UkPigeonRacing

I think that if you want to lose a pigeon, lock it up for a couple of years. They seem to lose their homing instinct.
I know it seems counter intuitive, but the best success I have had with breaking old pigeons to a new loft is to get them out quickly.
The longer they are locked up, the less chance of them staying.
Just what I have found, and I might be wrong, but there you are.

I had another one of the prisoners come out today for the first time. Haven’t seen her since. She was 7 years old and hadn’t laid this year so not too worried. Out of the 11 prisoners I started with I have one broken, one that hasn’t been out as far as I know and 9 gone missing.

That is my big fear as much as I want to just throw open the doors or even let few out at a time I know what will happen, may get odd one stay, but then suppose it does reduce them, did the same with last years young as soon as I lost 3 locked them back in and not been out since even though 2 did come back

It is so much better now though Buster that I haven’t got a section that can’t go out. Even though it has an aviary on I also had birds in there that could go out. They are happy to be out and flying again. At least now I have more room for birds that can be raced.

Andy wrote: ↑Wed Aug 03, 2022 7:55 am It is so much better now though Buster that I haven’t got a section that can’t go out. Even though it has an aviary on I also had birds in there that could go out. They are happy to be out and flying again. At least now I have more room for birds that can be raced.

That is what I keep aiming for then back out last minute

Of course this why the Dutch and Belgians love us.

Every few years they have a TOTAL SALE of their pigeons. In the fine print it states that they are keeping this year's young birds.

So us English speakers end up paying too much for old pigeons that they are glad to get rid of, while they have new, fresh and better pigeons in the stock lofts.

I have pigeons in my shed which have been there for a decade. Why? Because they have names and are tame.

Really?