# loft questions



## Marcio NY (Sep 15, 2008)

Hello all.

I began working on my loft and I had a few questions. Eventualy I would like to race. My loft is 4'x8'x6' tall starter loft I plan on mounting 4 nest boxes to the exterior back wall to maximize interior space. The nest box fronts will be flush with interior wall. 

1. any benefits painting the interior,If so is oil base paint ok?
2. Light: more or less? loft will be the widow hood style. 
3. flooring: would linolium or vynyl tiles work better than a wood floor?
4. I plan on keeping homers,would 20 birds be to crowded?

any help would appreciated.
Thanks
Marcio.


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## learning (May 19, 2006)

These are some thoughts as to how I would look at it.



Marcio NY said:


> Hello all.
> 
> I began working on my loft and I had a few questions. Eventualy I would like to race. My loft is 4'x8'x6' tall starter loft I plan on mounting 4 nest boxes to the exterior back wall to maximize interior space. The nest box fronts will be flush with interior wall.
> 
> ...


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

The problem with oil based paint is that in continues to give off fumes for several weeks after it is dry to the touch. You definitely don't want to use exterior paint as that takes considerably longer (months). If you want to paint, I'd suggest an odor-free laytex.

Pigeons prefer dark nest sites, but enjoy good light in the open/common areas since they don't see well in dim light.

I agree that 20 birds would be overcrowding. Birds with sufficient space are healthier and perform better.

Good luck with your birds! Do you plan to race them?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Marcio NY said:


> Hello all.
> 
> I began working on my loft and I had a few questions. Eventualy I would like to race. My loft is 4'x8'x6' tall starter loft I plan on mounting 4 nest boxes to the exterior back wall to maximize interior space. The nest box fronts will be flush with interior wall.
> 
> ...


1. any benefits painting the interior,If so is oil base paint ok? We use an oil based paint on our floors. Takes about 2 full days for it to dry if the weather is decent. After it's dried, there's no harm from fumes to the birds.

2. Light: more or less? loft will be the widow hood style. 
They need light during the day and dark at night. The more windows, the more ventilation. If you build nest boxes, they'll be "dark" enough for the birds to nest in.

3. flooring: would linolium or vynyl tiles work better than a wood floor?
IMO, wood is best. Seems that linolium and/or vinyl would be very cold and slippery in the winter time.

4. I plan on keeping homers,would 20 birds be to crowded?
In a word, yes..........a 4 X 8 loft shouldn't have more than 16 birds in it. Besides that, if you're only going to have 4 nest boxes, then you really shouldn't have more than 4 pairs of birds. If you start off with more pairs than there are nest boxes, you're asking for trouble. They'll fight constantly. And if you have more cocks than hens or vice versa, again, trouble. 
If you're building a breeding loft, then it should be ONLY a breeding loft. If you're starting off with just some birds in a loft, I'd skip the whole nest box thing all together and just put up perches. 
JMO...........


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

TerriB is correct, oil based paints continue to 'cure' for weeks and "off-gas" during the 'curing process'. While not as profuse as during the initial 24-48 hours, there are many humans that complain about the off-gassing while
the curing process for oil based paints takes place. 

fp


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## Marcio NY (Sep 15, 2008)

Thanks for all the information.
I plan on going oil on the exterior and latex for the interior with a wood floor.
as far as #of birds 16 will be plenty to start with. I still need to research more about racing and different stains. I'm looking into ordering a few books. I wont be ready for birds until early spring.

I do have a few more loft questions.
my loft is 4x8x6 high. would this be to small to divide in two?
would 6 nest boxes be to many?

thanks. Marcio


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## Kal-El (Oct 10, 2008)

Hope this helps.

http://www.birdhealth.com.au/bird/pigeon/race-loft.html


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