The Purebred Racing Homer of today is strong, intelligent, and capable of flying great distances to get back to its loft, and mate.

Today's Homers are bred for Speed & Endurance and are Registered with a national organization.

Every Spring the "Old Birds" (over a year old) are flown in a series of sportsmanship races of up to 500 or 600 miles. It is not uncommon to have a bird fly these distances within the day when it's trained and conditioned properly. Homers are fed a high protein grain mixture with extra carbohydrates prior to the race much the way a marathon runner will eat before a race.

Old birds fly fastest to get home to their mate, nest, and eggs and can actually be "Hyped-up" for the race!

Young birds, the current year's hatch, are "Rookies" who must earn a spot on the Old bird team.

Training starts from the time they leave the nest, return to trap into the loft on call, to exercise, and to home from gradually increasing distances.

The racing starts at around 100 miles and rarely exceeds 300 miles for the "Rookies."

Training your racing homers is a great way to relax and enjoy yourself, and some have likened it to owning your own sports franchise. To some its a diversion from daily work and a challenge to breed a winning Homer. Whatever the reason, the rewards to this hobby are many. Just ask someone who flies Homers.