I would like to know what is the best way to race pigeons?

Question

i have van geel jan aarden's is it to race them naturally , widow hood or some other method and what type of management is best for them ?.

Answer 1

If you can fly them widowed, you're likely better off in most cases.  It's actually less work and the birds don't go thru the cyclical up and down that you get on the natural system.  Having said that it is awful hard to beat a good hen coming to hatching eggs or day old young - so depending on your loft setup, number of birds, etc., you might even choose to do both.  I'd suggest that you read a couple of very good books on various racing systems and simply pick what you believe that your and your birds could do best.  

Some folks also use either the darkening or light system for young birds.

Answer 2

well a pigeon has an average flight speed of over 30mph, so i would suggest some kind of modern, engine powered transportation.  

Answer 3

get fit and run really fast,lol

Answer 4

There is the darkness method where they are kept in darkness for most of the day so that they dont moult as much and maintain their flights. This gives them more power over pigeons who are in moult and have lost some flights. Hope this helps and is even relevant!