# Flight pen size



## Hillybean (Oct 30, 2005)

Hey Everyone,
I have recently decided that I will be getting an outdoor loft in the spring. 
Another thing I want it a flight pen........

My pigeons are pets, and are people friendly. They won't be outdoors all year round, but I think they would enjoy some of the seasons or at least some afternoons outdoors.

I already loft how to figure loft size from the different threads, but I noticed no one says anything about the flight pen.

My question is how big does a flight pen have to be for...let's say 20 birds?
Please keep in mind 20 birds is the ball park figure.


Thank You,
Hilly


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Hillybean said:


> Hey Everyone,
> I have recently decided that I will be getting an outdoor loft in the spring.
> Another thing I want it a flight pen........
> 
> ...



Hilly, we (racing pigeon fanciers)don't often mention the flight pens because they are for the most part, simply so that the birds can get fresh air and really have nothing to do with "flight"..........our birds usually do a lot of flying anyway. Also, very seldom will you see ALL of your birds out at the same time. They will go in and out all day long, as opposed to the loft where you WILL see all of your birds inside roosting, mainly during the night, so there DOES need to be that minimum of space provided for each bird _inside_. I don't think it's necessary to have a "flight pen" so big that they can actually fly around in it. The main thing (to me) that is important about the flight pen is to make sure that YOU can get in and out of it easily. If a bird is injured or sick and laying out in the avairy, you want to be able to get to that bird easily. I've seen lofts built and the first thing I ask them is, "how are you going to get out into the aviary to catch your birds".........the window is about 12" X 12". That's fine for the birds, but not good for you as far as access.  I know that doesn't give you a "size" but once the loft is built, then just about any size aviary can be built and hung on the front.


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## TheSnipes (Apr 9, 2007)

Hi HB,

When I built my loft/pen it was on the frame of an arbor that was already there. It was about 12ftx12ft square, and the loft took up only about 4ftx12ft. So that means the flight pen is about 6+ftx12ft, and extends from the ground to a height of about 7ft. I can walk around in there and take tools (rakes, etc) inside and clean it if needed, and have take a chair inside so I could sit with them, plenty of space for perches, etc. I think that is a nice sized space and manageable in my yard which isn't large. They have plenty of room to flit about although it's true they don't do much flying except from here to there


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## Hillybean (Oct 30, 2005)

Thank you Renee and Snipes .

I think leaving them outside is going to be hard. lol! I will still have their room indoors, so they won't have to stay out all night.

Little Alice (pouter with leg problem) couldn't be left outside all night or left outside without keeping an eye on it, so having a chair or sitting place for me would be a good idea.

I just think an outdoor option would be good for them. Plus, I think Griffen and PL, both would love it. They were both born and raised in a loft. They'll probably be right at home  .

So the main thing with a flight pen is making sure I can get in without a problem....

Another question....
Do you do anything special to the floor of the flight pen?? Or is it just the ground??

I think they'd enjoy the grass, but I don't know if that is encouraged. Any thoughts on this would be wonderful. It probably seems like a stupid question, but I just want the best for them.

-Hilly


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

> Do you do anything special to the floor of the flight pen?? Or is it just the ground??


I don't think that just natural ground would be the best as predators could dig under the walls and get into it. Best to have the floors a little bit up off the ground and made of either plywood or some type of grating.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Hillybean said:


> Thank you Renee and Snipes .
> 
> I think leaving them outside is going to be hard. lol! I will still have their room indoors, so they won't have to stay out all night.
> 
> ...


Actually, all of our aviaries are up off of the ground and wired with 1/2" hardware cloth all the way around. However, I do have my two pair of Satinettes in the old chicken coop and that aviary is on the ground. I do however go out every single night and close the coop up so if something SHOULD dig underneath, it wouldn't get them very far as the could not get into the coop.


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

We have 6 birds and the flight pen is made of chain link kennel panels - it's 6' wide x 18' long x 6' high. This is a minimum - wish it was twice as long and wide). We attached hardwarecloth all around and over the top to keep out mice and wild birds. It's important to design an entry way that lets you close a door behind you before you step into the flight pen. Otherwise you risk one of them zipping out into the wild blue yonder!!! (Very scarey!!!)

