I would recommend reading about nutrition and health problems caused by improper management.

 

I would make a trip to your local library with a list of pigeon books and start there. You can get many books on loan from other library's so it cost you nothing to read them. Then you could decide which fits plans best and then you could buy some of your own for reference later.

 

Thanks so much guys, will check it out. Found some free ones as well on pigeon insider, ebook after filling out a survey. A few terms I do not understand.

Seems like what I did as a kid in the mid 70's without internet was right. Common sense. I train my pigeons to return to loft, but not fast enough to get in their loft. Their use to hanging out, outside. I toss all directions. Then my mistake was I train to perhaps no more than 50 km. Then immediately to 200 to 250 Km. All return but some next day. One bird always fast same day, a hen.

 

Ad Schaerlaeckens has a lot of good articles on his web site.

 

Wow that was an addicting site to read

 

Here is a link. Everything you want to read is listed on the left side. http://www.auspigeonco.com.au/

 

I agree http://www.schaerlaeckens.com/ as Mr Schaerlaickens has a lot of useful information... here are some others sites as well... http://www.silvio-co.com/pigeons/minerals.htm http://worldpigeon.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=6dke74t92p9h1maehmt7hngpt3&board=25.0

these are just of a few of the web sites with various information that many here may find helpfull

 

Thanks rpalmer. Birds for $400 each, wow

Thanks Lawman, that silvio site is great as well and he also had an article about small loft and returning prior fancier like myself. I don't recall having sickly birds the way most these articles describe. Also no lost birds, similar to what is observed by Her Schaerlaickens today. But then most of my birds I let them mature to about a year before releasing. I don't release longer distance until they beat me home at about 50 to 60 km on 4 directions. Following which the incremental increase of distance I double. My goal was mainly coming home as there was no organized racing at the time in the Philippines. But it is a disturbing phenomena that sometimes even older birds get lost, but then birds of prey are more common here in the USA. In third world it is hunters with sling shot that we worry.

How old are those Y/B on one loft race?

 

If your refering to the young birds that were flown in the "California Late Hatch Classic" http://www.latehatchclassic.com/index.htm ealier this year they were between 8-9 months old by the time they flew the final race from 300 mi. For next years race the birds will be just slightly older and were placed in the loft when they were approx. 7 weeks old.

As you said here in the states the biggest danger is Hawks, although I have heard in the past of dove hunters intentionally targeting pigeons as well. Every year you hear of fanciers that have there birds come in with buck shot in them so I am certain it still occurs from time to time.

 

I would google "racing pigeon articles". Lots of free stuff, like books they are just peoples opinions.

I think you could learn a little from just about every flyer. There are a ton of tips and tricks in the blogs of John Lamberton. If you look under 2007-2008 he makes a blog entry a few times a week on what he does from paring breeders all through the year to the next

season.http://www.drjohnlamberton.com/BLOGarchived.htm

CBS posted a bunch of videos that talk about their methods with some great tips. They also post info on birds they have to get people to buy but some great videos mixed in.

https://vimeo.com/cbspigeon/videos

It is kind of put together strange and a little outdated but my all time favorite book is Rotondo on Racing Pigeons.

 

www.pigeonbasics.com has some very good articles and even a couple of free down loads for fancies and a chat too.

 

Thanks, Eric K, Flapdoodle and Lawman for your responses, guidance and assistance.