# A new pigeon loft



## Feral Pigeon (Apr 17, 2008)

I built a pigeon that is 8' by 12' and 12' high. It has two windows that open in to 8' by 8' wire cages for the pigeons. What I am looking to start is to raise 100-150 breeding and breed them. Then sell the squabs or raise them till there three months but transfer them to and other loft but still keep the breeding pairs in the 8' by 12' loft. I don't know what knid of pigeons I want to raise! I looking for some advice on what to raise! The pigeons I'm raising I want to be able to move when I want to get rid of them so I don't over crowd.


Thanks!


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## jbangelfish (Mar 22, 2008)

*What purpose are you raising them for?*

If you are raising them to sell as squab or meat, you probably won't get alot of help here.

If you want to raise pigeons for profit, there are many valuable show and performance breeds that you could raise.

100-150 birds in your loft would be quite a crowd. Also, your high ceiling will make catching them difficult.

One pair of pigeons can raise many young in a single breeding season, two at a time. If they are overcrowded, they will not raise as many. They lay 2 eggs which hatch in 18 days. When the babies hatch, in 2 or 3 weeks, the pair will lay two more eggs. Do the math, I would think that a pair could easily raise 10 or 12 young in a single breeding season but I don't actually keep track of the numbers.

While I would know exactly which pair had what and how many, etc. it doesn't mean enough to me to have this in my head and I've been doing this for almost 50 years.



Bill


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

HI FERAL PIGEON,Well I hate to be the one to tell you this but your loft is not a good one for breeding pigeons that is if its 12 feet high just how are you going to catch the birds that are roosting at about the 8 foot hight the proper hight would be 6 and a half feet to 7 feet max. .GEORGE


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Hope this isn't a "get rich quick" scheme.


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## horsesgot6 (May 30, 2007)

Breeding Any Type of animal Can sometimes be hard to Move. Pigeons Could Be Really hard there is alot less people that want them. I'm Not Really sure About what breed Would be a good start. But even if you find the rigth breed and make money on it this year Next year you may not make very much. If I was you I'd Look At Buying Top Birds Maybe 10 or 20 Pairs Breed And Sell out Of them. You would beable to have fewer Birds And hopefully sell them at a Higher price. I would Also Show Them If they Are A fancy Breed, Race them if they are Homers/racing Breeds. This Way you Could Also maybe Breed your birds only when you have a buyer. 

I would really Study/know the area you are in found out what clubs are in your area they may be able to help with a breed and help find a breeder to get some birds from. 

What is your plans for your birds (once you Get them) if you Don't Make any money off them. If you Get 100 to 150 Pairs Thats Alot Of birds To Place in Homes and it Could Take Some time To Get Raid of them. 

Good Luck In This And Welcome to Pigeon Talk. You Really Have found a great site to learn about pigeons. 

Also If You Do get Meat Pigeons Please Don't Post It On Here what you Are doing With Them We Love Our Pigeons And This Site Is More Pigeon Lovers That Don't Like to Hear The Word Kill. 

Welcome Again To Pigeon Talk And Glad you have Joined.


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## Janet (Jan 17, 2008)

Hey there! Pretty new myself with pigeons. There fabulous friends to have around. However, I don't want to come off bad but what your wanting to do just doesn't sound like a good idea. Though, thats my own personal opinion. Sorry if I offended you. I started with 2 pigeons and within a few very short months, they have multiplied so unbelieveably fast. I had no clue what I was in for. Trying to have 100 -150 pigeons just doesn't seem like such a smart thing. I would have never thought to come up with a number like that. I totally agree with Charis and hope your not looking to sell them for meat. If your wanting to make a sport out of this or make money, certainly do some serious research before taking on such a challenge of raising 100 - 150 pigeons. There alot of work and I couldn't imagine cleaning up after that many. Keeping there loft clean is extremely important and providing them with vet care and vaccines for that many can get quite costly as well. Good Luck on what ever you decide. Sorry I can't tell you if the size loft you were asking about was large enough. I'm not good at measurement, only pics. However I do agree, 12ft is pretty high. You would have to be a GIANT!


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## Feral Pigeon (Apr 17, 2008)

Thanks for some of the insight. Don't worry I'm not in the big huge pigeon scheme that so many of us have heard about. I not looking to sell the squabs for meat! The reason I thought of selling the squabs when there young is so that a some one who races can train them when their young. Does anybody have suggestions on what breed to raise or look in to? I would like to raise a breed that would be useful for others to use in breeding, racing, or enjoyment. 


Thanks again!!!!!!!

P.S. I'm open for an suggestions or opions about my project?


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## Grim (Jul 28, 2007)

My opinion is why? There is not a huge demand for pigeons as pets and racing enthusiasts have selective stock and usually keep their own families. 

I think you would be left with tons of unwanted birds or ill and sick birds. I think it would be great if you kept birds for your own enjoyment. I just don't see a business or a demand for home raised pigeons as pets.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Grim said:


> My opinion is why? There is not a huge demand for pigeons as pets and racing enthusiasts have selective stock and usually keep their own families.
> 
> I think you would be left with tons of unwanted birds or ill and sick birds. I think it would be great if you kept birds for your own enjoyment. I just don't see a business or a demand for home raised pigeons as pets.


