Racing Pigeon Season

Hawkins · 03-30-2009, 09:33 PM

Well it's here again, towards the end of next month we start racing the birds. I paired up the breeders on Valentines Day, I have banded about 10 babies so far, but there are eggs in each nest. If you've never seen a baby pigeon, they are kind of ugly; mostly beak and barely any feathering to keep them warm, Mom & Dad take turns sitting the nest. Mom takes the night shift & Dad during the day, the babies are fed with what's called pigeon milk, both parents take part in feeding them. The reason most people never have seen a baby pigeon, is because in 28 days he looks just like the parents, they are fully feathered and capable of flight at that time. This is when you start setting them in the flight cage so they can identify the suroundings and acclimate themselves to it. Once they are there for a couple of weeks you start releasing them. At first (unless something scares them) they will sit attop the loft and flap like they are going to take off. They rarely ever do for a while, you call them back into the loft so they get used to the trap (food is the motivator during this time) During the next few weeks they will take off and make laps around the loft. Those laps will get bigger and bigger each day
they will disappear for longer and longer lengths of time. During this time they are doing what is called ranging, and it helps them identify their complete area.
When they stay gone several times for an hour or so, it's time to basket them and take them out a mile or so, after that, the trips get further and further until they are out at least 50 miles. At that time they are trained, rarely ever if done properly will you lose a pigeon(unless something terrible happens to them) once trained at that milage, his next step is hundreds of miles during the race season. Should you be interested in this hobby you can private message me here at The Bubbler, and I will do my best to answer any questions you might have.

**dgridley** · 03-30-2009, 10:12 PM

Or better yet, just answer any questions in this thread.. a subject that has always fascinated me. I'm sure others will be interested as well.

**dgridley** · 03-30-2009, 10:17 PM

How do racing pigeons differ from homing pigeons or messenger pigeons? Are they one and the same type of bird or do they use different strains?

SlowTyper · 03-30-2009, 10:32 PM

You you heard the conversation I had with my Wife the other day, the one about building a Rabbit hutch for the kids to raise something for FFA, or 4H, you know!
Does 4H, get involved in this kind of Pigeoning? How can we get ready, to start?

My friend outside of Pardeeville, Raises pigeons,as well as, other Fowl, Turkey, peacocks, ducks..
The kids liked the pigeons, He had those Tumbler pigeons. Funny but tragic, like Shakespeare> Yes I am interested.

Hawkins · 03-31-2009, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlowTyper

You you heard the conversation I had with my Wife the other day, the one about building a Rabbit hutch for the kids to raise something for FFA, or 4H, you know!
Does 4H, get involved in this kind of Pigeoning? How can we get ready, to start?

My friend outside of Pardeeville, Raises pigeons,as well as, other Fowl, Turkey, peacocks, ducks..
The kids liked the pigeons, He had those Tumbler pigeons. Funny but tragic, like Shakespeare> Yes I am interested.

Yes Sir, 4 H has a pigeon program, I am helping a little girl in our area get started now. A pigeon loft, depending on how many birds you would like to keep, doesn't need to be that big. One square ft. per bird, I have lots of pigeon loft plans, small, medium, and large. I have two lofts, one I keep all white racers in and one for my other race birds, breeders and alike. I would certainly not have an issue helping you and your yuongsters get underway.
Depending on what the younsters would like to do, be involved with racers, or just watch them fly, and fortunately Columbia County isn't that far, I train my birds from Pardeeville often.

Hawkins · 03-31-2009, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dgridley

How do racing pigeons differ from homing pigeons or messenger pigeons? Are they one and the same type of bird or do they use different strains?

Homing pigeon/Messenger pigeons are exactly the same as racers, the only thing is the racers have been bred to increase the speed of said pigeons.
Pigeons, racers speed is measured in yards per minute, a couple of years ago, I know it was on the East Coast somewhere(senior moment) some pigeons were clocked at speeds of over 2,000 YPM. Thats cruising for something that weighs under a pound. The pigeon everyone thinks of is the passenger pigeon,(sometimes refered to as a carrier pigeon) which is one of the very few animals they know the exact time and place it went extinct 1914 Cincinnati Zoo, and man killed almost all of them.

Hawkins · 03-31-2009, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dgridley

How do racing pigeons differ from homing pigeons or messenger pigeons? Are they one and the same type of bird or do they use different strains?

In answer to the second part of your question Dave, yes there are different strains. In the 18 hundreds as pigeon racing was getting to be popular in Europe, there were individuals, (normally wealthy) that would buy winning birds from breeders cross these birds, into other winners they had purchased,
inbreed them,& would name the strain after themselves, Gurnay, Sion, Trenton, there are literally hundreds of strains. Today probably the most famous strain would be The Jansen Brothers, or Jansen pigeons.
Each strain would be mostly for different distances, sprint pigeons are good from 100 to 250 miles, than the middle distance birds come into play. Trentons and Sions were famous for long distance flights 500 to 1000 miles.

