# Kepping the loft warm in winter



## Guest (Aug 28, 2010)

Hey guys I know im a few months off but what do you do to keep your loft warm in the winter months???


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

I don't do anything, they don't seem to need it here in VA, but some do and have heard of the reptile heaters working well, use ones with the cage around the actual light.


----------



## fresnobirdman (Dec 27, 2008)

get clear table covers and cover all the windows so that no draft of cold air can come in.

and what kind of birds do you have?

rollers are smaller than racer and they seem to do fine in the snowy areas with out and loft heaters.


----------



## jeff houghton (Jul 17, 2010)

I just tend to bed them down with straw on the loft floor and in their boxes and close the sliding loft ceiling shut.Friends of mine use heaters but they dont really need all that in my opinion but i guess your winters are colder than ours.


----------



## cbx1013 (Aug 12, 2009)

*Winter? In Georgia?*

Hi:

I don't really do anything to keep the loft warm, beyond blocking the wind. My loft last winter was the same temp as the ambient outdoors- I didn't lose a bird. We saw temps to zero, and below.

I have heaters for the waterers, and change the water daily. I feed a commercial feed with corn in it, and I probably over feed a bit.

I read that pigeons are good to -30 degrees, as long as they are not in a wet, drafty environment.

Don


----------



## copper (Aug 25, 2010)

I live in upstate NY(in the mountains)and it get's cold. I use an Honeywell oil filled heater.I like to mate my birds for breeding at the end of December.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If you just want to give them a little extra warmth on the cold nights, the birds in my boxes have soft hay to snuggle into, and I have a couple of 250 watt reptile heaters that I hang near the perches for the birds that perch at night. They're great, as they throw heat without light, and they are safer than the heat lamps, as they can shatter and cause a fire. When it gets really cold, I use one of those oil filled heaters that look like a radiator, and set it on low. They give nice steady heat, and you can adjust it, so if you want to, you can keep them at 40 degrees, or turn it up a bit higher. Just depends. I live in New England, and spend a lot of time with the birds, which I couldn't do if it were freezing in the loft.


----------



## ptras (Jun 29, 2010)

Jay3 said:


> If you just want to give them a little extra warmth on the cold nights, the birds in my boxes have soft hay to snuggle into, and I have a couple of 250 watt reptile heaters that I hang near the perches for the birds that perch at night. They're great, as they throw heat without light, and they are safer than the heat lamps, as they can shatter and cause a fire. When it gets really cold, I use one of those oil filled heaters that look like a radiator, and set it on low. They give nice steady heat, and you can adjust it, so if you want to, you can keep them at 40 degrees, or turn it up a bit higher. Just depends. I live in New England, and spend a lot of time with the birds, which I couldn't do if it were freezing in the loft.


You have spoken a thought I have had for a while. I got into an argument...I mean discussion,  with various people on this site who insisted that the loft didn't need to be insulated. I'm thinking that when it is ten degrees outside, and I've just shoveled a 100 foot path in the snow, I want to be able to sit and enjoy the birds. Maybe they won't need insulation, but I do!


----------



## Guest (Aug 29, 2010)

I dont add a bit of heat in the winter months myself but I do cover all the flypens in plastic to keep the winds from cutting thru the loft and they seem to be just fine .. I have more problems with the hot summer months then I ever had with the winter months just feed them lots of extra to help them keep the fire inside and they should be fine  thats just how I do it here


----------



## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

Jay3 said:


> ...I use one of those oil filled heaters that look like a radiator, and set it on low. They give nice steady heat, and you can adjust it, so if you want to, you can keep them at 40 degrees, or turn it up a bit higher...



How big is your loft? I'm wondering if that little heater would make that much of a difference in a 12 x 10 loft.


----------



## The_Dirteeone (Apr 18, 2010)

I have met several pigeon breeders that do nothing but keep water from freezing.I used to heat my indoor aviary for cokatiels,and let them have access to the outdoor flight.I found that the heat dried the air out so much it was prob not as healthy.I soon went to no heat at all,except very fridgid teen temps,and I used a heat lamp protected by wire.They did gather tight on the perch sometimes,but went out in the daylight on some of the coldest days last winter and sang and preaned themselves like it was another day.I think the pigeons will make it fine,look at the ferals?I have no plans personally to anything but keep the drinking water from freezing,and increase the whole corn by a good bit.If you think about it ,here in Georgia,we usually have pretty good weather except in late Dec till early march,and then its almost breeding time.


----------



## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

Pogeons are a tuff little critter as long as the wind isn't hitting them they can take all most any thing. They can't drink hard water "ice" for that I built a box 12 in by 16 in 12 in tall put any ole light fixture in the botom with a 30 watt bulb cut a hole 1 in smaller than what you use for water. Only coast about $4 when it gets below 0 use a 45 watt.
Dave


----------



## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

Crazy Pete said:


> Pogeons are a tuff little critter as long as the wind isn't hitting them they can take all most any thing. They can't drink hard water "ice" for that I built a box 12 in by 16 in 12 in tall put any ole light fixture in the botom with a 30 watt bulb cut a hole 1 in smaller than what you use for water. Only coast about $4 when it gets below 0 use a 45 watt.
> Dave


Do you think you could get a picture of that?


