# finally making a bigger and better loft



## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

so yeah guys finally im moving to a house in august 2 and i want to build a loft. im gonna need a lot of tips, im thinking of doing 3 sections. they will be 8 feet deep but havent decided yet how large it should be for 3 sections, one section would be for breeding another for the hens and the last one for the new pigeons.im thinking of doing 8 feet high on front and like 7 on back. also want to wire the sides and the front, only gonna cover the back.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

i want to make this high from the floor so if anytime i want to move it i have no problem. ive seen some floors with wires on the center for the poop. i gues i could do that and put something under that for easy cleaning.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

this is gonna have the doors on the side and inside, my problem is how do i do the trap and the aviary? like i said i wont be doing this till august i still have a lot of time


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

what kind of pigeons?


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

homers, i got about 25 right now


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

if ur racing id say go with 4 and if u can 5 sections


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

blackknight01 said:


> so yeah guys finally im moving to a house in august 2 and i want to build a loft. im gonna need a lot of tips, im thinking of doing 3 sections. they will be 8 feet deep but havent decided yet how large it should be for 3 sections, one section would be for breeding another for the hens and the last one for the new pigeons.im thinking of doing 8 feet high on front and like 7 on back. also want to wire the sides and the front, only gonna cover the back.


you do not want the loft too high, or else you will not beable to catch your birds. 6ft is the most I would go. as far as how long it should be, I would say, go in lenghts of 4 feet as that is what the sheets of plywood come in so you do not have to waste alot and do more cutting. so 8 x 16 or 20... just depends on how many total birds you want to house, so ask yourself that question and then pick the size that would house that many. usually 2 ft per bird.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

so you think 4 sections of 4 feet each would be better? i think it would be too small. how many birds can i put in a 4 by 8


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

i am thinking something like this the space would be diferent, i cant go more than 16 feet long so i either do 3 sections or 4 of 4 feet each.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

blackknight01 said:


> so you think 4 sections of 4 feet each would be better? i think it would be too small. how many birds can i put in a 4 by 8


16 birds.
I did an 8 x 16, I did the inside sections two 6ft wide and one 4ft wide.. you can do any size sections you want.. after you know how long and wide you want the loft itself.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

dotn you guys think 3 secrtions will work fine? one for bredding next to it another one for the hens, when breeding come ill just open and basicly look like one to have enough space for breeding and then the last section for racing birds. i dont know im all confused lol, all ideas are welcome guys


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

check out this site of Renees she has some good ideas for building lofts.. I really like both her lofts. http://lovebirdsloft.homestead.com/PAGE1.html


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

blackknight01 said:


> dotn you guys think 3 secrtions will work fine? one for bredding next to it another one for the hens, when breeding come ill just open and basicly look like one to have enough space for breeding and then the last section for racing birds. i dont know im all confused lol, all ideas are welcome guys


best to have a section for yb's just weaned.. are you going to race? if so then you will be breeding and all at one time..so that section will be needed. I think three is good.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

i got about 10 pairs so i dont think i can breed 10 pairs in a 4 by 8 what u think


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

blackknight01 said:


> i got about 10 pairs so i dont think i can breed 10 pairs in a 4 by 8 what u think


depends on how big your nest boxes are going to be... if you are breeding that many birds you might want to go with a 16 x 20 loft, or or 12 x 16.. think of how many birds you want in that loft at the hight of your breeding.. you have 10 pairs, so that is potential of 20 babies.(now you have 40 birds). you would want a space big enough for 20 new young in one section and 20 in the breeding.. the flying section can house the hens when you seperate them and the cocks can stay with their nest box. when you sell or give away your unwanteds you will have more room at that point.


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

well i was thinking one for cocks, one for hens, one for young birds, and one for old birds


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## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

I think I would rethink the putting the door in the center. Going through all those compartments would be a pain. My mentor's loft is designed the way you have it, but the middle sections are individual breeding compartments with a walkway in front. I love the way my breeding loft is set up with a walkway down the center. I would make it a couple of feet wider and have a hallway down the back. 

