# Wayne Johnson's Loft



## Wayne Johnson (Oct 1, 2010)

This is a design I have been working on. I hope it comes through.


----------



## Wayne Johnson (Oct 1, 2010)

There are three compartments. Each is 32"x48"x 24". Each has a nest box 12x32x16
The orange doors on the front are the landing pad and traps. I plan on using the plastic flanges used on rooftop vents. The doors hing up and the leg that braces each door hinges with a piece of chain to hold it in the correct position when opened. Still need to devide the flight to keep birds seperate. 
Wayne


----------



## JaxRacingLofts (Apr 11, 2010)

You could make the roof out of clear Tuftex roof panels..they sell at Lowes or Home Depot..that will allow sunlight in and that makes happy birds.


----------



## lmorales4 (Jul 8, 2010)

If I may ask what would be the purpose of such a desighn?


----------



## Wayne Johnson (Oct 1, 2010)

I have very little space. I need the unit to be easily transportable by pickup truck. The three divisions are for managing the birds. It will never have very many, but two breeders, two YB, and a kit will take up the spaces. The design is to provide nest boxes and an outdoor flight for each of the groups. I hope to keep Birmingham Rollers or Orientals. I am trying to keep the cost down for the build. It is just one version of a loft I am working on by looking at all the options out there. I don’t have $500.00 to spend on a loft. 
The front with the landing pads also provides access to the loft. The fronts of all three sections hinge open. I have more pictures of the nest boxes, seen extending out the back of the loft over the flight/aviary. I would rather not walk on the same floor as the birds. I fear I could track in disease or track some out to my home.


----------



## Wayne Johnson (Oct 1, 2010)

This is the back of the loft. The bottom is made of screen for the loft and the aviary. You can see the access doors for the nest boxes from the outside. 
Do I need a tray under the screen to block off wind? For parrots I had to.


----------



## Wayne Johnson (Oct 1, 2010)

I used Sketchup from Google. It is free. If you download the program I can send the 3D file and you can rotate the image, explore the design, even change everything at will.


----------



## Aris (Jul 26, 2010)

much better if you will put that aviary in front.


----------



## crosbeem (Sep 20, 2010)

*re: alternative ideas*



Aris said:


> much better if you will put that aviary in front.


 I reckon the aviary should be at the front too, though i can understand your need to access the birds from the front. An alternative could be to have the nest spaces on top of the aviary using a simple rectangular format. Another idea would be to have a hutch style loft. There is a guy who races on the natural system using this mode of management and it is a really nice set up. Check it out on google....... 'hutch loft or pigeon coop'


----------



## ptras (Jun 29, 2010)

crosbeem said:


> I reckon the aviary should be at the front too, though i can understand your need to access the birds from the front. An alternative could be to have the nest spaces on top of the aviary using a simple rectangular format. Another idea would be to have a hutch style loft. There is a guy who races on the natural system using this mode of management and it is a really nice set up. Check it out on google....... 'hutch loft or pigeon coop'


I can see why you wouldn't have the aviary on the front. That would make it impossible to open all three fronts for access to the birds. I was even wondering how you would do that with the landing boards until I read that they are hinged and can fold out of the way.


----------



## Wayne Johnson (Oct 1, 2010)

*Bat Wing Perch*








This is a perch design I have been working on. It combines the cleaning ease of the V perch and the confinement benefit of the box perch.


----------



## Wayne Johnson (Oct 1, 2010)

The plan for the individual unit.


----------



## TN_PIGEON (Aug 20, 2010)

Aris said:


> much better if you will put that aviary in front.


I tend to agree.

Why not put the aviary under the landing boards and make the access doors a lil larger to might make catching the birds a lil easier (in your design, looks like a pretty long stretch from that upper back door to the front bottom corner)


----------



## Wayne Johnson (Oct 1, 2010)




----------



## Wayne Johnson (Oct 1, 2010)

Here is a picture with one of the three doors open. It should clear things up a bit.


----------



## Wayne Johnson (Oct 1, 2010)

This is the link to a great article on hutch style lofts.
http://www.pigeon-lung.co.uk/articlefiles/art_keithmott.html


----------



## TN_PIGEON (Aug 20, 2010)

One more thing.

You might find it's easier to build a deeper box and simply put a shelf/nest box in there rather than make the nesting area external. 

I'm downloading the google sketchup app.
send me the file


----------



## pisces_eyes (Nov 11, 2008)

Wayne Johnson said:


> I used Sketchup from Google. It is free. If you download the program I can send the 3D file and you can rotate the image, explore the design, even change everything at will.


Hey, that's a very nice application. 

I was able to make simple sketch of this small coop.


