Racing Pigeons on The Celibacy System
It’s hard to find information on a true celibacy system. When one thinks of widowhood, dual widowhood and the natural system, you will realize that all are utilizing the urge to mate and rear young or suppressing that urge. The celibacy system is the most extreme in denying the sexual urges of either sex. This then is the motivator in the celibacy system.
The hens and cocks are flown separately, trained separately and raced separately. Unlike widowhood or dual widowhood, no specific mate is used to motivate any specific race pigeon. The pigeons are not allowed to raise a round of youngsters. This is one difference between widowhood or dual widowhood. If one wishes to raise one round before separating cocks and hens, it is acceptable, but does not fit the truest definition of the celibate system. You have to amend and use the system that best fits your needs. In this system, the race pigeons are allowed to go down on eggs, but after 10 days of brooding over the eggs, they are removed, and the cocks and hens are placed in separate sections for the remainder of the race season. 4-6 weeks before the race season, the hens and cocks are to be placed in separate sections in which they can not see each other. From this point onward cocks and hens are loft flown and trained separately. When cocks are being loft flown, the hens need to be inside their compartment and not allowed out into fly pens. If so, the cocks tend to try to get into the fly pens and do not loft fly as desired. The same goes for when the hens are loft flying. For maximum training, it’s best to take one sex on a training toss and after the birds have returned, call them in and let the other sex loft fly. When shipping races, cocks and hens must not be sent to the same race. If your club has distance and short races together, it’s best to send one sex to the short races and the other to the long distance races. If you have only one race, it’s best to ship only one sex. It’s your choice on weather to race just cocks or hens or both. I believe it’s best to maximize the birds you have and fly both sexes.
Now is the time for motivation. Unlike widowhood where cocks and hens are allowed to have physical contact the get them excited and in the right frame of mind the celibate racing pigeons are not allowed physical contact. They have been separated and they have not been allowed to rear youngsters, so they are about as far away from being mated as possible other than the partner they brooded on eggs with for the 10 days.
The cocks can be placed in a section with or without nest boxes. In extreme celibacy, the cocks are also denied nest boxes and are in a section with perches. The nest boxes can be used also as a motivator by being denied nest boxes as well as mates. The hens should be placed in a section without nest boxes as well. If you are lacking space, they can remain with nest boxes but without cocks.
The wall between the hens and the cocks should be solid. There’s hardly anything that can be done to stop the cocks and hens from hearing each other unless one puts them in separate buildings. This is not practical for most people.
A third section is used on the other wall from the section with the nest boxes. This section can have an open view between the two sections, such as lathes or lattice work. On the day of shipping, move the hens to the other section and place the cocks in the section with the nest boxes. He two should now be able to see each other. The cocks will go to their nest boxes and will be calling for hens. The hens will be strutting back and forth in front of the divider between the two sections. No copulation can occur because the birds can not physically get together. After approximately 30 minutes, coop up the racing pigeons that are to be shipped and then place the remaining birds back in their original sections.
On the return from the race have the cocks in their regular section and the hens in the young bird section. When the cocks come home, they will fly to their nest box and they will see the hens. Let them have a few minutes of victory before placing them back into their section. When then hens come home place them in their section. There is a problem if you have to work or be absent when the birds arrive from the race. If this is the case, unfortunately the race pigeons will be together for some time, unless you only flew one sex. If you can not be home when the birds return from the race, I suggest only shipping one sex. If the birds are allowed to be together upon the return and to copulate, you are not flying a strict celibate system. But, if you do allow for it, and separate them as soon as is possible for you and yet you are still having great results, then go with it.
The Leading Online Pigeon Racing and Racing Pigeons Magazine – The Pigeon Insider
Hi Chris,
I use to race my birds on this celibate method and have great success with it. The only problem is you need a lot of time to train both sexes around the loft.
I use to put them cocks and hens in seperate baskets for road training and let them out about 15min apart.