I would go four or five compartments. You could use sliding walls to adjust the number of compartments. 
Hens/ Cocks/ Young birds/Widow Cocks /Widow hens

I have five compartments and do not race. Nice to have a few extra to shuffle birds around. In the off season, you may only need two or three.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

see the problem is that is not my house so i dont think i cant do more than 16 by 8 so yeah i am real mess, if i do 4 sections i would think is too small , this is driving me crazy.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

yeah i was thinking same thing like when breeding make 2 comparmets one together that would help me a lot during breeding. so if i do 4 sections of 4 those 2 would make 8 by 8 and i have 10 pairs i think it should be good right


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

Theres nothing wrong with that size you can make a 2ft hallway and have 4 6 x 4 sections


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

does anyone here any loft with sections of 4 by 8?


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## Guest (Jun 27, 2010)

blackknight01 said:


> does anyone here any loft with sections of 4 by 8?


if I were you I would go with the 3 sections one hens ,one breeder section and one youngbirds and no hallway so you utilize all the room you can for your birds .. do you really need a hallway for you to walk thru ?? I would only do that if you had a huge enuf loft to do so like a 12 by 12 or beyond the 12 foot mark longwise .. but thats just me Im all about giving all the space I can to my birds


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

yeah i was thinking the same thing. ill have to go with the doors inside


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## Matt Bell (May 5, 2010)

I personally like a loft with at least 4 sections. 1 for youngbirds, 1 for old bird hens, 1 for old bird cocks, and one for breeders. After breeding season which generally coincides with the end of old bird season you can separate cocks and hens which then leaves 2 sections for youngbirds if you want to try a type of widowhood. Can also do that in oldbirds with this set up. Now, I also do prefer a hallway, simply because then I can use just one trap device for all the sections and don't have to worry about re-training birds to a separate trap after youngbird season as they move to the old bird team. If you have room you can make a 5th section for a hospital/infirmary set up. For me ideal size would be 12X24 or so, though I realize many folks aren't able to have a structure of that size.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

see the other thing is that i have american show racers too, so thats kind of why i was thinking of 4 sections , 2 of this section i could make them one section on breeding time and then when done close it again to separate them and then the others for the young and the asr's


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

finally i got the approval today from the landlord i can build a 16 by 8 loft. not a big thing but better than what i have.


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## Andyfitz (May 29, 2010)

I am in the design phase for my loft that i am going to start construction soon. My loft is going to be 8x16 also I am thinking the front will be 7'6" tall and the back 6'6". Leaving a simple sloped flat roof. I am new to pigeon racing and am not getting birds until this is built I will probably only start out with 5-7 pairs of birds. So i have decided to only do a 3 section loft. You can see from my sketch that the biggest section is for the young birds that is 6x8 and the other 2 for cocks and hens will be 5x5 with a hallway and door in the back the hallway is 3 feet wide. The aviary will run across the front of the loft about 3-4 feet wide


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

where are you breeding?


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## Andyfitz (May 29, 2010)

blackknight01 said:


> where are you breeding?


I was just going to put the nest boxes in the Hen section and use that for breeding also


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## bhymer (Jan 8, 2008)

Are you planning to race or just enjoy your pigeons ???????

If you are going to race, I would obtain a team of youngsters first and fly them without the pressure of breeding. Then you could fly old birds and maybe breed from your best flyers ???? It will make life easier and more enjoyable. Learn how to manage a few, then take on more. Good luck.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

i think 4 sections of 4 by 8 should be good


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

blackknight01 said:


> finally i got the approval today from the landlord i can build a 16 by 8 loft. not a big thing but better than what i have.


That is what I have, except I just have three sections, two 6x8 and one 4x8, it seems the 4x8 section holds about 12 birds well, but would not put more than 12 in a 4x8 section... I open my yb section and let the obs use it too when the ybs are trained and ready. I like the breeding section being 6x8 because it has more room, but if you are going with four sections you can't do that.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

once is breeding time i can open one and make it together so that would give me 8 by 8


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

the thing is that i need one section for my asr's


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

blackknight01 said:


> the thing is that i need one section for my asr's


yeah, well, that is why I had to build another loft..lol.. for my fancy birds..


