Four to six weeks after hatching, the young birds, are moved to a separate section in the loft where they socialize with the other birds and learn to eat and drink on their own and become a part of the race team.
They are provided an outside screened aviary where they begin the process of identifying the immediate landmarks and learn to enter the loft through the trap when called for feeding which allows for loft entry but not exit.
After a period of time in the aviary, usually four or five days, they are allowed access to the outside world where they continue to catalog the surrounding landmarks from the landing board or rooftop of the loft. This phase is frequently referred to as “settling”.
They take their first cumbersome flight, which must be a thrilling but somewhat precarious event, as they learn to take off and awkwardly return to land on the loft. After a week or two of practice flights they begin to group with the other birds and circle the loft as they further imprint the surrounding area in their brain. With increasing confidence they venture away from the loft often leaving and flying for 20 to 30 minutes and then traveling further out from the loft for an hour or more cataloging landmarks and “tuning” their internal GPS.
Once the birds have become familiar with the immediate area, they are basketed and taken approximately a mile from the loft usually in the direction of the race course and are released to return home. This process is repeated at 2 and 5 miles until the fancier is confident the birds have a good orientation of the loft and are comfortable with the basket and the release process. The distances are then increased to 10 miles, 15, 20, 30 and eventually the birds are released at distances of 50 to 60 miles or more from the home loft. The birds will undergo 20 to 30 training releases at varying distances prior to their first race as young birds. Some fanciers train in all directions rather than just in the direction of the race course to familiarize the birds with the surrounding terrain should the birds become disoriented, over fly the loft or be blown off course by weather conditions.
The process is accelerated or slowed depending on the bird’s homing success and the fancier’s impression on how well the birds are learning the route, their confidence, and the speed at which they return. Upon return from the training releases the birds are called into the loft to train them to rapidly trap or re-enter the loft so that their time can be registered in the clock on race day.
As the birds gain experience and are performing well, the fancier may release the birds in smaller numbers, i.e. 1, 2, 3 or 4 at a time, and allow them to vacate the release point before release the next bird or group of birds. Doing so encourages the birds to utilize their individual skills and gain confidence, rather than rely on the other birds in the flock to direct them home. Pigeons are very social and prefer the company of other birds but must learn to break from the flock on race day to return as quickly as possible directly to their individual lofts rather than follow the larger groups of birds which may cause them to deviate from the most direct route to their home loft.
This process provides an opportunity for the birds to tune their innate homing ability, identify landmarks and hazards on the course and become familiar with being placed in the basket, being transported and released. Training young racing pigeons requires devotion, patience and adequate time to be successful. Well trained birds excel in the races and the fancier is well rewarded for his or her efforts.
They are provided an outside screened aviary where they begin the process of identifying the immediate landmarks and learn to enter the loft through the trap when called for feeding which allows for loft entry but not exit.
After a period of time in the aviary, usually four or five days, they are allowed access to the outside world where they continue to catalog the surrounding landmarks from the landing board or rooftop of the loft. This phase is frequently referred to as “settling”.
They take their first cumbersome flight, which must be a thrilling but somewhat precarious event, as they learn to take off and awkwardly return to land on the loft. After a week or two of practice flights they begin to group with the other birds and circle the loft as they further imprint the surrounding area in their brain. With increasing confidence they venture away from the loft often leaving and flying for 20 to 30 minutes and then traveling further out from the loft for an hour or more cataloging landmarks and “tuning” their internal GPS.
Once the birds have become familiar with the immediate area, they are basketed and taken approximately a mile from the loft usually in the direction of the race course and are released to return home. This process is repeated at 2 and 5 miles until the fancier is confident the birds have a good orientation of the loft and are comfortable with the basket and the release process. The distances are then increased to 10 miles, 15, 20, 30 and eventually the birds are released at distances of 50 to 60 miles or more from the home loft. The birds will undergo 20 to 30 training releases at varying distances prior to their first race as young birds. Some fanciers train in all directions rather than just in the direction of the race course to familiarize the birds with the surrounding terrain should the birds become disoriented, over fly the loft or be blown off course by weather conditions.
The process is accelerated or slowed depending on the bird’s homing success and the fancier’s impression on how well the birds are learning the route, their confidence, and the speed at which they return. Upon return from the training releases the birds are called into the loft to train them to rapidly trap or re-enter the loft so that their time can be registered in the clock on race day.
As the birds gain experience and are performing well, the fancier may release the birds in smaller numbers, i.e. 1, 2, 3 or 4 at a time, and allow them to vacate the release point before release the next bird or group of birds. Doing so encourages the birds to utilize their individual skills and gain confidence, rather than rely on the other birds in the flock to direct them home. Pigeons are very social and prefer the company of other birds but must learn to break from the flock on race day to return as quickly as possible directly to their individual lofts rather than follow the larger groups of birds which may cause them to deviate from the most direct route to their home loft.
This process provides an opportunity for the birds to tune their innate homing ability, identify landmarks and hazards on the course and become familiar with being placed in the basket, being transported and released. Training young racing pigeons requires devotion, patience and adequate time to be successful. Well trained birds excel in the races and the fancier is well rewarded for his or her efforts.