# New member from San Antonio, Tx, new loft, new birds...



## 1bad97svt (Apr 19, 2017)

Hello everybody, I'm new to the site and I new-ish to pigeons. I had some when I was a kid about 25years ago but nothing too serious. I'm in the process of building an 8x8 loft and my first bird is already at the post office waiting for me to pick him up. I'm sure i'll be on here asking tons of questions and looking for ideas and tips. 

My first question is, is there anybody in the San Antonio area? I was hoping to meet somebody locally who I can bounce questions off of and maybe find out about local events, etc. Pictures to come...


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## White Homers (Sep 22, 2016)

Welcome to the site. I am sure there are people on here from your area. Have you looked and this site? https://www.pigeon.org/ They have a section on clubs all across the country you may have one in your area. As far as questions ask away someone will be able to help.


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## raftree3 (Oct 16, 2010)

I'm sure there are some guys in San Antonio. I had birds in the the Houston Area race last year and they're hosting the Texas Center Convention this summer.....probably be fun to go over there for a visit.


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## 1bad97svt (Apr 19, 2017)

White Homers: Thanks! I haven't tried the site yet, but I will now, thank you. Love the site so far, tons of knowledge here.

raftree3: I'm hoping so. Good to know about the Texas Center Convention, i'll have to look into that. Thanks for the heads up!


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

*Welcome*

Welcome to Pigeon Talk.
I'm from San Antonio, but living in Antwerp, Belgium since 2009, ans before that in Cologne from 1982. Lots of family back home. 
I believe there are some pigeon people in the towns near San Antonio.

Check out http://www.txcenter.org/
Texas Center of Racing Pigeon Clubs.
Found this link by typing in "Antonio" in the Search box.


--Larry


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## 1bad97svt (Apr 19, 2017)

Larry_Cologne said:


> Welcome to Pigeon Talk.
> I'm from San Antonio, but living in Antwerp, Belgium since 2009, ans before that in Cologne from 1982. Lots of family back home.
> I believe there are some pigeon people in the towns near San Antonio.
> 
> ...


Oh cool! Wow Belgium! Long way from home. Thanks!


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## 1bad97svt (Apr 19, 2017)

*loft in the making*

I'm hoping to have this livable in the next week or so. I know there are design mistakes I made but it was too late to turn back, but structurally it's solid and it's level and square. It's been a fun project.


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## 1bad97svt (Apr 19, 2017)

I was finally able to take a good picture of my foundation cock, I personally feel that he's quite the specimen, he's got tons of personality, can't wait to see what he and his offspring can do. He's in a temporary holding pen until the loft is completed.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Wow! What a beauty!


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## chayi (May 1, 2010)

Nice looking bird, welcome to the site here you will find lots of answers to lots of questions  keep us posted with your new loft and good luck with your birds, you planing on racing homers?


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## 1bad97svt (Apr 19, 2017)

Jay3, thank you!
Chayi, thank you, yes I'm hoping to race eventually. I'll keep y'all posted for sure


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## Alamo (Nov 22, 2008)

Hi....Best of luck to you....Make sure you put blocks under your loft,before it gets to heavy to lift....You have to get building off the ground,so to that you keep water & dampness out...Loft has to be airy & dry for the pigeons health...Good Luck...Alamo


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## 1bad97svt (Apr 19, 2017)

Alamo said:


> Hi....Best of luck to you....Make sure you put blocks under your loft,before it gets to heavy to lift....You have to get building off the ground,so to that you keep water & dampness out...Loft has to be airy & dry for the pigeons health...Good Luck...Alamo


Funny that you mention that! I had the same thought on Saturday and decided to get it up off the ground before I added anything else. A pry bar and an automotive floor jack did the trick. So far I've managed to do all of this project alone, which is kinda cool. Thanks for your input, I appreciate it.


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## 1bad97svt (Apr 19, 2017)

Well, here is how it ended up. I'll be making adjustments as I go, right now its pretty bare on the inside, I'll be making more perches here soon. The gaps between boards have already been caulked.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

That's coming out very nice, so I think getting rid of the chicken wire on the aviary, and replacing with hardware cloth would be worth the investment. Hawks can reach through that in the daytime, rats can walk right through the holes at night, snakes can get in, and raccoons can tear through it. It's a nice loft and worth the little bit extra money for a lot more security.