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## Guest (Jul 1, 2010)

blackknight01 said:


> the thing is that i need one section for my asr's


4 sections for you would be perfect , everyone has their own ideas so you should really go with your own gut and just give them as much room as you possibly can while building your loft


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

ok so im gonna start building the loft tomorrow , i got all the 2/4 and the plywood for ceiling and back. went to home depot today to buy the plywood for floor and its 22 buck a piece and i need 4 of them, so right now im trying to see where i can get it for cheaper. hopefully ill post a picture tomorrow


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

wow! let the building begin!!!! yeah!


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## Andyfitz (May 29, 2010)

Good luck with the building!!!! I was going to start my loft construction yesterday but we are having a nasty heat wave in the 100's hopefully it will cool down soon so I can get going. I have lots of materials myslef, I have the plywood for the floor and am still looking for the walls.

You should try looking on craigslist if it is in your area for people selling or giving away extra lumber. I picked up 20 6x6's for the floor joistsand paid just 20 dollars


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

hey here is over 110 and it wont go down so if i wait for the heat to go ill have to wait till next year lol. just got some 2x4x16's today to start building the floor


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

this is what im using for the floor. i wish i could fin something cheaper
http://www.homedepot.com/Building-M...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053


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## Andyfitz (May 29, 2010)

where are you located? Do you have the humidity thet goes with are heat also? 

I am using the same thing on my floor except I got them for free. I do not have the 16 footers yet I think I am going to rip the 2x8x16's at my work down to 2x6x16. Post some pics when you get a chance


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

im in arizona no one has sanded pine plywood here, i even look on craiglist and found nothing.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

so i got some work done today. got the floor up , made the back wall and the front wall. on the weekend im hoping to go buy the plywood for the floor so i can put the walls up and do the roof hes a picture of the 3 parts. behind is my storage room im doing the loft next to it like its on the picture.will post more pictures on saturday


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## Andyfitz (May 29, 2010)

Looks great!!! 
now come on out to MD and start mine for me. What are you doing for the roof?


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

i am gonna use shingles i think its call


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## Andyfitz (May 29, 2010)

blackknight01 said:


> i am gonna use shingles i think its call


I am going to use shingles also but is your roof going to be flat or angled? I am going to try and do the roof like love birds widowhood loft and use it to incorporate the aviary. I do not know if you have seen there loft this is the link to it http://lovebirdsloft.homestead.com/WidowhoodLoftPage.html


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

mine is gonna be angle i have the walls made for it already. is gonna be 7' back and 6'1/2 front


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

for the aviary you can leave the 2/4 longer like mine its 8 feet long i can leave them all the way to 10 feet and make that extra 2' the aviary but i dont know yet since all my front is gonna be wired and the side it will be pretty open .


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## Andyfitz (May 29, 2010)

oh yeah forgot to mention i just ran into an ad of someone giving away 2x4's and plywood I am off to get it tomorrow


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

nice i wish i could find someone like that here lol.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

im gonna have to go with chicken wire i cant find that hard cloth wire anywhere, the one i found is not hard at all.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

blackknight01 said:


> im gonna have to go with chicken wire i cant find that hard cloth wire anywhere, the one i found is not hard at all.


do you have a tractor suppy store near you somewhere, I would not use the chicken wire, now, unless you can close them in at night where nothing can get in the the loft itself, but, even during the day, a cat can get his claws in and grab a bird and wound it. that chicken wire bends over time too and does not look so good.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

well then where do i find that hard cloth wire?


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

can someone help me find it please


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## Andyfitz (May 29, 2010)

They sell it ar lowes or homedepot. just do not ask anyone who works there because when I did they looked at me like I was the dumb one. After looking in the garden/outdoor section I found it


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## Matt Bell (May 5, 2010)

In home depot its located next to the fence building materials as well. Comes in widths of 2, 3, and 4 feet and lengths of 25, 50, and 100 ft.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

In lowes its outside where the wooden and other fencing are. I got mine at tractor supply


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

can someone find the link of the actual thing? because i found one at home depot but its not hard at all


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

well all my front is gonna be wire so thats 16' by 6' and the side too and that is 8' by 7' so im gonna need a lot of wire.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If you have a true value hardware store near you, you can order it through them if they don't have it in the store. It comes in different strengths. You want 19 gauge, as it is lots stronger than say 23 gauge. It does come even heavier, but is hard to find, and often you have to buy it on longer rolls. You can usually buy it on 50 foot rolls, or 100 foot rolls.
And it is called* hardware cloth.* Not hard wire cloth. Just so they'll know what it is that you are looking for.


