The future of the racing pigeons sport
February 19th, 2009 • Various • 4,705 viewsFanciers talk about the death of the racing pigeons sport. Is it coming to an end? There aren’t many kids starting with pigeons nowadays. What are the reasons?
1. Too expensive?
2. Too much work & time consuming?
3. It’s not “cool”?
4. People don’t care about animals as much as the older generations did?
5. Computer games and other attractions?
These can be *some* reasons but they are not the strongest. I think we, the pigeon fanciers are too busy with our pedigrees and race results and don’t have the time to notice that most of the people DON’T KNOW ANYTHING about the racing pigeons and the fun and excitement they can get with racing pigeons. For them, all the pigeons are the same flying rats, just some stupid birds and we are crazy guys with too much time on our hands, playing with the birds daily and staring at the sky for hours.
It’s only our fault. Take the web for example. How do we promote the racing pigeons sport ONLINE? By creating personal websites, right? Nope. What do 99% of the racing pigeons websites have in common? They are all BORING for someone who doesn’t know anything about pigeons. Our websites are created for other fanciers ONLY. I tried to find a place online, just a SINGLE TINY place somewhere, a website that would promote the hobby of racing pigeons and that would show the world the great stuff hidden behind this fascinating creature which we all love, the RACING PIGEON. Well, I didn’t find such a place! Why? You tell me… I think we don’t give a ****.
We only care about the next race, we are only focused on the dusty pedigrees, pigeon auctions and race results, and we carry all this on the web. We even avoid to display the pigeon in it’s natural environment, shape and behavior. We produce “dolls”, cutout model pigeon bodies on white backgrounds, eventually joined by a pigeon EYE which means NOTHING for the non-fancier. We then attach a puzzling pedigree with 20 branches, all described in the most secret expert language we can get. Many popular pigeon sites are stuffed with auctions and race results, and on some of them, you don’t even see a picture of a pigeon!!!
When I was a kid, pigeons were a great attraction and many kids were starting in the hobby. Well, indeed, there were no computer games or the internet, and all the other stuff that the young generation is focused on nowadays. I’m also a computer games enthusiast but I think that racing pigeons are cooler! We must tell the world about it if we want to keep the sport alive. I will try this on the website, but it’s not enough… each of YOU must keep in mind that it’s our duty to promote the sport and try to bring new people in. Am I wrong? Is there something better we can do?
Any ideas are really appreciated.
A short story written by me on another website a few years ago:
I have to write my personal example because it’s very recent and on-topic. A 12 years old kid in my town found a baby pigeon in the street. He took it home. Hosted in the attic, the bird started to fly and of course came back, – isn’t that cool? – so, a few more pigeons were brought in the team. Later the little guy contacted me online for some pigeon advices…and soon, I told him a short description of the racing pigeons sport. He was delighted. I also offered him some birds from my loft, and now he’s the youngest member in our club. Our club will send the birds for the second training tomorrow. He’s looking forward to sending them, he didn’t have any losses for the first training, all his 16 youngsters came home. I was told that his parents aren’t very happy with his new hobby but he’s doing fine. I told him about the racing food mix, and he immediately sold his cell phone and bought 2 sacks! This is when the racing pigeons enter your blood. There’s no way back. They are cooler than all the PC games out there ;). You should have seen him carrying the pigeons basket to the club, it was almost bigger than him.
This was my tiny example. Think about it. He became a fancier just by chance, finding that baby pigeon on the street. See? Promotion of the racing pigeon is ZERO. My point exactly.
By the way, as a final note: although websites and media can help, the BEST GUARANTEED way to help a kid discover pigeons and fall in love with them is to give him a pair of young birds.
19-02-2009
Andrei:
A really good article about this, written by Dr. Wim Peters can be found at: http://www.pigeonland.co.uk/article_read.asp?item=46
Lack of young beginners
When visiting friends not involved in the pigeon sport, it is appalling to see how little chance there is that their young children will one day keep a few pigeons. Sad to say but the days of backyard lofts is fast disappearing. In my day, most young boys had a dog and many kept a few pigeons in some apple boxes hastily hammered together. These have now disappeared. Municipal bylaws have made it very difficult to build anything but a neatly constructed sturdy loft – and this costs money, which usually runs the whole venture into difficulties with the head of the household. The other big problem that exists for schoolboys is the shortage of time. After school there is organised school sport, computer mania, television and homework etc., the combination of which often do enough to douse any flickering little flame of love for pigeons. In addition there is nowadays an almost total loss of contact with nature. There is no appreciation for the beauty of pigeons – how could there be if there never is any contact with the birds? There is no wonder at the mystery of homing – how could there be if the kids never experience it? There is no desire to see pigeon how breeding works; to see how reds and blue bars can produce mealy’s and checkers – how could there be if the only pigeons they see are street ferals?
I do not have a solution for the problem. I can only suggest that any statement made by youngsters suggesting just an inkling of interest be met with kindness and understanding. I am sure that an invitation to one’s own loft would be thankfully accepted. Great is my admiration for the members of those pigeon clubs that instigate junior clubs. To allow young boys (and girls) to compete at an early age will ensure that they’ll return to the game in later life. It does not matter that as young adults they show no desire to come back. They’ll come in their own time. The bite of the pigeon bug lasts a lifetime!
