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Pigeon racing is a sport involving the racing of specially trained Racing Pigeon s, a breed of Domestic Pigeon . HISTORY Pigeons have been Domesticated for thousands of years. The predecessors of modern day Racing pigeons were pigeons bred for their homing ability, primarily to carry messages. " Pigeon Posts " have been established all over the world and while mainly used in the Military , some are still in service today. Modern pigeon racing originated in Belgium in the mid 19th century. RACING In short, competing birds are taken from their lofts and must race home. The time taken and distance are recorded and the fastest bird (distance/time) is declared the winner. Provided it survives the many hazards associated with racing, a single pigeon could compete from about 6 months of age and still be in competition at over ten years of age. Such feats are uncommon, however, and the average racing career rarely exceeds three years. To compete in a race, it must wear a permanent, unique numbered ring or band that is placed on its leg at about 5 days of age. For a race to be conducted, the competing pigeons must be entered into the race, usually at the organisation's clubhouse, and taken away from their home to be released at a predetermined time and location. The distance between the bird's home loft and the racepoint is carefully measured by GPS and the time taken by the bird to return is measured using one of the two acceptable timing methods. Traditional timing method The traditional method of timing racing pigeons involves rubber rings with a unique serial numbers and a specially designed pigeon racing clock. The ring is attached around the bird's leg before being sent to race. The serial number is recorded, the clock is set and sealed, and the bird carries the ring home. When the first bird returns, its trainer removes the ring and places it in the Pigeon Racing Clock. The time that the ring was placed in the clock and is recorded as the official time that the competing bird arrived home. From this timestamp an average speed is measured and a winner of the race can be found. Although serving its purpose, this method has proved somewhat problematic for a few reasons: #The pigeon's "official time" is not the actual time it arrived, it is the time the ring was removed, placed in the clock and recorded, which could be many vital seconds later. #Exceptional pigeons may arrive home first on multiple occasions; Knowing it is going to have the ring removed speedily, which may be uncomfortable, the pigeon could be reluctant to enter the loft for the trainer. Electronic timing method The latest development and preferred method for timing racing pigeons is the Electric Timing System. Birds are fitted with an RFID transponder, and a clock is attached to a number of antennas. When a transponder crosses an antenna, the serial number of the transponder ring is recorded along with the time of arrival. This is very similar to Transponder Timing systems used in human races. TRAINING Racing pigeons are housed together in a specially designed Dovecote or Loft . From about five weeks of age until the end of its racing career, the racing loft is the pigeons home and this is where it returns to on race day. Young pigeons are trained progressively for at least six months before being allowed to compete in a race event. A racing pigeon's initial training involves familiarising it with the loft and its surroundings and training it to use the various features of its home (e.g. entry points). It is also this critical time that the birds learn commands, such as entering the loft when the trainer whistles. After a few weeks of initial training and 'homing in', the young birds are allowed outside for the first time. This is usually before they can fly strongly so as to prevent an overzealous pigeon from flying away before it can find its way back home. As the birds grow older, they become stronger and smarter and are therefore allowed to fly further and further away from their home loft. When a few trainers fly their pigeons in the same area, these loft flying kits (as flocks of pigeons are called) can number in the thousands. This 'loft flying' familiarises the birds with their home area and builds fitness. It does not, however, help them much in relation to finding their home from long distances away, a fundamental of pigeon racing. As confident flyers, the young pigeons are taken on progressively longer 'training tosses', driven a distance away from their home and released. This is like the format of a real race, however on a much smaller scale and it is usually not timed in the same way as a race. This practice of loft flying and tossing continues throughout a pigeon's career. Training methods are as varied as the pigeons themselves. Lots of fanciers believe their system is the secret to their success and guard these hard learned lessons closely; most will tell you of their basic