# New at homing pigeons/know very little



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

I just recently acquired some homing pigeons that had been unable to be trained because of a hawk problem where they were located. I have three adults (two hens and one cock) and also have one young bird they raised and two little ones. Two more are on the way. I was advised by the former owner to not fly the adult birds because I would lose them. What I have done is wait until the young bird is ready to fly and have them going out into my yard from a landing board. I had put feed on the landing board for almost a week and they knew where it was with no problem. I started last Saturday evening, turning them out and seeing what they would do. The first time, they didn't do anything, just walked around the yard and hopped into the air a few times. Sunday, they flew to a neighbor's house that is really close and then flew back into my yard. Right before dark, they went up onto the landing board and then inside. So far so good. Monday and Tuesday they decided it was time to fly. They ranged all around my neighborhood, flying back and forth and right before dark, here they came. Tonight, the same thing and I am fixing to go out and close the loft up for the night. Now, my question and keep in mind that my aim is not to race the birds or do any kind of releases at services. I just like to have them around and I love to watch them fly. I do plan on training them to come home from a distance, but not to race.

I do not have a trap or bobs. I just have a landing board that I can close off securely with no problem. I plan on getting a trap, but I haven't been able to do so as of yet. The birds are going inside with no problem, but they do take their own sweet time about doing it. From reading some of the posts here on the forums, I think my problem may be in the way I am feeding the birds. I have been leaving feed available all of the time. I actually have three feeders, with each one having a little feed in it. I am trying to make sure they all get enough feed. It seems to me that I may need to cut back on the feed and maybe feed only once per day. Also, I am thinking I need to do something to train the birds to the feed. I am very open to suggestions here. Read the title of my post. I know very little about this hobby.

*Edited to add the following:*

I think I need to describe my setup a little. I have a loft that is about 5 1/2' to 6' long by about 3' wide. The actual body of the loft is about 4 feet tall at the front. I have an aviary attached to one end that is 92" long by 3' wide by about 6' tall. There is a nest box attached to the other end of the loft. I realize this isn't very much room, but I do not plan on having a lot of birds and the ones I have, I plan to fly as much as I can, if for no other reason than I like to watch them fly and they need the exercise. I am unable to have a walk-in loft at this time. The landing board I spoke of above is at an opening in the middle of the front of the aviary. The front of the loft has two narrow doors in the front that I use to put feed and water inside and I also have feed and water and a bath pan in the aviary. Would it be better for me to use one of the doors on the loft itself as a landing board or make a board/trap towards the top of the loft, on the front?


----------



## JayBird (Apr 5, 2006)

Hi there!! I enjoyed reading your post because i have slowly been building myself an aviery so i can do the same thing you are. I just would like to have a few homing pigeons, that i can enjoy taking care of, and watch fly around town. Plus i think it will be lots of fun to do with my kids. A great bonding and learning experience for them.
I have not finished my loft yet, but it's getting there. Reading your post encouraged me to get working a little faster! thanks! JayBird


----------



## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

Look at redroselofts.com. They have some helpfull hints and show a good simple trap setup. I had the bobs when I was a kid and had a hard time training my birds to the bobs. Now I use the same setup as red rose. A hinged board that opens about 4-5 inches. The birds just drop in. I have not had any birds able to escape yet. I train my youngbirds twice to the trap, that is all it takes. It sounds like your set up is small, so you do not want to get carried away with the breeding. You may find that you are like the rest of us and keep on building more room for the birds. I am up to 16x16 three sections soon to be four and already thinking of a youngbird loft. Good luck. There are many helpful individuals in here. Best advice I would have is to join a local club, most are very helpful. 
Randy Hill
welcome


----------



## Jiggs (Apr 1, 2005)

If you are just going to fly the birds for enjoyment it sounds like you are on the right track. I would definatly cut down on the feed - fat pigeons do not really want to fly.

If you read the sticky threads on the forum - the training and feed etc stay about the same!!!!

