# How do you make a trap door and how are they used?



## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

Does anyone have a design to make a trap door and how do they work? Thank You


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

zimmzimm3 said:


> Does anyone have a design to make a trap door and how do they work? Thank You


Well, it depends on how your loft is set up. Like I could tell you how to build ANYTHING!! LOL
Can you post pictures of your loft?


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## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

I prefer sputniks over stalls if you are not a racer it is much more easy for you and your birds.http://www.siegelpigeons.com/catalog-loft-traps.html go there and click on the "ask Ed" section...


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

Lovebirds said:


> Well, it depends on how your loft is set up. Like I could tell you how to build ANYTHING!! LOL
> Can you post pictures of your loft?


Well i haven't built a loft yet is there anyway you can tell me in general terms right now all i have is a 10 by 10 dog kennel and a cage in side of that. I would probably just put the trap door on the dog kennel until I build the loft. Thanks for all of your help


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## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

Then the sputnik is what you are looking for... though they are expensive you can make your own...


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

Matt D. said:


> Then the sputnik is what you are looking for... though they are expensive you can make your own...


I don't really understand what it is or does could you please explain


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## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

I would be happy too. You attack it to the side of your loft and you dont need traps or anything just a hole in your loft. The birds land on the board and drop through the hole and then they can't get back out until you open up the door in the front and let them out. There is endless oportunites that you can do with them. If you have a sliding door configuration you can keep them in the sputnik , it is great for late arrivals. ill find you a link to the thread I started.


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## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=23986


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

So are landing boards just a board that sticks out from the loft that has a door that can be opened and closed so the birds can get in and out? And if so does that work because that is what my friend uses?


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## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

well a landing board is a board that is attached to the front of the loft and the birds land and go through stalls and into the loft... sputniks are easier for a starter.


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

Matt D. said:


> well a landing board is a board that is attached to the front of the loft and the birds land and go through stalls and into the loft... sputniks are easier for a starter.


What is a stall? Sorry I have so many questions i am knew at all of this.


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## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

A stall is a hole the pigeons go through that have dauls that the pigeons push into the loft and drop into the loft. I will take a picture of mine after i finish the dishes... look at the seigels site you will learn alot.


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

Matt D. said:


> A stall is a hole the pigeons go through that have dauls that the pigeons push into the loft and drop into the loft. I will take a picture of mine after i finish the dishes... look at the seigels site you will learn alot.


Pictures would be great


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Matt D. said:


> A stall is a hole the pigeons go through that have dauls that the pigeons push into the loft and drop into the loft. I will take a picture of mine after i finish the dishes... look at the seigels site you will learn alot.


That's what I use.
http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/BirdsOfAFeatherLofts/Lofts and Cages/PIGEONHOUSE.jpg
That's an old picture of my loft - we've built onto it now.
The door at the top is our trap door for the homer side of the loft. They land on the landing board sticking out from in and push through the bars to get in, but they can't push back out. The doors below are just to let the birds out (like when I'm first getting the youngsters out of the loft, it's easier for them). The one on the left doesn't have a landing board to it, because it was just to let the homers out. We then closed that door, and let them go through the trap. The one on the right was to the roller side, and since they didn't have a trap door, they have a landing board on theirs 
I personally like mine more than the sputniks I've seen, but that's just my opinion.


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

MaryOfExeter said:


> That's what I use.
> http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/BirdsOfAFeatherLofts/Lofts and Cages/PIGEONHOUSE.jpg
> That's an old picture of my loft - we've built onto it now.
> The door at the top is our trap door for the homer side of the loft. They land on the landing board sticking out from in and push through the bars to get in, but they can't push back out. The doors below are just to let the birds out (like when I'm first getting the youngsters out of the loft, it's easier for them). The one on the left doesn't have a landing board to it, because it was just to let the homers out. We then closed that door, and let them go through the trap. The one on the right was to the roller side, and since they didn't have a trap door, they have a landing board on theirs
> I personally like mine more than the sputniks I've seen, but that's just my opinion.


so would a door like you use to let them out work for homers all of the time in and out?


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

The regular doors? Yeah of course. If you don't plan on racing or anything, a simple door is fine. If you want to race though, eventually you're going to need to use some kind of trap door to trap train them. For now, probably the easiest thing you can do is just use a normal door you can open to let them come in and out freely. Then once you get your loft built, you can start making things more to what you plan on doing. I mean....if you take your homers off on training flight, you don't need a trap door or sputnik to get them to come in quick. Just let the door open so they can get in, and if they know you're going to feed them, they'll go straight in it. Trap doors and things like that just make it easier to train them to go straight in.


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## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

MaryOfExeter said:


> The regular doors? Yeah of course. If you don't plan on racing or anything, a simple door is fine. If you want to race though, eventually you're going to need to use some kind of trap door to trap train them. For now, probably the easiest thing you can do is just use a normal door you can open to let them come in and out freely. Then once you get your loft built, you can start making things more to what you plan on doing. I mean....if you take your homers off on training flight, you don't need a trap door or sputnik to get them to come in quick. Just let the door open so they can get in, and if they know you're going to feed them, they'll go straight in it. Trap doors and things like that just make it easier to train them to go straight in.


She covered it pretty good. If you do race you will need a stall/sputnik configuration. Look at jedds and seigels and see what they are selling alot with global and foys. Do some research and you will find something you like.


