# New loft



## ohiogsp (Feb 24, 2006)

Here is my latest spin off from the red rose loft. Step by step lots of pics.


----------



## ohiogsp (Feb 24, 2006)

More


----------



## ohiogsp (Feb 24, 2006)

More


----------



## ohiogsp (Feb 24, 2006)

The end


----------



## warriec (Feb 2, 2007)

Wow, this looks good. I see you only have white pigeons - is there any reason for only whites


----------



## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Wow! Very nice job on the loft and gorgeous birds! Thank you for sharing with us!

Terry


----------



## Guest (Mar 14, 2007)

thats a great loft you have there ,just want to add one suggestion though.You are gonna have to add a little more of a landing board there for them to come down on before they can find the way into your traps being that its a little small of a space for them to be able to land on but otherwise its awesome


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

LokotaLoft said:


> thats a great loft you have there ,just want to add one suggestion though.You are gonna have to add a little more of a landing board there for them to come down on before they can find the way into your traps being that its a little small of a space for them to be able to land on but otherwise its awesome


Yes, I thought that also AND, Lokotaloft........do you think there needs to be a drop inside the bobs? My bobs are high and the birds walk through and then drop in. 
When we built our first loft up in MI, we had a board on the inside of the loft so that the birds could "walk" inside. Then, once the birds got some age on them, we had a cock bird that would pace in front of the traps and wouldn't let anyone else come in, so........we had to remove the board. 
Also......I counted 11 birds in one picture and only 10 perches. I assume there are other perches that are not pictured. Rule of thumb is....1 1/2 perches per bird.
The loft looks great though. The landing board outside is easy enough to fix. 
The birds look good also. I always get jealous when I see everyones white birds. I WANT some.........
Good job........


----------



## ohiogsp (Feb 24, 2006)

I think I am going to put a 2x6 across the front just wanted to get the birds into the new loft so I could start flying them earlier. These birds are going to be for releases eventually. I had a hard time finding enough whites to start this loft but I got them. I have anouther breeding loft and a flight loft the breeder loft is very simular to this one. Here is some pics of my other red rose loft. I love these lofts.


----------



## Guest (Mar 14, 2007)

I agree with you Renee on the traps needing a drop off too, otherwise they have to walk in further to get the bobs off their back and that might freak them out a bit keeping them from going all the way in


----------



## ohiogsp (Feb 24, 2006)

I had worried about there not being a drop from the bobs. If it becomes a problem I will have to change it. I hope it is not a problem.


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

LokotaLoft said:


> I agree with you Renee on the traps needing a drop off too, otherwise they have to walk in further to get the bobs off their back and that might freak them out a bit keeping them from going all the way in


They will sometime walk in and then back out. The rods could stick them. They aren't sharp, so I don't think it would hurt them, but like you said, it might freak them out just a bit.......


----------



## ohiogsp (Feb 24, 2006)

I have anouther loft that does have a board inside the trap and have not had any problems. I will have to wait and see.


----------



## Guest (Mar 15, 2007)

you could possibly just move the trap up above where its at now, where that board goes thru the middle of the front and that might just work out well .You might also want to think about making a bigger door to rease them out thru and possibly build the trap into that which should be fairly easy


----------



## ohiogsp (Feb 24, 2006)

I will be adding boxes as well and they will have a perch on the front of every one. Most the time they sit on the board in the last pic anyway.


----------



## ohiogsp (Feb 24, 2006)

I was going to originally lift this up but then I wanted it to be the door for them to go out through so I had to put it on the floor. Once my birds are flying decient I just open the entry door and let them fly.


----------



## Guest (Mar 15, 2007)

just curious on the dimensions of your loft, is the floor 4x8 or is it 4x6 Im guessing 4x8 but its hard to judge ?


----------



## ohiogsp (Feb 24, 2006)

It is just over 6 high and 3 wide.


----------



## Guest (Mar 15, 2007)

so hows the hawk situation in your area ,here its still pretty bad Im afraid to let my birds out at all


----------



## ohiogsp (Feb 24, 2006)

Its bad, but the grackles "black birds" are coming back big time and that will satisfy the hawks.


----------



## Vivi (Sep 10, 2005)

nice looking loft and nice looking pigeons. one question what kind of bedding do you use?


----------



## Iceland (Jan 28, 2007)

Very nice loft you build and good luck with your pigeons


----------



## Pixy (Mar 29, 2005)

May i ask about how muc this cost yout to build? doyou find that this is mort efficient than other types of coops/ lofts?


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Lovebirds said:


> They will sometime walk in and then back out. The rods could stick them. They aren't sharp, so I don't think it would hurt them, but like you said, it might freak them out just a bit.......


Renee,

I'm glad you mentioned that, I never had a drop either but I sure understand why. They took a good picture on the CBS pigeon show of Tony's birds coming in and "dropping down" the shoot, now I know what you are talking about. I never saw that before, my birds had a landing pad on the outside and inside.