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## Matt Bell (May 5, 2010)

This is the link for what you are basically looking for, it is 23 gauge, if you can get a lower number it will be stiffer and stronger, but the 23 gauge will do the job for you. http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-Fencing-Wire/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xh4Zbb00/R-202024052/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Matt Bell said:


> This is the link for what you are basically looking for, it is 23 gauge, if you can get a lower number it will be stiffer and stronger, but the 23 gauge will do the job for you. http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-Fencing-Wire/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xh4Zbb00/R-202024052/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053


The 23 gauge is crap. A rat could chew through it. The squirrels in my yard chew through heavier hardware cloth than that. If you want your birds safe, then for the small amount in price, go with the 19 gauge. It just isn't worth it.


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## Andyfitz (May 29, 2010)

my beagle will not allow squirrels in the yard they stay clear


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

did some work today, i have use 63 2x4 so far still need more and have to buy the shingles too so will see if i get anything done tomorrow. here is a picture.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You've gotten a lot done. Looks great.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

yeah woke up at 3 am today and work till 12 am


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

can anyone give me some ideas on sliding doors? i need to make the last 2 sections able to become one when breeding time.


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## Matt Bell (May 5, 2010)

Jay3 said:


> The 23 gauge is crap. A rat could chew through it. The squirrels in my yard chew through heavier hardware cloth than that. If you want your birds safe, then for the small amount in price, go with the 19 gauge. It just isn't worth it.


Yes I agree, thats why I use expanded metal on my fly pens, I was just giving him the link he asked for. I was in wildlife and pest control for several years, I know all to well what rats can do, too bad the general public won't believe us, lol.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Matt Bell said:


> Yes I agree, thats why I use expanded metal on my fly pens, I was just giving him the link he asked for. I was in wildlife and pest control for several years,* I know all to well what rats can do, too bad the general public won't believe us, lol.*





Well if they did, there would be a whole lot of people, doing a whole lot of work on their lofts and aviaries.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

Man they must be some big rats and squirrels.


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## Matt Bell (May 5, 2010)

Shadybug Lofts said:


> Man they must be some big rats and squirrels.


Well, I can't tell you how many 1.5 pound rats I caught in peoples attics, and there is only 1 way for them to get in the attics, they chew right through the shingles, roof decking, and flashing or they find a weakness in the roof returns and chew through there. Squirrels do the same thing, and I have even had them go through the plumbing vents and end up coming out of the toilet in the house. Its pretty ridiculous what these animals can do, but again try telling the customer that and they think you are lying to them just to get there money. I feel bad for so many people, 30% of house fires are caused by rodents chewing wires, and a lot of it could be avoided if people would just listen.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

I guess chewing through shingles and roof sheathing i can see and flashing doesn't cover the hole roof. Unless those rats and squirrels have diamond studded teeth I would have to see it to believe they could chew through steel. If there was a hole in your wire they could work it bigger i would think. I have a friend that kept squirrels for years in cages with hardware cloth and they never chewed the wire.I think everyone like myself that have 3/8" wooden walls in there loft should be more worried about that than there wire. They could go through that in minutes.


