So on my trip while in Germany I picked up on a few topics. Some members may want to put their own views forward please do.
ATTITUDE
Racing pigeons – the slightly different pets – also have slightly different needs. They don't live with us in the classic sense and therefore need their own realm. Of course, the design of your own dovecote always depends on the individual circumstances. However, it is important to have a dry, draft-free, bright environment with sufficient nesting opportunities and places to sit. It goes without saying that the dovecotes are always kept clean. Pigeons are fundamentally loyal to their partners. It is therefore advisable to keep pigeons in pairs. Pigeons are flock animals, so they should be able to form a small flock. Keeping several pairs is therefore the optimal solution - the pigeons feel comfortable with their partner and can form their own flock at the same time. Thanks to their sense of direction, pigeons are able to return home again and again. If they are used to their home loft, pigeons can easily circle the house. It is therefore important and highly recommended to get pigeons used to their home as early as possible, preferably as young pigeons. Pigeons get to know their surroundings best in an aviary. This offers the pigeons protection from external environmental influences or attacks from birds of prey, but also enables the animals to get to know their immediate surroundings. After a short period of getting used to it, the young pigeons can be let out and enjoy their free flight. Be careful in the winter months! Birds of prey particularly target pigeons during this time, so you should be particularly careful before going on excursions.
DOVECOTE
The basic rule is: every dovecote must be dry, bright, clean and free of drafts. All other factors must be designed individually. Depending on the area available and the number of pigeons you want or can keep. Above all, it is important that there is enough space for nesting areas and places to sit so that there are no territorial fights. Approximately 1m² of area should be allowed for a breeding pair. The ceiling height of the dovecote should not be much higher than the breeder himself is tall. Otherwise the pigeons are difficult to catch. Smooth material is preferable for the floor covering as it makes cleaning easier.
When setting up a dovecote, it is important to consider what purpose the pigeons will be kept for. Do the animals get free flight or are they kept in an aviary but don't fly indoors? It is also advisable to keep breeding and racing pigeons separate, as the supply can vary. Food that the breeding pigeons can use at the moment may not be eaten by the racing pigeons in their training plan or vice versa. In order to optimally raise and prepare the weaned young animals, it also makes sense to continue raising them in a separate loft.
CARE
In principle, the time required for care always depends on the individual. Nevertheless, it is recommended to feed the pigeons twice a day. It goes without saying that drinking troughs and feeding troughs must be cleaned daily to avoid illnesses.
Particular attention should be paid to the drinking troughs. Standing water becomes dirty more quickly, especially in the dovecote, so the drinking water should be checked regularly and replaced if necessary. It is important to ensure there is sufficient drinking water, especially in extreme temperature conditions, as drinking troughs freeze over quickly in winter and can empty more quickly in summer.
Racing pigeons are fed with mixed grain feed specially intended for the animals. Depending on your needs and time of year, it can be supplemented with various additional products. Of course, there are recommendations from our pigeon clinic .
In addition, the pigeons should always be provided with grit and stomach stones. Through the grit they absorb important minerals that they need to maintain the health of the organism. Birds have a different digestive tract than, for example, mammals. While they are not allowed to eat some things in the first place because they cannot digest them in the first place, they need additional support for digestion. Birds don't have teeth, but they still have to grind up the grains they eat. This purpose is supported, for example, by stomach stones, which help to reduce the size of the ingested grains.
Carrier pigeons that take part in long-distance flights are prepared through animal welfare training. Therefore the pigeons also need special food and vitamins. Our pigeon clinic has already put together packages with additional products that are tailored to the needs of the animals.
Pigeons are extremely clean animals! Therefore, they should be given the opportunity to take a bath sufficiently often (at least 1-2 times per week). This way they can care for their feathers and keep themselves clean.
BREED
There is no such thing as the “perfect” pigeon. Every breeder therefore pursues a specific goal when breeding his pigeons in order to emphasize certain characteristics. Regardless of your individual goals, some characteristics are very important to everyone: orientation skills, speed and willpower.
Orientation ability
The fascination with carrier pigeons lies primarily in their ability to seemingly find their way home from anywhere. Nevertheless, through targeted breeding, this trait can be specifically highlighted in a family in order to improve the ability even further!
speed
“A sprint is not a marathon,” this saying is common and applies to carrier pigeons as well. You have to think in advance what you want to specialize in with your pigeons. From the Netherlands, for example, we know the terms “short-haul” (flights between 100 and 200 kilometers), “medium-haul” (flights between 200 and 600 kilometers) and “long-haul” (flights over 600 kilometers). Depending on which routes a pigeon is supposed to master, its skills must of course be trained and trained.