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

MaryOfExeter said:


> The regular doors? Yeah of course. If you don't plan on racing or anything, a simple door is fine. If you want to race though, eventually you're going to need to use some kind of trap door to trap train them. For now, probably the easiest thing you can do is just use a normal door you can open to let them come in and out freely. Then once you get your loft built, you can start making things more to what you plan on doing. I mean....if you take your homers off on training flight, you don't need a trap door or sputnik to get them to come in quick. Just let the door open so they can get in, and if they know you're going to feed them, they'll go straight in it. Trap doors and things like that just make it easier to train them to go straight in.


So i want to race eventually but that is probably a few years off. So what do i need to have if i want to race. Also will the birds be able to learn if i change it.


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## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

It depends, do you know what clock your local club uses? that would help me give you advice.


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

I am not sure what kind of clock they use i am not even sure how they race and how the clocks work could you explain how it works thanks


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

My birds learned pretty quickly when I changed from normal door to trap door. When we finished building/installing the trap door, we just stopped using the normal door altogether. Then when we wanted to let the homers out, we just pushed all the prongs up to let them out (there's a bar the prongs rest on so you can push the bar up, lifting all the prongs at once). The went out the hole, knowing that they could then get back through it. Once everyone seemed to know that they could come in and out, I started lifting it open to let them out, then once everyone was out flying, push the prongs back down so they'd have to push through to get back into the loft. Of course, that didn't make them very happy the first time....because they'd come in but when they decided to go back out....they quickly found out they couldn't push back out the door. It didn't take long, so I wouldn't worry much about the change. Since your racing is a way off, you might as well just get them used to coming in and out of a normal door first.

Have you seen a trap door before? Other than pictures?


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

MaryOfExeter said:


> My birds learned pretty quickly when I changed from normal door to trap door. When we finished building/installing the trap door, we just stopped using the normal door altogether. Then when we wanted to let the homers out, we just pushed all the prongs up to let them out (there's a bar the prongs rest on so you can push the bar up, lifting all the prongs at once). The went out the hole, knowing that they could then get back through it. Once everyone seemed to know that they could come in and out, I started lifting it open to let them out, then once everyone was out flying, push the prongs back down so they'd have to push through to get back into the loft. Of course, that didn't make them very happy the first time....because they'd come in but when they decided to go back out....they quickly found out they couldn't push back out the door. It didn't take long, so I wouldn't worry much about the change. Since your racing is a way off, you might as well just get them used to coming in and out of a normal door first.
> 
> Have you seen a trap door before? Other than pictures?


No it haven't and i don't really understand how they work


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## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

I cant explain how your clock will work with out the actual model. We have done our best to explain this too you... now it is your turn... do research and some investigation... Its your turn to do alittle work =)


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Yeah, search for pigeon info as much as you can on the web. There's a lot of good information out there. But of course there's nothing wrong with asking questions 

I'm in the process of making sort of a diagram about these trap doors in MS Paint.


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

MaryOfExeter said:


> Yeah, search for pigeon info as much as you can on the web. There's a lot of good information out there. But of course there's nothing wrong with asking questions
> 
> I'm in the process of making sort of a diagram about these trap doors in MS Paint.


I would love to see the diagram when you are done and i will do some research. Thanks to everyone for all of there help


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Mkay, done with the diagram. It pretty much shows how they work and look.

Here it is 
http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/BirdsOfAFeatherLofts/trapdoors.jpg


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

MaryOfExeter said:


> Mkay, done with the diagram. It pretty much shows how they work and look.
> 
> Here it is
> http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/BirdsOfAFeatherLofts/trapdoors.jpg


Okay i get it thank you very much and i like your pigeon drawing lol.
thank you very much i am so glad i found this site now it has so many nice people who have helped me so much.


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

can you build these or do you need to buy them


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

You_ can_ build them, but we found it much easier just to go ahead and buy them. My dad could make them, with just a wooden frame with some pieces of old refrigerator racks (or..whatever else is handy and works) for prongs, but they don't work out as well as premade ones  

This is what we have (they also have separate 'bobs' (what I call prongs) to make your own traps with. we just went ahead and bought some whole trap doors):
http://www.foyspigeonsupplies.com/catalog/130.html

Other places to get trap doors:
http://www.globalpigeon.com/gps.php?action=showprod&id=52
http://www.siegelpigeons.com/catalog-loft-traps.html
*I'd imagine you could also get them from JEDDS pigeon supplies, but the website isn't working for me at the moment.


They call them bob traps, I call them trap doors....eh...it's all the same


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

Thank You for all of your help


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

So should i have a door that is just a release door and then the trap door to let them in. I would love to know your opinion. Thank You


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## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

Yes you need and out and an in trap to race. You need to control the incoming and outgoing birds, if you want to race. If not there are in/out traps that you can use.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

As you can see, that's pretty much what we have. A door to get everyone out of, and a trap to let them come in. The 'bob trap' like in my diagram, can let birds in and out, so that's what I normally do. I just raise it up and everyone flies out the door, then I close it to trap the returning birds. We still have the normal doors though since the youngsters are more likely to start coming out on their own through them. Not to mention the way my loft if now, the normal door is on what we call the flight cage, which is really more like a sun cage (pretty much just a wire extension from the loft with a translucent roof to let sun in, and a wire bottom/sides). We keep the food and water in there, so the big door makes it easier so we don't have to go into the loft to do that.

But yeah, you might as well just have one of each. Both of them will come in handy at some point


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## velo99 (Apr 8, 2007)

Trap, you doan need no steenken trap.










You have to be there when the birds come down. You should be anyway. I close the dowel door till they come down and catch thier breath. Feed is already in the feeder. They get excited milling all around me, as I open the door and step back. Usually takes about 30 seconds.


yits
v99


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