----------



## crosbeem (Sep 20, 2010)

*re: placement of aviarys*



TN_PIGEON said:


> I tend to agree.
> 
> Why not put the aviary under the landing boards and make the access doors a lil larger to might make catching the birds a lil easier (in your design, looks like a pretty long stretch from that upper back door to the front bottom corner)


The projections are great though i like the others think that the aviary's should be placed under the landing board. Proportionally they might be smaller (because they will be attached to the doors), but you could then increase the interior space.


----------



## crosbeem (Sep 20, 2010)

*re: coop*



pisces_eyes said:


> Hey, that's a very nice application.
> 
> I was able to make simple sketch of this small coop.



Now, that's nice!!!!


----------



## The_Dirteeone (Apr 18, 2010)

I say you have a good design,it looks like it will function just fine.You will get 100s suggestions here.


----------



## Wayne Johnson (Oct 1, 2010)

Thanks for the new design. It is just what I was looking for. I wish others would learn Sketchup and we could have a great conversation.


----------



## Wayne Johnson (Oct 1, 2010)

This is my latest version. I like the compact size. The loft is 4' square. It rests on a 16" stand. I want this to be movable. The floor is made of wire and is designed for a tray(not shown to allow a view of the supports) to slide under it. The tray is supported on the bottom edges only to inhibit pests. This image does not include a front door or aviary. The Bat wing perches are in place. They look like they take up more room, but I sized them according to the dimensions given for regular "V" perches. The bottom one has a perch stick due to its proximity to the floor. I wanted to show two rows of the Bat wing Perches but I'm not good enough with this program to get them all lined up. Oh well......


----------



## Wayne Johnson (Oct 1, 2010)

Could I just have doors made of wire cloth on the front?
There were 5' of snow last year here where I live.


----------



## ptras (Jun 29, 2010)

Wayne Johnson said:


> This is my latest version. I like the compact size. The loft is 4' square. It rests on a 16" stand. I want this to be movable. The floor is made of wire and is designed for a tray(not shown to allow a view of the supports) to slide under it. The tray is supported on the bottom edges only to inhibit pests. This image does not include a front door or aviary. The Bat wing perches are in place. They look like they take up more room, but I sized them according to the dimensions given for regular "V" perches. The bottom one has a perch stick due to its proximity to the floor. I wanted to show two rows of the Bat wing Perches but I'm not good enough with this program to get them all lined up. Oh well......


Why the "bat wing perches"? Wouldn't it be easier and cheaper just to build box perches? My experience is that my birds prefer a flat perch to a V perch. Box perches can be built out of 1X5 or 1X6 boards for cheap money (and you don't have to worry about them lining up!)


----------



## Wayne Johnson (Oct 1, 2010)

Here is a picture of it with the front on.


----------



## Wayne Johnson (Oct 1, 2010)

I am playing with different ideas. I wont be able to start to build for some time so I am tinkering with ideas before I drive a nail.
I believe the Bat wing perch will allow the perches to be closer together but be easier to clean than a box perch system.


----------



## ptras (Jun 29, 2010)

Wayne Johnson said:


> I am playing with different ideas. I wont be able to start to build for some time so I am tinkering with ideas before I drive a nail.
> I believe the Bat wing perch will allow the perches to be closer together but be easier to clean than a box perch system.


Box perches can be closer together as they will share the inside dividing wall. You still need about 12"x12" space per bird regardless of the type of perch you use. Cleaning box perches is easy using a paint scraper (I use the "draw" type scraper.)


----------



## crosbeem (Sep 20, 2010)

*re: kit boxes*



Wayne Johnson said:


> Here is a picture of it with the front on.


Hi Wayne,
Yes i like this projection as it is a lot simpler, and not without style.
Check out ruby rollers as they have sets of three kit boxes with front opening doors.


----------



## HangsLoft (Sep 9, 2010)

sooo when are you going to build one?


----------



## Wayne Johnson (Oct 1, 2010)

I recently built a modified leach style pottery wheel I have been working on for about fifteen years on paper. I enjoy thinking things up. I like to build too but thinking and drawing is much cheaper and safer.


----------



## lmorales4 (Jul 8, 2010)

Hello wayne I really like your ideas but ive learned that when building for pigeons you should really keep it simple because the poop will always find its way into the smallest cracks and you will be working your butt off to clean the loft. I built box prches and they are by far the easiest things to clean, also if I was you I would make one of the sides completely removable that way you would have better access to the inside, Just my two cents though, have a good one


----------



## Wayne Johnson (Oct 1, 2010)

This was one of my first concept drawings. I now realize that it is a poor design for many, many reasons.


----------

