Pigeon Trap

Trapping, or persuading the birds to enter the loft as quickly as possible after their return from a race, is probably the most vital consideration; and you may find, even after building your loft, that it becomes necessary to adjust your methods.Many different types of trapping have been tried. In earlier days most fanciers adopted the piano-type with bob wires. One drawback with this method is that the bob wires have a tendency to slow a bird's entry into the trap; for pigeon after flying 320 or 480km (200 or 300 miles) had to push the bob wires with its wing butts which, after a hard race, tend to he a bit sore. It is better to replace the bob wires with the drop-hole method,

whereby the entrance to the loft is divided by the insertion of semi-circular pieces of wood at intervals, wide enough apart to allow a bird to drop into the trap, but narrow enough for it to be unable to get out again, as it cannot stretch its wings to fly out. There is another form of this on the market called the Anti-bolt, made out of galvanized. A similar principle is used in the Belgian Sputnik. If these are set along the full length of the loft

Entrance and a let-board -- sometimes known as a pitch-bo ardor landing-board - on which the birds drop is set at about eye-level, by raising your hand to the let-board you can control the bird's entry into the loft. A bird will then go direct to it sown nest-box or perch, and be quietly waiting to be picked up if it is to be clocked in.

Another advantage with this method is that a wire cage (like small aviary), the length of the let-board and the depth of the drop-holes, can be placed in position over the let-board. The Anti-bolt sections, hung on their metal hooks, can then be removed, leaving the opening free so that the birds can fly up into the wire frame and sit on the let-board in the sun. This is particularly useful with young birds, which can be placed in the frame to enjoy the sunshine and re-enter the loft when they wish, without fear of their being frightened by anything going on around them. In this way they learn a good deal about their surroundings before attempting to fly.