The first long distance pigeon race was in Belgium in 1818. After 1875, the hobby of pigeon racing gained popularity in England. In the 19th century, the popularity of the hobby reached the United States. Today, the world continues to be enthralled with the speed, endurance and the intelligence of racing pigeons. Birds are able to live long when they receive the proper nutrition they deserve. There are birds that feed on seeds while others feed on food. However, there are those that feed on a combination of seeds and food. If you are a first-timer in terms of keeping racing pigeons for pets, then, it is best to talk to a vet. This means that raising and maintaining these birds and their lofts should be prioritized. There are a number of suggestions on how you can make this happen in your own lofts. And it's best that you are guided by these when raising your birds. Overcrowding the loft is not the best strategy. According to many fanciers, every pigeon should be allotted with at least 1 square feet of space. 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 ring is worn on the bird's leg. 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. There are now special commercial companies that a flier can contact to furnish this kind of service. Timing Clock This is the device that records the time that the pigeon has arrived home. Accessibility To Sunlight Pigeons need and love the sun so make sure that your loft is accessible to the sunlight. Pigeons from time to time want to sunbathe which is why you need to make sure that the aviary gets as much sunlight as possible. Keep in mind though that too much sunlight can be bad, so a small allowance for a shaded area should be designated inside the loft.