Compass training

[MIL]

A pigeon flying extra distance and not getting the credit for it will get its arse licked by any decent pigeon flying A-B in a straight line.

But how many pigeons fly in straight lines Mike? The further you send a bird the LESS likely it is to fly in a straight line? Tracking birds has proved this. That's why the old concept of 'corridor' flying failed. Nobody told the birds that they had to stay in the corridor.

You know as well as I do that I provided you with tracking details of pigeons flying from training 20+ miles homing in a beautiful line on Chat.

If you want me to re-post that again Im' happy to. That was pigeons in N.Ireland navigating mountains and Loch's too

Pigeons flying A-B. Good pigeons will get beaten by other good pigeons that have an added assistance of the wind in their favour. That's basic

There's occasions when you can "beat the wind". I've done it myself on numerous occasions but you need to have a really good pigeon significantly better than anything else in the convoy that day to do it

[NeilA]

Always trained on line of flight they do compass when loft flying

Exactly my thoughts
They should have done all the roaming we shouldn’t have to teach them that if there 30 miles away how to get home
I view our training as teaching them what we want them to do so it becomes routine break point to home asap
That’s for for normal fed sprinting
Racing and homing are not the same thing

[MIL]

Exactly my thoughts
They should have done all the roaming we shouldn’t have to teach them that if there 30 miles away how to get home
I view our training as teaching them what we want them to do so it becomes routine break point to home asap
That’s for for normal fed sprinting
Racing and homing are not the same thing

Agreed

There's plenty of pigeons in any convoy that you can bet at the time of liberation aren't threatening the result at the top end of the honours

[Trev]

Racing North to South our racing line will vary too as well as where the wind pushes them too, years ago I would try to find what I felt would be a possible break point and would constantly train my birds from there.
I think if you are racing along a corridor and want to win the sprint races then line of flight training is more important, if flying into a 40mile wide catchment area like in our Federation, I think it's more valuable to train from several different locations. If you are only really aiming for distance or Channel racing then I'd just take the birds in whatever direction I happened to be going in. At the end of the day how the hell do any of us train Channel birds to find a line of flight, unless we are rich enough to be able to train on the continent that is lol
The Preece's from Dover train their birds from Wales, some 200+ miles, their old birds last year then went straight into Barcelona 665miles then had their 2nd race two weeks later from St Vincent 553 miles, now you tell me how line of flight training helped those pigeons

[NeilA]

Racing North to South our racing line will vary too as well as where the wind pushes them too, years ago I would try to find what I felt would be a possible break point and would constantly train my birds from there.
I think if you are racing along a corridor and want to win the sprint races then line of flight training is more important, if flying into a 40mile wide catchment area like in our Federation, I think it's more valuable to train from several different locations. If you are only really aiming for distance or Channel racing then I'd just take the birds in whatever direction I happened to be going in. At the end of the day how the hell do any of us train Channel birds to find a line of flight, unless we are rich enough to be able to train on the continent that is lol
The Preece's from Dover train their birds from Wales, some 200+ miles, their old birds last year then went straight into Barcelona 665miles then had their 2nd race two weeks later from St Vincent 553 miles, now you tell me how line of flight training helped those pigeons

Be different racing that though so can’t compare if I was into longer races I would train against the wind .
I joined the bbc for a couple of years when I restarted trained south in any general direction but once that was done I just trained against the wind
mostly north . had a 4th 12th and a few other places and never did much to the birds as I was away 3 nights just hopper fed them beans and a mixture to trap
i remember sending my old birds to 290 miles and ended up 29th open after private training to 60 miles
If I was in your fed I think I would draw lines to the 3 most used race points and find my marks that way then obviously wind still matters but least the birds would be brainwashed to try to get on that line

[worm]

you can't do that here north or south but why go north its hard enough going south here only one road and its shit traffic all the time not good for me never mind the birds nothing easy about training here I'm afraid

[Murray]

If I have natural baby's they seem to really roam but even spring bred baby's on darkness don't roam for me so at 6,7,8 weeks old they get little tosses at 9 weeks old I toss as many times as I can from 1 mile bk to very little food after that it's 1x 5 mile toss 4 different directions after that it's 8 miles until there like red arrows then 16 miles until there like red arrows after this they will get a 30 n 50 mile toss before racing but mainly it's all 16 mile tosses.

That is What I like to do too, Tony.
Find a nice tossing point about 15 miles on the line of flight and and having worked them out that far, go there over and over until they don't even do a circle before leaving. When they are properly switched on you cant turn off the motor, you just tip 'em out and go like the clappers to try to beat them home.
Good fun....

[Steve Howells]

I really enjoy reading different fanciers methods and it just goes to show there is no single way. I think much of it depends on the area the birds are flying too, narrow corridor fed or a fed that covers two or three counties. I can fly mine in two feds, one is a relatively narrow area the other much bigger, the corridor fed birds are nearly always faster and more bunched than the bigger one. As for compass training I have tried it but didn't think it made any difference, I do sometimes in the season take them in totally the opposite direction just to get them thinking. As for general training youngbirds go 15 mile first toss ( I have taken them 25mile first toss if ranging well) Old birds normally a couple at 25 miles before first race. I honestly believe we can never teach our birds ti navigate they can either do that or they can't, in all lofts they'll be followers and leaders I see my role as shaking out the followers as quick as possible much more fun working with the leaders.

[Murray]

Yep, that's the whole secret, Steve.
Front bunch pigeons. You need a shed full of them. And I am convinced you can train that behavour into them if they are naturally competitive.
The ones that are born followers....... .

[NeilA]

Yep, that's the whole secret, Steve.
Front bunch pigeons. You need a shed full of them. And I am convinced you can train that behavour into them if they are naturally competitive.
The ones that are born followers....... .

Yes agree routine turns to habit
Once in there heads as babies it sticks