Secret #4: Look for Evidence of Homing and Navigation Qualities
Breed from birds that have the “Compass” or “Homing Instinct.” If a pigeon can’t home, how can you expect it to win?
There is still no consensus on how a bird homes and navigates. It is a matter upon which we can only speculate. It is important to recognize that a racing pigeon must and does navigate. The bird must have the ability to orient itself and to maintain its course. The intelligent pigeons apparently have no trouble finding the most direct route home, and they are able to adjust to different types of conditions (weather). Therefore, place high value on a bird that has come home time after time after hard races, when there are no day birds nor birds home in normal race times.
You cannot measure this quality by a few races or tosses, and it cannot be found by fliers who constantly hold birds out of races for minor reasons. Look for evidence of “Homing Instinct” over a long period of time.
You cannot evaluate a bird’s intelligence in the short, fast races. You must go the distance. When the same pigeons show up, they possess that quality from which you can breed to improve your loft.
Secret #4: Look for Evidence of Homing and Navigation Qualities By Bob Prisco
The Leading Online Pigeon Racing and Racing Pigeons Magazine – The Pigeon Insider
Its well known fact that the sprint racers in Belgium have developed the homing ability in their birds to break for home fast this wins races and all the well known lofts wining in HOLLAND,GERMANY and other countries go to the sprint lofts to purchase these birds to introduce this break quick for home genes into their own family .
I believe you place too much emphasis on long races, especially the real hard ones. For me the perfect race is when the birds are up shortly after sunrise, fly all day and are all safely home in their loft when the sun goes down. Ian believe that once they go down for the night it is no longer a race but a raffle. All it takes is an individual roosting bird to get a scared into flight by for instance a cat and you get a bolter.
Picking the right birds for any race is the most important skill every fancier must learn. Birds should be left at home if there is any question at all of their fitness for the journey. “If in doubt leave it out” should be the foremost thought in the fanciers mind when selecting race teams.
Good racing pigeons will show only in basket.
I recieved birds in 1995 and placed at all distances with them. I clearly identified birds that could race – home with the basket. From sprintig to 14hrs + on the wing. When I checked the records it was clear that the birds with wins & diplomas were related..even different bloodlines crossed together a were factor…By repeateing year after year and generationafter after generation . The basket & good record keeping are key components. Health & resistance to desease was also at the top of the list Pay attension to older stock 1st We had stock birds as old as 14-16-18 years old. Becareful on how you cross them and always bring in new blood to your KNOWN lines…..Independence Loft
It is now a well known fact that pigeons have minute senors in their head/beak area.Scientfic studies have been carried out in Auckland, NEW ZEALAND that pigeons use the earths Magnetic fields to help them navigate their way home.Of course intelligence, land marks and fitness assist them greatly too.So please can we as honest pigeon fanciers stop pretending that we don’t know how pigeons find their way home!
Absolutly! I’ve had birds with every colored eye,big ceres, little ceres, long & thin, short & fat,etc. Every color of the rainbow too!,this is a “subject” we have been talking about for a while. Not that it ever gets old!, most important is knowing your birds, having birds with the ability& instinct to fly home. As I have said before, I’ve had “regular”,-common,-street pigeons, who had the heart & will to fly home concestantly,& did.Every birds an idividual.
how to differentiate a breeder and a racer?
test them and their youngsters in the races.