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## Matt Bell (May 5, 2010)

Yeah, even knowing their biology I would have had a hard time believing it until this job came around. Squirrels, flying squirrels and rats can chew through just about anything. Raccoons I have seen them tear off siding to get into the wall, had them climb from under a house two stories up a wall into the attic, tear off chimney caps and nest in the fireplace, seen snakes climb 5 story stone buildings and get in an open window in a hotel, and then you get the honey bees that build hives in the walls of houses. Try convincing the owner that getting rid of the bees isn't going to fix the problem but you have to tear out the dry wall to remove the honey comb. Most of the time they say no, and then you get a call 2 weeks later from the same person because they have honey running out of the walls, lol, man you do get to see some crazy stuff.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

the main problem is that not everyone can afford to buy 19 gauge, iv always use chicken wire and havent had any problems, i wish i could buy 19 gauge but will at the money spent already i see it very hard, ill have to use chicken wire for now and later on ill change it.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

I know you use what you can afford and hope nothing happens. We have those little black ring neck snakes here and where i used to work when you opened the door they would fall on your head i still dont know how they got up the door jam to the top of the metal door.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Shadybug Lofts said:


> I guess chewing through shingles and roof sheathing i can see and flashing doesn't cover the hole roof. Unless those rats and squirrels have diamond studded teeth I would have to see it to believe they could chew through steel. If there was a hole in your wire they could work it bigger i would think.* I have a friend that kept squirrels for years in cages with hardware cloth and they never chewed the wire.*I think everyone like myself that have 3/8" wooden walls in there loft should be more worried about that than there wire. They could go through that in minutes.



Then it was probably the heavier hardware cloth. It comes in different gauges. There is a reason for that. Different gauges are for different things. And the heavier gauge will keep more things out.


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## Andyfitz (May 29, 2010)

Finally got a start on my loft today. Only got the floor framed out and need to finish up leveling the fram thn it is time to lay the floor


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

looking good.i have to way till tuesday to do some work on mine


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

blacknight, you still have a long way to go on your loft. If you can possibley put off buying the wire for the aviaries, do so and get the hard wire cloth when you can afford it, you will not be sorry, other wise in the long run you will spend money for the chicken wire, only to replace it... when you have birds, it attracts all kinds of predators.. like I said before, if your determined to get the chicken wire, just at least make sure you can close your birds up tight at night. only saying this because I have been down that road.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

well the chicken wire i have already but yes i plan to get hardwire cloth later. the thing is that i have my pigeons on my dads house and i have to drive there 2 times everyday so i really need to get done with this to get my pigeons here then ill make some modifications later on. i need help from you guys 2 of the sections which are 4 by 8 one is for hen and the other one for cocks but on breeding season i want to be able to make that 8 by 8 how do i make wall that i can take out? any ideas?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

blackknight01 said:


> well the chicken wire i have already but yes i plan to get hardwire cloth later. the thing is that i have my pigeons on my dads house and i have to drive there 2 times everyday so i really need to get done with this to get my pigeons here then ill make some modifications later on. i need help from you guys 2 of the sections which are 4 by 8 one is for hen and the other one for cocks but on breeding season i want to be able to make that 8 by 8 how do i make wall that i can take out? any ideas?


ok, work with what you have. as far as the sections, just open the door to make it one section.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

Make a wall with a door in it and open the door. Just make sure it will fold back against the wall that you put in. Or make a 4' wall 2 2' pieces and hinge them in the middle and latch them some way. Then just unlatch fold it together and it will be 2' wide to get out of the loft


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

my late hatch, this would be flying in the new loft. i made a mistake with this 2 i banded them to early and band came off so when i noticed that it was too late for my whit one.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

did some work today still got a lot to do inside.


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## Andyfitz (May 29, 2010)

looks great! I started to frame out my walls on mine but right before I was about to nail them to the floor my wife decided she did not like where the loft was so me and 3 other people had to lift the floor and move it then re-level it. good thing she asked before walls went up because it would not of moved


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

yeah they get pretty heavy, when i did my floor i had to flip it around and it was not fun.
i still need to finish the wiring then do the nextboxes the perches , with the perches im just gonna go with the ones i had which were the T later on ill make some changes make it better but right now this has cost enough.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

Very nice but do you think you may have problems with the roof thats not much of an angle for a shingled roof.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

is enough it has half feet , i have seen some with less than that and they work great besides here only rains 2 days out of 365 days lol.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

My old shed is like that. 2 years ago it started to leak and a big hole rotted in the roof its on my to do list when I'm done my loft. Oh did i tell you i built it 24 years ago. LOL


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Shadybug Lofts said:


> Very nice but do you think you may have problems with the roof thats not much of an angle for a shingled roof.


