# oddball ideas for my mini loft....



## psychopomp (May 5, 2008)

I have been tinkering and expanding my outdoor "pen" I built for my two rescue ferals......I built a small area for them to fly and stretch out, get some fresh air and exercise daily...its portable, I can move it around the yard...

I wanted to have a shelter for them to retreat to if the weather gets bad, rain, snow wind.....but I didnt want anything permanent, but yet still well insulated....so I bought a cedar rabbit hutch to convert to a mini loft...the question is...I am assuming that the pigeons wont use it if its too low? how high should it be?

thanks for any advice


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

I love odd ball ideas and mini lofts so I had to look....I would say if you are going to lift it 5 ft or so is good.. you want to beable to reach in there and clean...so I guess that depends on how tall you are too...with the fly pen be careful leaving them unattended in there as a cat or other critter could get a swipe at them through that wire....also put a latch on the door as another member had a raccoon get in her aviary and let one of her birds loose, and her house is in a neihborhood and she has a privacy fence


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

I don't see that you need to raise it up. My little loft (4 X 4) is only about a foot, maybe 1 1/2 feet off the ground and the birds go into it and roost just fine.


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## psychopomp (May 5, 2008)

Hmmmm guess I'll make yet another trip to the lumber yard.....maybe I can just raise it a couple more feet....I still like the portability
the hutch is nice, has a slide out tray and lift up roof.....still need to insulate and winterize it...( I think I have an obsessive new hobby)

we have an enclosed yard, locked gate.....I checked the cage for cat proofness a cat can't knock it over, or open it..nor can the crows, ravens or magpies...I could add another layer of finer poultry wire at ground level...they can fly up all 6 feet and hang off the roof if they need to..they did that the first time I tried to take them out of the cage when they didnt want to...now I dont do it before dark...they love their outdoor time!!

... I keep the cage door latched and wired shut...we dont have raccoons here, too cold!

I am home most of the time, check on them regularly..


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

wow no *****? and I though they were eveywhere....well this happend at 4 in the afternoon so that was weird as they usually come out at night..I would put 1/2 inch wire aroung it..I had a bantam get his wing snatchd off by a critter of some kind because he could grab through the wire...also be sure to pick up the feed as rats/mice will go in there to find tid bits...Im sure keeping them closed up at night will protect them also... here is the set up Tracy had in here backyard before the **** insident.....don't discount a sneeky neihborhood cat either


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

just to give ideas...I like this set up too..


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## psychopomp (May 5, 2008)

Glad to see I am not the only one whos thought of this!!

yep.... I am probably going to expand eventually add more panels, I had to go with inexpensive and easy...

esp if I end up with more rescues...cats are the most likely culprits to try to get in....I walked around and really pulled and pushed in case an inventive cat tries to climb it...seems sturdy, but since I have finer leftover mesh I can put that around the base


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Just wanted to mention that if mice or rats get in, and they can, they will leave droppings, and if the birds pick them up while pecking around, they could get, God Forbid, paratyphoid. It's cute, but the hardware cloth would be safer. And rats would also kill the birds. Hardware cloth around the bottom won't keep them out. Just to give you something to think about.


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## psychopomp (May 5, 2008)

we dont have ANY rats either....everything freezes solid...

The mice, we dont have many of them... a few will come in winter to the feeders, but in Canada paratyphoid is rare...

I had to go with the least expensive options that were viable for me...the stuff I have for the base, is that square mesh, about 1/2 inch apart, *metal*...i got it to keep rabbits from eating my apple trees


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Wow! You are very lucky. They are every where here. Anyway, I think your enclosure for your birds is cute. I'll bet they love it. And I think they are going to like that little coop you have. Thanks for the info. That was interesting.


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## psychopomp (May 5, 2008)

thanks  I will see what i come up with.....and post a pic later...yes they love it, they literally hop up and down with excitement when I bring them out to it!


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Im sorry to tell you this but you do have raccoons inyour area...
http://www.saskschools.ca/~gregory/animals/raccoons.html


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## psychopomp (May 5, 2008)

um, no , we dont...there are a very few in the southern parts..none this far north


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

the red is where their range is, but you ought to know you live there.


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## Guest (Oct 10, 2008)

lol you tell her/him spirit  oh and just cuz you dont see things dont mean they arent there , rats are everywhere too , if you have mice your gonna have rats too


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/03/0331_030331_rats_2.html


LokotaLoft said:


> lol you tell her/him spirit  oh and just cuz you dont see things dont mean they arent there , rats are everywhere too , if you have mice your gonna have rats too


You have a good point, but when He/she told me that they didn't have rats in Alberta Canada, I googled it. And it isn't because of the fact that it is frozen over, as was suggested, but supposedly, Alberta Canada has been virtually RAT FREE for the past fifty years, because they have a large area around the borders that they patrol. Poisons, shooting, and whatever else it takes. They stop the rats from getting in. Now that is not to say that an occaisional one doesn't get through, but it is pretty much rat free. Amazing. Of course, it only takes one. And even the occaisional mouse at the feeders could get into the aviary. Wish we had so few rats around here. Here is the link. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/03/0331_030331_rats_2.html


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## psychopomp (May 5, 2008)

I dont want to turn this into an argument....but ALBERTA is officially a rat free province, the only in North America.....as for raccoons I have lived here for 8 years, there are rare sightings in the south...we are talking reported sightings as a novelty, less than a dozen in the city, several hundred miles away, there might be the odd one but very very rare..I am an avid naturalist and outdoor person...I have lived where there raccoons! we have coyotes, but unless I forget and leave the gate open its more likely a neighbors dog would come in.


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## psychopomp (May 5, 2008)

its an odd thing the rat free status I am on the fence, its great for some reasons, but they cant keep it forever....and yes they do go to extremes , someone released a bunch of pet rats in Calgary.....they bred to about 20, and they went in and slaughtered them... I think its a pride thing....they also dont allow pet rats, its illegal..i think its overboard ..i used to keep rats as pets, domesticated ones they are wonderful pets.....


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## philodice (Sep 30, 2007)

Well then we are glad your birds are safe. What about marmots, ferrets...weasels. You know?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

psychopomp said:


> its an odd thing the rat free status I am on the fence, its great for some reasons, but they cant keep it forever....and yes they do go to extremes , someone released a bunch of pet rats in Calgary.....they bred to about 20, and they went in and slaughtered them... I think its a pride thing....they also dont allow pet rats, its illegal..i think its overboard ..i used to keep rats as pets, domesticated ones they are wonderful pets.....


Well, released pet rats, will turn into wild regular rats, and they breed so fast. And I'm sure that they don't allow pet rats, because of things like this, where people may release them.

Anyway, I don't think anyone means to pick on the safety of your aviary. And they're not trying to make you feel bad. It's just that when we put one up, we do try to look at anywhere that another animal could get in and possibly harm the birds. Many on here have had that happen. It's just amazing what can and does get in. It's just that the 1/2" or even better 1/4" hardware cloth, (I believe that is what you were talking about when you said it kept the rabbits away from your trees), is so much safer. It would be a terrible experience to have something get at them. Everyone is just trying to point out the possibilities of that to you. Even more so if they are out there at night. Investing in the hardware cloth is a bit more expensive, but sooooooooooooo worth the expense. Just think about it. Anyway, it is a cute setup.


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