While it cannot be denied that physical features such as gait and wing muscle strength play a big factor in becoming a winner, attention should also be placed on the mental ability of a pigeon as early as an age of 3 months. More often than not, it is the mental faculties of your racing pigeon that will ultimately help you win the big prizes especially in competitions that involve long flights. For example, in some places, there's a building code that if a structure goes beyond 100 squares feet, the building department would already require you to pay for a building permit. So there goes an additional expense on your part, and who knows, there might be more to come. Don't think that not having a large loft is a disadvantage. If you are starting with newly-hatched pigeons, you are expected to note about the commonalities between these young pigeons. Remember that these pigeons can be weaned at equal ages. These birds can be vaccinated at the same age and these birds can be ranged and routed as well at the same age. These birds at their tender age are often grouped together in a specialized housing called the loft, and this will serve as their home up until their racing days. In the early 1800's, a sport has been developed using these magnificent creatures as racing animals. The pigeon's disposition to fly home even after long flights has made the sport a favorite hobby among pigeon lovers. Pigeon racing competitions abound all over the world, with most of them involving big money. If there is a noticeable amount of food left, cut down on the amount that you give the bird. Make certain that the bird's cage or loft is kept clean. Don't allow any sort of lead items inside. Be careful with the use of cages manufactured from foreign countries as they tend to have high lead content. Each pigeon must return to its loft at the end of the race. Otherwise, it is disqualified. The shortest distance possible for each official race is no shorter than 75 miles. Timing: Each race is timed using electronic band scanning clock systems. Each of the clock used throughout the duration of the race should run at the same time.