# New Loft



## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

Here is a pigeon aviary that I am building. These are the nesting boxes that I built. I have not yet put the perches on the little holes yet. I think each compartment is 12"x12"x12". 

Sorry pictures got deleted they are in my profile under abulms.


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

Here is the outer part. This is temeraly under a play ground. And the Nesting Boxes will fit Into it. I just put wire mesh around it, with a door on one side that I have not yet put up. I have almost finished it I just need to Hang the Door add landing perches to the holes on the nesting boxes and add some perches on the wall. Later I will be putting on a trap door on it somewhere. 
Do you have any suggestions on what else to do. 

What is pigeon grit? I always hear about it but i am not sure what it is.


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## alb23m (Nov 30, 2008)

cool, my idea is similar to yours but im using already build cabinets, they're about your size. all i need to do is surround a small area with Garden netting so i can let them walk around when im not around. How many birds do you have?


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

I do not have them yet. but i purchased four young whites from foys pigeon supplies they should be coming this week.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

you did such a good job and it is so cute that I hate to say this but, a pair will want two of those as they lay again in about 3 weeks after the first round and the cock bird will still be feeding the young from the first. can you take the divders out or are they fixed?..just saw the aviary, now you will want to put up some solid walls to sheild from wind and rain, or have weather panels for the winter.


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

What type of pigeons do you have?


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

They are fixed but couldn't they just fly around. Or maybe I could take them out, but yes they are fixed.


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## alb23m (Nov 30, 2008)

I don't have any at this time  but i am still looking for a pair. Im pref looking for young ones, i will wait a week or so longer if nothing comes up then i will have to settle and get a older age pair. I just cant wait any longer.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

maine123 said:


> They are fixed but couldn't they just fly around. Or maybe I could take them out, but yes they are fixed.


I have learned they need a box more like 24 wide as you need to put two nest bowls in there and have enough room for two parents and two babies. so you see how that may be too small. and weather sheilds to protect from wind rain and snow.


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

alb23m said:


> I don't have any at this time  but i am still looking for a pair. Im pref looking for young ones, i will wait a week or so longer if nothing comes up then i will have to settle and get a older age pair. I just cant wait any longer.


I have been waiting like four years to get them so I know how it feels.

Depends on what type of pigeons you want. If you like white homers usually white wedding realeases sell them. And if you do get an older pair they will have young pretty quick I hear so you could get young off of them. 

What type do you want?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

As long as you don't have more than 4 pair of birds, they can have 2 boxes each. I've done that before and it works out ok. Just need to have ONE box open for each pair and close the others off. If you don't, you'll have problems down the road with pairs wanting to take 3 or 4 nest boxes.


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## alb23m (Nov 30, 2008)

maine123 said:


> I have been waiting like four years to get them so I know how it feels.
> 
> Depends on what type of pigeons you want. If you like white homers usually white wedding realeases sell them. And if you do get an older pair they will have young pretty quick I hear so you could get young off of them.
> 
> What type do you want?


Why four years? But ye Like Spirit Wings said any of these will do fine: homers, or loft flying birds like, tumblers, tipplers, rollers.


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

I don't really know it just keep getting put of for so long.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

alb23m said:


> Why four years? But ye Like Spirit Wings said any of these will do fine: homers, or loft flying birds like, tumblers, tipplers, rollers.


When did I say that.....for wedding release white homers are used, can't use the others they will not find home, unless you train them to fly to you when your done flying and they land on your arm and YOU take them home....


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## alb23m (Nov 30, 2008)

spirit wings said:


> When did I say that.....for wedding release white homers are used, can't use the others they will not find home, unless you train them to fly to you when your done flying and they land on your arm and YOU take them home....


In my other thread haha


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

what are your plans for your loft alb23m


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

alb23m said:


> In my other thread haha


ha ha.....homers are the only breed that home well enough to road train, which you take to another location and they will fly back home, the other breeds are just for flying around where you live or keep the birds, In your other thread you did not mention you wanted to release them away from the loft.


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## alb23m (Nov 30, 2008)

maine123 said:


> what are your plans for your loft alb23m


Nothing pretty for now. ill upload a couple of images and show you an idea of what im doing.


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## alb23m (Nov 30, 2008)

im doing the doors similar to yours.

all this will go here right by the corner:









I will set up a garden fence and isolate the cabinets so no rain or wind gets in there. I will use this for the winter then build a better one when it gets warmer outside, once the snow passes.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

spirit wings said:


> ha ha.....homers are the only breed that home well enough to road train, which you take to another location and they will fly back home, the other breeds are just for flying around where you live or keep the birds, In your other thread you did not mention you wanted to release them away from the loft.



Helloooo! did ya get what I said up there ^


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## alb23m (Nov 30, 2008)

spirit wings said:


> Helloooo! did ya get what I said


 No i want to fly them. i will not take them anywhere away from the loft. I dont want to race pigeons or any of that.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

oi !........


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

alb23m said:


> No i want to fly them. i will not take them anywhere away from the loft. I dont want to race pigeons or any of that.


