# My (Future) Loft



## PigeonAmateur (Aug 25, 2011)

I think that will show... XD

Anyways, the shed on the right will be the loft for my budgies and possibly pigeons. It will be much bigger as it will have a flight cage. I am going to keep a maximum of 20 birds altogether in there as it quite small. It's about (in meters) 4 from the door to the back and 2 at the sides so it's not that big... :/ Anyways, I need some tips on refurbishing the shed because it's rotten on the outside and inside because of the stupid cats and foxes... Grrr...

-PigeonAmateur
P.S. My website is now: budgiebeauty.webs.com


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## jesusloves.you17 (Aug 27, 2011)

keaping a pigeon is as easy as keeping nothing. fill in a the holes and everything make a hole so that they can fly out and put water and food in side it. and put the pigeons in and ur all set. lol make sure they dont run away. theres a lot more to it but i dont have the time to say anything else.


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## PigeonAmateur (Aug 25, 2011)

It's not something rushed, I take pride in my work. I'm going to make it beautiful and functional. Not just a rushed job... :/


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## jesusloves.you17 (Aug 27, 2011)

u dont have to make a rush job. i just gave u the basics. im not going to tell u everything by every degree. i have pigeons the get as expensive as 1000. why dont u buy pigeons. the pigeons from the street suck. they are just plaine birds. get some rollers or tumblers if u like the flight. they are pretty cheap. only 10-20 dollars. if u like fancy ones then get fantails, jacobins or pouters.


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## jesusloves.you17 (Aug 27, 2011)

also. how do i post my own thread?


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## nzpouter (Aug 20, 2011)

if you can line the inside it'll make cleaning so much easier and it also add a bit more security for your birds... if you're pressed for space, do only nest boxes inside/ entire back wall and perches in the flight.

4m is actually quite a large area for the inside, you can always separate it into 2 so you can have male and female section during non breeding period....


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

PigeonAmateur said:


> It's not something rushed, I take pride in my work. I'm going to make it beautiful and functional. Not just a rushed job... :/


That is a very 'workable' shed! This is what I've done with sheds....








This one I just finished for my Fantails.

And this one is for my homers, tumblers, 1 carneau and some rescued ferals.









The most important thing is to make it 'predator proof'. 1/2 inch hardware mesh will keep everything out. I also put it in the ground and attached it to the frame in the flight cages. DO NOT use chicken wire........it's a waste of money and a disaster waiting to happen!
Good luck and keep us posted with pictures.


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## PigeonAmateur (Aug 25, 2011)

nzpouter: Yeah, I will probably separate them but I'll probably keep hens shut inside their nestboxes inside and let them out for 1-2 hours a day when they are not breeding and let the cocks stay shut inside too but in different nestboxes and let them out at different times so that I can control the breeding. LOL But if they are mated I allow them to go into their mate's nestboxes. Bear in mind I'm mainly talking budgies here. Pigeons might come later on once we get more space. LOL

Msfreebird: Nice sheds! ^_^ Unfortunately my shed is around 20 years old! >.< And full of spiders and excretion from cats and foxes so it will need a HUUUGE clean-up. I'll try and do exactly like you guys are saying but my garden has limited space so the flight cage will be either extremely small or not linked together. But I'll let them loose in my room for a while.


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## PigeonAmateur (Aug 25, 2011)

And I'll try and keep you guys posted, lol. It will take a while for it to be finished however because me and dad take AGGGESSS to build stuff. LOL


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## Woodnative (Jul 4, 2010)

When you are making your modifications, make sure it is
1. Secure from pests (as big as racoons and as small as mice)
2. Dry (don't let the floor get damp from rain or ground moisture. It may help if it is raised up from teh ground (can't tell from the pic) so that the floor stays DRY. This is important for the health. Once again, keep the floor dry!
A flypen/sunning area is also good. Make sure you use the small hardware cloth. See #1 above, you don't want mice squeezing in or raccoons ripping through it. 

Shutting up individual birds each day to shut them in individual sections would be a chore and the birds probably would not want you grabbing them every day. Better to either divide the loft into two halves so you can separate the cocks and hens or just buy fake eggs which you can replace the real eggs with so they don't have babies all the time. 

Now as far as breeds. If you were to get feral pigeons note that they will need to be treated for parasites (worms, mites etc.). However, better to consider adopting birds (ferals or otherwise) as there are always many that need a home and some may be quite tame (if hand raised for example). 

You are young. You want your parents to enjoy your birds too and be happy for their choice of letting you have these birds. keep the loft clean. Having attractive birds that they like to look at may also help them to enjoy them. It wll also make the neighbors more excepting of your hobby and maybe even interested in your hobby. Maybe you can go to a pigeon show with your parents (usually there are some in the fall). You can look at the different breeds together and decide what you like. They usually have sale cages at such shows too and maybe you can get a pair or two there to start out with. 

One final word of advice....don't mix breeds. STick to one, and get good birds. Mutts or inferior quality birds may be pretty and make great pets, but you will have a harder time finding homes for them. 

Enjoy and good luck!


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## PigeonAmateur (Aug 25, 2011)

You don't get racoons in Britain.... Otherwise all my rabbits would have been dead.

I'm not going to get pigeons any more, only if I find some hurt. But both my parents like budgies so that will be pretty good.


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## Wingsonfire (Dec 22, 2009)

PigeonAmateur said:


> You don't get racoons in Britain.... Otherwise all my rabbits would have been dead.
> 
> I'm not going to get pigeons any more, only if I find some hurt. But both my parents like budgies so that will be pretty good.


You have a good start on what ever birds you want to keep in the buildings that you have, like budgies too  Good luck....


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## PigeonAmateur (Aug 25, 2011)

Thanks Wingsonfire! ^_^ Could you possibly write a paragraph to convince my parents even more though as they are saying only by the end of the year...


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