# Tossing as singles?



## Ashby Loft (Aug 31, 2007)

What benefit could I expect from tossing young birds as singles? From what distances? And at what point in the training process would you do this?

I am two weeks from the first race and I'd like my birds to start coming a little faster. Wondering if this is a way to do that? Or if I would just be setting myself up for more losses.


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## raftree3 (Oct 16, 2010)

I thought I'd speed mine up by divideing the sex's. Slowed them up if anything.


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

Well you may lose a few birds, but they are not the brains of the flock just the followers. to save time I go 25 mi south, and then 8 mi east turn out 3 drive 2 mi west turn out 3 and keep that up till I'm out of birds.
Dave


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## West (Mar 29, 2009)

You may also slow them down if done enough as they will tend to just home rather than race. If you release in two's and three's they still have to think but will have those other birds to push them on. In YB's IMO it will be VERY RARE to ever have a YB split from the flock and fly completely alone.


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## FT33 (Jan 27, 2005)

A few years ago at our auction race a guy bought only one bird. He single tossed it all the way out to I think it was 100 miles. The auction race was a 300 mile race and he won 1st place by over 15 minutes. I have talked to other flyers about single tossing and they say it helps..... I think probably certain birds benefit from it more than other. It does take a lot of time.....


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## pluviru (Jul 14, 2011)

If you release them one by one, the result is going to be a faster pigeon. It have to remember it's way home alone and not just flying with the flock. For the first time maybe it will wait for them, but when it sees that they aren't coming it goes alone and that what will do everytime.


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## Kal-El (Oct 10, 2008)

My brother and I are a team. He is the daily caretaker of the birds while I arrange the breeding and training. I am a big proponent of single tossing (my brother is not; he is the type to get to a training spot, release the birds, jump into his car, and speed back home). I like to push my birds, eliminating the weak from the strong; essentially letting the basket do the selecting. Since we fly a south to north route, I start East at 5 miles and do two tosses; the first toss is a group toss. The second toss, which is a two days later, I single toss every single bird. I repeat this 5 mile toss from the North, then the West. I then increase the distance to 15 miles, starting off first in the East, then North, and then West. After these 6 training tosses, I begin going South [in the direction of the races], first starting at 5 miles, then 15, then 30 miles; again with the two step tosses (group, then single). I jump to 60 miles for the same two tosses. After that, I toss in only the group toss at the 15 mile mark. I stay on this toss for the remainder of the [young bird] season, usually tossing on Wednesdays.


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## ace in the hole (Nov 27, 2007)

*Back 20 years ago when I was racing young birds 45 miles east of the line of flight I would single toss my birds down the expressway. I would drive west 35 miles to I-75. From there I-75 south made a large arch to Detroit 50 miles south. Every 1 1/2 to 2 miles I would put my fourways on and slow down to 40 miles an hour and release a bird. I would do this all the way down and then catch US 24 north to go home. This worked great for me and no none of the birds hit a car or were hurt by doing this.

Another quick story that shows how single tossing can help. I worked in a shop as maintenance supervisor back then and had the run of the place so I would set my crates out back of the building and every 15 to 20 min. walk out and release another bird. One day after I released a bird I saw another bird come shooting down and fly off with him. It was the white grizzle I had just released. From then on she was always the last bird I released. She was a follower. We had already flown about four or five races and she was always late. The next race she was in she was 3rd club and came in with two other birds trailing.*


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## Char-B Loft (Dec 28, 2008)

I have found tossing in threes work the best for me...


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## Xueoo (Nov 20, 2009)

Don't waste your time single tossing birds. A good bird is born...not made. That's what I think. You may get 1-2 good results out of single tossing an otherwise bad bird, but that bird will usually never be a "good" bird. If you put that bird in the breeding loft because it placed high(er) in 1-2 races, you may set back your breeding a couple years. 