You do understand that if you get anything older than a 30 day to 2 month old bird, you can't release them. Any older bird would have to become a prisoner and raise babies for you.


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## alb23m (Nov 30, 2008)

yea, thats why im trying to get a reach of some of the clubs around my area, but no luck yet.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

alb23m said:


> yea, thats why im trying to get a reach of some of the clubs around my area, but no luck yet.


Well, I hope you have good luck. Most racing fanciers are not raising birds right now. Actually breeding season is just getting started so it will be another 6 weeks or so before any babies are hatched and then they should be at least 30 days old before they are taken from their parents. 
IF you're lucky, maybe you'll find someone who's got a couple of oops babies or something.


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

Where do you buy pigeon grit? I do not have a pigeon supplies center around me and I do not want to pay alot of money for shipping to have feed sent out to where I am. What is in Grit can you subsitute something else for grit?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

maine123 said:


> Where do you buy pigeon grit? I do not have a pigeon supplies center around me and I do not want to pay alot of money for shipping to have feed sent out to where I am. What is in Grit can you subsitute something else for grit?


You should use Red Grit. You'll just have to check around and see if anyone carries it. I know we can get pigeon feed from a local store, but not grit, so we have friends in NC pick it up for us when we need it, then we have an excuse to go to his house and "check" his birds and pick up the grit. 
Pigeons need grit to grind up the feed in their gizzard. The red grit also contains minerals and calcium. If you can't find the red grit, then see if you can find gray grit and get some oyster shell. Any place that caters to chickens should have the oyster shell and that would provide the calcium.


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

So could oyster shell replace grit or Grit is nessisary?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

maine123 said:


> So could oyster shell replace grit or Grit is nessisary?


Well..........there's debate on that actually. I've HEARD that a pigeon doesn't HAVE to have grit. Now, I've never NOT given my birds grit, ever, so I can't say if that's true or not. 
I just know that they go crazy for the red grit, especially when breeding......and I mean crazy. They LOVE it. So, if they like it and they're supposed to need it, why not give it to them. 
I don't think that oyster shell would replace grit. But it would replace the calcium in the red grit if you could only find the grey grit.


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

If you have red grit do you need gray grit?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

maine123 said:


> If you have red grit do you need gray grit?


No. You need one or the other. If you get the red grit, then you don't need the oyster shell. At least, I've never used oyster shell.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

just to put this in there, I have red grit,oyster shell, and health grit, I know...they seem to go for the oyster shell the most...oh I also have the pick pots too...I know...which is there second fav...


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

spirit wings said:


> just to put this in there, I have red grit,oyster shell, and health grit, I know...they seem to go for the oyster shell the most...oh I also have the pick pots too...I know...which is there second fav...


yea, the pick pots are good too. They really love that stuff while breeding too.


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

Would grit be sold at like a farmers store?


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## luckyloft (Oct 21, 2006)

*Grit*

I used Red grit for years but when I starting flying White Homers I started using National Gray Pigeon grit.The red sometimes stains them red.If you get oyster shell from a farm supply house(Tractor supply,Southern States, ect)It may not have all the minerals a pigeon needs I think oyster shell is mainly for chickens.Foys used to sell someting you could put with oyster shell to make it better for pigeons not sure if they still do. Jeff


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

It really turns them red. like a red shade or like a full on red?


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

Besides Grit what other feed do they need. I have checked stores around me and I have not found a Place that has a pigeon mix. so what do I need to put into a feed for the pigeons to be healthy.


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## luckyloft (Oct 21, 2006)

Well it does not turn them red just sort of stains them a little red under there neck. really looks more pink then red.Its not from eating the grit but from the dust as they pick through it.I now people who do not race pigeons that feed their birds wild bird feed from places like Wal-Mart, Tractor supply, most any place like that.Some will add different things like corn , safeflower, peanuts but that can get a bit pricey. Jeff


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

so you can buy a wild dove mix? would that work?


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

I saw some scratch feed at a place. Would that work?


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## luckyloft (Oct 21, 2006)

I am not sure about scratch feed. I am not sure what is in it. Truth is it is all in what you want to spend. I have always been told if you are just keeping the birds for enjoyment no racing or showing they will get by fine on wild bird feed and grit. Jeff


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

The boxes are really cute, but spirit wings and Renee are right. They will move to another box when they start their second round of eggs. I built mine 16" and now wish that they were 24". That way, they have plenty of room in one box. I only had so much wall space as I put large windows for sunlight which was also important. But I wish I had the larger nest boxes. I guess you learn as you go. Guess it's easier to learn from the experience of others. And maybe the screening could be covered with plastic for the winter, to break the wind and weather. By the way, did you happen to put hardware cloth on the bottom, or hard floor material, so that nothing could dig under and get in?


