They only care about the pigeon's majestic appearance, the beauty it emanates through its stark shades of aquamarine, and most of all, the grace displayed as it streaks through the sky. I can feel pigeon racing professionals laugh in jest at this genuflection, but let's not forget that most of us have been led to the sport because of these same reasons. If you are a first-timer in terms of keeping racing pigeons for pets, then, it is best to talk to a vet. This animal doctor surely knows how to make survival easy for these animals. The Role of Vitamins and Nutrients in a Bird's Survival To be able to keep your birds healthy and in perfect shape, they need to receive nutrients. Any racing pigeon fancier must be ready to invest a huge amount of attention to the pigeons as well as understand that time and money are involved. And certainly a great deal of passion will tremendously affect your success in raising and turning your special pigeons to real winners. There are basically three types of breeding methods that you can adopt to make sure that you get the best possible pedigree for a racing pigeon: cross-breeding, line-breeding, and in-breeding. 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. Keeping the pigeons dry will prevent them from being irritated and they will not be bothered by parasites that can cling on to their bodies. 2. Have Proper Ventilation Keeping the loft well ventilated greatly improves the health of the pigeons. A regular breathing habit is essential for the pigeon's longevity in the sky when racing. 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. During this time, the clocks are stopped.