31. In order to ensure the successful operation of this branch of the service, care should be exercised in choosing the personnel.

PIGEON TRAINING

32. All pigeons except those specifically reserved for breeding purposes undergo training continuously from the time they are hatched until the ages of    7 to 10 years. Pigeons can be trained for both day and night flying, but for the time being the R.C.A.F. will concentrate on day flying and the data contained herein on night flying is purely informative.

(a) The training of a pigeon begins in the nest compartment.

The first step in training the youngster is to teach it to understand that the can rattle means food. This training is continued during its stay in the breeding loft and during the early stages of the second step.

(II) Youngsters should be taken out of the nest boxes when they are from three to four weeks old and placed in the young bird loft. They should be placed in an open ended basket on the floor and fed and watered there. It is quite probable that this basket will constitute their home for the first seven to ten days they are in the young bird loft. This procedure removes all fear of baskets from their mind and they will always regard a training basket as their second home. (b) The second step is the training of the youngster to trap.

(I) It is essential that pigeons trap immediately upon return from any flight, in order that messages carried by them can be delivered with the least possible delay to the officer in charge of the operations room.

(II) Successful trapping requires the services of two pigeoneers. The young are taken from the nest when 1, weeks old and placed in a compartment by themselves. They are then old enough to care for themselves, but not yet strong enough to fly. Place them on the lighting board or trap. Have the assistant shake the can rattle inside the loft. The youngster, which has been kept hungry, hears the can rattle, knows by this time it means food and will pass through the trap or dormer to receive food. If it hesitates force it, with a long thin pole, to pass through the trap or dormer. Use the pole with sufficient force to make the pigeon afraid of it but at the same time be careful not to injure the pigeon. Some pigeoneers successfully train their pigeons to trap without the use of the pole. After the first ones enter those remaining on the lighting board will enter quickly, as they can observe the others eating inside the loft and will usually be hungry themselves. The assistant inside the loft scatters only a few grains as each youngster is trapped. Take care to prevent the first ones trapped from getting too much to eat. All the youngsters should be kept partially hungry so that they can be induced to trap readily in response to the can rattle in succeeding exercises.

(III) When new birds are received which do not know how to trap, place a settling cage over the lighting board or dormer and proceed with the new birds as with the youngsters above.

(IV) Begin the first trapping exercises in the morning after the loft has been cleaned, the next about 2 p.m. and the third about one hour before sunset. At the beginning of the third day, teach the pigeons to fly from the hand to the lighting board and require them to trap as before. First hold the pigeons only a few feet away from the lighting board; as they become stronger on the wing, gradually increase this distance until the point of launching is at the maximum distance from which the loft is visible, not to exceed 1 mile,

Continue these trapping exercises three times daily for the first week. At the end of this period all the pigeons should have been trained to trap readily. In case there are one or more obstinate or unruly pigeons that do not trap quickly, place them in a nest compartment for a period of two feedings, allow them water but no food, and permit them to observe the other pigeons as the latter are being fed. Then repeat the trapping exercises. This method will usually correct their tardiness.

(v) Adjust the dormer or trap to permit entry into, but not exit from the loft.

(VI) Always station a pigeoneer at the loft to be on the lookout for return of pigeons after a liberation and have him give a few grains of food to each returning pigeon as a reward. Note-- Where R.C.A.F. lofts have dormer traps situated in the roof of the pigeon loft there is no need for lighting boards. (c) Upon completion of training in (b) (II) above, pigeons should be ready to receive intermediate training.

(I) The birds should first receive a sufficient number of exercise flights, normally two each day until they can fly easily for periods of from 40 to 60 minutes. If the birds are molting these training flights should not begin until the heaviest part of the molt is completed.

Birds should never be released through the trap or dormer for exercise flights. Always release birds through the window and see that they return through the dormer or trap.

Once training is started it should be concentrated. Birds are given 4 or 5 training flights a week starting at about 3 miles, with gradually increasing distances until at the end of one month they have flown 100 miles successfully. In each of the training flights the first release at a new distance If possible should be in a group and thereafter by means of single tosses.

Pigeons that have received this training are in proper physical condition and can now fly distances of from 150 to 200 miles.

(g) On the second day of liberation the window is to be opened at about noon, and the pigeons are allowed to go out of their own free will, to remain outside for perhaps 30 minutes; then they are called in by the can rattle and given a very slight amount of food. Give them another flight of 30 minutes terminating just before the evening feeding, time.

(J) Never send a pigeon in poor condition out for a flight, In the case of healthy pigeons when taken out always liberate them and allow a flight home, reducing the distance if necessary. Never carry back a pigeon that is able to fly to the loft.