I agree. I think you need to re-think your plan.


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## EgypSwiftLady (Jan 14, 2008)

I have worked with animals now entire life, 49 yrs., and unless you have the money to get top breeders of the " fashionable" breed and can produce and sell those babies while that breed is still the "in" breed to have, you will not make much $$$. I 've seen this happen with sooo many different species... the pot bellie pigs, emus, ostriches, dogs, cats, theirs so many animals the list is way to long.

My suggestion to you is find a site that shows many different breeds of pigeons. When you see one you like find out what it takes to properly care for that breed, not all pigeons breeds can be cared for the same, and just get a few pairs to start. Taking care of any animal is a huge expence of money, time and a total commitment. If you get too many you can be overwhelmed and the birds could suffer.

I'm just trying to help and this is only my 2 cents worth.


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## TheSnipes (Apr 9, 2007)

Grim said:


> My opinion is why? There is not a huge demand for pigeons as pets and racing enthusiasts have selective stock and usually keep their own families.
> 
> I think you would be left with tons of unwanted birds or ill and sick birds. I think it would be great if you kept birds for your own enjoyment. I just don't see a business or a demand for home raised pigeons as pets.


I am going to second (or third?) this -- there is very little [*(no)* money in raising/selling pigeons. Have a look at eggbid.com for instance. Birds go for less than it costs to feed and raise them. And those high-dollar birds that racers are buying/selling? They are not raised by a beginner with an idea of raising birds and finding a market out there for them. The only people who are making a profit raising pigeons are people with long years of experience breeding show or race birds who have acquired considerable expertise along the way. I hate to burst your bubble, but...POP!  

If you are planning on selling them to those notorious PA pigeon shoots, then I have much harsher words for you...but, if you are just looking for some pet birds, pigeons are a great hobby and in that case, start with a couple pretty ones you like and in time you'll find more, and they will multiply incredibly fast. Pretty soon you will be knee deep in them...


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## kippermom (Jan 11, 2006)

I have a loft about the size you describe where I keep 34 birds total...I have nest boxes and perches...a "community"... and I replace eggs to keep population down. The high roof is not a challenge because I do not need to catch them often. (I have a net on a pole I use when I need to.) I eyeball pairs and when I get a pair hooked up that might make an interesting baby, I MIGHT let tham hatch something. I am free to take in rescues because I am not trying to sell anything, or breed for racing or show or...No registry or recordkeeping. Just one big happy family but a manageable number in that large a space. I bring a chair into the loft and just sit and watch them interact, get to know their personalities and idiosyncracies and listen to their conversations, treat their boo boos, try to be a good pigeon keeper. If you just love the birds, then this might be a better option for the loft you have already built than trying to raise them in bulk for re-sale...which does not seem feasible, nor nearly as satisfying. But of course, that's just my opinion.


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## ND Cooper (Mar 4, 2008)

If this is going to be a business, then you need to do some Market Reserch.
I'm not trying to discourage you, In fact, when I first got into pigeons, I thought that I could do the same thing! After a while, (a few months) I realized that haveing pigeons as pets, would be the only thing for me. That's because after I bread a few, there was no way I could bring myself to part with them. It happens!
I'm just glad that I didn't get in too deep!


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## jojo67 (Jul 14, 2007)

Pretty soon you will be knee deep in them...[/QUOTE]

Pretty soon you will be Knee deep in poo, Thats if you want up to 150 pigeons,

You need to decide why you want pigeons and for what purpose, to sell young you will need the best birds possible, and if you want racers then you will need a big bank account, and the same goes for show birds as well,


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## Feral Pigeon (Apr 17, 2008)

thank you guy's for your help and opoions! I was wondering were a good place to start looking for a supplier for food and grit would be. I checked with my local feed mills and some pet stores. How do most of you guys get your feed? What are reasonable prices on feed on what brands do you guys reconmend?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Feral Pigeon said:


> thank you guy's for your help and opoions! I was wondering were a good place to start looking for a supplier for food and grit would be. I checked with my local feed mills and some pet stores. How do most of you guys get your feed? What are reasonable prices on feed on what brands do you guys reconmend?


Feed is not especially reasonably priced anywhere right now. Just keep going up.


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## TheSnipes (Apr 9, 2007)

There are a bunch of threads on feed, where you can find people extolling the virtues of this or that brand, also discussions of nutritional breakdowns...might be wise to start a thread specifically asking where in your local area you can find some, in case someone is nearby. I am used to paying about 12-15$ for 50 pounds of Diamond brand (Armada) pigeon feed. The price goes up every time I buy it, lately, so who knows what it will be next time. It's not accurate anyway as I only use that for a base and add more grains and seeds to it so the spoiled things can pick and choose...substantially increasing the cost.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

TheSnipes said:


> There are a bunch of threads on feed, where you can find people extolling the virtues of this or that brand, also discussions of nutritional breakdowns...might be wise to start a thread specifically asking where in your local area you can find some, in case someone is nearby. I am used to paying about 12-15$ for 50 pounds of Diamond brand (Armada) pigeon feed. The price goes up every time I buy it, lately, so who knows what it will be next time. It's not accurate anyway as I only use that for a base and add more grains and seeds to it so the spoiled things can pick and choose...substantially increasing the cost.


