# White Homing Pigeon Training – releasing from which direction from the loft?



## kschaef65 (Jul 4, 2011)

After breeding some white homing pigeons that were hatched in our loft we have begun training them to fly home. We started out going about 200 yards from the house, then half-mile and most recently 1.5 miles. Each time we make sure that they return home from that distance at least four times before we go to the next longer distance. We fly them almost every day once occasionally twice in one day. Sometimes we only get to do it once every other day. So far we have been going directly north on the blacktop road from our house for the releases. We are now up to 1.5 miles consistent returning home. 

My question is this:

If we next go to 3 or 5 miles north and they make it home 3 or 4 times will we be able to go west 5 miles and expect them to make it home? At what point will we be able to release them from any direction from our home not just north?

Thanks in advance.


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## soymi69 (Nov 12, 2007)

I race my whites so I only go twice on the same spot once they start loft flying, if they are beating you home after you release them then you should be able to jump them to 10 miles. My birds come from the White Koning strain and Chris Peeman white grizzle, so I know they have good racing background, I race my birds to 300 miles during the young birds season and the one that made it are my cream of the crop. So I guess know your birds and expect to loose some specially if you are just flying whites, also toss your birds or loft fly them morning and afternoon that way they can tell the different angle of the sun, never toss in the afternoon, then when you jump them to 10 miles and you do it in the morning you will get some confuse birds, just my ways of training my whites I know I will hear some comment about it but this is how I do it, so hope this help.


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## DAK1 (Jan 24, 2010)

I started my birds at a city park that is only a couple blocks from my house when they were routing around the loft well. Then I went 1/2 mile north a couple of times then in all directions at the same distance a couple times before I changed directions again kind of like a grid I really baby my birds so I do not push them hard at all.


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## fireman (Apr 2, 2011)

I take my white birds from north, south, east and west from my loft. Started them out with flying around the loft then out about 1/4 mile. I always fly them one day a shorter distance, next day a longer distance and the next day they don't fly. Example would be to fly them one day 2 miles and then next day would be 6 miles. I have different ages of birds and the longest distance I have flown them is 8 miles. Really enjoy taking care of them and want to eventually have them flying 25 miles for a white bird release business.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

kschaef65 said:


> After breeding some white homing pigeons that were hatched in our loft we have begun training them to fly home. We started out going about 200 yards from the house, then half-mile and most recently 1.5 miles. Each time we make sure that they return home from that distance at least four times before we go to the next longer distance. We fly them almost every day once occasionally twice in one day. Sometimes we only get to do it once every other day. So far we have been going directly north on the blacktop road from our house for the releases. We are now up to 1.5 miles consistent returning home.
> 
> My question is this:
> 
> ...


sounds like it is a bit much for young birds to me... they can fly around the loft and get in shape to make it back home....once you get out at 10 miles I would only do that a few times a week to keep them in shape.. they don't need to be trained to home, you just want them to be in shape to make the distance.. they can loft fly or road train either way if they are flying and moving their wings they are getting in shape does'nt matter where it is..but they need their down time too..to relax and bath and just be a pigeon..otherwise you may cause too much stress which can introduce sickness.


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## kschaef65 (Jul 4, 2011)

Thanks everyone for your opinions on the question. Every answer is helpful.

It sounds like they are capable of learning how to find their way home. But it is more important that they are in shape for the longer flights.

It also sounds like releasing them from different directions on a regular basis is a good idea.

I don't know much about the bloodlines of my birds. I'm sure they are pretty average. It doesn't matter to me because I don't plan on entering them in races. However, I hope they have good homing instinct and can work up to make it home from 25 or 35 miles which is probably about the farthest I would ever take them for a release event.


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

How old are these young birds. They should be routing out when loft flying. And you can work them up to 10 mile the four directions. BUT this time of year is fast becoming hawk season in many parts so keep an open eye. Then thay can go out further. To do releases for say a wedding and such. You would get them ready by training them to that release. TO race them After the 10 mile train them towards the race course. BUT agin hwaks are strating to be problems So you might take it slow.


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## phembie (Nov 1, 2011)

any directions no problem,but make it sure first where is your big landmark near your place, easy for your pigeons to determine your place,it should be that landmarks seen from many kilometers from far and easy to see from height and sky too, such as tall buildings,towers,industrial, long bridges, mountains,wide rivers,etc..... always release your pigeons on that landmark first in 3 times or more, before you go far in any directions. 

how to find your landmarks.
1.think and try to find out where is the highest point easy to seen from far. go to your rooftop or top of your house. check any directions.

2.think to find where is the wided place easy to seen from the sky, example rivers, long bridges ,mountains. or check in google earth or other sites for mapping to find out your landmak near your loft place.


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## minister man (Mar 13, 2012)

I know that this is a very old thread, but I am very interested in flying white for dove release purposes. I was told that whites don't have as much homing instinct as the coloured birds and they are hard to train.... Is that true? is there anyone out there with whites that would be willing to teach me how to get them started?


