Flying my birds

[ZigZagMarquis]

Okay... so, I'm going to have some pigeons here soon. I'd like to try to fly them eventually. Here's my plan, such as it is.

1) Let them settle into their new loft first, I figure 4 or 5 days.

2) Start trap training them. Put them out on the closed up landing board. Leave them there for awhile. Then go feed them. Wistle or shake a can with a few screws in it, basically make some sort of noise every time I feed them. I figure I'll work them through the trap for at least 2 to 3 weeks.

3) After that... short rations one day... next day, start out with the same routine, but let the landing board / trap area open to let them "discover" then can get out. Let them fly for an hour to two and then "ring the dinner bell" or what ever it is I work up as a signal its feeding time. See if they come back...

I think that's basically it, but are there any other big "Do's" and "Don'ts"?

I know the first time you let them free you shouldn't scare them out. I'm only planning on starting with a small number of birds and am afraid they'll latch onto the local feral flock that resides about 2 blocks away that I see fly in the morning too.

Some say to fly in the morning, some say in the evening. Thoughts on that? I know its more likely to be windy in the evenings and that's bad for them the first times out and I don't want them to get spooked that night is coming and have them roost outside the loft overnight.