Their predecessors were the ones that were once bred due to their homing ability and capability to carry messages. You may have heard of the so called "Pigeon Posts" which were of course established across the globe mainly for military purposes. Some are still in service today though. A Quick Look at Pigeon Racing In this sport race, there is a single starting gate where the birds bred specifically for this are to start off. 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. The pigeons require attention as to the kind of food to feed them whether it is seed, fruits, and a combination of both, how much it needs, and the likes. After which, they are able to return to their homes. The race includes covering a measured distance. The basis for the winning pigeon is the time spent by the animal in covering the specified distance along with the rate of travel. These pieces of information are compared with the other racing pigeons. This breeding method is more expensive than line-breeding because of the generation gap (the bigger the generation gap, the more expensive) but relatively more effective than in-breeding. Line-breeding allows the mating of pigeons with smaller generation gaps (ex. grandchild to grandparents or cousin to cousin) than those for cross breeding. According to many fanciers, every pigeon should be allotted with at least 1 square feet of space. This means that the space of the lofts will be dependent on the number of birds. Supply the birds with the right amount of food. But it doesn't mean that you will have to over-feed these animals. Take care of the health of the birds by subjecting them to regular checkups. The pigeon's disposition to fly home even after long flights has made the sport a favorite hobby among pigeon lovers. Pigeon racing competitions abound all over the world, with most of them involving big money. Being a successful pigeon racer requires discipline, constant care and a penchant eye for detail.