I'm paying $22. for 50lb. It's increased $10 a bag since this time last year. Every time I buy the price is a little higher.


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## TheSnipes (Apr 9, 2007)

Charis said:


> I'm paying $22. for 50lb. It's increased $10 a bag since this time last year. Every time I buy the price is a little higher.


I think I'm lucky with the Armada brand since it's produced locally. But who knows, that may only mean bagged up locally. I am going tomorrow to get feed, so I may be  and  after


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## kippermom (Jan 11, 2006)

It might be a good idea to get 2 or 4 pair of homers from a local club and get into the routines of keeping pigeons on a small scale for a year (a full season) before trying to expand into a commercial operation. That gives you time to find a reliable feed supplier, decide what brand works best for you, figure out the set up that would work, the equipment you need, the meds, supplements, how to deal with moult, hatchlings, hand feeding, cleaning, time committment, vacation care.... emergencies....everything you are absolutely CERTAIN to face with a large loft of 100-150 birds...but face it first on a small manageable, practice, scale. That way you can decide little by little how many birds really work out for you. I have a single loft with 34 birds..it takes at least 30 minutes a day to scrape and clean, plus twice a day checking water and feed. Whenever I need to be out of town, I need reliable help to take over. And that does not include when I have someone "hospitalized" needing hand feeding every few hours round the clock.
The long story short...it is smarter to start small and see where it takes you, what you can manage and what you can afford...in time, money and energy.


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## EgypSwiftLady (Jan 14, 2008)

Feral Pigeon said:


> thank you guy's for your help and opoions! I was wondering were a good place to start looking for a supplier for food and grit would be. I checked with my local feed mills and some pet stores. How do most of you guys get your feed? What are reasonable prices on feed on what brands do you guys reconmend?




I get my feed from a feed store, As for $$$ from seeing the prices people here pay in differents parts of this country it all depends where you are at.
Here in S.E. WI. I pay just over $17.00 for a pigeon mix, but that also doesn't included the extra seeds I add in the winter or when they are molting or feeding babies.

And you are certainly welcome!


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## TheSnipes (Apr 9, 2007)

kippermom said:


> It might be a good idea to get 2 or 4 pair of homers from a local club and get into the routines of keeping pigeons on a small scale for a year (a full season) before trying to expand into a commercial operation. That gives you time to find a reliable feed supplier, decide what brand works best for you, figure out the set up that would work, the equipment you need, the meds, supplements, how to deal with moult, hatchlings, hand feeding, cleaning, time committment, vacation care.... emergencies....everything you are absolutely CERTAIN to face with a large loft of 100-150 birds...but face it first on a small manageable, practice, scale. That way you can decide little by little how many birds really work out for you. I have a single loft with 34 birds..it takes at least 30 minutes a day to scrape and clean, plus twice a day checking water and feed. Whenever I need to be out of town, I need reliable help to take over. And that does not include when I have someone "hospitalized" needing hand feeding every few hours round the clock.
> The long story short...it is smarter to start small and see where it takes you, what you can manage and what you can afford...in time, money and energy.


Extremely good advice, Kippermom!


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## eric98223 (Aug 4, 2007)

ok i dont think you are hearing what people say so here is a 4th.

i have 108 banded birds currently in my loft 6-8 babies on top of that

my loft is 10x20

i just spent over 500.00 building nest boxes (120.00 ) in hinges alone

my feed bills are running up close to 125.00 a month

not including grit, oyster shell time and gas money to train racing birds 

i spend 10-15 hours a week in general care and maintenence time (record keeping as well)

if i had a huge sale i could sell probably 6 of my pedigreed birds for 25 bucks a peice or so, but the guy GAVE them to me paid like 200-300 a piece for them. (i have 2 pure jansens and 2 delbars) the rest of the birds i might get 7-10 a piece for (NO SHREK THEY ARE NOT FOR SALE!! LOL)

so have i mentioned`the 2 garbage cans of waste a month that i have to ship off?





and you have no idea what you want the birds for?

my suggestion is to start with 3 pair of racing homers or tumblers. raise them from just weaned young if you can fly them and have fun. but unless you really have a thing for pigeons i would think twice it isnot cheap and it is a lot of work.

IT is not a huge money maker!! i know a guy (mtn view lofts look it up)

he has 5 lofts 2 are 30x40 and raises 5000 birds. he averages about 35.00 a bird with great pedigree he makes his money in volume and a couple imported bloodlines 5000.00 birds he has purchased

anyway just my opinion as well but do it for the birds not for money


E..


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