# Landing board



## dogsdirtbike24 (Apr 14, 2005)

Ok, this may be a stupid question but...I am planning on getting some racing pigeons, I am almost finished with a 4'x4'x4' loft for them. How big should the landing board be so that they can get in easily? The trap door I have is about 9" x 11" or so and it has a predator door that can drop down as a platform and is about the same size. Is this large enough to land on or should I add something bigger? Thanks for any info.


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## go4pigeons (Mar 28, 2005)

That is not a very large landing board, but I would imagine returning birds would land on the top of the loft first and jump down to the landing board. In that case it should be fine. If this is not the case, let us know.

Al


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## Grizzled (Oct 21, 2004)

go4pigeons said:


> That is not a very large landing board, but I would imagine returning birds would land on the top of the loft first and jump down to the landing board. In that case it should be fine. If this is not the case, let us know.
> 
> Al


I agree with go4 that the board is too small and they will probably land on the roof first. You may want a landing board that measures the full 4 feet in length and maybe 1.5-2 feet deep if you are going to keep a greater number of birds. It will also provide more room for younger birds that are learning the ins and outs of trapping etc.


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## dogsdirtbike24 (Apr 14, 2005)

I was thinking about putting a 4x4x5 aviary on the side so I will do that and then they can use that as the landing board.

So here is another of my stupid ?s. I am going to cut a hole in the side of the loft to get access to the aviary. How far off the ground should the hole be if the outside area is 5ft tall? Do I then need some sort of a landing board for that to help them get back inside? 

Thanks for the help so far.


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## Grizzled (Oct 21, 2004)

Your questions aren't stupid...the aviary is a good idea. Try placing the opening towards the top half of the wall. A small step or perch on the inside& outside would be a good idea...be certain that you have a sufficient window area to allow light inside the coop and maybe a vent or two at the bottom front to allow an airflow from the floor, allowing it to escape through the top back.
I built a small youngbird coop some time ago, which sounds similar to what you are putting up. I'll see if I can find a pic of it to post for you to see.


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## dogsdirtbike24 (Apr 14, 2005)

Should I put perches in the aviary as well or just leave it open? Will they just grab on to the sides?


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## Grizzled (Oct 21, 2004)

Well you could run a perch around the inside perimeter or you could shorten the overall height of the aviary.
Here's a pic of a small yb coop I built about 25 years ago.
It measured 5 wide by 6 high by 4 deep. I kept as many as 35 young birds at a time but really it was best suited for 15-20 youngsters. The sliding window behind the flight opened up halfway and I removed it altogether in the early spring through to the late fall. The flight had a release door for the birds and the roof of the flight served as a landing board. The trap is closed in this example by a plywood door which locked inside and out. Don't build your loft close to any trees as I did. It tends to interfere with birds landing.


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

*Little Loft*

Hello Grizzled,

I like your little "Coop", is it still in use ? I am always looking for small "garden syle" little lofts for a newbee to build. I don't know if I can cut and paste this picture, any chance you can send me the pic, and any design plans ?

Being in the racing game, the expense of start up, is always a concern for people of modest means. This looks like an economical design, which could be built on a weekend. I like the fact it has ventilation built in, is off the ground, and is small. Thanks for posting the picture.  

[email protected]


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## Grizzled (Oct 21, 2004)

Thanks Warren. I framed the wall with spruce 2x2s and covered them with 1/2inch aspenite. The floor was constructed of spruce 2x4s and covered with 1 inch spruce plywood. I creosoted the floor frame and underside of the floor. The roof was frame with 2x4's and I layed them out wideside down. It was covered with aspenite & shingling. The whole structure at that time cost me less than $200.
I later added on a mirror image of the coop to the left side. Both sections shared a common wall. 
I relocated, sold the loft to a guy in Toronto and don't know if it is still in use.
If you are unable to right click and copy the images, let me know and I will send them to you.
Here's a couple of pics of the trap, which was constructed of 1x2 spruce plus hardware.


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