# New Loft



## riceboydoug (Jan 8, 2008)

I'm a new poster, (first ever) planning on building a new loft in spring. Would like to hear thoughts and concerns from other loft owners. Thinkin about 8'x10' ending with 25-30 birds. Also pigeon roosts sizes, shapes, lighting, food storage, building materials, etc. Thanks so much.....


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hello and Welcome to Pigeon Talk,

Please feel free to browse the forum and the loft designs forum, you will find alot of information there.

I'm going to move your thread to that section, too.

Make yourself at home.


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## learning (May 19, 2006)

*Hello!*

Hello there riceboydoug! Welcome to Pigeon Talk. You will find that there is an endless variety of designs and sizes represented here. Having just gone through this whole process recently, I will try to give you some insights from my perspective that might help in your search.

I think the first thing you need to ask yourself is what you intend to use the loft for. By that I mean are you just going to keep pigeons as pets, are you going to show, are you going to race, etc. This will have a huge impact on your final design. A guy that is going to race needs a lot more room than someone who is just keeping the birds as pets. It will also impact the interior setup you end up with. A pet keeper really just needs two sections. One for the cocks and one for the hens. This is so you can separate the sexes when you don't want them to breed, and believe me, they will breed if given the opportunity! The cocks are very territorial and will claim areas in which to attract a mate and nest. Typically the cocks section would have nestboxes that they can claim for this purpose. The hens are more attached to their mates than the nests so their section would typically have just perches.

If you are going to race it requires a much more complicated setup. I guess I shouldn't say much more complicated but there are additional requirements based on the "system" you choose to fly. If you are going to fly a natural system where the birds are flown to their nest (eggs or babies), you can get away with just three sections. One for the cocks, one for the hens and a third for the babies once they are weaned from their parents. If you choose to fly a widowhood system where the birds are mated but not allowed to raise young, there are a few more requirements. (I know what you're thinking, "I didn't think it would be this complicated", right?!) 

I guess the biggest thing is plan for the maximum number of birds you plan on having, not just the birds you will start with. They do multiply and they do it quickly! The hobby can be as simple or as complicated as you choose it to be, depending on what you want to do with it. If you can let us know what your thoughts are as far as future plans we can be more specific in giving you guidance.

Hope this helps and doesn't overwhelm you!

Dan


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

riceboydoug said:


> I'm a new poster, (first ever) planning on building a new loft in spring. Would like to hear thoughts and concerns from other loft owners. Thinkin about 8'x10' ending with 25-30 birds. Also pigeon roosts sizes, shapes, lighting, food storage, building materials, etc. Thanks so much.....


Welcome aboard Rice Boy !

I have seen hundreds of lofts in my life time, and I don't think any two of them were exactly the same. So ask a hundred different fanciers, and you may get a hundred different ideas. 

There are so many factors, it is hard to know where to begin. Learning has touched on the basics, but you are really only limited by your imagination and your budget. There are "coops" which have been made with a few hundred dollars in used materials, to grand pigeon mansions costing hundreds of thousands, and everything in between.

If you are going into racing, then I suggest you visit as many lofts in your area as possible. The perfect loft has yet to be designed or built. If you are thinking of pigeons simply as pets, then the design is much less critical. The only two cents that I can offer, since I don't know anything except your desired loft size, is to insure that it is *dry* and *well ventilated *and *no drafts*.

If your design has those features, then you are at least 90% there.


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## riceboydoug (Jan 8, 2008)

First-let me say Thank You for the quick replies. Second-Sorry for not giving enough info on what I would like to have. I've always wanted pigeons since a schoolmate had a coop in junior high. So almost 27 years later, I now have 6. Really just lookin for a coop, just too fly a few birds. Not really at this time interested in racing. But that could change in time. I remember helping clean his coop and sifting the chaff on the floor. I see people use wire floors. Also what size should the boxes be? 12"x12" is what they look like. Also how deep should they be? Space could be limited, also lumber costs. Don't want to build too big or too small. Also I don't want to build things twice. Again, Thanks for your insight and helping a newbie!!!


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## Avion (May 28, 2007)

Welcome to the site riceboydug.
Lovebirds has a set of plans for a good loft on their web site. I have just about completed one that is almost a carbon copy of their widowhood loft. The site, and Renee (Lovebirds)has all the info that you will need to build the loft. It is about eight foot wide, sixteen feet long and about eight feet high. Lovebirds widowhood loft has two sections but I made mine into three sections. If you have any questions about the loft,send Lovebirds a message and you will quickly receive a reply. She will do everything possible to help you. Good luck with your project and again, WELCOME.

George


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## Margarret (May 3, 2007)

Riceboydoug,

It is exciting to be planning a loft. There are many here, much more expert than I, so I'll defer to them and just wish you a warm welcome to Pigeon Talk.

Margaret


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Welcome to the forum.  With lofts, there is always one golden rule to go by: The bigger, the better! I would build it as large as you can. My first thought is that 10 x 8, while being nice-sized, would be too small to house 25-30 pigeons. One of my aviaries is 10x6x5 and fits about ten pigeons in without crowding. You can find many great designs on the site. Good luck!


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