Starting a Pigeon Loft
Starting a Pigeon Loft
Im getting a new pup after this hunting season, and am planing on getting my pigeon coop established about the same time. Im going to build a small coop for 6 birds. Im a little unsure about how to get the birds to home back to my coop. Can I buy birds and train them to fly back to my coop, or do they have to be born there? If they must be born in the coop, do I just buy a male and female and let them do thier thing? Will the parents home back to the coop after the babies are born? Any tips would be appreciated. When I trained my last dog I caught ferel pigeons, and I definielty dont want to have to do that again.
Re: Starting a Pigeon Loft
Re-settling birds can be hard but is do able. I'd do it with feral birds. lock them up until they are on a nest and then let them free fly for a while. Feral birds will home just not as far as homer's. I've had feral birds coming back from 50 mi with not much trouble. You can train by taking them away from the loft and releasing them. I always started the feral birds out about 5mi. Reason is free flying they some times get out farther than you might think. Other's start them very close to the loft. and as they go back, the distance is increased. I've never done that but I'm sure it will work! But keep in mind that after re-settling I have my bird's out free flying. They will do that a couple weeks and that time is spent learning to trap. To teach them to trap, let them out and tie the bob's up so they can come and go. After a couple days drop one bob, the birds will not be bothered by it as they will just go around. Next few days drop another bob but not right next to the first one. They get used to the bob's sliding on them. Few more day's and drop half the bob's, all on the same side of the trap. They have room to get around but few days later you have all the bob's down and they will go through them.
There are people that make a settling cage right under the re entry. I think it has bob's to get inside and the birds learn to trap without ever being loose. Some one else will have to explain it, I've never used it. I do have a large flight pen out the back of my homer loft. It has a re-entry built into it and in the beginning, I used it to trap. The good thing about that is I don't have the have birds out free flying when hawks are around. They got a big flight pen. If you only want a small number of bird's the pen would cost to much more I think.
I don't think I have the photo any more but there is another type re-entry that doesn't need bobs. can't remember what it's called but I ever build another loft, I put one in it. One more thing about the bob's, if your not racing birds, you don't need bob's at all. Replace them with a varmint door you close to keep them in, close at night to keep predators out And open it to let birds come and go, free fly. I have a small simple latch on mine and hinge's at the top.
Don't try to make your loft to small, I wouldn't go smaller than 4x4x8. That will let you put in a door to get inside, cleaning and catching birds. I seem to remember that the sq feet of the floor space of the loft determine's the number of bird's it will hold, 2 sq ft per bird. 4x4x8 would give you room for 8 bird's. You'll be alright raising young one's also it it but, I would suggest you get them out once they are flying to keep from over crowding.
There are people that make a settling cage right under the re entry. I think it has bob's to get inside and the birds learn to trap without ever being loose. Some one else will have to explain it, I've never used it. I do have a large flight pen out the back of my homer loft. It has a re-entry built into it and in the beginning, I used it to trap. The good thing about that is I don't have the have birds out free flying when hawks are around. They got a big flight pen. If you only want a small number of bird's the pen would cost to much more I think.
I don't think I have the photo any more but there is another type re-entry that doesn't need bobs. can't remember what it's called but I ever build another loft, I put one in it. One more thing about the bob's, if your not racing birds, you don't need bob's at all. Replace them with a varmint door you close to keep them in, close at night to keep predators out And open it to let birds come and go, free fly. I have a small simple latch on mine and hinge's at the top.
Don't try to make your loft to small, I wouldn't go smaller than 4x4x8. That will let you put in a door to get inside, cleaning and catching birds. I seem to remember that the sq feet of the floor space of the loft determine's the number of bird's it will hold, 2 sq ft per bird. 4x4x8 would give you room for 8 bird's. You'll be alright raising young one's also it it but, I would suggest you get them out once they are flying to keep from over crowding.
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mowermandan
- Rank: Junior Hunter
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- Joined: Mon Nov 17, 2014 8:04 pm
- Location: La Grande Or
Re: Starting a Pigeon Loft
I raised a lot of pigeons when I was young, what I did each time I got new birds was keep them penned for 2 months or until they are sitting on eggs/ both parents will sit they bond for life to a degree so when you start to fly them let one or the other of each pair that is nesting out to free fly from coop no distance just allow them out by hand they will return to there mate every time. or start with sqeakers that have never flown, use a box with one side open to teach them to reenter the bobs, put the box on the entry landing with the open end to the bobs. put birds in from inside they'll figure it out as quick as you can catch and put them back into the box after doing this several times you can release them out the door and they will return. oh and don't feed before putting them out, it may take over night the 1st time or 2 but they'll return. then you start distancing 1 mile 5 miles and so on. this method always worked for me. I had some pairs that were so in love I could let one out and hold the other in hand by the feet and let it flap its wings and the mate would fly right down and land on me this was with new birds that I had not had but a day or so good luck by the way im in the process of building a new coop im using an old 5X10 dog kennel im closing in one end to5X4X6 high for nesting and an interior area where birds will be able to get out of the weather and will put trap with bobs on outside end should work nicely for 10 to 20 birds
Re: Starting a Pigeon Loft
Don.
I think the item your referring to is called a Belgian drop. They use it a lot in Europe. No moving parts and it takes about 1 minutes to train a bird to trap with it. I've been using one for about 4 years and really like it. If you want plans let me know,easy to build a basic fixed version or there is a "flip open" version. Also a version called a "sputnic" I believe.
I think the item your referring to is called a Belgian drop. They use it a lot in Europe. No moving parts and it takes about 1 minutes to train a bird to trap with it. I've been using one for about 4 years and really like it. If you want plans let me know,easy to build a basic fixed version or there is a "flip open" version. Also a version called a "sputnic" I believe.
Re: Starting a Pigeon Loft
That is it! I've got a photo of one around here some where.digger wrote:Don.
I think the item your referring to is called a Belgian drop. They use it a lot in Europe. No moving parts and it takes about 1 minutes to train a bird to trap with it. I've been using one for about 4 years and really like it. If you want plans let me know,easy to build a basic fixed version or there is a "flip open" version. Also a version called a "sputnic" I believe.