Once they have raised a baby or two you could fly the older birds too. As they should stay. There are a few things you could do as well. I have three sets of old birds that I loft fly that were not born here. BUT it will never be a guarantee that they will stay


----------



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

*Thanks*

Thanks for the replies. It has confirmed what I was already thinking about and looking at the Redrose Lofts page has given me an idea about a trap, but I will have to think about it a bit. I will post back my results. Thanks again and if anyone has any more ideas or comments, please jump right in.


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hello and thank you or sharing your training of youngsters. 

You have already gotten some good information regarding lofts and traps.

Your youngsters definitely have control of you, rather then vice-versa.  They should not be able to lounge around outside all day after flight as it is detrimental to their health and welfare. You may not have any hawks or predators now, but you will in the future. HUNGER is the best way to train them and trap them quickly. Please do make uure you change their feeding habits immediately. Make sure they don't have access to food all day, and they should get just enough that will enable them to be hungry before they fly again.


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

DynaBMan..........you've gotten some pretty good advice and I'm crunched for time right now.........just curious as to where in OK you live......I lived in Lawton for 10 years and worked at Ft. Sill. I had never heard of a racing pigeon at that time. Wish I had known then what I know now.....Anyway, good luck........sounds like you are doing ok except for the feeding part and everyone has told you about that.........

PS: I love you signature.........you're wife must be a lucky lady.....


----------



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

Lovebirds said:


> DynaBMan..........you've gotten some pretty good advice and I'm crunched for time right now.........just curious as to where in OK you live......I lived in Lawton for 10 years and worked at Ft. Sill. I had never heard of a racing pigeon at that time. Wish I had known then what I know now.....Anyway, good luck........sounds like you are doing ok except for the feeding part and everyone has told you about that.........
> 
> PS: I love you signature.........you're wife must be a lucky lady.....


I live in Roland, OK. It is just across the state line from Fort Smith, AR.

Actually, I am the one that is lucky. I am very blessed to have Tammy as my wife.


----------



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

*Trap Idea*

Some of you folks take a look at Redrose Lofts and the trap they have on the loft design they show. You can get a good look at the way it operates on the last page of the step-by-step building issues. What I have in mind, since I don't have a walk-in loft, is to build one in reverse of that one. It would swing to the outside, with a landing board under it big enough that the birds can land and then find the opening. Does that sound as if it will work? Thanks again for all of the advice and trust me, my birds are going to be mad at me and very hungry when I get home from work today.


----------



## pigeonpoo (Sep 16, 2005)

DynaBMan.... your birds need to learn a signal that it's feeding time......everytime you feed them give the same signal and repeat it whilst they are eating..they'll soon come to associate the sound with food. Some people ring a bell, some whistle, I shake the beans in a tin can. I don't think that it matters what you do as long as your consistent. Then, when you've made your trap you can call the birds in when you want them.


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

DynaBMan said:


> Some of you folks take a look at Redrose Lofts and the trap they have on the loft design they show. You can get a good look at the way it operates on the last page of the step-by-step building issues. What I have in mind, since I don't have a walk-in loft, is to build one in reverse of that one. It would swing to the outside, with a landing board under it big enough that the birds can land and then find the opening. Does that sound as if it will work? Thanks again for all of the advice and trust me, my birds are going to be mad at me and very hungry when I get home from work today.


If I understand what you are saying correctly, the way you want to do it would allow the birds to go in and eat and then come back out again. The way it's built on the RR loft, once the birds are in, they can't get back out. that's the whole point for the trapping system.


----------



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

Lovebirds said:


> If I understand what you are saying correctly, the way you want to do it would allow the birds to go in and eat and then come back out again. The way it's built on the RR loft, once the birds are in, they can't get back out. that's the whole point for the trapping system.


Yes, that is what I meant. I will have to see if I can figure out a way to swing the door that is already there the other way. Will it matter if the floor is even with the bottom of the door?


----------



## pigeonpoo (Sep 16, 2005)

Mmmm, not sure if I'm understanding what you mean here; the idea of the trap swinging inward to the loft is that the birds are unable to fly back out of it as they need their wings open to fly and there isn't the space for them to get through. If your trap is on the loft floor, your birds will simply duck under it and walk back out!


