# conditioning



## freak06 (Apr 6, 2009)

hi,

its me again just want to ask what is the proper way of conditioning the bird for the race?by the just wanna say thanks to those who gave me some tips regarding in pigeon racing , , and what is the proper feeding schedule for flyers?.tnx. .

Is there any tricks to make the pigeon enter the loft fast? me ,i use to trow some food to their loft and mke a whistle but smetimes others dont listen and just standby to the roof. . 

lastly, how can you determine the pigeon condition accdg. to it droppings? and how can you make a pigeon fly for 1-2 hours? haha just asking if thers some tchnique out of it..thanks


----------



## [MN]eXist^_^ (Feb 13, 2009)

Feed them 100% barley for 2-3days they should fly for a long time. Shake a can and whistle when you feed. Teaching them who's boss make them tame peanuts galore. I feed on the ground now since I don't have to many birds it helps to teachem this way.


----------



## Bezz (Dec 12, 2008)

freak06 said:


> hi,
> 
> Is there any tricks to make the pigeon enter the loft fast? me ,i use to trow some food to their loft and mke a whistle but smetimes others dont listen and just standby to the roof. .



Hi FReak

You are most probably feeding them to much in the first place.
Give them half of theire feeding for two days and you wont beleive how quick they respond when you whistle for them to enter.
Dont feel sorry for them, you are doing them more harm when overfeeding them, than giving them less.
AND DONT GIVE IN WHEN THEY STARE AT YOU WITH BEGGING EYES, just go away from the loft.

Bezz

Bezz


----------



## g0ldenb0y55 (Dec 23, 2008)

I agree with what Bezz said. A good feeding routine is the key to successful trapping of your birds. Overfeeding your birds causes them to not trap when you call them in and it's also the reason why some birds won't fly, route or trip. Give about 1-2 tbs. of feed per bird for the morning feeding and the afternoon feeding. Never leave food out overnight. The only thing that should remain available to them 24/7 is fresh water and grit. Use a feeding call everytime you feed so that they get familiar with it and they will know when it's time to eat. Leave the food in the loft for no longer than 10 minutes. This is enough time for each bird to get their fill. The birds that trap when called will eat and the ones who don't will not. They'll have to go hungy until the next feeding. It's hard but you have to be strict! You can be sure that when they hear the feeding call for the next feeding the ones who didn't trap when called in before will be the first ones to trap this time around. 

Henry


----------



## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

They are overfed so they are not responding to your call. Feed less. Young birds (less than one year) can fly 1-2 hours if healthy and not fat. Older birds end up lazy, but if they fly they don't for long. They rather mate than fly. Who can blame them? LOL!

Depending on the weather and how your birds perform you should adjust your feed. I start with 1 ounce (2 tablespoon) per bird. Vary less or more depending on their performance. For example, I was feeding mine that amount and they ended up fat and obviously rather not fly. I ended up giving them 3/4 ounce and they started flying again. Now if you underfeed them they will not fly as well. They rather go down right away and enter the loft looking for food. So there is balance--not too much, not too less. That ended up as an art. And the weather plays havoc, too. Some of my birds love to fly during bad weather--windy, cold, etc. Most rather prefer good weather.

To condition them is to fly them almost everyday. When you do that they will end up looking muscular and their endurance improves. Obviously they become less looking fat. You can also road toss them after they started ranging/tripping (going far away from your place).


----------

