As a result, short distance racers quit at the slightest provocation. Keeping the pigeons healthy is also very important and that is why physical conditioning should always be administered the moment a young pigeon learns to fly in order to develop strength, stamina and recovery time. This means having them fly consecutive weeks at a distance of 200-350 miles. This is certainly true to all the long-time fanciers of racing pigeons, who have learned to remain within the circuit despite the bad economy. However, how about those who are just starting out? There are several out there who are just beginning to be fascinated with racing pigeons, but are doubtful to embrace the inkling of breeding them, mainly because of money constraints. The quality of the breeding bird can be assessed by the racing performance of its offspring. To increase the probability of producing championship caliber chicks, more than one test pairing should be administered. It's also important to keep in mind that a pigeon being a champion doesn't mean that it's a good breeder. Although less expensive than cross-breeding and a lot safer than in-breeding, this method may take a long time to establish the traits that you want in your pigeon. In-breeding is the riskiest but may also be the most successful method provided that you have really ideal pigeons. In this system, the mating happens between a parent pigeon and its child or between a brother and a sister pigeon. If you are one bird enthusiast, you probably know that pigeon racing is a sport that is considered by many as a very rewarding one. Some people even bank on this for business purposes. Others consider it as a hobby. Whichever is goal, you must remember that you can always enter your pigeons into a race provided that you know of the basics to ensure that their health is in its best shape to enable them to train and compete eventually. If air is scarce in the location where the loft is placed, installing exhaust fans should be able to help. Setting up an aviary also gives the pigeons the luxury to enjoy the fresh air at their own leisure. Pigeons need to be intimate with nature; a loft that allows them that luxury can make it easier for them to develop an attachment to their homes.