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The English Show Homer: NPA Standard 1993:
The head of the Show Homer is its most distinctive feature. While this is one of the larger breeds of pigeons, mere size without a head that is close to the ideal does not constitute a food Show Homer. Nor does color or markings make a good specimen if the bird has serious head faults. The relative value of each feature, as indicated by the allotted points, is based on the importance of the part described
The history of the breed is unimportant to an understanding of the Standard since the day has long passed when anything can be gained by crossing back to any of the several breeds used in its creation. At this time, there is no active club in the U.S. for the breed. In the past, several attempts to organize clubs contributed nothing to the advancement of the breed, nor were any changes made either in the ideal or the Standard. The latest British ideal varies in several respects from the ideal which the breeders all over the world have strived for, and the basic qualities which the specimens of today comprise.
HEAD (25 pts.): The Show Homer has the largest head of any pigeon in existence today. Length, width, and depth of muzzle are most important. Viewed from the side, the head should have a continuous curve from the tip of the beak to the back of the head with a pronounced fullness or hump at a point just back of the wattle. Viewed from the top, there must be an even fullness from point of beak to back-skull, with no "pinching-in" at any point. Viewed from the front or back there must be no flatness or hollows in the curve over the top of the head from eye to eye. The head should be carried well up not down faced.
BEAK (15 pts.): The beak should be short and thick, with every aspect showing no break in the curve of the profile. Viewed from the side, the beak should have a slight downward curve, in keeping with the skull contour, without making the bird look downfaced. Beak color follows the pattern of most other breeds black beaks for dark colors; light horn for the light colored birds.
WATTLE (10 pts.): The wattle should be white, smooth, and fine in texture. Heart shaped wattles preferred. Some of the best specimens have "split -wattles" with which small feathers grow between the two halves of the wattle almost to where the top of the beak joins the head. Closed wattles, or those that have no dip in the center or feathers partially dividing them, while least desirable, are not a disqualification. Regardless of the type of wattle the bird has, it should not break the curve of the head. Since wattles inevitably increase with age, a slight coarseness of the feature should be treated with leniency by the judge in the case of an otherwise outstanding specimen. There should be no jewing on the under-mandible.
EYES (8 pts.): Older standards specified he eye in the center of the head. This would be an impossibility in the case of long-headed specimens. Excessive back skull might make an eye on a short muzzled bird appear in the center, but such a bird could not compete with a bird with the desired length of face. On normal birds nature places the eye in the proper place. a deformed bird with a deformed setting of the eyes has no place in the show room or breeding loft. When considering its size and also the eyes of other pigeons, the Show Homer should have small eyes, well sunken in the head. Pearl eyes are standard, though many birds have eyes of other colors such as orange, yellow, and most common, gravel.
CERE (5 pts.): As fine and thin as possible, damson in color in dark-feathered birds and flesh color in light- colored birds. Color of cere is related to the beak color. As in the case of wattles, ceres, to a lesser extent, become coarse with age.
THROAT (7 pts): Must be well cut out with no trace of gullet.
NECK (1 pt.): Should be short and thick, gradually tapering from throat to body.
BODY (10 pts.): Short, broad, and strong in every respect. Good depth of keel, straight breast bone, the whole having a wedge-shaped appearance. Not "hog-backed".
FEATHER (2 pts.): Firm, hard; flights carried well up on tail.
TAIL (4 pts.): Short, thin, and straight; carried clear of the ground.
LEGS (1 pt.): Short, strong, and free from feathers.
CONDITION (2 pts.): Perfect health, without any deformity.
CARRIAGE (6 pts.): Alert and erect.
COLOR (4 pts.): The show Homer exists in the color phases of the Homer family. The reds and yellows must belong to the "ash-red" groups and have gray tails and flight feathers. Selfs exist in black and in white.
FAULTS: Deviation from any of the features described above are subject to the discretion of the judge as to placement and disqualification