Advice

1. Advice to Beginners & Those Who Refuse to Stop Learning
2. Obtaining Your Foundation Stock

Advice to Beginners & Those Who Refuse to Stop Learning
I think I am old enough and have had enough experience to offer advice. Also I spent 42 years in the education field which taught me something about teaching. You may notice a Canadian bias but most of it is relevant no matter where you are located. My aim is to help you learn from my mistakes and successes. Aristotle said that well begun is half done and I always follow my friend Aristotle's advice. I wonder where he is now?

First you should ask yourself some questions:

1. How much time can you give to the sport?
2. How much can you afford to invest?
3. Are there any restrictions on keeping livestock in your area?
4. Will your neighbours object?
5. If you want to race your pigeons, is there a club within easy reach?

Now I will help you answer the questions:

1. This is a very important point which takes into consideration your family (if you have one). Never short change your family! If you can get them involved, so much the better. It also determines your whole system of management and the number of birds you can keep.
   
   
2. This will determine the size of your loft, the number of birds you can keep and the quality of the birds you start with. Do not invest more than you can afford and do not put all your resources into a loft and leave nothing for your birds. The amount you can invest will be determined by your family budget.
   
   
3. Check with your local authorities to determine the restrictions before you start building your loft.
   
   
4. Even if there are no restrictions on keeping pigeons it would be advisable to check with your neighbours. If they complain to the authorities, you could have problems
   
   
5. If you want ro race your pigeons on a regular basis you will have to join a club. There are ways of racing without joining a club such as entering birds in special races. They call them derby races in North America. All birds are raced to a single loft.

I think that should give you something to think about, however the final decisions are yours. Remember what Aristotle said! But also remember that everything should be as simple as possible, but not simpler! Just to confuse you I might add that in all things there is something of the mysterious. That is my friend Aristotle again.

Finally, don't just rely on my advice! Contact a successful pigeon racer in your area. You might learn a lot.

Obtaining Your Foundation Stock
There are various ways to obtain foundation stock and you must choose the best method for you according to your budget.

1. The quickest way to success, and also the most expensive, is to buy proven breeders. These should be birds that have consistently produced winners and are themselves from proven breeders. You may be able to buy these birds from a loft clearance sale at a reasonable price but more than likely you will have to pay a big price for birds from a successful loft. It is important to check the quality of the wins. Were the wins in races with a good number of birds competing? If it was in showing, were there a lot of birds in the classes?
   
   
2. The second method is to buy offspring from proven breeders and breed from this stock. This method is not as foolproof as the first and it will likely take you longer to achieve success. Carefully check the records of the breeders you obtain the young from.
   
   
3. Method number three is to buy reasonably priced stock from a successful loft and start improving the quality by using a good breeding and selection system. This method will take more time before you see results but it is probably the most interesting and you will have the satisfaction of building your own family. You will need patience but if you proceed carefully success will come.
   
   
4. Some fanciers enjoy the breeding part of the sport but do not participate directly in a race program. They test their birds by entering them in derby races (i.e. raced to one loft), or sell birds to other fanciers for racing. You have to rely on the other fanciers informing you of the results.
   
   
5. Racing is time-consuming and you can avoid this by concentrating on showing. Most shows are held during the winter months but there are also summer shows. It depends where you live of course. Shows usually have classes for unflown race birds.
   
   
6. There is another method practised by some Belgian fanciers and that is to buy young birds each year and just race them. After the racing you dispose of the birds. However this method misses breeding and building your own family which to me is the most interesting aspect of the sport.

The point is, that no matter what your circumstances if you are really anxious to have racing pigeons there is usually a way.

Interested in racing pigeons, pigeon racing, homing pigeons, raising pigeons, facts about pigeons, carrier pigeons, passenger pigeons, lost birds, lost pigeons, pigeon breeding, pigeon breeds, pigeon lofts, rolling pigeons, fantail pigeons, tumbler pigeons, pigeon facts, pigeon breeders, pigeon coops, pigeons for sale?

Email me at laurholb@telus.net.