Loft Plans

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Hawaii
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Loft Plans

Post by Hawaii » Fri May 17, 2019 5:42 pm

Aloha, does anyone have Pigeon loft plans they are willing to send over? I am catching quite a few pigeons and need a place to keep them for a few days before they get used. Loft doesn't need to be big, just comfortable for the birds to eat and water and easy to catch them with a net when I need them. I was thinking a dozen or so birds at a time. Don't know much about keeping birds so any help is greatly appreciated.

averageguy
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Re: Loft Plans

Post by averageguy » Wed May 22, 2019 11:58 am

I built two coops using these plans, but I doubled the width on the second one and would do the same on any others I build going forward.

https://www.gundogsupply.com/-3720-.html

JONOV
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Re: Loft Plans

Post by JONOV » Tue Jun 04, 2019 7:51 am

For a small loft, is it nice/helpful in terms of catching birds to be able to walk in? I'm kicking a couple plans around and was curious...

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DonF
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Re: Loft Plans

Post by DonF » Tue Jun 04, 2019 8:33 am

Build your loft about 4x the size you think you need and get a few pairs started in it. In six or so month's you'll never have to catch another pigeon. You'll have to shoot them or sell them! It's been thirty some years since I've had to. That loft, ferals, is 12' x 12'.

marysburg
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Re: Loft Plans

Post by marysburg » Tue Jun 04, 2019 8:25 pm

Excellent advice there. Build it bigger than you think you'll ever need, then make it bigger yet. Don't ever make it so small that you can't walk inside and swing a catch net. I toured another loft built by a very experienced racing pigeon fellow. He made plywood nest platforms 12" by 30" and didn't use any kind of lip or edge on them, which makes them very easy to scrape. He used two bricks laid flat in the shape of a right angle, in each back corner by the wall. They formed perfect nest spots, and were very easy to pick up and clean. WAY better than bowls or fronts on the nest platforms. Needless to say, I ripped out all my nests and made the new ones like that. Enjoy your birds, you can make friends with them if you hand feed them peanuts. Some of your really good nesters will be with you for years, and you can launch them over and over again from your training field.

TheMorningRise
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Re: Loft Plans

Post by TheMorningRise » Fri Jun 07, 2019 7:35 am

Not plans, but here is mine just before I finished it.

Designed and built on the fly (no plans). A few things I would do differently. However, over all, I’m happy with it.

6 wide x 6 tall x 10 long
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DonF
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Re: Loft Plans

Post by DonF » Fri Jun 07, 2019 7:49 am

That's a good looking loft! How much trouble is it to clean the wire floor? I have plywood floors and easy clean unless it freeze's to hard. I used wire floor's in a few rabbit hutch's and they got super plugged up. Never did get them cleaned well. Look's like 1/2 x1 wire?

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Re: Loft Plans

Post by TheMorningRise » Fri Jun 07, 2019 8:08 am

DonF wrote:
Fri Jun 07, 2019 7:49 am
That's a good looking loft! How much trouble is it to clean the wire floor? I have plywood floors and easy clean unless it freeze's to hard. I used wire floor's in a few rabbit hutch's and they got super plugged up. Never did get them cleaned well. Look's like 1/2 x1 wire?

Yes, 1/2" galvanized wire mesh.

Cleaning isn't too bad. If need be, I can put all birds in the avery and close it off, then pressure wash the wire. I place a few small pieces of plywood on the floor. Usually just to place the waterer and feeder on. In extreme cold of winter, I will cover the entire floor loosely with ply, just to cut down on wind draft. Generally though, this is not needed.

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DonF
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Re: Loft Plans

Post by DonF » Mon Jun 10, 2019 8:24 am

Something I've done with water'ers I sit them on something to keep as much of the base off the ground as I can. Have plastic in the pigeon pen's and glad they are inexpensive, after to short a time the crack and need fixed or replaced. For my chicken's I have galvanized water'ers and they also sit with base off the ground. Found out years back that with the base's on the ground they rust out down there much much faster. In my pigeon loft, I cut a hole in the floor the size of a big coffee can. Wired a light fixture in the bottom of it abd fixed it into the floor, use a 40 watt max bulb in it, appliance bulb. have a box over them that allows the birds to get to the water without a lot of crap in the water. During the winter I plug in the light and water stays thawed down to about zero out side. Best thing I've done in them! Never had a water'er freeze up since doing that.

Hawaii
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Re: Loft Plans

Post by Hawaii » Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:11 pm

That loft looks great, are you able to walk on the wire to catch birds or clean the loft?

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DonF
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Re: Loft Plans

Post by DonF » Sun Sep 26, 2021 11:53 am

Hawaii wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:11 pm
That loft looks great, are you able to walk on the wire to catch birds or clean the loft?
Beautiful loft but major drawback for me. Not enough room to get inside and stand up to catch bird's, clean the floor ot clean out nest box's. Might work to build nest box's onto the side's you can get into from outside to clean them out. Did that with one of my chicken pens and it worked fine. But if you have a floor to walk on and good head room the rest takes care of itself. But that really is a beautiful loft.

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