----------



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

pigeonpoo said:


> Mmmm, not sure if I'm understanding what you mean here; the idea of the trap swinging inward to the loft is that the birds are unable to fly back out of it as they need their wings open to fly and there isn't the space for them to get through. If your trap is on the loft floor, your birds will simply duck under it and walk back out!


Yes, I see what you mean. I told you I was new at this. I will check it out when I get home and see what I can come up with. I will post back with the results and maybe a picture or two.


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

DynaBMan said:


> The birds are going inside with no problem, but they do take their own sweet time about doing it. From reading some of the posts here on the forums, I think my problem may be in the way I am feeding the birds. I have been leaving feed available all of the time. I actually have three feeders, with each one having a little feed in it. I am trying to make sure they all get enough feed. It seems to me that I may need to cut back on the feed and maybe feed only once per day. Also, I am thinking I need to do something to train the birds to the feed. I am very open to suggestions here. Read the title of my post. I know very little about this hobby.



I see that the "feeding" part hasn't really been addressed...........the "normal" amount is 1 oz per day per bird. 2 tablespoons = 1 oz. Now this is just a guideline.........obviously, in colder weather they need a little more, warmer weather less, regularly flying birds expend more energy so may need a little more, (after they are trained to trap when called) and of course birds that just sit in the loft and are not allowed out to fly need less. I'm really surprised that your birds are entering the loft like they are but I suspect it has more to do with the time of day than hunger.  
You probably have been reading alot of posts so already know these things, but I thought I'd throw it out there "just in case"......... 
Don't know where Roland is........I only asked because AFTER we got our first birds, I found out there was a family just a few miles from where I lived in Lawton that had racing pigeons. There was a club there and everything.


----------



## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

You could also look at the sputnik type trap. You could modify this and have shoots that are angled 45 degrees in the inside. If I find the page where I saw these I will send it your way. The higher off the ground the better for the trap. Cats can be a problem. Look at Warrens page smith family loft for a good picture of a sputnik. He was his inside his aviary. I am assuming that this is so the birds learn to trap while the are caged in the aviary, Interesting set up. Warren if you read this why is it that your sputnik is inside your aviary? Some people have bobbed traps going in and out of the loft. This may be a sollution to your issue. Bobbs at ground level will work. Just some ideas. 
Randy Hill


----------



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

Well, I tried until dark to try to build a trap like the one on the Redrose Loft page, but I really don't think it is going to work. I actually had to let my oldest daughter worm her way through one of the doors and install a piece of plywood with hinges above the other door. It has an opening of about 9" by 12" that I thought I could remove the wire from, install a landing board on the outside, and use it that way. If it wasn't dark, I would take some pictures and let you folks see what I am talking about. It is the same general principle of the one at Redrose. I am just not sure it is going to work. The opening may not be big enough.

I actually had thougt about buying a bob trap from http://www.globalpigeon.com/productimages/fullimg/IMG1124261102.jpg and just frame the existing opening in my aviary to fit it. That opening is only about two feet off the ground. Is that high enough?


----------



## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

My opening is about 12" x 12" I have a hinged board that is about 12" wide and 15" long it hanges down below the enty bottom. This way when I swing it open it still blocks the opening. Little lesson in geometry. I have a small board that I hinge the door open with. I start by opening the board 5-6 inches at first and as the birds get familiar with the trap I just give them enough room to drop in. good luck with the trap you will find what works best for you. 
Randy Hill


----------



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

*Landing board*



hillfamilyloft said:


> My opening is about 12" x 12" I have a hinged board that is about 12" wide and 15" long it hanges down below the enty bottom. This way when I swing it open it still blocks the opening. Little lesson in geometry. I have a small board that I hinge the door open with. I start by opening the board 5-6 inches at first and as the birds get familiar with the trap I just give them enough room to drop in. good luck with the trap you will find what works best for you.
> Randy Hill


Just out of curosity, how big is your landing board? And thanks to everyone for taking me in and leading me in the right direction.