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

First To Hatch said:


> How big is your loft? I'm wondering if that little heater would make that much of a difference in a 12 x 10 loft.


My loft is 8X10, and keeping the heater way down to its lowest setting will keep it about 40 to 45 degrees. I think it has about 5 settings, and if I were to put it on 2 or just past that, it would keep it between 50 and 60 somewhere. Those heaters are great, and they don't blow heat. Just radiate it. I love mine. I made a cover for mine with hardware cloth, which I attached to the top of the heater, then attached a piece of flashing to that. They like to perch on it, and the cover keeps it clean. In a loft 10X12, you would still be able to keep it turned way down, and it would work fine. Hell, if you turned it up, they'd think it was summer time.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Here is a picture of it.


----------



## Guest (Aug 29, 2010)

Jay 3 I have one of those in the house lol they work great the can heat a 12x10 room perfect!!! I do have some propane heaters that run off propane an I have small space heaters for like campers an stuff!! I do cover the fly pens an I put black plastic up on the roof to stop the draf so is that good


----------



## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

I kept pigeons for many years close to 50 years NEVER heated any loft. And never really had much problems. NOW I do know of several people who did heat there loft. And I know of several people who heated there loft and lost all there birds to fire. And had to rebuild and start all over. SO if heating a loft I would recomoned some safety practice. . Now heated waters in places that get rather cold is a good idea so the birds can have water place that get to the near and below zero mark for days . But loft heating is a choice not a must. But be safe doing it.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

re lee said:


> I kept pigeons for many years close to 50 years NEVER heated any loft. And never really had much problems. NOW I do know of several people who did heat there loft. And I know of several people who heated there loft and lost all there birds to fire. And had to rebuild and start all over. SO if heating a loft I would recomoned some safety practice. . Now heated waters in places that get rather cold is a good idea so the birds can have water place that get to the near and below zero mark for days . But loft heating is a choice not a must. But be safe doing it.


Good point. Anywhere you use any sort of heater, you need to be careful. The oil filled ones are pretty safe though, and I know others that use them. The heat lamps you can buy for like $10, can shatter and cause fires if they do. But the reptile heat emitters are pretty safe. Just make sure you read the instructions and keep them away from anything flammable.


----------



## Big T (Mar 25, 2008)

Jay3 said:


> If you just want to give them a little extra warmth on the cold nights, the birds in my boxes have soft hay to snuggle into, and I have a couple of 250 watt reptile heaters that I hang near the perches for the birds that perch at night. They're great, as they throw heat without light, and they are safer than the heat lamps, as they can shatter and cause a fire. When it gets really cold, I use one of those oil filled heaters that look like a radiator, and set it on low. They give nice steady heat, and you can adjust it, so if you want to, you can keep them at 40 degrees, or turn it up a bit higher. Just depends. I live in New England, and spend a lot of time with the birds, which I couldn't do if it were freezing in the loft.


You do put in heavier curtains for winter don't you?

LOL Tony

PS Sounds like the heater is more for you then the birds.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Big T said:


> You do put in heavier curtains for winter don't you?
> 
> LOL Tony
> 
> PS Sounds like the heater is more for you then the birds.


Actually Tony, I don't. I like the lighter sheer curtains as they let in more light, which also helps to warm the loft. My birds just stretch out on the perches and shelves and bask in the sunlight coming through the large windows.
P.S. The heavier curtain, which I open in the morning, and close at night, goes over the storm door.

And the heater is for both me and the birds. I'm in there a lot, and I couldn't stand to see them all puffed up and cold. Aries doesn't know he's up north. Thinks he's still in Georgia. LOL.


----------



## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

First To Hatch

I'll get a pic of my water heater next week.
Dave


----------



## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

*FEATHERS- "feathers are highly specialized structures which occur only in birds. They enable the pigeon to fly with great rapidity. They are NON-CONDUCTORS of heat and cold ,checking radiation of heat from the boby.By over lapping feathers form a warm outer covering in cold weather.Pigeons are a warm-blooded vertebrates. Their BODY Temperture is about 107 degrees." This is a quote from the book THE PIGEON , by W.M. LEVI. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THE PIGEON CAN TRAP HIS BODY HEAT UNDER HIS FEATHERS AND THUS KEEP WARM IN COLD WEATHER. * . GEORGE


----------



## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

In my opinion, it doesn't get that cold down here. I imagine it is the same in Georgia.
The only thing my birds get is light and heating pads under their drinkers so the water doesn't freeze (at least not completely). We have lights in the old bird loft during the winter not because of the cold, but because of where the loft is sitting. We have a creek, in which the old bird loft is just yards away from it. We're also on a hill/gulley, in which the OB loft is at the lowest point. So that combined with the woods surrounding us, it stays pretty humid down there in the winter and takes forever for anything to dry out. We've found the lights do help keep the loft dry so no one gets sick. I'm pretty sure the bulbs are incadescent (sp?) so they do give off a lot of heat (95% heat and only 5% light actually; thanks to AP environmental class for teaching me that, LOL). The birds on the top perches, right beside the lights, seem to be quite cosy in the cold months.
The breeders are also on lights that time of year to motivate them, so they get the same benefits as well.


----------