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## Thalbritter12 (Feb 6, 2017)

I got into white homers a couple months ago and they seem to be very strong flyers. I let them do some open loft flying for a week to learn there area I live in mountain area with ridges and valleys everywhere. I just started to to release from almost 3 miles.they beat me home by the time I can load me and my daughter up lol. Only couple min drive down the hill. Only problem I'm having is hey take there time sometimes coming back to loft even after being called. Might be my fault for letting them out to long but I wanted them to be strong and know where they lived before letting them out. So I'm trying to fix that lol


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## chayi (May 1, 2010)

Well I can tell you I got a couple of white homers I just loft fly them and let them out in the mornings just to hang around don't toss them I just like to look at them white birds fly and hang around the loft. I sold a adult pair male and female white homers to a friend that's about 45 miles from my house about a few days after I sold them his son came over and opened his loft to loft fly his birds not knowing about the white birds and they flew out his loft with all the other birds and them white birds made it right back to my loft and I had never tossed them they just loft fly every morning that's all... I did call him and gave them back.... but the thing is if you loft fly your birds a lot they can see a good distance about 100 or 200 meters in the up in the air and some times they just take off and fly out of site and come back... I toss all my other homers and sometimes race them but I loft fly hem every day and flag them sometimes to keep them flying.


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## minister man (Mar 13, 2012)

chayi said:


> Well I can tell you I got a couple of white homers I just loft fly them and let them out in the mornings just to hang around don't toss them I just like to look at them white birds fly and hang around the loft. I sold a adult pair male and female white homers to a friend that's about 45 miles from my house about a few days after I sold them his son came over and opened his loft to loft fly his birds not knowing about the white birds and they flew out his loft with all the other birds and them white birds made it right back to my loft and I had never tossed them they just loft fly every morning that's all... I did call him and gave them back.... but the thing is if you loft fly your birds a lot they can see a good distance about 100 or 200 meters in the up in the air and some times they just take off and fly out of site and come back... I toss all my other homers and sometimes race them but I loft fly hem every day and flag them sometimes to keep them flying.


When it comes to Pigeons I know exactly nothing........ I know what "toss" means, but what does "loft fly" the birds mean? How do you start that?


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## Jr Brown (May 22, 2012)

minister man said:


> When it comes to Pigeons I know exactly nothing........ I know what "toss" means, but what does "loft fly" the birds mean? How do you start that?


"Loft fly" simply means letting them fly around the loft. 

When young homing pigeons have been taught to "trap", then they can be let out to loft fly. They should be let out to fly before they are fed. That will encourage them to come back into the loft to eat when you call them in.
They will gradually want to stay out and fly for longer periods of time.
They will start to fly higher and further, even disappearing sometimes for 60 -90 minutes. This can be a stressful time for the fancier but, the birds are having a great time and are getting to know the surrounding area well. That is called routing.
When my birds have been routing for 2 - 3 weeks I take them for a 10 mile toss, in the morning before they are fed. I typically am training about 40 young birds this way every spring., and I have experienced losses of 1 or 2 birds on that first toss every year. A lot of people toss a 1 mile then 2 miles, etc and end up losing 1 or 2 birds by the time they finally reach 10 miles, but as long as they have been routing well for a few weeks you can start at 10 miles because they have already been out that far or further on their own.
Also when you just do short tosses like 1 mile or 5 miles, they just don't want to trap back in yet because they have only been up in the air for 5 minutes.


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## beatlemike (Nov 28, 2009)

Loft fly only means you let them out of the loft once or twice a day so they can fly. This is how they get to know their location and what their area looks like. As they get older they will cover greater distances.


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## minister man (Mar 13, 2012)

Thanks for the information. So your post says that loft flying is something that needs/can be done "after they have been taught to trap." I know what a trap is, the landing board with the one way door, but how would one teach them to use that so they can be loft flown? 

I am going to be starting out with 3-5 mated pairs, in individual breeding cages. I won't fly them, but I will start the flying process with the squeakers.. when they are 4-5 weeks old?? The young will all move into a flying loft together. I am looking to learn the process to take them from the nest to the air...... I know it's a big question, but "failing to plan is planning to fail."


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## chayi (May 1, 2010)

Ok minister man you can make a small cage and put them in front of your trap leave them there for a while so they can look around and see the area then put some feed in the loft and call them in, some times you have to coach them in but do this every time when they are hungry so they get the idea coming in the loft for food and water.. this is my homer loft I build a permanent cage where I teach them to trap I could close the trap and leave them there so they could look around for a few hours and I can open the trap and call them in... another thing that's a good idea is to put your birds in a small cage in front of the loft about 20 feet away of the loft so they can see the loft from a different angle.


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## minister man (Mar 13, 2012)

Ok, that is such great information.... I can't wait to get my pairs, of course then I have to wait for them to have young ones.. but it seems like I have some building to do.


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