----------



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

*Pictures of my loft*

Here are some pictures of my loft and it's layout. I did manage to get a trap set up this afternoon, but I don't intend to use it or fly my birds again until I have them on a regular feeding schedule. They were very anxious to eat when I got home I made sure I shook the feed around in the feeders when I was headed toward the front of the loft and kept saying "Here, birds" over and over. While they were eating, I was standing there shaking more feed in another feeder and saying the same thing over and over. I want them to get trained to that before I go any further. Please take a look the pictures and tell me honestly if you think it will work.

Just a note, but the young bird that I call Junior is what I call a red bar (that may not be the correct term) and he is out of my red check cock and blue bar hen. He is the first baby I raised and I am quite proud of him. That is him in my avatar. 

Here is Junior. The pictures following his are general pictures of my loft and the rest of my birds.
http://members.cox.net/dynabman/Pigeons/P1010131.jpg

http://members.cox.net/dynabman/Pigeons/P1010124.jpg

http://members.cox.net/dynabman/Pigeons/P1010125.jpg

http://members.cox.net/dynabman/Pigeons/P1010126.jpg

http://members.cox.net/dynabman/Pigeons/P1010127.jpg

http://members.cox.net/dynabman/Pigeons/P1010128.jpg

http://members.cox.net/dynabman/Pigeons/P1010129.jpg

http://members.cox.net/dynabman/Pigeons/P1010130.jpg

http://members.cox.net/dynabman/Pigeons/P1010132.jpg

http://members.cox.net/dynabman/Pigeons/P1010133.jpg

http://members.cox.net/dynabman/Pigeons/P1010134.jpg

http://members.cox.net/dynabman/Pigeons/P1010135.jpg

http://members.cox.net/dynabman/Pigeons/P1010136.jpg


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

I don't see any reason why it won't work. Someone else can probably answer this, but I wonder if it would be easier for the birds to drop down if that one board on the inside was a little shorter?? The picture of the Blue Bar is a good looking bird also. As far as Junior......... He is quite pretty. Actually they are called "mealy", but for the life of me I don't know why. Why is a Blue Bar a Blue Bar but a Red Bar is a mealy??? Never figured that one out.....We've got a little red bird this year that is almost orange. I've never seen that shade of red before. I've thought of posting a picture, but I don't think it would show the true color and would probably just look like another red pigeon.......


----------



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

Lovebirds said:


> I don't see any reason why it won't work. Someone else can probably answer this, but I wonder if it would be easier for the birds to drop down if that one board on the inside was a little shorter?? The picture of the Blue Bar is a good looking bird also. As far as Junior......... He is quite pretty. Actually they are called "mealy", but for the life of me I don't know why. Why is a Blue Bar a Blue Bar but a Red Bar is a mealy??? Never figured that one out.....We've got a little red bird this year that is almost orange. I've never seen that shade of red before. I've thought of posting a picture, but I don't think it would show the true color and would probably just look like another red pigeon.......


The only question in my mind is how they are going to learn to go to the board and trap. With the way my loft is set up, I simply do not have a way to let them go "outside" and then coax them through the trap with feed. Any ideas on that?


----------



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

Lovebirds said:


> We've got a little red bird this year that is almost orange. I've never seen that shade of red before. I've thought of posting a picture, but I don't think it would show the true color and would probably just look like another red pigeon.......


I wish you would post it. I would like to see what he looks like.

On another note, I wish I could figure out if Junior is a cock or a hen. I suppose I might have to wait until he/she gets a little age on him/her and see how he starts to act.


----------



## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

I am the king for loosing posts. I had a great one for you but lost it. Well to answer your question my landing board is 3' x 7' and extends the top of my aviary. I have a team of 40 birds and this is about right. Yours should suffice for the number of birds you have. 
To train the birds, put a cage or crate on the landing board put the birds in and open the trap. They should fall right in. 
The only thing I see potentially wrong with the design is the trap may be too long. Try the birds first. I think the will slam to the floor of the loft. My trap extends about 3 to 4 inches below the landing board level. The birds can open their wings before the floor. I think yours will work. The only question is whether the birds can fly before the floor. May not be a problem.
Another option you might consider is an aviary that opens placed in front of the trap. Look at lovebirds page and look at their new old bird loft. Nice loft by the way. Their aviary can be closed to trap train their birds. Some people use this kind of aviary with a two way trap manely bobs so birds can come and go and train themselves while they visit the aviary. Give their page a look. I will probably use their design on my next section or use a sputnick. What you have now will work. If you have a flying crate that will work for training. Open it up ****ed up against the trap and put it on the landing board. Put the birds in the crate and open the trap. Do this at feeding time and call them in with a whistle. Do this a few times and they will be trained. I did not even trap train my third round last year. I let them out and they learned from the other birds the way in. Once and they will have it. I can remember the apprehension in the birds to the bobs. 
Randy Hill