Willpower
The absolute will to come home is particularly important for every pigeon. The will to return, to the partner, to the child and to the breeder who cares for and expects his pigeons. This character trait is important and every breeder wants it for their pigeons. Therefore, he naturally strives to highlight this character trait in his pigeons!
So when you breed pigeons yourself, you set yourself goals. These goals can be achieved using different methods. Essentially, there are two breeding methods: mating of unrelated animals and mating of related animals. Everyone has to find out and work out their own preferences themselves.
The breeding period is adapted to the travel time of the pigeons.
Mating of pigeons therefore mainly takes place in spring, but some breeders also set up another breeding period in the winter months.
10 days after mating, the hen lays two eggs. These eggs are incubated alternately by both sexes for 17 days. Even after the chicks have hatched, the parents look after the offspring together. After about 25 days, the young begin to eat independently and become independent. They can then slowly be separated from their parents and raised in their own flock of young animals.
DISTANCE FLIGHTS
A particular appeal of the “carrier pigeon” hobby is the long-distance flights. Carrier pigeons naturally have excellent orientation skills and a good ability to find homes. These skills are further developed through training that is impeccable in accordance with animal welfare law. They can cover distances of several hundred kilometers at a speed of up to 120 km/h.
Long-distance flights take place between April and September. An absolute highlight for every breeder; After all, here he can measure his efforts against those of other breeders and judge success directly.
“Flying days are the most beautiful days,” you often hear. Many breeders particularly value their hobby by welcoming their loved ones every week, cheering them on and exchanging ideas with their comrades week after week.
One day before the flight, all traveling breeders meet at the club's premises to “set in”. The pigeons are registered via the registration system and are placed in the transport vehicle (“Kabinenexpress” or “Kabi” for short) tailored to their needs, which takes them to the release point.
Of course, the property will only be abandoned if the conditions meet all requirements. To ensure this, specially trained flight controllers and professional weather services are deployed.
COMPETITIONS
Of course, not every pigeon flies against every other pigeon. One-year and perennial pigeons generally do not fly against young pigeons. And although annual and perennial pigeons are released together, there is often separate competition. However, there are also differences here.
In addition to the “single competition” in which all “old” pigeons (pigeons older than one year) compete with each other, there are often separate competitions. One-year-old pigeons, for example, have a separate competition because they are still gaining experience and are far from fully trained. There are often competitions only for female pigeons. However, such competitions are determined in the individual associations and flown “internally”.
Basically, the flights of the adult animal journey vary between 100 and 650 kilometers.
Pigeons under one year old are young animals. Their flight distances vary between 80km and 400km.
CONFIRMATION SYSTEM/RINGS
In order to evaluate the results of long-distance flights, there are computer-aided technologies and systems that make the evaluation easier and faster. The performance of the pigeons is therefore measured using the so-called “confirmation system”. Every pigeon that takes part in a race receives an electronic confirmation ring, which it must wear in addition to its bandage ring. This contains a chip that is written with a special code so that manipulation of the flight results is not possible. When the pigeon returns to its loft from the flight, it is registered via the terminal at the loft and its time is recorded to the second in a recording device (“clock”). In order to be able to compare the flight performance of the pigeons, the average speed (distance to the loft in meters divided by the flight time in minutes) is calculated.
POSITIONING / GUIDING PRINCIPLES ON THE TOPIC OF “ANIMAL WELFARE”
Animal welfare is defined as an umbrella term for the health and well-being of animals. Animal welfare depends primarily on the appropriate treatment of animals, i.e. whether this meets the animal's needs.
The first and most important principle in the mission statement of the Association of German Racing Pigeon Breeders is:
“For us, the absolute focus is on the love of animals and the fascination with the incomparable sense of orientation of racing pigeons. The animals give us relaxation for body and soul, and we do everything we can to ensure their health and well-being.”
For us racing pigeon breeders, animal welfare is not a coincidence, but always our top priority.
Since racing pigeons represent their own population, it is our duty to maintain this population and ultimately improve it through breeding. In the end, animal welfare is also defined by the confirmation of breeding work in long-distance flights. We ensure optimal accommodation, care and health for our protégés 365 days a year. To do this, we create a home - a functional accommodation that is cleaned regularly. Here the racing pigeons should feel comfortable, protected and safe. We care so much about you that every carrier pigeon is marked with the owner's phone number.
We provide our animals with high-quality food and nutritional supplements specially made for racing pigeons. The daily care is adapted to the needs of the animals during breeding, moulting, winter and the flying season. Young animals are supported in their growth phase with special food. We rely on a veterinarian for necessary vaccinations, treatments and health checks. For this purpose, we have been running the world's only pigeon clinic for 50 years, whose veterinarians are there to ensure the health of our pets. Research work on viral diseases and bacterial infections is also carried out here independently or in collaboration with leading institutions.
At all times the health of our racing pigeons is paramount.
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