# Are the lofts to far away for the homing pigeons to relocate?



## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

I have an existing structure (labed YB loft) that could be converted into a loft (where i want to hold my YBs) easily. I am planning on building another loft (labeled Prisoner and OB loft) they are about 950 feed away from each other they have the house and barn between each other. So i need to know will i be able to take them from the YB loft to the OB loft and will they come back to the OB loft when released or raced. If so how do i go about teaching them to go to the OB instead of the YB loft when i move them. Here is a link to the diagram of the area it is at.
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2568193610102852004AWBZdY


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Your link doesn't work, but the answer to your question is yes, the birds can be moved from one loft to another. We (racers) do it every year. We fly our YB's from one loft and OB's from another loft. So, every year we have to move some of our YB's.


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

I fixed the link and how would i train them or re home them to the new loft?


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## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

My Grandpa use a single racing loft, With two sections for young birds and two sections for old birds. Maybe if that would be an option, See we have one landing board that goes to a hall way of sorts, and they have two different old bird sections on either side and two sections for youngbirds in the middle. Just thought I would throw that in there.


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

Well I am tryin to use a pre existing structure that is to small for more than one section.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

zimmzimm3 said:


> I fixed the link and how would i train them or re home them to the new loft?


Well, this is what I do..........once YB season is over, I start moving whatever YB's I want on the OB team to the OB loft. This is usually in Nov/Dec. I keep my OB's locked up until about 4 weeks before we start racing, which is in March/April. So from Dec to April they are in the new loft. Just before I start flying them again, I run all the birds out into the aviary and make them trap. The traps on all my lofts are just alike, so this is nothing new to them.
When I let them out to fly,make sure the trap to the YB loft is locked up because some of the new birds WILL try to trap in. Then I just call them while standing over by the OB loft. Eventually they will come and trap in. Again, if they are hungry, it will help in the beginning. I don't worry so much about my OB's being hungry in order to trap. OB's (IMO) don't trap cause they are hungry. They trap cause that's their home and it's where they want to be. Once they've gone through the routine once or twice, they're good to go. By the time you train them and send them to their first race, trapping into the OB loft is their "new" habit.
Now, understand that I fly double widowhood, so all of my pairs have their own nest box and have raised one set of babies in the "new" loft. That helps also.


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## k-will (Dec 15, 2007)

can the building be moved closer to the other loft?if not,as others said already you can re-settle them.its done by alot of fanciers every year.
renees idea is probably the best.make sure they are mated in the new loft.a nest would help also,and do not allow them back in the yb loft.


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

Lovebirds said:


> Well, this is what I do..........once YB season is over, I start moving whatever YB's I want on the OB team to the OB loft. This is usually in Nov/Dec. I keep my OB's locked up until about 4 weeks before we start racing, which is in March/April. So from Dec to April they are in the new loft. Just before I start flying them again, I run all the birds out into the aviary and make them trap. The traps on all my lofts are just alike, so this is nothing new to them.
> When I let them out to fly,make sure the trap to the YB loft is locked up because some of the new birds WILL try to trap in. Then I just call them while standing over by the OB loft. Eventually they will come and trap in. Again, if they are hungry, it will help in the beginning. I don't worry so much about my OB's being hungry in order to trap. OB's (IMO) don't trap cause they are hungry. They trap cause that's their home and it's where they want to be. Once they've gone through the routine once or twice, they're good to go. By the time you train them and send them to their first race, trapping into the OB loft is their "new" habit.
> Now, understand that I fly double widowhood, so all of my pairs have their own nest box and have raised one set of babies in the "new" loft. That helps also.


When you say you put them in the aviary to make them trap can you clarify and (i know this may sound really stupid but) what is an aviary.


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## Guest (Jan 30, 2008)

an avairy is the all wire fly pen where the birds get their exercize and sunshine that is attached to the loft .. the thing is you can train your young birds to any loft on your property long as you move them there before you let them out to fly .. you just settle them in there and let them get used to their suroundings and they will know it as their home ,its moving them after that that takes more time for them to adjust to ..


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

zimmzimm3 said:


> When you say you put them in the aviary to make them trap can you clarify and (i know this may sound really stupid but) what is an aviary.


No question is stupid.  Unless you already know the answer, then it's a silly question, not stupid. Anyway.................
How you teach birds to trap depends on how your loft is built. My big loft has avaiaries underneath the landing board and trap, so obviously, I have to use a settling cage. My small (widowhood) loft is built to the aviary surrounds the trap, so getting the birds to trap is done different. 
I said before that pigeons are creatures of habit. Moving birds from one loft to another is simply breaking an old habit and instilling a new one. 
A couple of years ago, I was training my first round of YB's to trap. Every day they went out the window, walked over to the trap and trapped in. Over and over. It became a habit. The first time I let them out without the settling cage, the came out of the window and walked over and trapped. They never even realized the settling cage was gone.


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

So after they are trained to the YB loft, when i move them, I should just leave them in the loft for a week or two and then use the settling cage on the board until they go right into the loft. Then i should let them out. Would this work? Thanks for your help!!


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

zimmzimm3 said:


> So after they are trained to the YB loft, when i move them, I should just leave them in the loft for a week or two and then use the settling cage on the board until they go right into the loft. Then i should let them out. Would this work? Thanks for your help!!


Sounds like a plan. Some might disagree, but I think longer than a couple of weeks would be best. Remember, you've got to get them to trap into a new loft after they've been used to another loft thier entire life. 
This is why most of the time it's difficult to re-home a bird to an entirely different loft/location. The advantage here is that the bird are still on the same property as opposed to someone trying to get a bird to go to a physically different location all together. 
Letting them pair up in the new loft will go a long way in helping them trap too. 

PS: When I was looking at you diagram for your yard, I saw the pictures of your chickens. They are SO cute when they are babies. I miss my chickens.


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

Lovebirds said:


> Sounds like a plan. Some might disagree, but I think longer than a couple of weeks would be best. Remember, you've got to get them to trap into a new loft after they've been used to another loft thier entire life.
> This is why most of the time it's difficult to re-home a bird to an entirely different loft/location. The advantage here is that the bird are still on the same property as opposed to someone trying to get a bird to go to a physically different location all together.
> Letting them pair up in the new loft will go a long way in helping them trap too.
> 
> PS: When I was looking at you diagram for your yard, I saw the pictures of your chickens. They are SO cute when they are babies. I miss my chickens.


Glad you liked the chickens lol. So how should i pair them up in the loft just with my breeding/pairing box. Thanks For Your Help!!


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

How many sections are you going to have in your new loft? If possible, you should have two. One with nest boxes for the cocks and one with perches only for the hens.


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

That is most likely what I will do and i will have a wall made out of wire where i can lower the top half (because it is on hinges) and let them together.


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

Do you think this will work?


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## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

zimmzimm3 said:


> Do you think this will work?


It will if you work hard enough to make it work.


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

Lovebirds said:


> How many sections are you going to have in your new loft? If possible, you should have two. One with nest boxes for the cocks and one with perches only for the hens.


Yes so how should i get them to breed?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

zimmzimm3 said:


> That is most likely what I will do and i will have a wall made out of wire where i can lower the top half (because it is on hinges) and let them together.


If you are going to separate the sexes, you need a solid wall. If separated, they shouldn't be able to see each other. A solid wall with a door IMO would be better than a wire wall.


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

So then i would just put them together after separating them for about 2 weeks?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

zimmzimm3 said:


> So then i would just put them together after separating them for about 2 weeks?


Yea, that would be ok. That would give the cocks time to pick out their nest box and establish ownership.


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