Chad Hines – Willow Creek Kennels

If we could have only one training tool it would probably be a flock of homing pigeons. We rely heavily on them to bring out the best in hunting dogs. We use pigeons in almost every phase of our training including bird introductions, whoa work, steadiness training, stop to flush, honoring and as a means of positive reinforcement.

The Loft
Before you get the birds you need a loft, and a relatively small building will suffice. An 8’ by 10’ storage shed or a garage loft will hold up to fifty pigeons comfortably. Build a small wire aviary, 3’ wide X 3’ high, running the length of the building with a recall funnel above it. 

We use a recall funnel to allow the pigeons entrance, but not an exit, into their home. This can be made of welded wire shaped into a cylinder large enough for a pigeon to pass through but small enough to keep predators out. A recall funnel allows for a quick return by pigeons to help keep them safe from predators.

Because you’ll lose some birds in training, you’ll also want the coop comfortable enough to encourage the birds to reproduce. To do this, simply place a nesting box or two, such as chicken nesting boxes, in your coop.

Sourcing Your Pigeons
The first thing to know is that there is a difference between homing pigeons and barn pigeons. Homing pigeons have been selected for generations for their speed and homing instinct. Barn pigeons will home short distances but homers are far more consistent at greater distances.

Find young pigeons, commonly called squeakers, and be sure to bring them home before they’ve learned to fly. They need to learn to fly from your coop because, if they learned to fly somewhere else, they will return there. Homing pigeons may be difficult to find but you can talk to trainers to see where they’re getting theirs. You can also search the internet for homing pigeon breeders and you can expect to pay anywhere from three to ten dollars apiece.

Pigeon Training
As with all animal training, small steps lead to greater success and create fewer problems such as lost pigeons. To start, let the squeakers live in your coop for about a month. Next, attach a wire cage to the outside of your recall funnel and put the young pigeons through the funnel into the cage. If you feed them upon their return to the coop you provide positive reinforcement that will encourage future returns. Repeat this process for about a week.

Next, remove the wire cage and fly out 4 or 5 birds in the morning. Give them the entire day to return to your loft.  After a couple of weeks start using the birds for training, but keep them close to the loft so they do not get lost on the return. Slowly increase the distance of your flights until they will return from the training fields.

Maintain Your Flock
Since pigeons are a very hearty bird they’ll require little maintenance. If you provide a fresh supply of clean water and a good game bird maintenance feed you won’t need to do much more. Once a month we recommend you worm them to maintain the health of the flock but that just about does it. You’re now ready to get started with a flock of homers to assist you in your dog training needs.

To learn more about Willow Creek’s training methods, visit www.willowcreekkennels.net.