from the king’s appearance is that of the “short legs”. Although the king standard provides for 2 5/8 inch in length, the legs should also be in proportion to the bird as well. In other words, you may have a bird that has legs that will measure o.k. per the standard, but if a bird is on the larger side, or has a very deep body, then the legs may not be in proportion and appear short. Some king breeders use the term “lift” as a way to describe leg length. The legs may be straight and long enough (per the standard) but still lack the lift required to give the bird the proper balanced appearance. Photo #7 shows a king that lacks the proper “lift”. If measured, her legs may be long enough, but even so, she looks short legged !!
Try to avoid breeding from short legged birds, as it is a fault that will re-appear if you do. Of course, there are exceptions and I have had some success with breeding short legs, but it requires breeding to a bird with very long legs or “lots of lift” ! This brings up the subject of “good faults” as mentioned in the first article. This is one of those times when a fault can be good. A bird with legs that are so long that they would detract from it in the show pen can be used very successfully in the breeding program. Very long legs can offset very short legs sometimes, and you can raise good balanced birds with proper lift. I have raised a number of super balanced, good birds from such a mating. #7 #8

The bird in Photo #8 depicts the last fault I want to discuss. can you guess what it is ? This Red Check cock is very well balanced with good legs, a nice thick neck and a decent head, with the exception of a long beak. His fault is one that is not always so obvious without handling the bird. The answer - soft feathered. Feathering should be close and smooth, and somewhat hard feeling. Not as much as a Homer, but hard enough with a little give.
This cock is so soft that he “fluffs” his feathers and gives a ruffled appearance all the time. A soft feathered bird can be used in your breeding program, but always mate it to a very hard feathered bird. Never mate two soft feathered birds together as they will only produce more soft feathered birds. Well, that completes this part on king faults. Hope it has been of some help to the novice king breeder. Good Luck !!

By Dennis Rogers

Please click above to e.mail the Southern California King Club.