What’s Killing Pigeon Racing?
Pigeon racing in my opinion is one of the greatest sports on the planet. It combines humans with nature as well as science, construction, skill, comradery, socialization among other things. It really is one of those things that allow humans to harmonize with nature and the outdoors, which unfortunately has been lost in the age of technology.
However each year pigeon racing and the fanciers who love it have to fight with time, society and technology to stay afloat. Young people aren’t interested because there’s not enough killing, local town’s and cities keep placing zoning laws which make keeping pigeons illegal and PETA throws stones at a community who actually love their animals.
The Pigeon Insider was created to help preserve, promote and develop the sport of pigeon racing and to help people outside of our community realize just how amazing this sport is.
One of the most popular posts on the Pigeon Insider is a discussion post where I asked what you thought the current state of pigeon racing was?, do you think it is a growing or dying sport.
That post so far has received over 500 comments!! and I thank each and everyone one of you who commented and voted, your participation is what makes the Pigeon Insider so powerful.
That post also had a poll on it and so far 80% of you think the sport is dying and only 20% think it’s growing, which is a super bummer to hear but I must say that I do agree with the majority. Especially in the United States pigeon racing is getting harder and harder to find traction.
But why?…
Why is such an amazing sport, which has fantastic values struggling to gain popularity in today’s world?
I read through all 500 comments and picked out the top 8 reason’s why fanciers think the sport is on the decline and I want your help to figure out which one’s we should be working on fixing first.
Below you will see the top 8 reasons and I need you to vote on which ones you think are the most detrimental to the decline of our sport.
You may pick 3 of your top choices so please vote now by using the poll below and then let’s focus on fixing these problems and turning pigeon racing into a force to be reckoned with! and please feel free to post your comments and thoughts in the comments section below this post, i’d really love to hear what’s on your mind.
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One of the main reasons that piegon racing is falling apart is because of location. Location wins every time. I’ve been racing piegons for 3 years now and I have birds in the first wave most of the time but, because of bad location i’ve never won a race. Maybe because i’m not doing it right, like the person said above nobody is willing to help. So, I may have to give up on the sport myself. Thank you very much. I really appreciate the Piegon Insider. I live on the big island of hawaii if anyone can suggest helpful tips then here is my e-mail: [email protected] Thanks you.
Hope things are going well, I am from Wisconsin and am thinking about moving to Hawaii, I also race pigeons and would like to continue to race, how many flyers are there in the big island?
I think there are a lot of problems causing decline in our sport,but I think two of the most common problems are time,and money.In a world where everyone is rushing around,there is no time for looking after a loft full of pigeons,and the costs of feed,med’s,fee’s,training costs,loft building and maintenance,hey you could go on and on.I’ve talked to some young people about keeping pigeons,and lots of them don’t want any pet’s which would keep them bogged down at home.Young people like to be able to go off wherever,and whenever,without any hassles.
I wish people would exclude hawks from discussions about problems in the pigeon sport. Hawks are great birds that belong in our environment, and we must accept them as a risk when we release our pigeons into the wild. I can be discouraged with the loss of a good bird just like anyone can, but I can’t blame hawks for doing their thing. The sport of racing pigeons has a lot worse issues that need to be considered.
Hi Robin in some parts of the world raptors have become out of control there are so many of
them they are killing fanciers pigeons and song birds as well in some areas some song birds
have become existent fanciers should be allowed to protect there birds these groups just like
to cause problems for fanciers they kill more animals in there shelters world wide than any
animal organization there is but you have pity on these birds and people wakeup or sport
needs help from all its members world wide yes we have other problems but there are fanciers leaving the sport because they can’t keep up to the pigeons that are killed by
raptors every year i know that would upset me to lose birds everyday PROTECT OUR
PIGEONS.
when u race from a certain race point every yr the hawks get to know which time of the yr and where they will be, they are a favorite meal for the falcon and the numbers are at an all time high here in Australia.
also I notice many fanciers are breeding more every yr to get through the season which brings its own challenges which are overcrowding which makes it harder to keep a healthy loft ect. still this can bring its own benefits making natural selection ie more birds that are better adapted to getting away from the pests so we have to accept this is how it is and get on with it .
