Carlos Fonseca Racing Pigeons Logo

What the Masters advise ...

  Flying Pigeon
 
How to settle young birds you have purchased:
  1. House the young birds in an area where they can readily see the surrounding area. A wire aviary is good, or else just a large wire cage that can be set on your landing board so they can observe their surroundings and at the same time learn how to go in and out of your loft.
  2. Keep them hungry, so they associate you with food. Do not starve them, but they should always be slightly hungry. They need to know that it is in the loft that they get fed and watered. When you feed them, take away any leftover feed that remains after about 20 minutes, and train them to a whistle or some other auditory signal so they associate that with being fed and will come inside when they hear it. (But keep water before them at all times.)
  3. Until you are sure they know how to find their way back into the loft, do not force them to fly. They can get disoriented and get lost if forced to fly away from the loft before they are ready. It is best if the first time they go out, they go out on their own. For example, once you are sure they know how to get back inside, just let a door or window open and let them wander in and out. Always do this when they are hungry, so you can call them inside for food.
  4. If you feel they are too strong or too wild to trust the first time you decide to let them out, soak their flight feathers in soapy water so they can't fly very high, but watch out for cats or other predators. If the flights are wet, like they are after the birds have been bathing, they won't be able to fly so high or so far away that they get themselves lost.
Loft is the Pigeon's Home. Its best situation is the one that has a Southeast entrance. The morning sunshine rays are of great utility for the health and the form of the pigeons.
You must prevent the lack of ventilation in a loft. Many times, the causes of failures in a racing season are motivated therefore... The pigeon needs air in such a way, as heat and Sun. Do not confuse ventilation with airflows. Most important, it must be dry and safe from predictors.
If you want to be a good pigeon racer in the natural method, you must pay attention to the following: Besides having good fliers, you have to be very scrupulous regarding the hygiene question: to clean the loft in the morning and at night; also at noon it’s a good advice, and if possible, every hour, minute by minute. If you do that, you will have the compensation later...
Avoid the obsolete system of crossing a great male with a small female, or vice versa. Those that opts for such mates, with the idea of reducing the size of the big ones or to enlarging the small ones, will obtain descendants of average type and will only have pigeons badly formed and unbalanced.
The permanence of "grit " in the Loft is not advisable. The dust that they accumulate is some times, harmful to the pigeons. It has, however, an exception: When the pigeons are breeding, you must have "grit " in abundance, but always clean and bolted.
All the youngsters that do not have a normal and growing development, as its brother in the same nest, must be sacrificed without petty. The danger to contaminate the other, as well as its parents, is evident.
There are two different and practically irreconcilable things: To be a breeder and a racer at the same time. A worthy reproducer of such reward does not have to race.
If you want your pigeons to be obedient, with a few exceptions (there are pigeons that such obedience is almost impossible) – you can do it with hunger. After twenty-four hours without food, even the worst cases come to an end as soon as they detect food in the loft. They will approach as a docile dog.
For us, the best pigeon in long distances is the one classified in all other distances. The resistance necessary to fly during many hours and sometimes at a high speed take us to judge it, that a good pigeon in short distance is also good in long ones. However, we know that there are exceptions for every rule.
For the selection of futures fliers, the tests will have to be done rigorously. Its necessary to take into account the physical constitution, the vitality, the plumage and the resistance of the pigeon. Eliminate without distrust everything what physically, it is not capable to confront the hard tests of the becoming racing season.
If you fly natural, be carefully with the jealousy game. The prudence advises not to play more than one or twice the same pigeon (male and female) in this system. You can have good results but you can also loose a good pigeon.
For me, it’s a big mistake what many amateurs who play in the widowhood method, to not feed their pigeons, after the return of a race. If they had given their best, of course they need being well fed, without excess.
You know that you cannot possess pigeons without band? Or banded pigeons, without a property certificate, or still to band pigeons born in one year, with bands of previous years? Also, you cannot supply any official bands to anyone who is not a Pigeon Racer as we, or a member of any Pigeon Club. If a lost pigeon enters in your loft you should communicate immediately to the Federation that it treats to identify and to communicate to its owner. The owner will not only be very grateful, as he can help you with offers. If you have to charge something for the food, please be just, as I knew some cases of feeding the pigeon " apparently " with caviar.
If the previous plumage of a pigeon was good, the newer will have to be better! If not, this pigeon never could be a hope for its owner.

Web Site drawn and maintained by Carlos Fonseca
Copyright © 2000 Carlos Fonseca Home Page All rights reserved.
No part of this site may be used, displayed, reproduced, published or transmitted in full or in part,
in any form without the prior written permission of
Carlos Fonseca

Please do not hesitate to correct my English spelling or grammar. E-mail me for questions or sugestions!

Retornar á página principal da Columbófilia / Go Back ...

Retorno à minha página principal. / Back to my Frontpage ...