Happy, healthy flyers win the big prizes

In this article, the final in a three-part series on pigeon racing, Thomas Smit looks at ways to help your birds settle in a loft, as well as the best nutrition to enhance their health and stamina during long races.

Happy, healthy flyers win the big prizes
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Just a reminder in case you missed the first two articles in this series, a One Loft is a privately owned communal pigeon racing loft. Just-weaned youngsters from entrants are homed and trained at a One Loft to compete in a One Loft Race for prize money and, in some races, a brand-new car.

A One Loft series starts with initial training and pre-finals races and builds up to a grand finale that carries the main stakes.

Over the years, most South African One Loft races have aimed for enough entrants to reach a R100 000 payout for the owner of the winning pigeon. However, with the recent boom in the popularity of these races, the prize pool has grown to impressive amounts.

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Healthcare and temperament

It’s obvious that only pigeons that have advanced immune systems should be used as stock to breed for the money races. Exceptional health is linked to an advanced immune system, which is enhanced by clean environmental conditions and proper nutritional care.

Beginning with the matching of your stock pairs, candidates identified for One Loft competitions should demonstrate more assertive temperaments and characters. Shy and nervous pigeons will get bullied at One Lofts.

They will also get bullied at the food tray and just take a quick sip at the drinker. They are always on the run. This affects their health and fitness condition negatively and they will be the first to stray as the race distances progress during the series.

Overmedication in pigeon lofts is a known South African sin that has made our pigeon flock vulnerable to all kinds of bugs and viral diseases. Make use of the services of the vet and administer routine medication wisely with the use of probiotics. Use quality feed and supplements and ensure the food is free of harmful chemicals.

Settling in versus homing ability

Pigeons with better road sense have advanced homing faculties. The early stage of the training schedule at a One Loft is called the homing phase. The pigeons are allowed to exit the lofts and free-range in a protected section called the sun loft.

Dinokeng One Loft is situated east of Pretoria in the bushveld surroundings of the Dinokeng Game Reserve. It has a large sun loft that offers the pigeons a wide view so they can get acquainted with their new home and loft surroundings.

Once the sun loft nets are removed, the pigeons are free to roam the area. As their confidence increases, they will start to range further from the lofts, forming small kits or packs and circling together.

Pigeons are flock bound and during the early stages of road training arrive at the lofts together. Clever pigeons seem to lead the way over the shorter distances. It does not mean that the other pigeons do not know the way; it might just be because they are slower.

Alternated home and loft training help stimulate the birds’ faculties of orientation.

Follow a time budget when sending candidates to the loft so that they are at least eight months old on the day of the final race. The birds should remain at the loft long enough for them to properly settle in and gain from the memory of its environment.

Racing pigeons follow their memory of landmarks noted during repeated training on the same route. They have been noted to sometimes follow along the highway.

Territorial Pigeon versus will to win

On arrival in the loft the pigeons will each pick a perch at random but will eventually return to it and fight off any intruder. The perch becomes its actual ‘home’ to which it returns after training. It will develop a love for the loft and a better response to the training schedule as it is better settled.

However, it may become so jealous and ‘bossy’ in the loft that it doesn’t even allow itself time to get enough rest, but it will still eat and drink well.

The modern One Loft racer reaches early maturity in less than one year of age. In the old days, our champion pigeons peaked better as two- and three-year-olds, but they are outflown by these new genetic wonders actually ‘created’ by the routine of consecutive young bird testing.

Thomas Smit is a pigeon racing journalist.