Minimum Distance For Training First Training Toss?

[johnnyksspeedshop]

Hello all, im trying to figure out where im going wrong. I've been loft flying two homers for a few months, and decided it was time to do some training tosses. First toss, I went a bit more than a mile away, and it took these two birds about an hour to get home, I think they just kept circling home. Then yesterday, I took them 7 miles away, and they came home separately the next day (today) at 11am and 4pm. This arent from my breeders whose young I plan on competing with next fall, but still these cheap homers which i bought just to practice training should be able to return from 7 miles, so I figure im doing something wrong. I used to have homers when younger, and I never remember having this problem, but I never really released them too close. I have heard before that releasing them under 20 miles away can cause them to get a little confused and cant get their bearings straight, is there any truth to that, or should I release these two birds from the same 7 mile spot?

[REDROCKET]

imo the 1 mile is a waste of time the birds took an hour because they probably walked home our first training toss is from about 13 mile and thats what they get all season

they do this in anything from 20mins to 2 hours dont ask the reason for the difference in time because we dont know.

[b.massey]

With it being short the birds have mibi went ranging! They tend to take a wee while from short training flights and I would say its because they go training them selfs

[johnnyksspeedshop]

Thanks for the info! The birds stayed out overnight however from the 7 mile toss yesterday, and came back today, isnt that unusual? I would think that they should be back before dark when I let them out at 11 am.

[REDCHEQHEN]

Thanks for the info! The birds stayed out overnight however from the 7 mile toss yesterday, and came back today, isnt that unusual? I would think that they should be back before dark when I let them out at 11 am.

 

 

In the words of Tom Jones 'It's not unusual'

 

Especially when there is only the two of them, happened to me, more than once with 2 late breds, I gave up training them when they were taking a day or two to come home from a few miles, so I didn't bother again after the first 2 training tosses - until the following spring, and trained them with the old birds to get them into the habit of coming straight home

[johnnyksspeedshop]

Good to hear my birds arent "unusual" Next saturday I am attending a pigeon show 80 miles away and why I started training them is I wanted to release them from that point. I dont have any old birds, so will it be stupid of me to bring these two 80 miles out next Saturday? Are they more likely to head straight home from a greater distance? Technically, I dont know what strain they are, their pedigree, their breeder, etc. so I would like to test them before keeping them and become a better trainer, but I dont want to do anything too stupid where they for sure wont make it back. Thanks for your help!

[andy Burgess]

did you let them fly around home first Johny ?? and do you feed them at regular times ?? if not on both accounts i think you should , flying over there is diffrent to here too , if in good health and feather take them if possible twice a day for 3 days at 10 mile , day 4 take them 30 mile once, then day 5 twice at 10 mile then try them at 80 mile visit . if any good they will return ,if not ........ you know the rest.

[johnnyksspeedshop]

Thanks for the info Andy! I have been flying them everyday around the loft for the past few months. And I do feed them at regular times, they are very hungry by the time I feed them and respond quickly to my whistle.

[andy Burgess]

Thanks for the info Andy! I have been flying them everyday around the loft for the past few months. And I do feed them at regular times, they are very hungry by the time I feed them and respond quickly to my whistle.

theres never any guarantees all will go well , but they should be fine with what ive suggested (if they are any good) best of luck. and keep us up to date how it goes Johny .

[johnnyksspeedshop]

Thanks Andy! I will keep you updated!

[geordie1234]

Every time i trained under ten mile i seemed to lose a couple or have latecomers so next year will be starting a15miles for that reason

[johnnyksspeedshop]

Thanks for your input Geo, i've been hearing that alot! I might bump it up to 15 miles as well!

[johnnyksspeedshop]

Just a little update, did a 22 mile toss with these 2 birds today. The ten mile mark is right on the Mississipi River, so by the time I crossed it I just decided to take them to the 20 mark. Released them at 11am and one came at 4pm. We will see if the other one comes tomorrow. When I released them at the 7 mile mark, the just kept circling. At the 22 mile mark they only circled a few times then broke in the correct direction so I got excited and thought they might be home by the time I got there, but they werent.

[REDROCKET]

sounds to me like you have other problems the birds should'nt be that late all the time try this take them to the 20 mile mark again let them go then go fishing for 2 or 3 hours then go home and see if they've beat you home this should work.

[johnnyksspeedshop]

Yeah, something isnt going right. I will try the same release point again!

[Guest Tooshy Boy]

FIVE TIMES AT FIVE MILE.FIVE AT 15.MILES THEN ANY WHERE.///

[johnnyksspeedshop]

Its interesting to see everyones training distances, thanks Tooshy Boy!

[geordie1234]

Are you looking to race them?

 

If not why risk losing them mate

[mushroom]

I start my ybs 10 yards from the loft, facing the loft doors. They are basketted for a couple of hours with the drinkers on then teased with the food tin shaking for a few minutes, they are then liberated and after 3-4 days they go straight from the basket in to be fed. Training will not begin until the ybs know what is expected of them. They need to know that when they are basketted they are expected to go straight home where they will be fed, any bird that does not come straight in does not get fed until the next day.Needless to say the birds must have an appetite when training.

[johnnyksspeedshop]

Geo, im not looking to race these birds, but there is no point in having homers that dont home to me. I also want to get some birds trained in correctly, so that when my young from the birds I do want to race are ready for training, I can toss some birds that know the way with them.

 

Mushroom, nice method. I just let them free fly hungry, then call them down and they come straight in!

[peterpau]

I'd start em at 10 mile but I'd want the temperaure to be in the mid teens. Not overly windy and the sun in the sky.

[REDCHEQHEN]

I'd start em at 10 mile but I'd want the temperaure to be in the mid teens. Not overly windy and the sun in the sky.

 

 

Looking at the weather forecast - I was surprised to see how cold it was in Minnesota

 

it is even colder than in the UK

and very windy

[gulkie]

hi johnny what you have to remember is that all pigeons love

company they will meet birds on the way home and join in with

them and may follow them in the wrong direction if you train

them from 80 miles I don't think you will ever see them again

keep them at 20 miles until they are home before you.

good luck

[Guest Owen]

The best age to train pigeons is around 10/12 weeks old. If they are much older it always seems to to be difficult unless your birds have ranged far and wide before hand. I believe that training pigeons involves far more than just taking them to a point away from home and opening the flap and off they go. You have to get it across to them that they are to leave the crate and take a direct route home, and when they arrive home they must trap without circling. Anything else is not training them to win races as far as I am concerned.

In your situation I would make sure that they are not carrying worms or canker and pick a point about 5/6 miles from home on the line of flight and persevere until they get the idea. When you are sure they have the basic idea I would not feed them at all and take them training anything up to 8/10 times in a single day. Trap them to a small amount of seed and no more than two peanuts each. By the end of this training session they will be glad to get home and trap as they should do. The advantage of doing it this way is to drum the message into them as to what they are suposed to do. There is no need to take the birds further than the 5/6 miles because the average race is won over the last 5 miles and trapping can and does make all the differance. If you want to extend the training miles it is best to do it next year after you have reminded them of the 5/6 miles training run. I train my youngsters this way and they win a lot of races right up to the coast. If at any time during the racing season they get sloppy I go back to the basic training and remind them as to what they are meant to do and that usually does the job.

[REDCHEQHEN]

One thing nobody has mentioned - and is what I do - is I loft fly them first - so they would do an hour round the loft - trap to a small amount of seed - then basket straight away and take them training

 

they usually come straight home then

 

BUT there's always more than two of 'em !

 

I think that the fact you only have 2 birds to train is the main problem