This is reflected in an analysis of recruits to the pigeon sport as experienced in North-East England. In this part of the world many retiring men who had pigeons as boys but had no opportunity to practise racing during a busy working life, return to the sport. With time on their hands and money to fly their pigeons, these very often early retired, retrenched or medically boarded fanciers rejoin the ranks of the racing fancy.
19-02-2009
Shawn:
I think you make a good point that “No one knows about the sport”. However I do question if the lack of publicity is a new problem? I think from our perpective as members of the racing community we see our numbers declining every year, mostly due to age or death in combination with only a fraction of new enthuesists. We assume that the public used to have a better understanding of the sport, and that assumption then idicates that years past we have done a better job in creating awareness and that the presence of awareness brings new flyers. Although I will agree that awareness is an aid to recruiting, I would argue that it is not as important as the “old flyer”s personal influence. The lack of publicity is a symptom to a larger problem that I think you started to address in your article when you metioned attitudes. As in the general trend of North America, this generation and the next will be the first that will not recieve the promise of greater prosparity than our fathers had. We are witnessing the bursting of the bubbes. Boombers, Housing, Markets, Good paying jobs, and family struture are all going down hill as shown when looking at our standard of living. There’s the bad news, now the good news. Our surroundings and obsticles that we face make life more difficult but they are not exuses to fail. This is why I agree with you when you say that our community in general doesn’care. It is true. Prehaps because of the blessings of old times they didn’t have to care in order to sustain the sport. But in these fragile days these attitudes will destory us in little time. We need to care and not pretend to care in promoting organizations with dry facts, fancy pictures and clever advertising skeems. These methods are not the way people will fall in love with pigeons, but these ways are encouraged in our communities and those that do such things are looked to as our saviors; I think, although good intentioned, these efforts mirely provide us a way in which we can hide behide our desk, computer, and programs in order to feel justified that we tried. This is living in denile; we find ourselves blaming the obsticles like saying “it’s the young peole of today” wich are just defense mechanism designed so that we can remain safe. What each us needs to do is get our hands dirty and accually speak to our neigbours, make relationships, seek those who this sport might be good for, not just for our sake but for thiers. Then when we find them or they find us, serve them, teach them, and they will learn to do the same. Just look at any sports team that you first joined when you were a kid. Why did you join? Because either your parents wanted you to or you knew someone that you wanted to play with. Pigeons are no different. Did you fall in love with the sport from a book?, maybe video, or seminar…no you had of some kind of coach, somebody took somewhat of an interest in you and taught or encouraged you. I believe that if we can teach the pigeon world how to coach others, then we will see this sport explode. That ofcourse means that we will have to change our attitudes of winning comes first, whording secrets, being cheap, and remaining where it is comfortable. I think we would all agree that the pigeon community where these values are adopted will grow to become the future of our sport. That’s why we, the soon to be “elders” of the sport, need to start building these communities today, by starting first within our own clubs, joining forces in encouraging each other, especailly the beginner or the interested. Then hopefully together we can involve our neighbours and beyond.
19-02-2009
Andrei:
Very good point – you don’t fall in love with a sport or hobby from a book. Never. Anyway, I do believe that nowadays there are less chances for someone to become addicted to pigeons because there too many other attractions.
I also think that not everybody was born “ready for pigeons”.
Here’s a fact. When I was a kid, I became attracted to pigeons by simply seeing a flock flying over my garden everyday. Although the owner was a grumpy old man and ignored me, I started keeping pigeons on my own. Recently, I met his little grandson. I told him that his grandpa was a pigeon fancier and it would be cool if he would have pigeons too. I wanted to offer him some youngsters but he said “no thanks”. One of my neighbors also has 2 kids. They see my pigeons daily flying over their garden, they see them sunbathing on the roof, and so on, but guess what – it’s like the pigeons are invisible. They don’t even blink when the pigeons fly over their heads. They are too focused on discussing the latest computer game, soccer scenes or God knows what else.
This is why I am not very optimistic about the future of this hobby.
19-02-2009
Sean:
I got interested in pigeons two years ago. I Read up on the hobby of keeping pigeons, and then a year later, I got two pairs of ukrainian highflyers (which I put in my treehouse that I made in to a pigeon coop.) I’m only 10 now, but i’ve already got 15 pigeons.
I’ve tried to get my friends interested (and they do get really exited,) but most of them have problems with their yards or their neighbourhood (angry neighbours, neighbourhood cats, too many trees, uncertain parents, too much of a comitement.)
But what I’m thinking of doing is breeding more pigeons and then selling them (for free) in specific pairs (male+male, female+female, male+female) along with a sturdy plywood home and a small bag of food (and a water container + basic information.)
I think that it really would be cool to go back to the way it was in the 1970’s (Belgium) when racing pigeons was the #1 sport and 1 in 4 people owned at least a pair of pigeons.
