UkPigeonRacing

Murray wrote: Thu Jul 09, 2026 11:15 pm I think this another area where we can start fooling ourselves that our results are down to what we choose to do, rather than the pigeons.
For instance, there was a bloke in NZ years ago who had 12 cocks in a widowhood section that raced the whole program, and won a lot. At 4 years of age they had never been paired up. They'd never seen a hen.
And here's us stressing over whether to show the hen, or for how long.
I used to show them the hens sometimes, just the nest bowl sometimes, put some straw in the nest box sometimes, nothing at all sometimes, just to keep them guessing.
Good pigeons. That's the secret.

Tony-P- wrote: Fri Jul 10, 2026 8:12 am

Andy wrote: Thu Jul 09, 2026 9:55 pm I race total widowhood Leon.
I have predominantly been racing just 6 cocks all season. They have had 13 races, every week since the start of the season, this weekend will be their 14th and final race this year.
My cocks are all individually fed in their boxes. Morning and night.
The hens are in a section with box perches. The odd ones do pair together and they do lay eggs but doesn’t seem to knock their enthusiasm for the cocks at weekends, so doesn’t bother me. I do have spare hens just incase I need to change a couple. The hens never go out during the old bird season.
I don’t have much time on marking night. I shut the shop at 17.00 and have to be up the club for 18.00, it’s a 40 minute drive for me to get there.
When I shut the shop I take the basket up to the loft. I put the basket in the hens section with the top open. I then go and put the nest bowls in with the cocks. They are straight in the bowls cooing and I shut the fronts up with them inside. I then go back into the hens section where some of the hens have already jumped into the basket and the others are either on it or beside it. I just pick them up and put them in.
I then take them into the cocks. I take them out one by one and put them in with their cocks. Within just a minute or so the cocks will be cooing low in the bowl with the hen standing over them. I never let them mate. Once the cock is cooing low in the bowl I gently pick them up and put them in the basket. With just the 6 cocks it takes me all of around 5 minutes to basket them. The hens are then left shut in the boxes.
Once I know the birds are up the next morning the hens will have been fed and will be shut in half the box awaiting the arrival of the cocks. When the cocks arrive back they are allowed to stay in with their hens for a couple of hours before the hens are removed back into their section.

Do you only Fly Cock's Andy ?
Do you not fly the Hen's that are in the box with the cock's
And is there a reason you don't race the Hen's mate

Diamond Dave wrote: Fri Jul 10, 2026 7:45 am

Spieker-Loft wrote: Thu Jul 09, 2026 7:47 pm Question for those here who are racing Total widowhood or have done.

What are you methods of motivation with this system.

Myself i let the hens and cocks together in the boxes on basketing day for about 15-20 minutes. Then i put them in the basket and let them sit in there for 30-45 minutes before we start driving for basketing.

If it was up to my father he would prefer to lock the hens into the boxes close them and have the cock infront of the box.

My good friend jan who is a top racer in our fed. doesnt let them together at all before the race and only lets the cocks into the box themself then baskets the cocks and lets the hens into the box after. And only on race day lets them together on arrival.

Now As well as letting them together fully on basketing day has worked for me this year. I do also doubt it a bit still because i hear more people telling me that they dont show the partner at all before the races due to it apparently draining them and making them nervous.
Wonder if anyone here has raced Total widowhood and what methods they have done

Great thread Leon.
Can I ask - when you basket the cocks and leave them for 30 -45 minutes, - is that still in the loft so they are still looking at their hens?

Tony-P- wrote: Thu Jul 09, 2026 8:59 pm

Spieker-Loft wrote: Thu Jul 09, 2026 8:54 pm

Tony-P- wrote: Thu Jul 09, 2026 8:03 pm Very interesting methods before racing, it'll be good to hear other peoples tricks of the trade.

Motivation is key my friend. There are plenty of methods of motivation tho. For example about 3 days before basketing i start feeding them peeled sunflower seeds as an additional fat source. They see them as treats and love them. I feed these in a little bowl in their box. usually all their feeding happens in a Trough. but this treat i give them specially in their boxes 1 hour after feeding because i think it increases their bond to the box etc.

As i said there is plenty of tips and tricks for motivation and almost everyone does it their own way. And as i always say whatever works best for you and not everthing that works for me will work for everyone else !

thanks Leon, and yes there's that many different methods, but it's good to hear some new ones like your feed in the box mate

Diamond Dave wrote: Fri Jul 10, 2026 8:34 pm Yes. Thanks Leon. Those boxes are interesting -are they hen boxes....