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This guide will teach how to train a pigeon to fly out of your loft and come back.



  1. 1
    Make sure you have a homing and/or racing pigeon. Other pigeons are for show and will not fly back from long distances.
  2. 2
    Build a loft that a pigeon can enter.
  3. 3
    Make sure there is a large opening, in which they can fly into. This should be predator-proof, though. You should be able to lock the bird/s away for it's own safety.
  4. 4
    Keep your pigeon in that enclosed space without letting it out for about 4 weeks. Feed it healthy food at least 2 times a day (once in the morning and once before they go to sleep), but be careful not to overfeed it.
  5. 5
    After about 4 weeks, take your pigeon out, and push it through the opening. Do this repeatedly until it's able to go in by itself.
  6. 6
    Once your birds recognize that their loft is their home, it will symbolize safety and security for them. They may go in and out of the loft repeatedly when you let them out.
  7. 7
    For flying breeds such as homing pigeons or rollers, you can let the pigeons fly away, and they will return within a few hours.
  8. 8
    If you do not have a homing and/or racing pigeon (if you have a fancy pigeon, for example), you can just let them out and they will return. The next step is for homing pigeons only.
  9. 9
    After about 2 weeks, the bird/s will have flown all over and gotten to know it's neighborhood. You can start taking the bird to a set location about a mile away. Go North, South, East, and West so they know how to come back from all directions. Do this a few times and then start doing it progressively farther and farther. You can begin by going one mile away from the loft at first, then two miles, then five miles, then ten miles, etc. Homing pigeons will do well up to about 50 miles away. They have been known to come home from farther locations but usually this is for extraordinary birds only.A true racing homer will return from hundreds of miles.
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  • Letting your pigeon fly too early will cause it to fly away and never come back. Make sure to keep them confined for a minimum of 4 weeks.
  • Be prepared to commit to this pigeon, as it will return for many months and even years to come.
  • Older, more experienced homing pigeons may not be suitable for training. They may have already been trained to go to another loft. This means that no matter how long you keep them and treat them well, they will always attempt to go back to their old home (even if its hundreds of miles away!) if you leave them loose.
  • Be careful not to hurt any animal in the process.
  • Many animals carry diseases, so when in contact with them, wear protective clothing and wash afterwards.
  • Artificially changing an animals behaviour may result in it suffering.

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Categories: Pigeons

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