Have to agree with J.Bambling pigeons need the correct amount of fuel to do the job too much then there too slow , not enough then they fail. Racing pigeons all have homing ability it's either poor , good , or excelent. Breeding from proven birds doesnt decrease the amount of loses because they breed just as many duffers . I suppose with the price of buying pigeons now and the high price they demand , most go straight to stock untested because of the high prices they go for. As for pigeons finding food and water in a basket , they dont need training to do this it's natural .