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

Yes I put it under than I covered it with gravel.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

maine123 said:


> Yes I put it under than I covered it with gravel.


about the feed, they really should have a pigeon grain mix, they sell pellet feed as well, a mix of the two is fine, but I think they need the fiber of the grain mix...now to find it...there has to be livestock there in Utah, so find a livestock/ feed store, you may have to travel...call them, get them to order it if they do not have it. Purina on line has a dealer locator, pigeon clubs sometimes get feed shipped to a member that has room to store it and they may be able to sell you some, I would try to get the pigeon feed/seed/grain first...if impossible then look into mixing your own using wild bird feed as a base. it will not have all the lugumes and peas and grain they need. adding a "pellet" for cockatiels or pet doves may help with the nutrition. do you have pet stores in Utah? hope so, beacuse that is where you would fine that kind of food for birds....keep turning stones over, talk to "farm/livestock" people and see where they order or get their feed....


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## DEEJAY7950 (Dec 13, 2006)

just another thought, if you feed "pigeon pellets" only, you will not need grit at all but it takes a while for the birds to adapt to the pellets, if you ever noticed, the birds will always go for the best grains first especially if over fed, so keeping the birds on the lean side will encourage them to clean up all that is in front of them! Another sign is left over feed in the feeder, when this happens start cutting back until all the seed is gone, now having said that it applies to only your fliers, breeders are another story altogether I always have feed in front of my breeders while they are raising youngsters, you can see there is soo much to learn and relearn that's why this site is such a blessing!


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

Yeah, we have pet stores out here, but I have checked them. All that was there was like parrot feed, and wild dove mix. I have not checked this farming store yet, if it is anywhere it is probably there. So if they do not have it there I will probably have to mix some or find a club near me.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

maine123 said:


> Yeah, we have pet stores out here, but I have checked them. All that was there was like parrot feed, and wild dove mix. I have not checked this farming store yet, if it is anywhere it is probably there. So if they do not have it there I will probably have to mix some or find a club near me.


if you see a pony or horse, go ask the owners where they buy there feed, the feed store should beable to order it for you, that is your best bet in locating pigeon grain/feed/seed...if you go the route with the dove mix ask others what they add. like corn. green peas ect....I have not done that so someone else could direct you in that situation.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Hard to believe that there isn't anywhere there that you can get seed. It's not that easy around here either. They were out where I normally get it, but I stay a bit ahead just in case this happens. So I have been shopping around. I found a place, but even that is over an hours drive away. If I have to use them, well, we'll have no choice, but I would like to find a closer place. I called the seed company, and asked for store locations in our area where they ship to. They were more than glad to go over their list with me. If you can get the names of different companies that sell pigeon mix, maybe calling them this way would help. There might be someone around that you don't know about. Good luck.


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

I am getting four young whites this week. And it will snow soon. What type of foods do I need to put into the mix to help the pigeons stay warm?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

maine123 said:


> I am getting four young whites this week. And it will snow soon. What type of foods do I need to put into the mix to help the pigeons stay warm?


whole small yellow corn or plain uncooked popcorn, a few plain raw peanuts for treats, there prob are some more I just can't remember what they are. yikes, I bet you wish you would of thought of the feed situation sooner


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

yeah, proabably. but If I don't i will just buy some dove mix for a little bit until i find some.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I give mine extra popcorn, peanuts, and safflower to put some added weight on. Hulled sunflower seeds have fat also.


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

I found Pigeon feed and Pigeon grit. So the food part is covered.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

maine123 said:


> I found Pigeon feed and Pigeon grit. So the food part is covered.


That good cause that's pretty darned important!!! LOL........glad you found some.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

maine123 said:


> I found Pigeon feed and Pigeon grit. So the food part is covered.


I new there HAD to be a feed store somewhere in Utah! as many farms out in that country.......


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

Yeah, I thought pet stores would have some, but I guess they didn't but the farm place did.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I'm glad you found the grit and feed. The wild mix really wouldn't be as nutritious for them. Adding extra safflower and popcorn will help to put a little extra weight on them for the winter, and they usually love both of those. 
Your birds should be here soon. I hope you'll share them in pictures.


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

They should be here tomorrow, but who knows. But most deffenitly I will Post some pics.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Bet you can hardly wait!


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

I know I can't wait. I have to go to school tomorrow and just sit there all day. Then if they are not there. that would be a disapointment.


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

View my profile to see pics of finshed loft with pigeons in it. 

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/member.php?u=8552


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

They're adorable. How do they like their new home? You must be very glad that they made it there safely.


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

I will post more pics of the loft tomorrow when it is light outside. So you can see the finished project. Actually not totally finished we are going to put a trap door on it, and wind blocks on most of the sides to keep it warmer.


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## shay_v (Jan 16, 2006)

you mean a pigeon nest box? i see no loft?


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## ezemaxima (Jan 12, 2008)

Nice job. May I suggest that you prop up the whole nest box up to keep it off the floor. I see you got enough space to bring it up about 4-6 inches. This would help eliminate the possibility of the pair occupying the bottom nest box making the the whole floor their territory too. If the pair does make it their territory then the others would be kept away from the food and water since you have them on the floor.


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## maine123 (Sep 21, 2007)

Well, I only have one pair, and they paired up a day ago, Im not sure if they will do that, but if they do I will try what you said.


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