----------



## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

I wanted to post that before I lost it again. The only question I would have with your setup is the distance from trap to floor. Try it, if it does not work cut the board down, if that does not work you may want to try bobs. Think about putting an aviary in front of the trap to work as both your landing board and a training aid. All the starter lofts that you can link to from Red Rose use this type of design. A member in our club used the design with the aviary and it works great. I did not use the design because I wanted my landing board higher. The end of next week, I will try and get a chance and send you some photos. 
Randy Hill

xx
x x
x x
p x (open trap)
A x
R x
T x __Landing board__

xx
xx
xx (closed trap)
Px
ax
Rx__Landing Board__
T

Hope that will give you an idea of my set up. The trap is only a few inches below the landing board level. Enough so when it is open about 4 or 5 inches the trap is still as low or lower than the board. This way the birds can open their wings and fly before they hit the floor. Yours may work in that they just drop in junp to the floor. Give it a go.


----------



## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

That did not leave my spaces in the diagram but you can see by the bottom image that the trap is just below the board. The top image is supposed to be open with the hinged board level or just below the board when opened. As long as the birds cannot close their wings and rest on the board they should not be able to escape. I also have triangular boads blocking the sides. I do not think they are necessary. 
Randy Hill


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

DynaBMan said:


> On another note, I wish I could figure out if Junior is a cock or a hen. I suppose I might have to wait until he/she gets a little age on him/her and see how he starts to act.


I looked at the pic of Junior again and I can't see any black flecks in the tail. They say if a red bird has black flecks, it a cock. I don't know if that's true or not.???


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

hillfamilyloft said:


> Look at lovebirds page and look at their new old bird loft. Nice loft by the way. Their aviary can be closed to trap train their birds.
> 
> I can remember the apprehension in the birds to the bobs.
> Randy Hill


Thanks Randy.......
This type of aviary, as with everything else, had it's drawbacks. It is easier to train the birds to trap BUT, and John15530 mentioned this in one of his posts, while you are waiting for birds to come in the ones that are in already are stuck in the loft and can't get out into the aviary. BUT......one good thing is, if you have a bird or birds that won't trap, you can close the door on them and they are shut up in the avairy........they may or may not trap, but at least they are locked in and nothing can get to them, and if they want to hang out in the aviary all day, then that's their problem, but they are safe. Another thing is trying to catch them. If the aviary is deeper than your arms are long, it doesn't take them but a couple of times to figure out that if they sit out far enough, you can't reach them. Ask me, they sit and laugh at me all the time........... , my husband can reach them, but I can't. My husband built a loft like our small one for a friend and his aviary is not as deep and you can just reach in and grab his birds..........wish ours was like his......guess this is where the "late trap" would come in. When we are waiting on race birds, we certainly don't want to slow them down but getting them to enter through the small door, and the late birds.........well, after they've flown 300 or 400 miles, they want in the loft when they get home, so I leave the aviary open for them, so there again, the birds that came home 3 or 4 hours ago, are shut up in the loft for the day. I guess there's a "perfect" design out there somewhere,,,,,,,I just haven't seen it yet...


----------



## dovegirl (Apr 15, 2006)

hillfamilyloft said:


> Now I use the same setup as red rose. A hinged board that opens about 4-5 inches. The birds just drop in.


Randy,

Does the pigeon push the hinged board open or is it always open? 

