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Homing pigeons have been domesticated for thousands of years. The predecessors of modern day homing "racing" pigeons were pigeons bred for their homing ability, primarily to carry messages." Pigeon Posts" have been establish all over the world and while mainly used in the military, some are still in service today.
In short, competing birds are taken from their lofts and must race home. The time taken and distance are recorded and the fastest bird (distance/time) is declared the winner. A pigeon could compete from about 6 months of age and still be in competition at over ten years of age.
To compete in a race, it must wear a permanent, unique numbered ring or band that is placed on its leg at about 5 days of age. For a race to be conducted, the competing pigeons must be entered into the race, usually at the organization's clubhouse, and taken away from their home to be released at a predetermined time and location. The distance between the bird's home loft and the place where the birds are released to start their flight home, is carefully measured by GPS and the time taken by the bird to return is measured using one of the two timing methods.

Traditional timing method

The traditional method of timing homing "racing" pigeons involves a rubber counter mark, a removable rubber ring with a unique serial number being placed on the birds leg before being sent to race. The serial number is recorded and the bird carries the ring home. When the first bird returns, its trainer removes the ring and places it in a specially designed clock. The time that the ring was placed in the clock and that is recorded as the official time that the competing bird arrived home.

Electronic timing method
The latest development and preferred method for timing racing pigeons is having the bird carry a electronic chip which instantly records the time when the pigeon arrives from the race.

Training

Homing pigeons are housed together in a specially designed loft. From about five weeks of age until the end of its racing career, the racing loft is the pigeons home and this is where it returns to on race day.

Young pigeons are trained progressively before being allowed to compete in a race event. A racing pigeon's initial training involves familiarizing it with the loft and its surroundings and training it to use the various features of its home (e.g. Entry points). It is also this critical time that the birds learn commands, such as entering the loft when the trainer whistles.

After a few weeks of initial training and 'homing in', the young birds are allowed outside for the first time. This is usually before they can fly strongly so as to prevent an overzealous pigeon from flying away before it can find its way back home. As the birds grow older, they become stronger and smarter and therefore they fly further and further away from their home loft. When a few trainers fly their pigeons in the same area, these loft flying kits (as flocks of pigeons are called) can number in the thousands. This 'loft flying' familiarizes the birds with their home area and builds fitness.. As confident flyers, the young homing pigeons are taken on progressively longer 'training tosses', driven a distance away from their home and released. This is like the format of a real race, however on a much smaller scale and it is usually not timed . This practice of loft flying and tossing continues throughout a pigeon's career.
Training methods are as varied as the pigeons themselves. Lots of fanciers believe their system is the best, everyone is willing to help and share their strategy and the details of their success. Conditioning is one of the key elements in race training

Breeding
Homing pigeons can breed at about six months of age. The hen lays two eggs 36 hours apart. The first egg is not incubated until the second egg is laid to ensure both eggs hatch at the same time. The incubation period is about 18 days. Pigeon breeders are careful in selecting birds to pair together so as to continue improving the breed and gain a competitive edge. It is this selective breeding that has given rise to the racing homing pigeons of today, capable of finding their way home from hundreds of miles away and flying at speeds in excess of 50mph..





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