**dgridley** · 03-31-2009, 08:31 PM

Very interesting.. I remember as a kid checking into racing pigeons.. had a book on the sunject.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hawkins

In answer to the second part of your question Dave, yes there are different strains. In the 18 hundreds as pigeon racing was getting to be popular in Europe, there were individuals, (normally wealthy) that would buy winning birds from breeders cross these birds, into other winners they had purchased,
inbreed them,& would name the strain after themselves, Gurnay, Sion, Trenton, there are literally hundreds of strains. Today probably the most famous strain would be The Jansen Brothers, or Jansen pigeons.
Each strain would be mostly for different distances, sprint pigeons are good from 100 to 250 miles, than the middle distance birds come into play. Trentons and Sions were famous for long distance flights 500 to 1000 miles.

Hawkins · 03-31-2009, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dgridley

Very interesting.. I remember as a kid checking into racing pigeons.. had a book on the sunject.

Want to borrow some? I have almost a library on the subject, every once in a while some one will go to Holland & Belgium to interview the old time pigeon flyers that are left alive. They will come back and put together a book, call it Secrets of the Masters volume whatever, believe it or not they sell them out most times. Now there are many DVD's on the market,(yes I have those too.)
There are also some very rare and obscure pigeon books that folks would pay a small fortune for, should somebody find them. The most sought after one is an American Breeders book on racing pigeons, extremely rare & hard to find. The one with English breeders is not as rare, but still cost a few bucks.

**dgridley** · 03-31-2009, 09:15 PM

Thanks for the offer.. if you knew how far behind I am with my reading, whew! Besides, where I live, no pigeons allowed

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hawkins

Want to borrow some? I have almost a library on the subject, every once in a while some one will go to Holland & Belgium to interview the old time pigeon flyers that are left alive. They will come back and put together a book, call it Secrets of the Masters volume whatever, believe it or not they sell them out most times. Now there are many DVD's on the market,(yes I have those too.)
There are also some very rare and obscure pigeon books that folks would pay a small fortune for, should somebody find them. The most sought after one is an American Breeders book on racing pigeons, extremely rare & hard to find. The one with English breeders is not as rare, but still cost a few bucks.

Hawkins · 04-02-2009, 11:07 PM

Although the US Army began using pigeons as messengers as early as 1878, it was not until World War 1 that pigeons became a regular part of the military establishment. On Armistice day after the first war the Allied Forces had approximately 320,000 pigeons which had been used for communication purposes.
Over 54,000 American homing pigeons served in World War11. 40,000 of these birds were supplied by civilian racing pigeon fanciers. In 5 years of service, literally hundreds of thousands of messages were delivered by these military birds. In 1943 the British established the Dicken Medal to honor war service by pigeons. One American pigeon, the famous G I Joe was awarded this badge of courage.
In Italy the 56th British Infantry Division broke through German lines and overan a town. Allied planes were scheduled to bomb the town, now occupied by the British. GI Joe flew 20 miles in 20 minutes with information of the situation, and the bombers called off just prior to take off.
The Lord Mayor of London, in gratitude for his heroic effort which undoubtedly saved many Englishmens lives; bestowed upon GI joe the Dicken Medal.
The Swiss continue to use these reliable messengers in the mountains where, even with today's technology radios function poorly or not at all.
There are far more stories of these little winged war wonders. A war pigeon from WW 1 called Cheri Ami is mounted in the Smithsonian museum, but that's another story.

Hawkins · 04-25-2009, 09:35 PM

Well Old Bird season is two weeks out, Old Birds are pigeons that are at least a full year old. Some on my Old Bird team are almost 5 years old, I use them on longer races, say from 250 to 500 miles. about two months ago I started letting them exercise around the loft, after being couped up all winter(not a pun) they were couped up. Racers love to fly, that's what they live for, the first couple of times you let them out in the morning they kind of more or less stretch their wings and laze around, after that it's all business.
They come out of that loft in the morning like jet fighters leaving an aircraft carrier. They make sure they are all in one big flock(I have 35 OB's) and they start to circle, it's really cool when they have a little wind, because they use it to gain speed, then they get higher and higher, until the look like ants up in the sky. They will play around like that for about an hour to an hour and a half. Some will drop on to the loft and want to go inside, a few will decide they aren't finished flying yet, and swoop over the top of the loft sitters and drag them back up for a few more laps. After that time they decide they need their breakfast and they hit the landing board and go in as fast as they came out. They eat like starving wolves, and then they feed their babies, the babies are called squeakers, because they squeak till Mom & Dad both feed them. After that they just kind of lollygag around the loft until it's time for their afternoon exercise & more food.