Toss Training Pigeons

[ByrdMane]

Tagging @backyard pigeons , he is training and good at explaining. You've done well keeping them in for a bit and getting them loft flying and trap trained.

How far down the street did you take him?

I don't think I'd take a lone bird on a first toss...how many birds do you have?
Probably the first toss should be very, very close

about a football field an a half down the street & I got 9 birds

 

[ByrdMane]

To get them to fly straight home - fly them before you feed them.

I don't know where you live but here the Hawks are much hungrier for pigeons in winter so I don't fly mine this time of year.

I got hawks here 2 I'm in Carolina north Carolina thanks thts some good information

 

[ByrdMane]

I’m no pro as this is my first year with pigeons but from what I have read/heard you should be loft flying then much more than 3 times before taking them for a toss. They should be loft flying for around 30 min to an hr before they get tossed and I loft flew mine more than 15 times before I tossed mine for he first time

yea I should've figured just a little anxious I guess

 

[ByrdMane]

How long has your bird been gone? He's probably nervous by himself. Have you had your other birds out for a fly so he could see them?

I did this today you think he'll come back

 

[backyard pigeons]

I took one up the street and let him go but he just flew up in the closes tree

sorry to hear that! Its never easy to lose a bird.

I seen him flyin around the neighborhood but he never came back what does this mean ?

it means he wasn't ready. Although there is no scientific evidence for such, I believe pigeons rely merely on sight once within a mile of home. You can see this by overflies, bigger losses at shorter distances, etc. The fact that he had flown three times before being tossed likely means he didn't have the landmarks to rely on coming back.

how do I get my pigeons ready for a toss ? Or how do I get my pigeons to fly straight home after a toss ?

get them ready by loft flying every day. I fly mine 30 times before tossing. And the first toss is about 20 yards away, so they get the idea of the training basket and coming home. They will come home faster if they are hungry, thirsty, if their mate is home, if they have eggs or young, etc.

Getting them ready for longer tosses is harder, but still worth it. I typically do a toss within sight, then half a mile, then 4 one mile tosses from different directions, then two three mile tosses from different directions, then a mile toss for a confidence booster, then a five mile, than ten mile, then fifteen mile, etc. Only proceed farther if your birds come home quickly and are like "is that all you got? I'm not even out of breath!"

It is never bad to go from a ten mile to a mile toss. It is bad to go from a mile to a ten mile toss when they are starting out. Train from all directions to prevent losses in the mile radius of the loft. Once your birds have come home reliably from twenty miles in all directions, you can begin to increase tosses by ten miles. Once your at 60 miles several times, go to a hundred on a nice day with a tailwind.

Many people say im babying my birds. but guess what? I buy a fourth of the bands at the start if the year that they do, and have the same number of birds that they do at the and of the year! Ha!

What's toss training?
Is it like when you releases falconry birds from the glove?

it is when homing pigeons are taken away from their home loft and released, allowing them to fly home. It is done to encourage exercising, strength, and to practice for racing. They will come home from distances of 800 miles if properly trained.

I’m no pro as this is my first year with pigeons but from what I have read/heard you should be loft flying then much more than 3 times before taking them for a toss. They should be loft flying for around 30 min to an hr before they get tossed and I loft flew mine more than 15 times before I tossed mine for he first time

exactly! Although its hard to get them flying for longer than thirty minutes before tosses for me. after the first toss about 10 miles away they will go an hour or more because of muscle and confidence.

Thanks bio, sounds like falconry!

really? Do people 'toss' hawks?

about a football field an a half down the street & I got 9 birds

why did you only toss one? A single bird on the first toss is riskier than all your birds on the first toss.

I did this today you think he'll come back

yes, I do. Just fly your remaining birds when it is light, and it wouldn't shock me if he comes back. I hope he does!

 

[ByrdMane]

sorry to hear that! Its never easy to lose a bird.
it means he wasn't ready. Although there is no scientific evidence for such, I believe pigeons rely merely on sight once within a mile of home. You can see this by overflies, bigger losses at shorter distances, etc. The fact that he had flown three times before being tossed likely means he didn't have the landmarks to rely on coming back.
get them ready by loft flying every day. I fly mine 30 times before tossing. And the first toss is about 20 yards away, so they get the idea of the training basket and coming home. They will come home faster if they are hungry, thirsty, if their mate is home, if they have eggs or young, etc.

