• Program of selection, 1982.
  Text and drawing by J. Fritz & J.L Frindel.

Damascene (page 1/6)

Program on 7 characteristics points of the breed :

• - General viewl
• - Body shape
• - Head and beak
• - Eye expression
• - Cere eye
• - Gullet or dewlap
• - Color and patern

Program created by M. J.L. FRINDEL, official judge of the S.C.A.F. and Jean FRITZ Damascene breeder, members of the D.C.D. (Deutsh Damascene club).

General view :

The Damascene must be a concordant pigeon in shape and colors.

It's a medium size pigeon, look like short and squat, well proportionate.

They are self colored by ice bleu shade, contrasting with the deep black bars.

The general view of the pigeon is increase by the typic own expression characteristic face of the head, And the contrast between the ice bleu entire feathers, the bleu black cere eye and the ruby iris eye.

It's a shape pigeon class, by a real presence, well proportioned, and the size must be staying medium.

• Program of selection, 1982.
  Text and drawing by J. Fritz & J.L Frindel.

Damascene (page 2/6)

Ideal type

Body shape :

The compact and the squat aspect are materialized by a broad and full chest which slightly exceeds the elbow of the wings. It is carried slightly straight up, especially released.

The legs are of an average height and quite spred out. In no way, neither the neck, neither the tail must be long, nor to even appear lengthened.

Seen on the top, the back is broad between the shoulders.

About the size, it is well specified: of average size. This can be prone to light differences. However It should not be, like a Lark of Cobourg or a Strasser, nor contrary being too small, of the dimension of Tunisian Owl for example.

But the most important, it is the short and squat pigeon.

The tendency to the small size will be happened by the important consanguinity or by a bad selection. The small size give a very bad effect in hens which, do not constitute to in no case breeding subjects. Indeed, the pigeon class shape characteristics cannot development on a weak body.

• Program of selection, 1982.
  Text and drawing by J. Fritz & J.L Frindel.

Damascene (page 3/6)

Principal shape defects:	Subjetc too long and with lack chest. Subject with full but back chest too long.
Subject with good proportions but lack of chest.
Too fine neck without dewlap.

Head and beak:

The shape must be harmonized with the body, i.e. that the frontal must quite broad and be full seen of face; the profile must be oval and show a very regular curve, without conspicius or flattened part. The face should not be long.

• Program of selection, 1982.
  Text and drawing by J. Fritz & J.L Frindel.

Damascene (page 4/6)

The cock must be recognizable by its head, which wants to say that the face should be a little more full than the hen and start to the wattles, and to then only go to the regular curve on the top of cranium.

The selection attention, must be related to the full and broad frontal especially in hens, which must got lot of substances above the top of the eye.

For the ideal would be of course, as roundness, to have Damascenes whose head feathers, do not flatten this curve of the profile when the pigeon is taken in hands.

Another important point for the nobility of the head of Damascene is the beak. This one must be rather short and thick and to have a correct stand. I.e. that it must " dive " a little according to the frontal line, and not to be the right angle with this one.

Good head but without dewlaps (Beautiful hen head to the frontal even more pronounced in cock) Head in extreme cases. Is not oval but quite round; too prominent frontal on the beac. (Interesting subject for the breeding being used to correct the thin heads) Thin and angular head (flattened top) to eliminate from the breeding.

Rounder Head (less oval) already near to the owl with dewlaps (oval head with beautiful frontal for a cock). Lengthened and thin Head; thin bec and too long.

• Program of selection, 1982.
  Text and drawing by J. Fritz & J.L Frindel.

Damascene (page 5/6)

The eye:

It's an essential goal in the selection of this race. Indeed, the ideal would be to obtain a bright red and impetuous ruby. But rare are still the subjects which have this ideal eye. Generally, they are red eyes with a thin yellow gold string around the pupil. Since this is bright red color and that it dominates the yellow far, the eye is acceptable.

Cere eye:

The cere eye is made of a double ocular string, therefore rather broad, but of still fine and regular texture. Its color is blue black. It should be noticed that at the old subjects, this fine texture becomes a little coarse, which is absolutely not a defect.

More than about the color, the cere eye is always covered with a little powder coming from the feathers, which can give it seem diluted. The deep and intense color must appear when we removes this powder using a wet linen, or simply with the wet finger tip.

To right know on the final color of this cere eye, it is preferable to await the end of the first moult.

A little strong nape of the neck. Coarse turn of œil tolerated in a male as from 2 years but having well to be coloured.

Cere eye too thin is bad for the expression of the subject (doing appear the rounder head especially with the more prominent frontal).

• Program of selection, 1982.
  Text and drawing by J. Fritz & J.L Frindel.

Damascene (page 6/6)

Dewlap:

It constitutes a very important characteristic of this breed. More the dewlap is pronounced, more the pigeon is typified.

The fact of a light owl or jabot, or of a longitudinal slit on this level constitutes rather a important defects, even sometimes difficult to eliminate. Fortunately, they are rather rare (see drawings of the head).

Color:

It seem to be a silver white color (or blue ice), look like to go the tender color of the reflections of the ice or snow to the sun. This typical color must extend uniformly on the head, the neck,

As it is not a question of a pigeon of color, a belly blanchâtre does not constitute a defect. Just as the color of tail is always a little darker than that of the back; this contributes to obtain an intense color on the level of the rémiges and caudal feathers.

The colors of the back and tail must melt one in the other and not be delimited by one limited too clear.

On the level of the neck, some a little dark feathers are not taken into account, since they do not disturb the general aspect. It is different if it is about a wide shade.

It should be noted that the a little dark cheeks cannot in no case to constitute a defect, since it is about the dark skin of the openings of the ears which appears through the thin layer of feathers which covers them there at this place.

Bars:

Too It's a very important point for the whole beauty of the pigeon.

The broader the bars are, the better is. They must be quite distinct and regular.

It is necessary that the two bars are well delimited, and it consequently will be a question of preventing that too broad bars join them.

The color must be in a deep black. Obviously, in a pigeon whose the color of the plumage is white blue ice, we cannot find a shiny black bars.

It should be noted that from the pigmentation point of view, it is also necessary to attempt to obtain very dark rémiges. The farinaceous or grey rémiges constitute a defect.

By J. Fritz & J.L Frindel.