The racing pigeons are taken away from their comfort zones and into the racing organization's clubhouse or area. GPS is used to measure the distance between the race point and the bird's home. Two Conventional Methods of Time Keeping The traditional way of time keeping for pigeon racing makes use of the rubber rings that include the unique serial numbers and the especially designed pigeon racing clock. The Rules The long and strict rules of this sport are attributed to the fact that it has been around for centuries. The rules in pigeon racing mostly focus on ensuring that no racer cheats and that the fastest pigeon is awarded with the first place. The rules of the sport, as set forth by the pigeon racing governing body the American Pigeon Racing Union mostly covers significant rules regarding how to race, how to calculate dead time, and how to time the race. It is not the distance that is measured but the rate on how fast it flies in yards per minute. That then is the basis for determining the winner. Other important things to note of include the following: Feeding the Pigeons Pigeon racing becomes more of an interesting subject to tackle basically because there are different beliefs that come along in terms of feeding the bird. That's why you need to deliberate on many factors in order to become a successful breeder and produce potential champions. It's already a given that you need to use quality stock in order to increase the chances of breeding champions. There are three types of breeding: cross breeding, in breeding, and line breeding. The days of pigeon racing they say is not over, even though some reminisce about the old days where racing these birds are very popular. In fact in some suburbs, you can still notice some fanciers that raise these birds and they maintain lofts on their rooftops. And during early mornings and late afternoons, you will notice these winged creatures still flapping their wings desperate to reach the finish line first. Pigeons Characterized The pigeons are endowed with stout bodies, short necks, fleshy cere, and slender bills. These birds make their nests with debris and sticks that are often perched on top of the trees, on buildings, or on the ground depending on their kind of habitat. But of course, when they are taken as pets, they oftentimes have their nests inside their cages.