Pigeons homing training

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Giuseppe
Rank: Just A Pup
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Pigeons homing training

Post by Giuseppe » Tue Jun 09, 2020 1:32 pm

Hey everybody,

Seeking some advice from some more experienced homing pigeons keepers.
I have a small flock of pigeons. I have 6 homers that I bought from a local dog trainer in November 2019 as young birds that had never been flown before. Plus I also have a male regular pigeon (non-homing blood line) that I have acquired from somewhere else in the summer of 2019 that appears to have some homing instinct (I actually lost him one time while I was training my dog a few miles from my house and he came back). Since I purchased them, the birds have been in my chicken coop modified to a pigeon loft. Over the spring they bred and I now also have 3 almost fully feathered squeakers from 2 different nests, and I have a third nest with 3 eggs being laid on right now.
I installed a trap door and a landing platform in front of the door a few weeks ago. I started training all the adult birds to use the trap door by either catching them in the coop and holding them in front of the door until they go in. I then started putting the birds in a small cage placed against the side of the loft where the trap door is so that they have the ability to go in if they choose to do so. Lastly I started to release a couple of birds at a time in the yard and so far of the birds I released they all have come back and used the trap door. I have not withheld food so far, so when I released them they took 1 or two hours to land on the platform and go through the trap door (plus they see the other birds in the coop run so they get a bit "distracted") but so far, knock on wood, they have all gone back in. Each birds has done the little "flight around the yard and go through the trap door" game at least about two times now. I have not trained the 3 squeakers/young birds, as I want to wait for them to be fully feathered.
So I guess my question is, what is the next step? Do I continue to let them out in the yard or can I start to move in distance? If I continue to let them out in the yard, how many times is enough? When I start to go to distance, at what distance should I start? What would be the progression in distance? How many times for each distance should I train them?
Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

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Urban_Redneck
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Location: NE PA

Re: Pigeons homing training

Post by Urban_Redneck » Tue Jun 09, 2020 3:15 pm

I'm no expert.........Once the birds are used to trapping in, take them a 1/8 mile away before feeding and release them all- go to coop and feed. You can progress from there, once you reach a mile or so, start taking them in 1 mile increments to your training grounds. Once there, you can hit the other points of the compass and or expand the range. My birds have free access to the world when not training.

lahunter562
Rank: Junior Hunter
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Re: Pigeons homing training

Post by lahunter562 » Wed Jun 10, 2020 11:33 am

follow these steps for training your young birds and is about 95 % bullet proof. I have been racing pigeons for a while.

1. let young birds fly on their own. Don't push them.
2. once young birds start flying for about 45 to 60 minutes around your loft, then you can start to road train them.
3. start at half a mile from the same spot at least (3 times), then increase to one mile, then to 3 miles, 5 miles, 15 miles, 30 miles then your good to go.
4. Always feed once a day as much as they want, preferably after training that way they go inside the loft. ( shake a can with food, so they can learn that is feeding time). The hungry ones will go inside and that way pigeons don't stay out (like roofs, on top of the loft).
5. PM for more details or questions! thanx for reading..

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DonF
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Re: Pigeons homing training

Post by DonF » Wed Jun 17, 2020 1:48 pm

let young birds come and go as they please. To get them trapping, tie up all the bob's till they are re-entering well and then drop one bob. Go through it again then drop another bob. Keep doing it till all the bob are down and they will be entering. For training, you can start well over a mile if your letting them free fly a lot. The other pigeon's you have Ferals, will work just as well as any homer within 50mi. I've used homer's a lot to 50mi and few loss's, probably to hawks on the way. You'll find the ferals are a bit smaller and not such a hand full and for me easier to work with. Homer's in the older release basket's that are smaller are prone to die in them in hot weather, just to crammed for them. Newer basket's on release traps are larger and do well. If your using remote traps, I've had homer's come out of the trap and land on the ground in front of dogs. Great for finished dog, terrible for young dogs! Ferals are wilder than homer's and I much prefer the ferals! Feral come's out of the trap, they don't land on the ground, generally if they land at all, it's in a tree or phone wire. Usually they come out and go home!
I pity the man that has never been loved by a dog!

Giuseppe
Rank: Just A Pup
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Re: Pigeons homing training

Post by Giuseppe » Wed Jun 17, 2020 3:51 pm

Thank you everyone for the great suggestions. I have been following all of the advice and I am starting with 2-3 birds at a time with distance training. So far so good. From half a mile all have homed well with no losses. We'll keep going with this and hope that I don't lose any.
Thanks
G

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DonF
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Re: Pigeons homing training

Post by DonF » Thu Jul 16, 2020 10:50 am

When you fly your birds it is in an uncontrolled environment and regardless homer or feral you are going to lose one now and then. Predator's will get one now and then and nothing you can do about it.
I pity the man that has never been loved by a dog!

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