So basically, every owner has his own principle in caring for the bird and enhancing its ability to compete in a race. Loft Survey This term refers to the distance between the race station or liberation point or starting point and the loft or home. The survey enables the pigeon flier to note of the distance flown as based on the time consumed by the bird to fly and then convert it into speed or yards per minute. No other person knew about this event right away, except for Count Rothschild, who got this first-hand information through a racing pigeon. This knowledge enabled Rothschild to make decisions way before other persons had a chance to meddle. He was able to collect a large amount of money to start up a banking dynasty. How To Spot the Right Racing Pigeon A lot of fanciers make the mistake of focusing solely on the physical attributes of a racing pigeon when it comes to choosing which one to enlist in the actual competitions. While it cannot be denied that physical features such as gait and wing muscle strength play a big factor in becoming a winner, attention should also be placed on the mental ability of a pigeon as early as an age of 3 months. Training tosses don t usually help with the pigeon's performance. These usually negatively affect their health. It is better to have a pair of excellent pigeons than to own a group that doesn t perform well. Don t overwork your pigeons, especially the youngsters. Allow them to mature first. Don t overcrowd your pigeons. The race then determines the animal that has returned at the maximum speed. Pigeon racing uses a kind of pigeon breed that is purposefully bred for the said sport. This breed is called the "Racing Homer". Usually, the competing birds are conditioned and trained for the race between 100 up to 1000 km. By this time, it is understood that the pigeon has developed already some capabilities to recall signs that it can utilize to get back to its owner or loft. Determining the speed of your pigeons is also crucial. Only once you have identified whether your pigeon is indeed in need of further speed can you really work on the potential reasons for the slow performance.