# i have no idea what i need in a loft



## Pigeonrandomnes (Jun 22, 2010)

hi! i'm a newbie, i'm getting a pair of pigeons in a month or so! but i don't know hardly anything about what goes in a loft! i need help!


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## sky tx (Mar 1, 2005)

Do lots of surfing for pigeon lofts. I not sure -BUT-any one build their First loft and then started redoing things inside it the very next day.
After your 3rd-4th loft you will be closer to want you want.
2 square foot per bird--1 & 1/2 perch per bird--6 foot in hight [easer to catch the birds]
young bird section--old bird section-breeder section.
You will always be changing something.
I now have a 6 X 16 loft -3 sections----but when I raced had one 8 X 24 --5 sections.


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## Pigeonrandomnes (Jun 22, 2010)

oh i see! so, i'd need 3 sections. i've only once seen the inside of a pigeon loft, which had a bunch of white kings. i know i need perches and nest boxes.


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## The_Dirteeone (Apr 18, 2010)

Well friend,you are at the right place,you will get plenty of good advice here.As far as loft building and accesories,the web is a great place for research.You should think a few weeks ,what it is you want to do with your pigeons,and how many you want to keep,if you want to breed or not,etc.Take your time and research things and it will be worth while.As far as lofts,you dont have to have anything fancy or expensive,but you do need certain things to be right,as far as the pigeons well being.Moisture is a major concern,as well as nutrition,clean fresh water ,and enough space for the number of birds you want to have.You can get great advice from these peopple here,I am just into the hobby for 3 months now and love it.If you need anything send me a message or post it like you did here,and you will get it!


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## birdkeeper (Jun 24, 2009)

its really good to do your research on the different types of loft that you can build. when i built my first loft, i took different ideas from all the types of loft and built mine that works for my space and area. also the number of birds you are planing to keep dictates how big your loft is going to be. if you are planning to have breeders, just start with a few pairs because they are a relentless breeders and you might get overwhelmed.
just make sure there's always good air circulation and keep it dry.

here is a link for pictures of the loft that i just recently built for my ybs.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Lovell.Lazaro/PicsOfNewLoft?authkey=Gv1sRgCPKY4o663_-FpQE#


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## atvracinjason (Mar 4, 2010)

When I started in Jan I built a 4x4x4 loft, basically a box on legs, it worked OK but had some major drawbacks
1.couldn't seperate birds if I only wanted certain ones out
2.I could not stand inside(I lost 2 birds that got out when they should not have)so I had to work with the door cracked
3.I used a mesh for the flooring(working to keep airflow up and moisture down)...a dog ripped the mesh off and had his way with a few of my birds(3 more down)
4.It got crowded quick when I realized I wanted more than 10 birds
5.No room for the birds to move about

I have continued to modify the loft from day #1...I wish I had built a redrose starter loft...even if it was larger than what I needed at the time it would have eliminated my loss problems and while the costs of build would have been higher, the cost of lost birds would have come down.
I have raised my coop up on stilts...it now sits atop a 8x8x4 chainlink dog run. alowing the birds a small aviary and a safe spot to escape...they absolutly love the dog run and spend most of thier time inside(I wraped the insode with plastic mesh to prevent anything from "reaching" in and helping itself to any squab

Have fun with your birds...and best of luck!!!

please take my advice and go bigger now so you can spend the weekends sipping lemonades and not running a saw(I HATE WOODWORK!!!!)


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## Pigeonrandomnes (Jun 22, 2010)

so, how much space would i need to keep 40 pigeons?


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## sky tx (Mar 1, 2005)

O K Folks--I have give him my numbers------help him out


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## Pigeonrandomnes (Jun 22, 2010)

birdkeeper said:


> its really good to do your research on the different types of loft that you can build. when i built my first loft, i took different ideas from all the types of loft and built mine that works for my space and area. also the number of birds you are planing to keep dictates how big your loft is going to be. if you are planning to have breeders, just start with a few pairs because they are a relentless breeders and you might get overwhelmed.
> just make sure there's always good air circulation and keep it dry.
> 
> here is a link for pictures of the loft that i just recently built for my ybs.
> ...


how many birds can you keep in that loft?


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## Jaysen (Jun 21, 2010)

You should try to get in touch with a local club and ask to see some lofts. Plans are great, but actually standing in a loft will let you visualize what you like and don't like and set you on the right track. Not to mention you will find some folks that you can ask questions when you need help.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Pigeonrandomnes said:


> so, how much space would i need to keep 40 pigeons?


According to the formula, an 8X10 loft, although to me, that would be very crowded. Too much crowding makes for more stress and unhealthy and unhappy birds.


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## Pigeonrandomnes (Jun 22, 2010)

Jaysen said:


> You should try to get in touch with a local club and ask to see some lofts. Plans are great, but actually standing in a loft will let you visualize what you like and don't like and set you on the right track. Not to mention you will find some folks that you can ask questions when you need help.


theres only one problem though, i'm going to make the plans between tomarrow and a few days from now, and i'm on vaction right now down south...


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## Pigeonrandomnes (Jun 22, 2010)

Jay3 said:


> According to the formula, an 8X10 loft, although to me, that would be very crowded. Too much crowding makes for more stress and unhealthy and unhappy birds.


well, i have very lmmited space, and the loft will be part of my garage, so it'd be have to be like 5X12 or something.... i don't have any room in my backyard because i'll be building: a mews, coop, quail htch, and rabbit hutch


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## Jaysen (Jun 21, 2010)

Pigeonrandomnes said:


> theres only one problem though, i'm going to make the plans between tomarrow and a few days from now, and i'm on vaction right now down south...


Just a thought…

Might you be rushing into this a bit fast? There is a bit more to this than just "build loft, insert birds". As a newbe who has been fast tracking (less than 14 days from "let's do this" to all "we need is birds") every idea that thought I understood was overturned at my first visit to a functioning loft. My second visit sent everything I thought I knew from the first visit over board as well. If you really don't know what you need then you should slow down. Once you know what you need then you move. 

That said, I have been in single lofts that are 8x10 with almost 100 birds. The loft was designed to keep birds and feces separate, provide plenty of roost space, and east access to water. It was a racing loft for YB and the loft is a consistent winner. From my visit to the various lofts i think the most critical points are:

1. Ventilation - Pigeons need clean air. More so than chickens
2. Dry - No concrete. Use wood and get the floor in the air.
3. Clean clean clean - Make it as easy to clean as possible. Keep it clean.
4. Use perch boxes - 9x9 or 10x10. Helps separate birds and allows some increase in capacity.
5. Separate storage area for food - Can be in loft, but should be away from birds (solid wall)
6. ANIMAL PROOF TRAPS - Cover your bob and drops. 
7. Cover your bob and drop traps - repeated on purpose.
8. You aviary can not be too big - Yes you need to be able to capture a bird, but a larger aviary will help with a smaller loft.

If you need more specific info than this google is your friend. Or you can ask more specific questions and I am sure someone will provide a very specific answer.


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## Pigeonrandomnes (Jun 22, 2010)

how big of a loft would i need for 20 pigeons


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If you went by the formula, then you give each bird 2 square feet of floor space. That would be the width by the length of the loft, divided by 2. So say a 4X5 ft. loft. 4X5=20. Now divide that by 2. You get 10


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