Ellie


----------



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

dovegirl said:


> Hello.
> 
> Does the pigeon push the hinged board open or is it always open?
> 
> Ellie


The door stays closed until I prop it open with the long narrow board that is to the left of the door. That way, the birds can drop through the opening, but can not fly back out.


----------



## pigeonpoo (Sep 16, 2005)

DynaBMan said:


> The only question in my mind is how they are going to learn to go to the board and trap. With the way my loft is set up, I simply do not have a way to let them go "outside" and then coax them through the trap with feed. Any ideas on that?


I put my young birds, before they are really flying, one at a time onto the landing board - they hate being outside and on their own and jump straight back in through the trap. They have about three times each doing this and then I sit them all out with the trap closed so that they get a good look around outside the loft. You have to be careful that they don't get spooked, also I keep all the older birds inside whilst I do this. For training older birds you can use a box as Randy describes.


----------



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

pigeonpoo said:


> I put my young birds, before they are really flying, one at a time onto the landing board - they hate being outside and on their own and jump straight back in through the trap. They have about three times each doing this and then I sit them all out with the trap closed so that they get a good look around outside the loft. You have to be careful that they don't get spooked, also I keep all the older birds inside whilst I do this. For training older birds you can use a box as Randy describes.


The landing board is only 15" long x 9" wide. That may be too small to put a box on it and let the birds view the world.


----------



## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

The door is closed and secure when the birds are in the loft. When they are out flying you hindge the door open about 4 or 5 inches so they can drop right in the loft. After they are all in I lock it shut with a bar. Simple design. I do leave it open for periods of time for my similate birds and have not had problems with preditors. 
Randy


----------



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

hillfamilyloft said:


> The door is closed and secure when the birds are in the loft. When they are out flying you hindge the door open about 4 or 5 inches so they can drop right in the loft. After they are all in I lock it shut with a bar. Simple design. I do leave it open for periods of time for my similate birds and have not had problems with preditors.
> Randy


As you can see from the pictures, I am somewhat limited as to what I can do with my loft. That is the reason I hinged the landing board. I can now use it to shut off the trap completely. It should be very secure. What I plan on doing is getting another board to replace the one you see in the pictures. It will go all the way to the top of the loft when closed and go almost all the way across the front of the loft, to where the left hand door is. It should be about 19" x 44". That will also make it easy to close off the front of the loft in the winter, making it warmer for the birds.

I suppose I need to stop posting so much, but I keep thinking of all these ideas in my head and I reckon you folks are a pretty good sounding board. Let me know if you want me to shut up.


----------



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

Just an update, but I managed to get another landing board to replace the small one I had. It is 17 1/2" x 44" with four hinges holding it on, plus and old, red nylon strap holding it up for support on each end. It may give me enough room to set something up on the outside to train the birds to trap.

The feeding is going better. I just got through feeding 4 ozs. for four adjult birds and they cleaned it in no time. When I left the loft, there was very little left in the feeder. I did by me a sports whistle and was using it and shaking feed in a can all the time they were eating. Hopefully, I can try to do the trapping sometime next week.


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

DynaBMan said:


> I suppose I need to stop posting so much, but I keep thinking of all these ideas in my head and I reckon you folks are a pretty good sounding board. Let me know if you want me to shut up.


If we got sick of people posting we would have to close down the site.... So no one is going to tell you to shut up.........LOL


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

DynaBMan said:


> I wish you would post it. I would like to see what he looks like.



Ok. Here you go........I managed to catch her (I think) beside another red cock bird. Can you see the difference in the color of red she is? You should see her in real life. I think once she finishes molting she'll be a real looker.


----------



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

Lovebirds said:


> Ok. Here you go........I managed to catch her (I think) beside another red cock bird. Can you see the difference in the color of red she is? You should see her in real life. I think once she finishes molting she'll be a real looker.


She is very pretty. When do they finish molting? Junior is about 45 days old, I think.


----------



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

hillfamilyloft said:


> The only thing I see potentially wrong with the design is the trap may be too long. Try the birds first. I think the will slam to the floor of the loft. My trap extends about 3 to 4 inches below the landing board level. The birds can open their wings before the floor. I think yours will work. The only question is whether the birds can fly before the floor. May not be a problem.


