# loft decisions, hubby wants finalization!



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Hi There! I have questions. first one, I want the aviary to also be the landing board to the trap. I've seen the type that is slanted on top and the door just hangs sown when open, or just box shape with a door that opens in the front to get in. I need opinions on the aviary in other words. question two, should I paint or stain the inside? also, should I put a door at both ends, the loft is 8x16 with tree sections. any input would help. Thank You!!!!


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

spirit wings said:


> Hi There! I have questions. first one, I want the aviary to also be the landing board to the trap. I've seen the type that is slanted on top and the door just hangs sown when open, or just box shape with a door that opens in the front to get in.


I actually have two lofts and each one has the types of aviaries you are talking about. I personally like both for different reasons. If you're going to have one loft with one aviary, then you'll have to decide which you would rather have. The square aviares on my big loft are very nice. I can actually climb out into them and catch birds. The other one on my widowood loft I like too, but not as much as the other. For one, our aviaries on the widowhood loft are too deep. I can't reach all the way inside to catch a bird. They have learned that if they go to the fartherest point, I can't reach them and they'll stand there and "laugh" at me, while I curse.  The other thing about the aviary on the small loft is that while I'm waiting on birds to come in, the other birds that are already in the loft are cooped up in the loft and can't get out into the aviary. I went through that this past week end, for two days. While waiting on birds to come home all day on Saturday AND Sunday, the birds that had made it home were cooped up all day. My husband has built three other lofts for local flyers that are just like our widowhood loft and they all complain about the same thing. 



spirit wings said:


> question two, should I paint or stain the inside?


Both of our lofts are painted on the inside. There's no REAL reason to do that but since our walls are finished inside, we painted them. Some people just leave the studs showing on the inside. Either one is ok. Just depends on what you want to do. 


spirit wings said:


> also, should I put a door at both ends, the loft is 8x16 with tree sections. any input would help. Thank You!!!!



I can't think of any reason for two doors.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Thanks! One door it is. I think hubby wants the square aviary so I will go with that. I was just worried that they might not land in there as well as the slanted one? but I think he (hubby) wants to bulid the square ones because it is easy. maybe I should put the traps above the aviarys and the landing board would serve as a roof for the aviary, but then would'nt I have to train them to trap?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

spirit wings said:


> Thanks! One door it is. I think hubby wants the square aviary so I will go with that. I was just worried that they might not land in there as well as the slanted one? but I think he (hubby) wants to bulid the square ones because it is easy. now on the inside I like the looks of the white paint/stain. any opinions on that?


Well, the way my big loft is set up, they don't actually land inside the aviary to trap. The traps are on the top of the aviary. The square aviaries are simply for them to be able to get out into the sun and rain if they want. 
The paint that we used on the inside is exterior house paint, semi-gloss. Don't use the flat paint. It's impossible to clean. The semi-gloss is easy to just wipe down, although I don't do that as often as I should.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

spirit wings said:


> Thanks! One door it is. I think hubby wants the square aviary so I will go with that. I was just worried that they might not land in there as well as the slanted one? but I think he (hubby) wants to bulid the square ones because it is easy. maybe I should put the traps above the aviarys and the landing board would serve as a roof for the aviary,* but then would'nt I have to train them to trap?*



Yep, that's the OTHER drawback of the square aviaries. Forgot about that. I have a settling cage that my husband built. Have you been to our web site? There's pictures there of the settling cage. You'll understand better what I mean if you look at the pictures. http://lovebirdsloft.homestead.com/TheLoft.html


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

How would I train them to trap, I have not seen anything to read on this. how will they know to go in there?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

You know, I don't know that there's a perfect loft that can be built. No matter what you build, you'll always find something that you wish you could change. I could find a million things to change about our lofts, but some of those changes would take away some of the things I LIKE about the loft. Maybe I'm just to wishy washy.


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## DEEJAY7950 (Dec 13, 2006)

Renee, glad you brought that up about the aviary because that's one thing I'm going to incorporate into my loft, on the backside I plan on putting in two walk in fly pens probably 8x8 so any birds left in the loft will have that option if they so choose!


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

DEEJAY7950 said:


> Renee, glad you brought that up about the aviary because that's one thing I'm going to incorporate into my loft, on the backside I plan on putting in two walk in fly pens probably 8x8 so any birds left in the loft will have that option if they so choose!


That's a good idea. We can't do that because our nest boxes are on the back wall. We could probably throw one up on the side, but then I'd be afraid of a bird coming in from a race and maybe seeing his hen in the aviary and landing there instead of trapping.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Lovebirds said:


> Yep, that's the OTHER drawback of the square aviaries. Forgot about that. I have a settling cage that my husband built. Have you been to our web site? There's pictures there of the settling cage. You'll understand better what I mean if you look at the pictures. http://lovebirdsloft.homestead.com/TheLoft.html


Wow, can I live in your loft I put that pic in my pictures to show hubby,I understand the settling cage, great! back to the graph paper! thanks Lovebirds!


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## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

The only disadvantage to aviaries like those of Lovebirds, and we have discussed these in the past is that when birds are still out the trapped birds have to wait until they can go out of the loft utill all the birds are in. 

My aviaries have the landing board on top and the birds trap in. The disadvatage here is initially it is harder to trap the birds with an open landing board. In the lovebird loft the birds are still caged when trap trained. 

I think the sputnik or modified sputnik may be the answer to both limitiations. The trap is built into the aviary and the birds can still sun while others are out. I am thinking that an aviary like Lovebirds on top of a sunning aviary may be the answer here. 

Randy


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## DEEJAY7950 (Dec 13, 2006)

Lovebirds said:


> That's a good idea. We can't do that because our nest boxes are on the back wall. We could probably throw one up on the side, but then I'd be afraid of a bird coming in from a race and maybe seeing his hen in the aviary and landing there instead of trapping.


Renee Hi, I was just thinking (I know that's where all trouble starts but here goes LOL ) If you didn't need all of those nest boxes you could use one for an entrance to a rear aviary, just a thought hun!


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

DEEJAY7950 said:


> Renee Hi, I was just thinking (I know that's where all trouble starts but here goes LOL ) If you didn't need all of those nest boxes you could use one for an entrance to a rear aviary, just a thought hun!


And I can expect you and your tools when??????? LOL
This year I used all the boxes, but probably next year, if there IS a next year, I'll cut down to 12 pair of birds. 15 was a bit much I think. 
Don't want any more holes or aviaries on the back of any of my lofts. My individual breeding pens are on the back side and in the winter time when that north wind blows, it horrible in the loft. I'll NEVER have another loft with anything on the back. Of course, I'll probably never have another loft, so it's really a mute point.


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## DEEJAY7950 (Dec 13, 2006)

Love seeing your posts you always crack me up lol! Me and tools= emergency room lol, my son is the builder, it's about time i get some of my investment back for not killing him lol!


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

hillfamilyloft said:


> The only disadvantage to aviaries like those of Lovebirds, and we have discussed these in the past is that when birds are still out the trapped birds have to wait until they can go out of the loft utill all the birds are in.
> 
> My aviaries have the landing board on top and the birds trap in. The disadvatage here is initially it is harder to trap the birds with an open landing board. In the lovebird loft the birds are still caged when trap trained.
> 
> ...


Yes I agree, that is what we are going to do, I'am so glad lovebirds showed me that pic!


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