# chicken coop to loft



## honeyrobber (Apr 28, 2011)

Hi all,

First post. I have been wanting homing pigeons since I was a kid as a person in the neighborhood had them. I was moved at age 10 to Tennessee when my father retired and moved to his home town. We farm which means we grow our own food from veggies to chickens. We currently have chickens and fantail pigeons. I found someone in a town 50 miles away who raises homers and he is going to give me some when they fledge this spring. There are no racing clubs around here. I will be doing it just for fun. 

Our fantails are kept in a chicken coop. They land and go out the hole the chickens used to use to get to the fenced in area. So I thought instead of building a new building I would redo another old coop. These birds even use the chicken nest boxes.

I have a chicken coop which is no longer being used. It is a pole built building with dirt floor. The wire of the pen has been tore down. Size is 8 feet wide and the 7 feet deep. There is no ceiling in it either but I plan on putting paneling up to keep the birds out of the rafters(where the chicken would roost). What do I really need? Bare minium is what I am looking for here due to time being limited. I will do alot of homework for building there real loft as this building will be a chicken coop again come fall.

Thanks, John


----------



## Rafael/PR (Sep 8, 2008)

the only problem i see with your chicken coop is the dirt floor. the reason are many, one if you have a good down pour (rain) it will be mud city , two rat ,mice snake will find there way inside you coup with your dirt floor maybe fox and racoons, put some sheet of pile-wood or make it to a concrete floor. then you will be good to go, also you made want to check this page in pigeon talkhttp://www.redroselofts.com/starter_loft.htm good starter loft you could make easy


----------



## honeyrobber (Apr 28, 2011)

I plan on making a loft for homers with a wood floor but it can not get done in time. As for the rain no mud in the coop. Snakes, *****, ect.. are a problem around home with all the birds(chickens, fantails) so this coop is resonably safe with sheet metal in the ground about 6-8 inches and up about 3 feet of the sides. To be honest the guy to me last summer he would get me started this spring but I was busy planning and buying seeds for the farmers market season and now they are almost ready for pick-up. I even thought if I have to I will place them in one of the empty chicken pens made more like a rabbit hutch. But then they really can not fly as it is only about 2 foot tall inside and about 3 foot long. Yes my bad that is why I need bare minium requirement as it needs to be done by next friday.


----------



## ptras (Jun 29, 2010)

honeyrobber said:


> I plan on making a loft for homers with a wood floor but it can not get done in time. As for the rain no mud in the coop. Snakes, *****, ect.. are a problem around home with all the birds(chickens, fantails) so this coop is resonably safe with sheet metal in the ground about 6-8 inches and up about 3 feet of the sides. To be honest the guy to me last summer he would get me started this spring but I was busy planning and buying seeds for the farmers market season and now they are almost ready for pick-up. I even thought if I have to I will place them in one of the empty chicken pens made more like a rabbit hutch. But then they really can not fly as it is only about 2 foot tall inside and about 3 foot long. Yes my bad that is why I need bare minium requirement as it needs to be done by next friday.


If there is protection under the floor, I see no reason why you cannot use this as a pigeon loft. Good idea to put in a ceiling...otherwise it might be difficult to reach/catch the birds. You can use chicken wire for the ceiling. Just make sure to use 1" netting as opposed to the more common 2" netting which can snag a bird. Post pictures once you get started so we can see what you've got.

By the way...are you a beekeeper? Only reason I can see for your name.


----------



## honeyrobber (Apr 28, 2011)

Yes I keep bees. I doubt I will do pics as this is not going to be a good loft just a temporary one. The actual loft will be beside this one and I hope it is done by July(need money and time to plan a real loft). 

I have to say I have not gotten a lift of what is needed for homers. Like what type feeders, any special requirements on water trays, ect... Out here in the middle of nowhere it is hard to find information. What reading I do on the web is so generic. Our fantails water bowl is to deep but we added rocks so young ones do not fall in and drown. I keep finches in the house and it was easy to get proper care books and info for them. So please as time is running out help me out. What do I need minium to keep these birds healthy?