Greetings
Leon.
i don’t know, something is wrong or missing in the information given. The article mentioned they are flown and trained separately, not even allowed to go out in the flying pen. This is not true for celebacy. They can meet yes, but they just can’t be allowed to mate. Very effective in averaging system races, where you have to race your pigeons every week. Most of the time the hens are the most consistent. You get lap champions from widowhood but in celebacy you get averaging champions.
After making some comments and sharing some insight on the celibecy system, it is fitting I include specific details and not simply to satisfy a local fancier here in Malta,where I now reside; who reared his ugly head … to filter my language and, questioned my comments, advice and race result I claimed as to being genuine. I am fully aware there are always risk when teaching others through pen and paper as information on a subject is given in a limited level, and impossible to project the countless details done by a fancier at all aspect of the sport and specifically the overall management relating to achieving a high order of success. When I write I am not writing from what I think but what I know to be factual as I have done it. My great loft partner and friend, Mr. Maurice Rochan and I, achieved success in a short time becaused we focused a great deal on AIRWAY, BREATHING AND CIRCULATION. And we worked tirelessly to ensure the birds health is intact every single day. Mr. Rochan raised cattle prior to entering the sport at 60 years old, but in a flash he realized together we will do well. To the sceptic I make such statement of claim that holding two world records is not fiction. We competeted under the name; wait4melofts, in the E.O.C ( Eastern Ontario Combine) In closing I will share a little knowledge of do and, do not do. Do not let your young range for too long, prevent cold water intake after flight of more than 20mins, ensure you do not burn the pigeons pectorial muscles from lack of feeding the necessary carbs. A special note: fat should only be present in the pectorial muscles,and not in the pigeons cavities. We did not win first ten positions on day,in combine from a 500 miles, because the pigeons are fed without a plan. In the subject combine, we where capable of clocking and wining the race on day from 650 miles, on the both races we entered. Good luck, and remember that an idea does not work unless you do. Respect the pigeon, and rules of both man and God.
Another fine article this time relating to the celibacy system. I must write a few comments as I had much experience in this regard. It is good to note the strict celibacy system does ruin plenty of birds with respect to performance. Same as with the classic widowhood system and so on, there are modifications one must discover and do as not to stress the pigeons. Once the widower or hen learns the system the pigeon is calm and not much strenght is depleted from the pigeon due to psycholical stress related to a system. A calm pigeon is a powerful one in more ways than one. Although cocks or hens never see a nest bowl or a nest box in the racing duration, midweek they are let out to loftfly together for 20 mins and then seperated again. Hence I have no use for strict celibacy. When I clocked first 18 pigeons in a 340 mile goldband race, and in addition in the same race also took 20th to 27th positions … the pigeons had plenty of fun kissing and flying together four days before the race. Of course the birds were extraordinary machines and not water and flesh.
Great comment and addition to the article! thanks for posting Sam.
-Chris
I HAVE FLOWN CELIBACY FOR TEN YEARS THE TRICK TO THIS IS RELEASE THE BIRDS 2 MINUTES APART HENS FIRST THEN COCKS THEY WILL RACE HARDER GOING HOME ON RETURN LIVE THEM TOGETHER 5 TO 10 MINUTES MAX VERY IMPORTANT AT HOME FLY THEM TOGETHER IN THE AFTERNOON 1 HOUR IF IS TO HOT 45 MINUTES THE ONLY WAY THE GROUP WILL GET IN TOP FORM BY LIVING ONLY THE BIRDS THAT DONT COME HOME LATE MORE THAN 3TIMES. SHIPPING NIGHT PUT THEM TOGETHER FOR 5 TO 10 MIUTES MAX ADVICE IF A BIRD GET SICK DO NOT TREAT ALL THE BIRDS ONLY THE SICK ONE IF YOU WANT TO STAY ON TOP AFTER 5 DAYS REMOVE ANY SICK BIRDS THIS HAS BEEN SOME THINGS THAT HAVE WORKED FOR ME ALWAYS ON THE TOP 3 IN THE COMBINE TWINLOFT AND TEAM U.S.A HIALEAH FLORIDA