(1) When pigeons are mated they are continued in training, even after eggs are laid. If the eggs are to be destroyed, both cook and hen may be taken out on the same practice flight. If the eggs are to be hatched and the squeakers developed, only one of the mates is sent out on any one flight, the other remaining with the nest. Incidentally, the homing tendency of the pigeon is heightened during the breeding season by his domestic desires, and his reliability is increased there by.

(b) The night loft --

(I) The night loft should be situated as far as possible from wires, trees, or other eminencies which might injure the birds in flight.

(II) Shutters--Since night flying pigeons are trained and fed at night they must be given an opportunity to rest during the day. Doors and windows of a night loft are equipped with shutters that exclude light without cutting off circulation of air.

(III) Lights--When birds are working at night the interior of the loft is brightly Illuminated. A light is placed above the trap in such a position that it shines faintly on the lighting board. No lights should be placed on the outside of the night loft.

(IV) Lighting board--The lighting.board is larger than that normally used for day birds. It should have a length of at least five feet, and extend out from the loft at least three feet. Aluminum paint should be used on the lighting board to make it faintly luminous; the board should be repainted frequently. This would not apply where lofts have dormer type of trap.

(c) Stocking the night loft -Continued breeding of night flying pigeons has not demonstrated that the ability to home at night is transmitted to the youngsters. In fact night birds, because of their changed mode of living, are seldom in fit condition for breeding, and will usually produce youngsters that are below the desired physical standard. For these reasons it is best to stock a night loft with youngsters from proved day fliers.

(d) Preliminary training--Youngsters should be placed in the night loft when 28 days old. Breaking them to the loft and Trap should be done in the day time. During the first two weeks the schedule given for day birds is to be followed.

(e) Exercise--During the third week the single toss day flights are to be continued as for day birds. In addition, the youngsters should be exercised late In the afternoon so that they learn to trap to the loft at dusk. They should be fed at this time by artificial light. Night birds should never be released for exercise after dark. To drive birds from a lighted loft out into the darkness is certain to result in injuries and losses. The youngsters continue their exercising progressively later, being released late in the daylight but so that their flying arrival is made in the dusk and darkness of night. After the fifth week they should be ready for night training.

(f) Preliminary night training -Even after years of experience pigeons never lose their fear of flying at night. This fact is most important in the training of youngsters. The pigeoneer must bear in mind that the bird he tosses into the dark is always very frightened. If youngsters are given their first night training tosses in the evening, after dark, they are confused and frightened, and are likely to fly blindly into wires and trees, or settle to the ground and await daylight. Youngsters that settle to the ground on the first few night flights will do so on subsequent flights, and seldom develop into reliable night fliers. Morning tosses in the darkness just before dawn have proved by far the most successful in the training of night fliers. Youngsters tossed in the morning before dawn are as confused and frightened as if tossed in the evening; however, before they can stray very far from the loft area, or attempt to settle to the ground, it becomes light ;and they can easily find their way to the loft. Continued tosses in the morning before daylight will impress upon the bird that, even though he is confused or lost, all he need do is remain in the air until there is sufficient light for him to find his way home. Having thus overcome his initial fear his natural instinct and intelligence will come to his aid, and he will attempt to find his way hone through the darkness. After a number of successful flights to the loft in the darkness before dawn the pigeon will have gained enough confidence to be safely tossed in the evening, or at any time during the night.

(g) Direction training--Night flying pigeons are very directional, and car-not be successfully flown from all directions. A bird flying well from the south will usually not be reliable if released from the north. A few pigeons will fly equally well from all directions, but these must be considered exceptions. For this reason night birds should be trained only for the direction from which they will be used. To attempt to deviate from this course by more than 450 is certain to reduce greatly the effectiveness of the pigeon. If it is expected that night birds will be required for flights from two directions, for example, from the south and from the west, two teams of pigeons should be trained, one for each direction.

(h) Altitude training--nights birds that fly close to the ground upon release cannot be considered reliable messengers even though they do return to the loft in good time. Such birds are almost certain to fly eventually into wires or trees and injure themselves. Therefore a well-trained night bird should immediately ascend to a high altitude upon release, and make his flight to the loft at such altitude. The following method has been very successful in teaching young night birds to ascend at once upon release, and to remain high in the air. A field of-high corn, cane or reeds in the vicinity of the loft is selected. On a clear, moonlight night the youngsters are gently tossed one at a time into the tops of this vegetation. The pigeons will not be flying fast enough to injure themselves. However, they become so frightened in attempting to fly clear that upon freeing themselves they rise straight into the air to a high altitude. Two or three such tosses are generally sufficient to teach youngsters to climb rapidly to a great height immediately upon release. This training is not necessary in the case of youngsters which are exercised with old night birds, and who learn to follow the latter to high altitudes. Birds for this training must have successfully completed the training indicated in (f) above.