Pigeon racing is an unpredictable sport, where any bird has a chance on any given race where winds and weather can affect an outcome. One may get a couple nice diploma's to frame, but, those lucky single tossed birds will likely never elevate your loft.


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## ace in the hole (Nov 27, 2007)

Xueoo said:


> Don't waste your time single tossing birds. A good bird is born...not made. That's what I think. You may get 1-2 good results out of single tossing an otherwise bad bird, but that bird will usually never be a "good" bird. If you put that bird in the breeding loft because it placed high(er) in 1-2 races, you may set back your breeding a couple years.
> 
> Pigeon racing is an unpredictable sport, where any bird has a chance on any given race where winds and weather can affect an outcome. One may get a couple nice diploma's to frame, but, those lucky single tossed birds will likely never elevate your loft.


*Here is where you should have put JMO..*

I believe many good or great birds true potential is never seen. It is your job as the owner/trainer to get your birds into proper health, condition and trained so you can see something close to their full potential. 

I think a lot of people reading this would be very happy with a few extra deplomas to frame.

Most people do not single toss because they do not have the time or they do not want to take the time. Not because it isn't something good to add to their training program.


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

ace in the hole said:


> *Here is where you should have put JMO..*
> 
> I believe many good or great birds true potential is never seen. It is your job as the owner/trainer to get your birds into proper health, condition and trained so you can see something close to their full potential.
> 
> ...



I am thinking anytime any of us voice an opinion, it is almost always a JMO....

This is an interesting topic. I have heard it discussed even back in the 1960's. I am one of those that simply has not taken the time, and I guess that is because I convinced myself that it is an overrated idea.....or at least I hope it is....but, I am not really so sure. A lot of old timers, even way back when, felt there was value in single tossing, or even tossing in 2's and 3's....maybe the 2's and 3's was just a lazy guy like me hoping to speed up process. 

I am thinking (JMO), that perhaps this single tossing idea might just be worth taking a look at. I am trying to think of the negatives, and I can't really come up with one. In fact, it reminds me of an old story, of a guy who was tearing up the Combine one year, and his "secret" weapon was a single toss machine that he would set out in a field somewhere at night, and the next day every so many minutes, it would release a single bird. 

He did win a lot and out of turn. I do digress to share this little tidbit. He went out to fill up his single toss machine one night, and low and behold what do you think he found ? A pigeon had returned from the recent race, not to the loft, but to the single toss machine !!  That story typically has gotten me thinking so much about that, that I had forgotten the possible benifits that might actually come from single tossing.


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## APF_LOFT (Aug 9, 2010)

SmithFamilyLoft said:


> I am thinking anytime any of us voice an opinion, it is almost always a JMO....
> 
> This is an interesting topic. I have heard it discussed even back in the 1960's. I am one of those that simply has not taken the time, and I guess that is because I convinced myself that it is an overrated idea.....or at least I hope it is....but, I am not really so sure. A lot of old timers, even way back when, felt there was value in single tossing, or even tossing in 2's and 3's....maybe the 2's and 3's was just a lazy guy like me hoping to speed up process.
> 
> ...


WOW very nice story. can anyone build a machine like that?
by the way i always single toss my bird 5 minutes apart. if one of them circle around maybe dis oriented. i toss more bird so that he/she can follow them back home


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## Kal-El (Oct 10, 2008)

IMHO, I think those who think single tossing is a waste of time, really don't want to invest in their birds. It's too easy to get to a station, let the birds go, and race back home. During my tosses, I record each band number, along with how long it takes the bird to clear, and if it decides to stick around for the next bird to be released. Those that earn three bad checks during the training sessions get only one shot to be consistent. In pigeon racing, you have to take into account every aspect, advantage or disadvantages. 

I feel single tossing helps me eliminate the wheat from the chaff. That's just me, but everyone has their own methods.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

I don't race. I just play around with my birds. I don't have time to train them right. How long should it take to return from 62 miles.


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