Getting them ready for longer tosses is harder, but still worth it. I typically do a toss within sight, then half a mile, then 4 one mile tosses from different directions, then two three mile tosses from different directions, then a mile toss for a confidence booster, then a five mile, than ten mile, then fifteen mile, etc. Only proceed farther if your birds come home quickly and are like "is that all you got? I'm not even out of breath!"

It is never bad to go from a ten mile to a mile toss. It is bad to go from a mile to a ten mile toss when they are starting out. Train from all directions to prevent losses in the mile radius of the loft. Once your birds have come home reliably from twenty miles in all directions, you can begin to increase tosses by ten miles. Once your at 60 miles several times, go to a hundred on a nice day with a tailwind.

Many people say im babying my birds. but guess what? I buy a fourth of the bands at the start if the year that they do, and have the same number of birds that they do at the and of the year! Ha!


it is when homing pigeons are taken away from their home loft and released, allowing them to fly home. It is done to encourage exercising, strength, and to practice for racing. They will come home from distances of 800 miles if properly trained.
exactly! Although its hard to get them flying for longer than thirty minutes before tosses for me. after the first toss about 10 miles away they will go an hour or more because of muscle and confidence.
really? Do people 'toss' hawks?
why did you only toss one? A single bird on the first toss is riskier than all your birds on the first toss.
yes, I do. Just fly your remaining birds when it is light, and it wouldn't shock me if he comes back. I hope he does!

reply thanks this the answer I was looking for

 

[biophiliac]

I did this today you think he'll come back

Yes I think there's a good chance you'll get him back.

 

[RoosterWhisperer]

sorry to hear that! Its never easy to lose a bird.
it means he wasn't ready. Although there is no scientific evidence for such, I believe pigeons rely merely on sight once within a mile of home. You can see this by overflies, bigger losses at shorter distances, etc. The fact that he had flown three times before being tossed likely means he didn't have the landmarks to rely on coming back.
get them ready by loft flying every day. I fly mine 30 times before tossing. And the first toss is about 20 yards away, so they get the idea of the training basket and coming home. They will come home faster if they are hungry, thirsty, if their mate is home, if they have eggs or young, etc.

Getting them ready for longer tosses is harder, but still worth it. I typically do a toss within sight, then half a mile, then 4 one mile tosses from different directions, then two three mile tosses from different directions, then a mile toss for a confidence booster, then a five mile, than ten mile, then fifteen mile, etc. Only proceed farther if your birds come home quickly and are like "is that all you got? I'm not even out of breath!"

It is never bad to go from a ten mile to a mile toss. It is bad to go from a mile to a ten mile toss when they are starting out. Train from all directions to prevent losses in the mile radius of the loft. Once your birds have come home reliably from twenty miles in all directions, you can begin to increase tosses by ten miles. Once your at 60 miles several times, go to a hundred on a nice day with a tailwind.

Many people say im babying my birds. but guess what? I buy a fourth of the bands at the start if the year that they do, and have the same number of birds that they do at the and of the year! Ha!


it is when homing pigeons are taken away from their home loft and released, allowing them to fly home. It is done to encourage exercising, strength, and to practice for racing. They will come home from distances of 800 miles if properly trained.
exactly! Although its hard to get them flying for longer than thirty minutes before tosses for me. after the first toss about 10 miles away they will go an hour or more because of muscle and confidence.
really? Do people 'toss' hawks?
why did you only toss one? A single bird on the first toss is riskier than all your birds on the first toss.
yes, I do. Just fly your remaining birds when it is light, and it wouldn't shock me if he comes back. I hope he does!

Well, yes!
If your releasing one into the wild, you'll "toss" it into the air, and when hunting with them you "toss" them off your glove!

 

[RoosterWhisperer]

Make sense?

 

[backyard pigeons]

Well, yes!
If your releasing one into the wild, you'll "toss" it into the air, and when hunting with them you "toss" them off your glove!

cool! Are you a falconer?

Make sense?

yes, it makes sense, but I don't see how it relates to pigeons. sure, you may 'toss' both, but pigeons are tossed so they fly home. And you don't hold each one and toss it up. Here's my tossing basket:

So even though you toss both, tossing is different for them, and has totally different purposes. You 'toss' your bird to catch my 'tossed' pigeons. just kidding!