It is 21 1/2" from my landing board to the floor of the loft. Do you suppose that might be too far? I can cut the trap board shorter, if I need to do so.


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

DynaBMan said:


> She is very pretty. When do they finish molting? Junior is about 45 days old, I think.


Well, Junior should be dropping his first flight feather pretty soon. They go through a slow molt for about 6 months or so. We use the light system so about two weeks after we turn the lights out, our birds sort of fall apart. You wouldn't believe the feathers we have to vacuum up every morning from 70 YB's...... And they look pretty rough for a while. We've always used lights so I'm not sure what or how it happens naturally. I just watch them and if their head is "naked" from loss of feathers, I don't make them fly if they don't want to. Experts say that the wind hurts their ears when there's no feathers. We train them even when dropping flights but once we get out to 50 miles or longer, I check their flights and depending on where they are I decide whether to send them on a training toss. From what I've been told, the worst time to fly them is when the 5th flight is just coming in or if the 9th flight is missing because that leaves a big gap between 8 and 10.


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi Renee,

Your orange baby is already a looker. Thank you for your great information, especially the info on the molting. That is very valuable to know.


----------



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

Lovebirds said:


> As far as Junior......... He is quite pretty. Actually they are called "mealy", but for the life of me I don't know why. Why is a Blue Bar a Blue Bar but a Red Bar is a mealy??? Never figured that one out.


Renee,

I have been doing some reading on genetics, which is way over my head, and I have a question about Miss or not Junior.  I see what is referred to as an Ash-Red bird on different pages. The same pages also say if the wingshields are dirty or smutty, that the bird would be called a Mealy. What are the wingshields? Can you point me to a diagram or picture that would show me what they are talking about?


----------



## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

DynaBMan said:


> The same pages also say if the wingshields are dirty or smutty, that the bird would be called a Mealy. What are the wingshields? Can you point me to a diagram or picture that would show me what they are talking about?


This may be the site you have been reading, but if not, check it out: http://www.angelfire.com/ga3/pigeongenetics/

Terry


----------



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

TAWhatley said:


> This may be the site you have been reading, but if not, check it out: http://www.angelfire.com/ga3/pigeongenetics/


Actually, I have that web site bookmarked. What I would like to see is a diagram or a picture that points out exactly what the wingshields are. I am trying to determine if Miss Junior, the bird in my first picture earlier in this thread and my avatar, is an Ash-Red Bar or a Mealy. I was also trying to determine if the bird is a hen or cock, but from her build, actions, and posture, I think she is a hen. She was born on April 28.


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

DynaBMan said:


> Renee,
> 
> I have been doing some reading on genetics, which is way over my head, and I have a question about Miss or not Junior.  I see what is referred to as an Ash-Red bird on different pages. The same pages also say if the wingshields are dirty or smutty, that the bird would be called a Mealy. What are the wingshields? Can you point me to a diagram or picture that would show me what they are talking about?



they are simply talking about the wing color. A BB has a solid "blue" or "gray" wing with black bars.........a Silver has a solid wing with Red bars..........a BC has Gray wing with black specks and black bars........"wing shield" is just another way of saying wing. It's nothing special on the wing itsself. I thought a "mealy" was the same thing as a red check? I'm not into all that genetic stuff either cause it's WAY over my head. I only understand the basic stuff.


----------



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

Lovebirds said:


> they are simply talking about the wing color. A BB has a solid "blue" or "gray" wing with black bars.........a Silver has a solid wing with Red bars..........a BC has Gray wing with black specks and black bars........"wing shield" is just another way of saying wing. It's nothing special on the wing itsself. I thought a "mealy" was the same thing as a red check? I'm not into all that genetic stuff either cause it's WAY over my head. I only understand the basic stuff.


The more I read the descriptions of the colors on the different genetic pages, I think Miss Junior is an Ash Red.


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

DynaBMan said:


> The more I read the descriptions of the colors on the different genetic pages, I think Miss Junior is an Ash Red.



yes, she is. There are two reds......ash red and recessive red.


----------

