If you are putting your racing pigeons on the widowhood system and the roosters seem to be losing interest, and the hens act like they want to start mating with each other, then you need to switch the sexes. Let the males sit on the perches and let the females have the nest boxes. You will have to pen the females in their box and probably feed them in the box, but this can certainly re-motivate a widowhood team and produce excellent results. Sometimes I can even lock a strange male in the nest box with the mate of a particular rooster and then let him see the stranger in his box with his hen before shipping. I make sure the race is under three hundred miles and no more than 6 hours on the wing for such a motivational tactic because sometimes this technique can backfire. Some male pigeons get so excited about any extra motivation that they exhaust themselves in the race basket the night before and have nothing left when it’s time to fly home.
When racing pigeons in the widowhood system, remove the bowls completely from the nest box and always show the bowl to the rooster before the male can see the hen at the beginning of the season. Then as the longer runs come put the bowl in the nest box with the rooster and let it in and start calling then send it out. Once all the males have been removed, allow the females to enter the nest boxes with the nest bowls and let them have their way. You can even put some old unmated bucks in the loft to attract hens before sending them out. Remember this advice: “Send the males cool and the females hot.” This is true for most races.
In the widowhood system, if you have a particularly bad run, if one of the birds comes home extremely late, lock that pigeon up in its nest (but not with its mate) for at least several hours, the night would be even better. The racing bird is tired, and having to deal with an overly anxious partner won’t do either of them any good. After a few hours of rest, bring the couple together for a few minutes and then separate them again. This will tell your returning broker that, “Yes, your reward is here and waiting, when it’s ready.” That pigeon’s only motivation to run home may have been to see its mate. And after that performance, the reward is granted. But what that career bird needs most is rest. It is a wise fancier who knows that this rest must be given.
These are just some of the basics of racing pigeons in the widowhood system.