We dug out a 1' pit at the base of the flight pen, lined it with 1' stone squares (sold as stepping stones), then filled it level with pea gravel. Clean up is a snap - just hose it down once or twice a day. If you don't want to put down pea gravel, some sand under the perches makes for easier pickup of poops. 

We attached board perches diagonally at the corners (rather than one long board along one side). This makes it harder for a bully bird, since he has to fly back and forth rather than just running down the others.

Good luck with building your flight pen. I know your birds will enjoy sunbathing, as well as the chance to shower in the rain.


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## Hillybean (Oct 30, 2005)

Thank you all for the replies!

TerriB, thank you for telling me a bit about your flight pen. I think it'll work out the best. I want little Alice (all the pigeons) to be able to enjoy the flight pen. If wire had to be used (even the smallest) it would be too hard on Alice.

Thank you all, and I'll be sure to keep you informed.
-Hilly


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## DEEJAY7950 (Dec 13, 2006)

For 20 birds i would build a fly pen just 4 feet wide by 8 feet long and 7 feet high! You will have plenty of room for growth! It's more of a place for the birds to sun themselves and to Breed, then it is for them to fly! just make sure you have perches and some wide boards for mating!


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## samuri_spartan (Aug 26, 2007)

Hilly,

I was worried about predators getting into my flight cage too. I dug a 1 foot "moat" around and buried chicken wire from the base of the flight cage to the bottom of the "moat. I think after a few inches of digging most predators will give up. I havent had any problems since i put it up a year ago. Even with the abundance of wildlife in the wooded area and creek behind my house. 

Chris


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## Rasmussenlofts (Aug 21, 2013)

*Fly pens*

We have 2 lofts, both built on concrete but both have plywood floors which are built on 4 x 4's. Our larger loft is 10 x 10 with the fly pen the same size, our smaller loft is 8 x 10 and it's fly pen is the same size as the first. We framed these in using 4 x 4 corner posts and 2 x 4's for the remainder of the framing, we then used OSB board around the bottom, and it is approx 3 ft tall. The remainder is chicken wire, as is the top. We have perches all around the inside of the fly pen and the opening to the lofts is maybe 10 x 10" with a sliding door that we use to close them in when it rains or snows. These pens have concrete floors which makes for easy cleaning. We do add a pile of ponderosa pine needles a few times a few times a year so the birds can add to their nest bowls. 
The doors to enter the fly pens are just average size doors made to match the rest of the fly pen. We do have galvanized metal pans that we fill with water year round. I've seen the birds enjoy a luke warm bath when it's been 17 degrees outside. As long as the sun is out they will bathe. We have housed up to 40 birds in the larger loft, which is pushing it space wise but we have plenty of nest boxes for each pair and they always seem happy. We do clean every week and sanitize every nest, we have not had any type of illness spread throughout our lofts, ever. But as I said we sanitize weekly. All feeders, buckets, perches and nests are cleaned using a bleach, dish soap mixture ( nests and perches are just sprayed with bleach and water ) as we have built these lofts we have used a water sealer on all wood which is allowed to dry for days before using. It makes clean up much easier and we have had no ill effects to our birds. 
We raise oriental rollers, west of England tumblers, Portuguese tumblers, Chinese owls and also frillbacks. We are going to start on our third coop in the spring as we like to separate all of our young birds. The actual coops are built using plywood and OSB board. My husband uses screws on everything along with attaching all 2 x 4's and 4 x 4's with hurricane straps. Our roofs are shingled but we have not pitched the roofs, they are approx 10 foot high in front and 8 to 9 feet in the back. With both front and back having an approx 4" to 6" 
"gap" which is also covered with chicken wire to allow for ventilation. Our front windows are approx 4 feet tall and span the width of the front of the coop. We have made removable 'window panels' that we put up in the winter to avoid any drafts. These panels are made using 2 x 2's with a heavy clear plastic between the boards. We live in Utah so we do have cold winters but our birds do just fine with the coops we have built. They are definitely tougher than we are. 
Hope this helps or at least gives you some ideas. We do not fly our birds, as they are more the show type. We are considering trying pea gravel in the actual lofts but everything works so well now we haven't decided. Due to the waterproofing of the floors, perches, etc clean up is almost always easy. It can be challenging to scrape the floors in the winter when the droppings are frozen but so far so good. Take care and good luck!


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