This authoritative book is aimed particularly at those who participate in racing pigeons at distances of over five hundred miles but will be of value to all pigeon fanciers. John Clements succeeds in making the reader view the humble pigeon in a different light and ensures that he, or she, gains a deeper appreciation of the enormous joy and satisfaction that can be gained from long-distance pigeon racing.Contains detailed accounts of interviews with the owners of nine top British and Continental lofts involved in long-distance pigeon racing. The interviews cover a wide range of important issues including the acquisition of stock, the treatment of young birds and yearlings, feed, health and immunity. Other subjects covered include loft management, cleaning, construction and ventilation, the pairing and exercising of the birds, the systems used (widowhood, on the nest, or both) race preparation and many other subjects. Well illustrated with over 170 colour photographs, pedigree charts and postcards. This easily accessible, informative and analytical book is essential reading for pigeon fanciers everywhere.The objective of the book is to make the reader look at the humble pigeon in a different light and gain satisfaction from the joy of long-distance racing. Provides fascinating accounts of interviews with the owners of nine successful lofts.John Clements is a dedicated commentator on long-distance pigeon racing; an enthusiastic supporter of international racing and has a regular weekly column in British Homing World.

Originally published in the early 1930s. The author Lt. Col. A. H. Osman was a recognised expert on all aspects of pigeon racing and breeding. This book was originally written in answer to the many questions he received relating to getting birds fit and their training and preparation for long distance racing. The illustrated contents include: Importance of Strain - Young Birds - Yearlings - Third Season Pigeons - Old Birds - Late Birds - Feeding - Exercise etc. Many of the earliest books on pigeons, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Home Farm Books are republishing many of these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

The illustrated contents include detailed chapters on: Male and Female Strains - Inbreeding - Starting a Strain - The Male Strain - The Producer Hen - Pedigree Breeding - Egg Perfection - The Female Line - Art of Selection - Eye Sign - Champions - Pedigrees etc. Originally published early 1900s. Many of the earliest livestock books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing many of these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

This early work on Pigeon Racing is an engrossing read for any pigeon racer of historian of the sport, but also contains a wealth of information and anecdote that is still pertinent and practical today. Recommended for inclusion on the bookshelf of the pigeon fancier. Contents Include: Pigeon Racing; The Armadale Lofts; My First Visit to Belgium; Leading Belgian Fanciers; English Fanciers I have known and Visited; A Method of Founding a Loft of Racing Pigeons; Notes on Racing Pigeon Types with Special Reference to Superficial Anatomy; Condition; Breeding; Heredity and its Application to Improvement of Stock; Widowhood (or Veuvage) The Study of the Eye and the Eye Theory; Old Belgian Strains or Families; Orientation; Pigeon Shows; Long Race Distances; Winners of Scottish National Races from 1894 to 1947; and a Conclusion. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

A fictional account of what happens when the world's most valuable bird, a champion Belgian racing pigeon, escapes and becomes the pet of a group of inner-city children. They have no idea of the bird's value but raise babies from the bird that win a major race, against long odds. An educational and heartwarming story of how the pigeon sport, and pedigreed homing pigeons, functions. Based on the international awarding-winning filmmaker, and author's, more than 50 years of experience in the pigeon hobby.

This early work on Pigeon Racing is an engrossing read for any pigeon racer of historian of the sport, but also contains much information that is still pertinent and practical today. Recommended for inclusion on the bookshelf of the pigeon fancier. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

A SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR Longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 'Rich and joyous ...The book's quiet optimism about our ability to change, and to learn to love small things passionately, will stay with me for a long time' Helen Macdonald 'Big-hearted and quietly gripping' Guardian 'I love Jon Day's writing and his birds. A marvellous, soaring account' Olivia Laing '[A] beautiful book about unbeautiful birds' Observer 'This is nature writing at its best' Financial Times 'Awash with historical and literary detail, and moving moments ... Wonderful' Telegraph 'Every page of this beautifully written book brought me pleasure' Charlotte Higgins 'A vivid evocation of a remarkable species and a rich working-class tradition. It's also a charming defence of a much-maligned bird, which will make any reader look at our cooing, waddling, junk-food-loving feathered friends very differently in future' Daily Mail 'Endlessly interesting and dazzlingly erudite, this wonderful book will make a home for itself in your heart' Prospect As a boy, Jon Day was fascinated by pigeons, which he used to rescue from the streets of London. Twenty years later he moved away from the city centre to the suburbs to start a family. But in moving house, he began to lose a sense of what it meant to feel at home. Returning to his childhood obsession with the birds, he built a coop in his garden and joined a local pigeon racing club. Over the next few years, as he made a home with his young family in Leyton, he learned to train and race his pigeons, hoping that they might teach him to feel homed. Having lived closely with humans for tens of thousands of years, pigeons have become powerful symbols of peace and domesticity. But they are also much-maligned, and nowadays most people think of these birds, if they do so at all, as vermin. A book about the overlooked beauty of this species, and about what it means to dwell, Homing delves into the curious world of pigeon fancying, explores the scientific mysteries of animal homing, and traces the cultural, political and philosophical meanings of home. It is a book about the making of home and making for home: a book about why we return.