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## 1bad97svt (Apr 19, 2017)

Jay3 said:


> That's coming out very nice, so I think getting rid of the chicken wire on the aviary, and replacing with hardware cloth would be worth the investment. Hawks can reach through that in the daytime, rats can walk right through the holes at night, snakes can get in, and raccoons can tear through it. It's a nice loft and worth the little bit extra money for a lot more security.


Thanks, I'll take your advice. I have to make a door on the front of the aviary anyway so I'll replace it when I do that which will be this week.


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## raftree3 (Oct 16, 2010)

Looks great....what's the big box up in the corner? Hope you don't mind suggestions....pigeons aren't always the smartest about things.....they'll go under your loft for some odd reason and they're not so easy to get out, so I'd cover the space with whatever tickles your fancy.......I'd fix the aviary so you can lock them out while you work in the loft (you probably planned to do that.) Have fun!


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## 1bad97svt (Apr 19, 2017)

raftree3 said:


> Looks great....what's the big box up in the corner? Hope you don't mind suggestions....pigeons aren't always the smartest about things.....they'll go under your loft for some odd reason and they're not so easy to get out, so I'd cover the space with whatever tickles your fancy.......I'd fix the aviary so you can lock them out while you work in the loft (you probably planned to do that.) Have fun!


A giant breeder box haha. I realized once it was together that it was too big. But the birds already jumped in it so I'll leave it for now until I can make another smaller one. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll probably go with lattice or something. Yes I plan to make some doors on the aviary for that exact reason. Now that it's operational I can go in and do the fine tuning.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

1bad97svt said:


> *A giant breeder box haha. I realized once it was together that it was too big. *But the birds already jumped in it so I'll leave it for now until I can make another smaller one. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll probably go with lattice or something. Yes I plan to make some doors on the aviary for that exact reason. Now that it's operational I can go in and do the fine tuning.


That's funny! Trial and error. Figured it was something like that. Loft looks really good though. You are doing a great job.


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## 1bad97svt (Apr 19, 2017)

Jay3 said:


> That's funny! Trial and error. Figured it was something like that. Loft looks really good though. You are doing a great job.


Thanks Jay3! Very much trial and error, I learned a lot from building this loft from scratch. The next one will be way better.


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## White Homers (Sep 22, 2016)

Looks great I bet you can't wait to start flying.


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## 1bad97svt (Apr 19, 2017)

White Homers said:


> Looks great I bet you can't wait to start flying.


Thanks! Funny that you mention that, that's all I've been thinking about is when I get to fly them. I've got my second breeding pair on the way this week so that'll make 2 pairs to get my numbers up.


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## raftree3 (Oct 16, 2010)

"The next one will be way better"......I can't think of any flyers that I've known that built one smaller loft and stuck with it.....everyone adds on or builds another it seems....part of the fun of this!!


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## 1bad97svt (Apr 19, 2017)

*More Questions, Loft Flying, Trap Training*

Hello everybody, I have a few questions now that I'm a little further into the process. I had one egg hatch yesterday and I'm expecting the other today. Here is a picture of my loft with the Aviary and the Trap setup I have. I've been reading a lot about a "settling box" and the need for one and I'm a little confused. Would the box I have in front of the trap qualify as a settling box? I also added a door to the front of the aviary with the anticipation of being able to open it when its time to fly them, I would close it after they exit and allow them to re-enter through the top where the trap is. I would place the birds in the trap box prior to releasing them so that they can become familiar with the trap and how to enter when it is feeding time. Is this ok?


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## Alamo (Nov 22, 2008)

A bigger aviary for the birds to learn to trap and hang around outside would be better...Mine is 3 feet across...Will hold 10/12 birds I guess....Bigger is always better when it comes to pigeons....If to crouded,all they do is fight for their space...Especially males....Alamo


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## DonnyVillanLofts (May 5, 2017)

I have a 6x2 aviary on the front of my loft looks very similar to yours but bigger. your box will work as long as the pigeons have a good view of the surrounding area. I let my birds out a couple of weeks after buying them and they were confident when they went out and within 2 weeks They were ranging.


