Sometimes as in some leagues there are 2 divisions. 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. 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. 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. Such feats are uncommon, however, and the average racing career rarely exceeds three years Template:Fact. 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. In the United States flights of up to 1800 kilometres have been recorded. Races are generally between 1km in distance. The time taken and distance are recorded and the fastest bird is declared the winner. In short, competing birds are taken from their lofts and must race home.

Modern pigeon racing originated in Belgium in the mid 19th century. ' Pigeon Posts' have been established all over the world and while mainly used in the military, some are still in service today. The predecessors of modern day Racing pigeons were pigeons bred for their homing ability, primarily to carry messages.

Pigeons have been domesticated for thousands of years. One recent development in the sport of pigeon racing is 'one loft racing', where birds are raced against each other under the same training regime, in an effort to test the best birds rather than the best trainer.Ĭlontarf Pigeon Club releasing racing pigeons in Bray, Co. Once quite popular, the sport has experienced a downturn in participants in recent years, possibly due to the rising cost of living and aging fanciers. From Belgium the modern version of the sport and the Voyageurs which the Flemish fanciers developed spread to most parts of the world. The pigeon fanciers of Belgium were so taken with the hobby that they began to develop pigeons specially cultivated for fast flight and long endurance called Voyageurs. The sport achieved a great deal of popularity in Belgium in the mid 19th century. While there is not definite proof, there are compelling reasons to think the sport of racing pigeons may go back as least as far as 220 AD or possibly earlier. The traditional timing method involves rubber rings being placed into a specially designed clock, whereas a newer development uses RFID tags to record arrival time. Races can often be won and lost in seconds, and to counter this, many different timing apparatus have been developed. The winner of a pigeon race is the bird with the highest velocity, that is, the distance flown divided by the time taken. The time it takes the animal to cover the specified distance is measured and the animals' rate of travel is calculated and compared with all of the other pigeons in the race to determine which animal returned at the highest rate of speed. Pigeon racing is a sport involving the release of specially trained racing pigeons, which then return to their homes over a carefully measured distance. Pigeon racing involves the flying of specially trained pigeons over long distances. Major Race Results, Products available from the national office, etc.For the bicycle company, see Flying Pigeon. Topics that you will need basic information on include: The Birds - The Loft - Nutrition - General Care & Management - Training - Health - Breeding - Clubs - Competition.įor those of you who are experienced pigeon enthusiasts, we will try to bring you Timely Updates regarding the ARPU Convention, As we continue to construct this web site, we will add some ' how-to' information. The athlete - will be a source of great enjoyment. These birds are very different, in nearly every way, from anything you have ever thought of when you thought, 'pigeon.'

With a more sporting approach, whether for yourself or as a family activity, you will find that you are on a bit of a learning curve. If you were to enroll in Homing Pigeons 101, you would find that there are basics to be considered. Like more information? We would love to provide you with some basic information on Homing Pigeons. It is the friends and mentors you'll find in the local club that can enrich the hobby for you, no matter what level you choose to participate. The AU or ARPU as some call us, has approximately 700 affiliated clubs around the country.

Racing Pigeon Serial Numbers