This will lessen the stress and panic it will feel about being transited outside of its comfort zone. Be consistent with your commands. Don't let it get confused because of your inconsistency. Keep on repeating the command words that you use so the bird will be able to familiarize it. Training your racing pigeons is not difficult at all provided that you have tons of patience in your system. As someone who spent much of his childhood racing pigeons, I have learned invaluable lessons that I still find useful as an adult. The sense of responsibility that one acquires in raising these magnificent birds is something that I'll always treasure. Racing pigeons have also instilled in me a competitive fire that few of my peers can match. You can run through the different races by checking the schedules online. Start with a small race and then move on to a higher level. This will enhance your pigeon's flight time. Overall, homing pigeon racing doesn't only develop the bird's innate ability but test your patience as the trainer. When properly trained to be competitive, you will not have any problems about its winning in the race! Timers used in the race should print the time the birds return to their lofts. Dead Time For extremely long races, a dead time may be called for. Usually, the dead time is used to close the race during the night. This dead time begins 30 minutes before the official sunset and resumes 30 minutes before the official sunrise in the area where the race is being held. It will highly depend on your budget and the number of lofts you prefer to have. The most important thing is of course, it is clean and dry and is safeguarded against the possible predators. The water, food, and grit. If the pigeons left in the wild depend on scraps of food and seeds for their survival, the racing pigeons are exactly the opposite. Food for pigeons need to be clean, fresh, and of high quality. Grains and grit are their primary foods but these will not boost their performance enough to win a race. Minerals and vitamins must be included in their diet which can be mixed with the water or with the food in the form of oil. It is highly important that the food should have low moisture content or else it will be susceptible to becoming a breeding ground for fungi, bacteria, and eventually become toxic for the bird.