Hi ohiogsp,

That is a very nice loft, and I sure enjoy getting a look at your pretty birds and their housing accomodations, it is nice peeking in their private little world.


----------



## Guest (Mar 19, 2007)

you could easily adapt a belgium drop trap or sputnik type entrance on that loft too where they just drop in between the angled dowels , its all in the angle but would work great Im thinking with the slant on the front of your flypen .I built something simular to that myself and they take to it without a problem even better then my traps and I see that you are pretty crafty with wood so I know you would have no problem making it work  heres some pictures as a guilde line for what I mean ,hope this helps  oh and I with mine I put the dowels 4-1/2 " apart 
http://www.nepigeonsupplies.com/images/0660.jpg
http://www.globalpigeon.com/productimages/fullimg/IMG1124272822.jpg


----------



## ohiogsp (Feb 24, 2006)

Wow, haven't been on here in a few days. 

Lokota, I have a spudnik on one of my other lofts and love it. My only complaint about them is the cooper hawks here will go right in and out of them. I may use your idea if not on this one maybe the next one. There is always anouther one right.  

Pixy, it is very cheap to build one of these. I spent 200 dollars on the loft. I got all the wood for $90.00 I did get the paint for free "Dad is a painter". 

Vivi, I use wood chips. This loft in the pic just has shavings in it but I use a bigger heavier wood chip I get locally here and I put straw in all my lofts so they can make nests out of. 

Thanks for the compliments guys.


----------



## TRIPP (Sep 12, 2006)

looks GOOD ohiogsp the birds you get from me should like that as it is far nicer than my loft!!!


----------



## ohiogsp (Feb 24, 2006)

Thanks, The second set of loft pics is the one they are going in. It is the same as the pic but now has more breeding boxes in it. They should be very happy.


----------



## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

This is just curiosity but in the 6th picture where the roof is being put on, will water run into the "aviary" (or whatever it is called) part of the loft and does this ever create problems?

Ohio, you have done a wonderful job. Bet it was a lot of work moving it out of the garage! When my husband built our aviaries, he did it in sections and put it on a garden trailer and hauled it to the backyard from our garage by using the lawnmower.


----------



## ohiogsp (Feb 24, 2006)

Yes, water does run off through the front of the aviary. I believe all the red rose lofts are this way. I think some of the birds "like it" when it rains and they go right out there to get a bath. The garage door was over sized or it would never have fit through it.


----------



## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

I bet they do enjoy the rain. Being in an aviary with a solid roof ours don't get that treat but I have seen them get very close to the side of the aviary when it rains and they raise their wings up like they do when they take a bath.


----------



## Jguy3348 (Apr 8, 2007)

*I gotta ask...starter loft!!*

I am new and my biggest concern about getting invloved with pigeons is the expense of a large enough loft to compete. How do you go from a starter loft, to say 50 birds loft, without a major expense that still looks good. I am trying to figure out how to have a large inexpensive, decent looking loft. 

With all the pre-fabricated buildings that can be found at Home Depot type stores. I cannot find one example of someone adapting one for a starter loft...there is a 7x7x6 suncast that cost $700 should hold 20 birds....I know that it is plastic, the wood ones are expensive for a starter loft. Buy another one and double your birds??? Vent it right, organize the inside, build an avairy your good to go? 

I presume I am missing something or a genius:} Why isn't this a good option. 

Anyone know of a good 40-50 bird loft option??? 

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...BV_EngineID=cchjaddkjljljffcefecemldffidfno.0


thanks

jguy3348


----------



## learning (May 19, 2006)

Jguy3348,

I too am getting back into racing and I got a great piece of advice from a fellow club member that recently moved to my area after an amazing career in the very large and very competative Fall River Club in Massachusetts. After looking at my loft I asked him if he thought it would be adequate to compete. He chuckled and then said that "guys have won consistantly out of orange crates before!" It's not the size of the loft it is the health and happyness of the pigeons along with having good birds and good management.

I would focus on keeping the birds healthy and stress free. Part of that includes keeping them from being overcrowded. An overcrowded loft can lead to any number of problems. Whatever size loft you end up with, just keep the number of birds in it appropriate to its size.

One of the very best and most consistant middle distance racers in the world only keeps 60 pigeons. You can read about him on Warren Smith's website:

www.smithfamilyloft.com

His name is Ludo Claessens and he has amassed an incredible record flying agains the very best in the world. It's not the numbers that makes you a winner, it's what you do with what you have.

Hope this helps,

Dan


----------



## ohiogsp (Feb 24, 2006)

Jguy, what they don't tell you about the plastic barn is that it has to go on a concrete slab. I has a floor but is plastic and has to set on something hard. I would not use plastic if I had a choice. Why not build 2 red rose lofts? I have 2, one is a breeder loft and one is a flight loft. This would give you a 48 bird capacity and 2 seperate lofts. I could build 2 of these for the cost of that plastic barn and that would include the perches and everthing. I also put the doors on my lofts on opposite ends cause I will probably connect them someday.


----------