If there are any kids (or even adults) reading this right now, I would really suggest getting at least a pair of pigeons (two females if you dont want them to breed) and keeping them in a box outside and letting them fly around every day because this is the best hobby that I’ve ever run in to.
19-02-2009
sai lee:
Hi I’m only 16 years old and I just love all my homing pigeon they are like fasts thing in the sky to me. For me I just can’t wait to see my pigeon come home from a training toss. I dont race yet but I am hoping to race in the next year with a club near me.Pigeon racing is a very fun sprots for me.
19-02-2009
Joanna:
I’m foutneen and I only found out about pigeon sport from my mother’s friend. I found it so amazing, two years on, and I have finally earned my chance to get my own loft and a few pigeons. My mother only just let me start and it took me alot of time and learning to convince her I am amazed by the sport. Your words are so true. Thank You for making such a website.
Yours gratefully
A young pigeon maniac.
19-02-2009
Andrei:
Wow, this is great! Welcome in the sport, you’ll love it.
webmaster-another pigeon maniac :)
19-02-2009
Diogo Pedrosa:
all right, your opinion is my opinion, i am a pigeon fan and this year will be my first year like “Profissional”…
from Portugal diogo pedrosa
19-02-2009
Jack Dillon:
Its sad that there is so much apathy about the future of Pigeon Racing or just pigeon keeping in general,I agree with a lot of whats already been mentioned, ie After school activities and computer games etc,i grew up in Dublin in the fifties, and pigeon keeping was huge back then,Small backyard lofts were the thing in those days, a real working man’s hobby.
I had a little loft on the scullery roof filled with common pigeons and the occasional stray racing pigeon that i used to snare up at Guinness Brewery,the thrill of catching a racer and showing it off to your mates was something else.Us pigeon fanciers spoke in a language of our own, other kids didn’t know what a beller was?{a racer from northern Ireland}Yes those were the days when life for a city kid was filled with simple pleasures.
The love of pigeons is with you forever,I’m back keeping pigeons for four years now, and i still enjoy being around them as much as i did when i was a kid.
I think the various pigeon organisations could do more by way of promoting the sport of pigeon racing ie publish the big race results in the local papers,that way, the public are aware that such a sport exists, not enough media publicity is partly to blame for the decline of pigeon racing in Ireland and England down the years,almost every successful sporting body has an elected PR manager working on behalf of its members,pharmaceutical companies that specialise in pigeon medicine and feed manufactors dont do enough to premote the sport to the broader public.The old fanciers might say,{yes we can}
Yours in the Fancy Jack Dillon.
19-02-2009
Andrei:
The comments above were posted on my old website racing-pigeons.org which I deleted, and I didn’t want to lose these comments.
Keep the ideas coming, let’s bring more people in the hobby of racing pigeons!
21-03-2009
Bjorn:
I am 14 years old. I live in Malta and here the new generations is interested in pigeons. I don’t race them but I like to see them flying and walk with me on the roof.
21-06-2009
Andrei:
That’s good news Bjorn, thanks for sharing!
28-06-2009
RAYBIEN:
TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE OF RACING PIGEON. I’M PLANNING TO JOIN A CLUB NEXT YEAR.HOW MUCH IT WILL COST ME? FROM APPLICATION FEE,RACING FEE ETC.
29-06-2009
Andrei:
RAYBIEN, that’s great. You have to find the club that is closest to your home and contact them to tell you the costs. They are very different from location to location, country to country, etc. It’s easier to find the club if you ask other fanciers you meet around.
24-10-2009
zeeshan umar:
i read your short story .i am from pakistan my friend gave me a pair of pigeons this is the start of my hobby .i put them in a box for few days then i make a loft for them know after 3 years i have 3 lofts and more than 60 pigeons.in my city it is very difficult to take such a hobby because ther we have no any stores for pigeons medicines or for good pigeons food.we gave tham some local old medicines some are uesful and most of them are useless..we dont use these modern things you use for giveing food or water to your pigeons we used those things which are made for other birds like i used waker bottle made for Chickens,
24-10-2009
Andrei:
Hi Zeeshan,
Nice to hear about this hobby in different locations! Don’t worry, I think that old-fashioned methods of raising pigeons are BEST – you will enjoy this hobby more. Regarding medication, you don’t really need it! (please read http://www.pigeonmania.com/tiny-loft-fascinating-original-pigeon-racing-method ). All you need is clean water and food (local works just fine), dry lofts and do not overcrowd birds. They will build natural immunity. The birds that adapt will remain and will breed youngsters that are strong like them.
I almost gave up medication entirely for the last 2 years.
Thanks for sharing your point of view.
7-01-2010
Craig:
Great Website.The future of pigeon racing,as with everything in life is down to education.We can be proud as winners but everyone has to take part.The joy of keeping the animal,rearing youngsters and seeing them make it is fine reward,thats what keeps us going.Remember this,`if pigeons were good enough for mike tyson they`re good enough for me`.Ironically he probably had more peace and enjoyment than he ever had being world heavyweight champion.
8-01-2010
Andrei:
You are right, Craig. I wish he had racers but I guess he was only a rollers fancier.