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## 1bad97svt (Apr 19, 2017)

Alamo, thank you for the response. 

DonnyVillanlofts, Thank you, mine is about 4x2, probably slightly more. The good thing is that I can always make it bigger as time goes by if need be. I'm in a residential area so I can't keep too many birds (maybe 15-20 total), but I do plan to fly approx. 8-10 of that total.


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## DonnyVillanLofts (May 5, 2017)

We sound like we're in the same boat this will be my first year racing, I've done the opposite of you and went out and purchased my birds from a successful breeder I'd only planned to get 10 birds but got advise that I might not be left with many after road training due to lost birds and hawk attacks. So I now have a loft with 21 Vandebeeles I started with 22 and lost 1 on my first loft flight. Hope everything goes well for you.


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## 1bad97svt (Apr 19, 2017)

Donny,

I had some members of the Racing Club I'm trying to join offer me some breeders but I wanted to start with some birds that weren't a part of what they've already been racing. I purchased 2 pairs and was hoping to build a small team off of those. I'm thinking I may need another breeding pair in the event I lose a set of eggs, which I just did (first hatchling died, second didn't hatch). Sounds like you have a nice loft if it looks like mine, haha. Hope all goes well for you also.


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## 95SPORTSTER (Jun 30, 2011)

Bird's from your club members is a good thing. For 1 there bird's have been in the area, two easy to verify what you are getting, buying bird's that you can't see and touch is a gamble. I'm only in my 3rd year of keeping homers and second of racing and being in a club. I started out spending money on bird's (pedigrees ) and have found that sometimes it's just that a piece of paper. Not saying that you can't get good bird's off the internet but....... do your research and talk to others who have gotten bird's from the same source. I have been very fortunate to get some really good bird's online but the best bird's have been from fellow club members.


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## raftree3 (Oct 16, 2010)

Gotta agree. I've been given more good birds then I've ever bought. I try real hard to pay that forward.....every year I give away birds from my OB team and YB team and late hatch babies. It's a win/win situation....I get to see others fly what I bred and see others try crossing birds into the birds that I raise and race!


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## 1bad97svt (Apr 19, 2017)

What everyone has said makes perfect sense, and ironically enough it's been on my mind to call the member who offered me some because I'm in the market for another pair. I guess the mentality at the time was a let me start with something fresh type of thing but had I been more patient I may have saved a few bucks haha. Good thing is the offer wasn't long ago so it should still be good. Great advice, thanks!!


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## DonnyVillanLofts (May 5, 2017)

1bad97svt Think what you're doing is a good way of building a loft taking your time and you'll learn a lot about all your individual birds as you build the team. I haven't got the patience I wanted a team to race this year all my birds are from the same supplier in my club and his results are excellent. I don't for 1 minute think it's going to be easy or that I'm going to win anything in my first few years some of these men have been racing pigeons for 60 years, but I had to start somewhere and thought buying good birds to start was the best thing to do.


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## 95SPORTSTER (Jun 30, 2011)

Hey 1bad97vst,nice job on the loft if you look at the thread when to separate the sex's you can see what I have done. Like yourself I built it on my own. I used rough cut lumber and OSB. Only tools used, hammer, cordless drill, hand saw, speed square and level.


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## 1bad97svt (Apr 19, 2017)

DonnyV, thanks, I had to start off small so as not to piss off my wife and the neighbors lol, gotta ease everybody into it so to speak. Wow, France! That sounds like a really cool race. Good luck this year. I'm not sure if i'll get to race this year, I'm looking at this year as more of a building and learning year, but we'll see. 

95sportster, thanks for the reply! I think I may try to go with the multiple trap type entry setup similar to what you have. I need to see how they use the current setup before I go chopping it up though.


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## White Homers (Sep 22, 2016)

I also started off slow because of neighbors. That's why I went with white (DOVES) lol.
The neighbors like to see the doves fly just don't call them pigeons.


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