strategy but few will share the details of their success. One of the most popular systems is widowhood. This system uses motivation to try to give the bird a sense of urgency on race day. The use of widowhood is usually begun by first allowing the racer to raise a baby in their nest box. After the baby is weaned the hen is removed and oftentimes the nestbox is closed off, from then on the only time these birds are allowed to see their mate or enter the nest box is upon returning from training or a race. This conditioning is one of the key elements in a lot of racing programs. HAZARDS As pigeon racing takes place over great distances in the sky, instead of on a Racetrack , there are many hazards that could befall a pigeon during racing as well as training. The main hazard encountered by racing pigeons is predation by Birds Of Prey . Birds of Prey and Racing Pigeons The killing of valuable pigeons by wild predators has led to some pigeon fanciers being suspected of killing birds of prey such as falcons. Pigeon racers suspected in falcon killings It is thought that racing pigeons rely on the Earth's Magnetic Field to find their way home. Some evidence has surfaced indicating that mobile phone towers may be interrupting the birds navigation. Mobile phone mast blamed for vanishing pigeons No published research has investigated this theory however. BREEDING Pigeons can breed at about six months of age. However, fanciers will often wait until the pigeon is a few month older before breeding. The hen lays two eggs 36 hours apart. The first egg isn't incubated until the second egg is laid to ensure both eggs hatch at the same time. The incubation period is 18 days. Pigeon breeders are careful in selecting birds to pair together so as to continue improving the breed and gain a competitive edge. It is this Selective Breeding that has given rise to the racing pigeons of today, capable of finding their way home from over 1600 Km away and flying at speeds in excess of 130 Km/h . Hens often lay upwards of 6 eggs per year, and squabs usually leave the nest at approximately 4-6 weeks of age. PIGEON RACING BY REGION Pigeon racing in Asia Pigeon racing is becoming increasingly popular in parts of Asia, where millions of Dollars are bet on the races, just like Horse Racing . Pigeon racing in Oceania Australia The largest Racing Organisation in Australia is the Central Cumberland Federation. In Australia, velocities are recorded in metres per minute. The state of Queensland, in the north east part of Australia also has a number of clubs and organisations. The biggest of these is the Qld Racing Pigeon Federation Inc (QRPF). Location in Brisbane, the capitol of Queensland, the QRPF has a long history dating back to the 2nd world war. Each year the QRPF organises pigeon races for its several hundred members. These races start at approx 145 klms in distance and continue on a gradual basis out to distances of over 1000 klms. A specialised transporter is used to transport the birds to the release towns. This transporter enables the birds to be fed and watered on route before mass release at a predetermined time for their flight back to various home lofts in the greater Brisbane area. Many thousands of pigeons are competing in races each weekend during the winter months. Pigeon racing in Europe UK The first regular races in first became involved with pigeon racing in 1886 when King Leopold of Belgium gifted them breeding stock. The tradition continues to this day, with a bird of Queen Elizabeth II even winning a race in 1990. 80 facts about The Queen The National Flying Club is a British Pigeon Racing club, and open to anyone in England and Wales http://www.nationalflyingclub.co.uk/. In the United Kingdom Pigeon Racing is regulated by 6 independent organisations.
Belgium The Janssen Brothers (Louis, Charel, Arjaan and Sjef) are a famous and very successful pigeon racing family from Arendonk , Belgium . Louis Janssen, born 1912, is the last of the Janssen Brothers still alive.http://www.silvio-co.com/pigeons/janssen.htm Descendants of their pigeons can be found racing all around the world. Pigeon racing in the USA The sport was introduced into the United States about 1875, although regular racing did not begin until 1878. 1911encyclopedia.org It is also banned in Chicago . http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=51931 Pigeon racing in Africa South Africa is the home of the richest One-Loft Race in the world, the Sun City Million Dollar Pigeon Race. SCMDPR Homepage ONE-LOFT RACING One-Loft Racing is the process of training birds bred by many different breeders in the same loft, under the same trainer and in the same conditions (as apposed to trainer against trainer in their own lofts and usually with their own birds). It is thought to be the fairest method of proving which bloodline or breeder is best and usually provides the highest amount of prize money. SEE ALSO
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