I was just thinking that.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

hey 24 years is good enough for me lol. it the picture looks like its flat but it does have an angle.also the shingle that it has is the double one that its made to last 30 years.


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## Andyfitz (May 29, 2010)

blacknight

You doing any work on your loft this week?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

blackknight01 said:


> hey 24 years is good enough for me lol. it the picture looks like its flat but it does have an angle.also the shingle that it has is the double one that its made to last 30 years.


Probably just the angle of the pic that makes it look that way.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

i got my birds in the loft last night i will post some pictures later , camera has no battery. still need to do some work on it like the traps.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

inside pictures


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## Andyfitz (May 29, 2010)

looks great!!!! My loft still only has 3 sides up my electric pannel went bad on my house the other day so now I have to pay lots to get a new one in hopefully I will get some more wood for my loft soon


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## Guest (Jul 22, 2010)

looks great inside an out and in winter you can easily cover up any openings with plastic to keep the winter winds out as well


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

yeah im working on that im trying to make a long pole with the plastic that stays on top so i can just roll it down. still have to do the traps too.


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## Guest (Jul 22, 2010)

blackknight01 said:


> yeah im working on that im trying to make a long pole with the plastic that stays on top so i can just roll it down. still have to do the traps too.


traps are the easy part, a nice drop trap on the side where your door is would be perfect .. just build a nice fold up platform in front of it and you are good to go


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

well i got my young ones on the second section so i was thinking of doing it on the front of the second section. i have a bob trap already i just need a way to get them out.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

does anyone has any idea how to do a wood stair to get in the loft beacuse i am tired of jumping up and down.


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## Guest (Jul 22, 2010)

blackknight01 said:


> does anyone has any idea how to do a wood stair to get in the loft beacuse i am tired of jumping up and down.


this might help http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to-plans/woodworking/4224738


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Or you could just make a wooden box half the height of the jump you are having to make. That would cut it in half, and probably just be a high step up.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

actually i found a small metal stair with 2 steps and thats what i am using right now


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

That works.


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## Andyfitz (May 29, 2010)

stairs are easy to build just need the wood


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

blackknight01 said:


> finally i made the traps tell me what you think the one on the left is to go out and the one on the right to go in , thats a bob trap.


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## birdkeeper (Jun 24, 2009)

the trap looks nice. would you be putting a basket outside the trap so your birds will get use to going in and out of the trap or you'll just let them out?


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

i have to make a basket off that size to get them use to the trap


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

i cant believe no one has any opinion on my traps


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Your trap looks great. Hope you'll post pics of the birds out there in the cage.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

yeah i still have to make the cage tho.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

Your traps are very nice they should work fine. Did that bob trap come as a unit?


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

Shadybug Lofts said:


> Your traps are very nice they should work fine. Did that bob trap come as a unit?


yes it did


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

it doenst want to stop raining here, it has been raining for 3 days already, everything is wet, i guess ill have to wait till next week to start training my youngs.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

Sounds like a good time to check your roof for leaks.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

i did already, its all good, no leaks from roof.


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## blackknight01 (Feb 20, 2010)

i am a matriarch yayyyy i feel part of the family now , lol


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## Andyfitz (May 29, 2010)

Hello everyone!!! It has been a few weeks since I got a chance to work on my loft but today I got a good chunk of framing out of the way. All if the outside walls are framed out and I only have 2 more interior walls to frame. I started on the roof framing today also. What a pain roof framing is. I am trying to make a similar roof like the one from Lovebirds loft. The roof that he built incorporates into the aviary. I guess the only concern I have right now is that I may have made the aviary to small. The width of the aviary is 3’6” and about 4’6” tall with the front sloping at a 30 degree angle to the roof. Do you all think this is too small? here is a link if you want to see a picture of Lovebirds widowhood loft to get an idea of what I am doing http://lovebirdsloft.homestead.com/WidowhoodLoftPage.html. I hope to post some pics of my progress tomorrow.


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## Andyfitz (May 29, 2010)

Here are the pics of what I have done so far I am alomost done framing Finally.
View attachment 16745


View attachment 16746


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