----------



## Woodnative (Jul 4, 2010)

There are lots of good books around, as well as lots of websites. Books can be gotten on ebay etc. cheap. If you already have fantails you know something about pigeons. Certainly keep asking questions here, but you may get more answers with more specific questions. They want a dry loft, free from drafts (fresh air, even open lofts is different from a drafty loft). A flypen where they can sun themselves, and maybe sit in the rain if they want to is a necessit. Each bird wants a box or double nest box it can claim as its own. If you are not breeding, at least a perch or two where each bird can claim as its own. They want fresh, clean water at all times. You can order pigeon waterers online. Same with feed....a place it can be put down that is clean. In a pinch, you can take empty mil gallons, cut a large hole in the side about an inch or wo from the bottom, and use that for waterers and feed. They want fresh grit available at all times. Use a grit made for pigeons, grit for other birds is not the right size. The grit can have added calcium or trace elements in it. They want a nice balanced feed mixture of grains. True racing enthusiasts will vary their grain formula depending on racing or training or breeding. However, for day to day care, a good balanced feed mix. It is best if the floor of the loft is off the ground to keep it dry. The loft and flypen must be secure so that vermine can not get to the birds or feed. These are the basics....


----------



## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

Milk jugs are great for feeders and for water, put a couple cinder block down to keep them off the ground. It helps keep them clean.
Dave


----------



## honeyrobber (Apr 28, 2011)

Being a farmer raised around animals is all the training/education I have had with fantails. I used a gravity waterer made for chickens but they would sit on top of it and poop in there water which I know is very bad. So I placed a pan that is 5 inches deep and 12X16 and filled it with large rocks. They no poop in the water as the sit around the outside edge tails facing away from the water. Feed is cracked corn, wheat, and chicken laying mash(crumbles). We give them crushed oyster shell from time to time but the laying mash has grit in it. The person we got these from fed them chicken scratch mix which is 2/3 cracked corn and 1/3 wheat. I feed my finches left overs to the pigeons scattered on a cookie sheet. Finches shell their seed and end up leaving alot of seed uneaten in there bowls. Finch diet is white millet, red millet, and canary seed with other treats that do not get fed to the pigeons(thistle for one). Being a farmer and around feed store I buy seed and mix my own versus paying finch diet prices. I feel I would do the same for pigeons. My wheat come straight from the farmer every year at the price the grainer pays him per bushel. I know from reading my diet for pigeons is not to bad but it needs to be worked out a bit. A gravity feed for chicken feed is used for the fantail with a plastic 5 gallon bucket lid sitting on top of it with a brick to keep the birds from knocking it off. I just wish the water container I have were made different. I will be doing alot more reading. I met this guy last July he took down my name and number and called me about 2 weeks ago and I had forgot all about it until then so shame on me for not being ready.


----------



## ptras (Jun 29, 2010)

honeyrobber said:


> Being a farmer raised around animals is all the training/education I have had with fantails. I used a gravity waterer made for chickens but they would sit on top of it and poop in there water which I know is very bad. So I placed a pan that is 5 inches deep and 12X16 and filled it with large rocks. They no poop in the water as the sit around the outside edge tails facing away from the water. Feed is cracked corn, wheat, and chicken laying mash(crumbles). We give them crushed oyster shell from time to time but the laying mash has grit in it. The person we got these from fed them chicken scratch mix which is 2/3 cracked corn and 1/3 wheat. I feed my finches left overs to the pigeons scattered on a cookie sheet. Finches shell their seed and end up leaving alot of seed uneaten in there bowls. Finch diet is white millet, red millet, and canary seed with other treats that do not get fed to the pigeons(thistle for one). Being a farmer and around feed store I buy seed and mix my own versus paying finch diet prices. I feel I would do the same for pigeons. My wheat come straight from the farmer every year at the price the grainer pays him per bushel. I know from reading my diet for pigeons is not to bad but it needs to be worked out a bit. A gravity feed for chicken feed is used for the fantail with a plastic 5 gallon bucket lid sitting on top of it with a brick to keep the birds from knocking it off. I just wish the water container I have were made different. I will be doing alot more reading. I met this guy last July he took down my name and number and called me about 2 weeks ago and I had forgot all about it until then so shame on me for not being ready.


Many farm supply stores sell cone tops for the gravity waterers that prevent birds from sitting on them. It's worth a look. Also, most people recommend against feeding cracked corn to pigeons. I guess that the sharp edges of the cracked corn can abrade the inside of the pigeon's mouth/throat, and make an easy entryway for the bacteria that causes canker. Most pigeon feeds come with whole corn for that reason.


----------

