There are many different ways and techniques to train racing pigeons
but the main thing is finding a strategy that will best suit you and your loft.
A systematic day-by-day training will give you extremely good results.
Do not take out the homing pigeons to train during bad weather conditions like rain ,heavy wind and extended fog.
These weather conditions are not suitable to train racing pigeons as it can affect their health in a bad way,and you definately do not want that for your birds.
The training should take place around 7.30 am -9.30 am when the air is fresh ,with no prior release on that day , no food or water given either.
Once your pigeons have return from the training ,they will find their food and water inside the loft,and this is what you will have to do in every training day.
The effects of this technique is that your pigeons will not spend time outside the loft loosing precious time ,they will understand that what they are looking for is inside the loft .
Clear blue sky should be your ideal weather day training .
Check the forecast from the previous day of training ...you don t want to go on a training pigeon trip and when you arrive to the release point to see that the rain is pooring down heavily.
Some people make individual release of the pigeons ...one pigeon every 10 minutes or so ...that way the owner makes sure that every bird returns home using his own guidence and not the others team mates from the group when pigeons are released all at the same time .
This technique has got good sides and bad sides ,i personaly don t apply it ,i think it puts a lot of stress on the bird ,and if you ve got 100 pigeons to train each day than i suggest you take your lunch with you because you ll be stuck there for quite a while :)
Ensure that back at the loft the racing pigeons must enter through the trap and somebody is taking notes regarding their arrival time if you don t have an sensor timer clock...if your pigeons does not perform good from one particular release point ,i personaly repeat the training 2-3 times until the return is been done in the right time.
You can always find more advice ....Here....
Some people train their birds only towards the first race point release ...starting with small distances and gradually increasing them ...Personally i train all my pigeons including young birds up to the first day race in all direction ...north south ,est ,west up to minimum 100 km -young birds ,and 150 km older birds ...why ?...because every single race is different .
You will notice that your pigeons will arrive home from all directions and not necesarely from the direction you` ve release them from.
You can never predict 100% what is going to be on the day race ; a pray bird attack, a big cloud that they need to get around ,hunters who kill flying birds for fun ,all these factors and more others will deviate the pigeons from their initial course ...by training them from all direction from minimum 100 km radius ,you will increase your pigeon`s chances enormously, to find his way home in the shortest time possible ...i hope that does make sense to you :)
When you start your old birs training you ll need to think of what system you will
race on that particular season and make the homing pigeons training accordingly.
For example if you choose widowhood for cocks and natural for hens ,than you will have to train separately the cocks and separately the hens ... you ll obviously need to put them on different baskets and release the cocks first ,and then after half an hour or 1 hour the hens it`s entirely up to you ...the ideea is that you don t want them to meet in any way only in the week of basketing please (see the Racing Systems page)
Here is how i train my old birds for SPEED and MIDDLE Distances .
Week 1
25km-day2
40km-day4
2days off relaxing
40km-day1
90km-day3
100km-day5
week3
150km est -day2
150kmsouth-day4
2 days off
week 4 -this is really important presuming saturday is your first race -(eg :100km) especially for widowhood sysytem .
100km-day2 -very close to the releasing point of the day race -(present the hen or the cock to the pigeon you are training-see the widowhood system)
100km-day4- exactly like day2
day 5 -pigeons stay inside the loft - it s the basketing day ...
What you ve done especialy in week 4 you ve put the pigeon that you will race exactly in the same situation with the day before basketing...you need to see how he / she behaves when returning from training ...obviously his mate will be in his box waiting for him ...keep eye on them ...
As i mentioned this is the program and method i m using to train my homing pigeons BEFORE the first race.As soon as the racing season has started i will train my pigeons daily from 60- 90 km in the last day of training week with relax inside the loft in the day of basketing .
I also do not present any hens to the cocks during the week (presuming that i will race cocks on the widowhood system )only in the day of basketing .
Training for the Long and Marathon Distances
The Training for the long and marathon distances is different from the speed and middle distance,
here you re main goal is to keep your pigeons on shape but also with a lot of relaxing inside the loft.
If in the speed and middle distance races you can send the same pigeon to the race every week in the long distance and marathon it is very wise not to, and is scientifically and practically proven along the years that the pigeon who has done your first long distance race to be send on the next long distance race after minimum 10 days .
Regarding the marathon races the minimum time recomended in between the races is 20-25 days .
The training for the long and marathon distances i recomend to be done twice per week lets say tuesday and friday when you will take your racing pigeons to a distance for up to 70 km, at least that is what i do .Excepting these two days the pigeons will exercise around the loft every morning at six a clock the hens for 1 hour minimum ,followed by the cocks 1 hour minimum .
Next training session around the loft in the same day will take place at 5 o clock on the afternoon hens for minimum 1 hour followed by the cocks at 6 o clock again minimum 1 hour.
When i say 1 hour it means 1 hour in the air and not flying from the loft on the house and back again ,at the begining if the pigeons do not respond to the fact that they need to be in the air you can simply use a flag or an extendible stick with a baloon attached or a flag on the end.
Soon your pigeons will get used with this program and they will execute it with pleasure .
Great care is to be taken when performing these around the loft trainings in the way that the widower cocks are training separate from the hens flown on the natural system or other systems you may choose .
Food and water is to be taken out from the loft from the previous night and this way your pigeons will be keen to enter the loft making your job much easier to manage .When pigeons inside the loft, food and water will be provided .
After the pigeons were fed they will spend their day relaxing inside the loft .
Air ,sun and light will need to be provided according to your appreciation (see the Loft page under the Topics section .)
Using the proper methods for training racing pigeons is extremely important. Racing pigeons is something that will take time, and a lot of ...knowledge and experience to become successful at.
' A true fancier is the one who`s birds are always on top, whether they race under his management or somebody elses generation after generation,a true fancier is the one who love competitions and speak highly about his competitors ...Above all ,a true fancier is the one who teach others into the sport and gladly talk about his winning ways
... Learn apply and enjoy the results !!!...all the best...
brought to you by Dacian Busecan
