# Feed/water in the loft or aviary?



## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

I am just curious as to where you folks keep your feeder and waterer. Do you keep them in the loft itself or the aviary? Also, do you remove the feeder after the birds are finished, even if they are cleaning up all of the feed? Just wondering and trying to get ideas as to what would be best.


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

I keep the feed and water inside the loft to reduce visibility and access by non-pigeons. Since I have three pair on (wooden) eggs, I keep feed out all the time so all the birds get to eat.


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

I don't have my aviaries up yet but once I do the waterers are going outside. I can't seem to keep my birds out of the darn things. They keep knocking them over and making a mess, and it's not good to have the floor of your loft all wet. As for the feeders I take them out after they eat for the same reason. I feed inside the loft.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

My pigeons have a dining room, (only because it used to be the original coop)which is between their outdoor aviary and coop. It is off the ground (rabbit hutch like) and has a wire floor. This keeps any food or wetness out of the coop. 

I remove all the feeders and waterers at night, but my birds are coupled and lay on dummy eggs too, so they do have access to it all day too.

They have free run of the place and all doors are open to allow them outside in their aviary. At night, the birds are all inside their coop, all doors are shut tight for predator proofing.


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## Eriduardo (Aug 28, 2006)

I feed and water inside the loft, after about 25 minutes I take all left over food out. Water is available at all times inside the loft and outside in the aviary especially in hot weather. For my breeders food and water is available in their breeding pens at all times so that they have plenty to nurish and hydrate their young.


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## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

TerriB said:


> I keep the feed and water inside the loft to reduce visibility and access by non-pigeons. Since I have three pair on (wooden) eggs, I keep feed out all the time so all the birds get to eat.


I don't have problems keeping non-pigeons away from the feed and water. I also don't have problems with the feed or water getting on the floor of the loft, since it is wire. I was just thinking about doing it on the floor of the aviary, which is also wire, to take up less floor space in the loft itself. If I removed the feeder after they are done, (they clean the feed up good and quick), I would have to come up with another way to keep grit in the loft, since a section of my feeder holds grit.


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## Cricket (Sep 1, 2005)

I have a feeding station which is a large shelf off of the floor. I keep a water container and a seed station on the shelf at all times. The waterer on the floor is accompanied by a small seed station. All inside the loft. I put fresh seed in the a.m. and top it off in the p.m. Change water daily. I use one of those waterers with the dome top so they don't spill. Seed scatters no matter what! I was not comfortable taking food or water away since I could never be sure they were all eating and drinking enough. It just works this way. My birds are also sitting on dummy eggs, so things happen in shifts. In the warm weather, I put a bath pan in the aviary. They love that!


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## DynaBMan (Jun 15, 2006)

Cricket said:


> I have a feeding station which is a large shelf off of the floor. I keep a water container and a seed station on the shelf at all times. The waterer on the floor is accompanied by a small seed station. All inside the loft. I put fresh seed in the a.m. and top it off in the p.m. Change water daily. I use one of those waterers with the dome top so they don't spill. Seed scatters no matter what! I was not comfortable taking food or water away since I could never be sure they were all eating and drinking enough. It just works this way. My birds are also sitting on dummy eggs, so things happen in shifts. In the warm weather, I put a bath pan in the aviary. They love that!


I put a bath pan out in the aviary yesterday and it looked like a lawn sprinkler going when the birds got splashing around. It would have made a good video.


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## DEEJAY7950 (Dec 13, 2006)

In my new loft I'll be using the no waste type of feeders in the loft, the kind that has 2" round holes in plexiglass which prevents birds from throwing and spilling feed on the loft floor, as for the waterers I'm planning to go with the little giants automatic waterer which will be in the aviary so as not to have any sort of spills in the loft!


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## WFLlofts (Jan 2, 2007)

I use welded wire floors so any water or food that spills goes right onto the ground below the loft and the ducks eat all wasted feed. my loft is 4 feet off the ground so easy acess for any reason this system provides great air circulation but on the down side racoons can pull the birds legs thru the steel floor so i have live traps out at all times and dogs to run off would be bandits.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

WFLlofts said:


> the ducks eat all wasted feed.


Ducks ??!??!??! I LOVE ducks .. what kind do you have, and is that a turkey in your avatar?

Terry


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## WFLlofts (Jan 2, 2007)

Yes Thats my beloved tommy hes a wild turkey that showed up one day and decided to stay funny I live in the city and hes a wild turkey some one raised him for dinner I exspect and he got away. The ducks are muscovery ducks hope i spelled it right im fooked on honics you know.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

WFLlofts said:


> Yes Thats my beloved tommy hes a wild turkey that showed up one day and decided to stay funny I live in the city and hes a wild turkey some one raised him for dinner I exspect and he got away. The ducks are muscovery ducks hope i spelled it right im fooked on honics you know.


Tommy is a very handsome bird. Muscovy ducks are probably my favorite type of duck. They make good city pets because they are so quiet.

Terry


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## WFLlofts (Jan 2, 2007)

Thats why I chose them and they dont need a big body of water even though I did build them a small pond.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

WFLlofts said:


> Thats why I chose them and they dont need a big body of water even though I did build them a small pond.


Yep .. also totally correct .. they do not like to "swim" like most types of ducks and actually have under developed oil glands for waterproofing their feathers. They CAN fly quite well though if their body size and weight is not too much. Since they are roosting ducks, that can be interesting to suddenly find that your pet Muscovy is roosting on the apex of the roof of your house  

Terry


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## WFLlofts (Jan 2, 2007)

when I bought them as youngsters they were pinyond hope i spelt it right so they do not fly at all the guy sells them for meat ducks so he does this to make them fater he says dont know all i know is they have the run of my yard and man do the reproduce like rabbits i sell the babies for 3 to 5 dollars each and can get tw0 too three months of feed for my other birds from doing this


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