Hi Chris All the answers you had to choose from have had an impact on our sport . I personally have seen the problems in clubs people who don’t care and are unwilling to help others out when they are struggling to learn how to to compete with the birds how to select and grade birds and properly train and care for them they soon give up and go to other hobbies or sports if we do not start to help our new members and stop all the fighting among our selves and do what is best for our birds and members we will be history
you right my friend
Brad… problems on this regard are taking their victms. No doubt, once competition emulation on the scenery, the individualism is splitting the group. Much better for us to have the event as a solid fraternity enconteur, sharing the most we can. Ofering our helps, birds and so on to save the sport. Otherwise, even the falcons will lose their classical table and will put more pressure on the remained diminished wild species.
Hi Chris there something got to be done about club fees fanciers not helping new comers in racing pigeon sport please send a message to all pigeon fanciers to courage and sport new members in sport I say this is the kings sport also is anything being done about hawk problem racing pigeon is having also please give help to new fanciers in pigeon sport and don’t attack or scare them away just like a hawk attack thanks aron
Most of our young people live in another world, especially when not at home..(which is usually the case). When exposed to pigeon racing, their first question is “what can you win”? The initial enthusiasm fades away when we tell them about the thrill of seeing the first birds arrive from the race and the excitement of banding our young birds with the hope of the next great one. There are too many other means of a thrill for them without the hassle of having to care for a “bunch of birds”. They live for the moment as if there is no tomorrow. There goes our future flyers, no time for such dull chores.
In the Philippines, club politics is the main reason why most fanciers stops the pigeon racing hobby. Clubs normally didn’t managed accordingly and other fanciers are always in doubt of being cheated. Expenses is necessary to sustain the pigeon’s health needs in order to keep the birds on top condition. The other reason why some members are stopping to race is due to number of required pigeon entries in which some of them aren’t able to supply the maintenance for their big number of teams.
Pigeon Racing is the most exciting hobby for me. How I wish to become a Loft Man for the third time. I want to compete in Belgium, Taiwan, etc., which I can able to continue bagging champion trophies in handling racing pigeons.
If anyone can help me find a work as Pigeon Loft Man, please e-mail me at [email protected] or you can call me at +97433238445.
I want to continue my passion in racing. Thanks!
Hello Chris, The biggest problem with our hobby is probably apathy. When was the last time you or a friend coordinated a visit to a 5th or 6th grade class with a friendly teacher or school administrator? How about every club member visiting a few classes each year? A program such as this can fire imagination & discussion among kids. I try to visit a few each year. It’s always well received. I start with a short video like the 10 minute Marathon in the Sky clip and then offer a Q & A for the balance of the hour or so. Then, we go outside and each child is given a bird to release. A few will have smaller hands or will be timid regarding handling the birds, but generally they love it. It’s always an enjoyable time and takes maybe two hours to do it right. Be aware of time and coordinate the time frame with the teacher. I always go home feeling good!
Like! Two thumbs up!!!
Our local club tries to help out new members by giving them a $50.00 credit there first year of flying. We also sponsor a raffle called the gamblers special. For each ticket sold the flyers that sell get a credit towards there shipping costs. It was said at one of our meeting that we should help out the members we have as it is very hard to get the young folks interested. There is a lot to compete against. Keeping members means getting along and just enjoying the sport. Winning is nice but we need competition and great camaraderie to keep fellow members.
Hi Chris i think some of the things we do as fanciers do not help us but the way clubs and combines
and Feds are run all over the world there is to much jealousy and problems at the upper levels
that never get fix clubs not allowing fanciers in money problems and now drug testing in some
parts of the world that isn’t fair because they don’t know what they are doing and they just keep
adding to the problem also to many studs selling birds that don’t even fly pigeons also one loft
races where there are huge losses along with smash races that shouldn’t happen i love this sport
but we keep going backwards there are to many fanciers who care only about themselves i wish
i could say we can fix the problem but right now it doesn’t look very good.
I agree with the lads that are saying that the advice on loft management is not there for the new comer. This is a very complex sport with birds diet etc and for me it has been the hard part to grasp.i started racing last year and had alot of losses and won nothing, with that said I havent gave up im still racing this will be my second year and down to my own research on the net I feel im a little better prepared, as one of the above said it is loft management and fellow members not willing to help new members. I joined my club last year and when I asked questions on how to get things right I was ignored, but then told my birds were not good enough and do I want to buy some of theres that im guaranteed to win with them. I had paid for my clock my fed fees club fees etc and had some nice birds off friends I dident want to be spending more money and not knowing how to move forward with my birds, so for me its information and money.