# Nest box suggestions



## aarongreen123 (Jan 26, 2005)

I've tried to buck the norm using buckets and milk crates and slapped together crap i had laying around and its taken this long to realize that, at least in my loft, this approach isn't going to work. My loft is 8x12. the door is in the middle of one of the long sides. What would you guys suggest for an ideal nest box setup, size/height/dimensions/number per population. I've been around here for years and theres a million ways to do everything i realize, just wondering if there is some sort of consensus anywhere in the racing pigeon group. 

I subscribe to simple, i don't compete, i do like winter breeding and have had great luck in years past with different lofts and setups, i just want my birds to be comfortable with the nest setup as they're clearly not now, as there is a nest in each corner of the floor and literally nothing in the mild crates and other old cabinets etc that i have hung.


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## aarongreen123 (Jan 26, 2005)

thanks i will check that thread out. i have lights on them, they are laying like crazy, eggs everywhere accept where i want them. i've put wood eggs in the makeshift nests to chill them out while i address this. at the moment thinking of a 4'x8' bank of 12x24 nest boxes. i have a small 8x12 loft so that will be plenty for the number of birds i keep. i will also place some on the floor as i have a few pair that simply insist of nesting down there and do a good enough job of it. i have some belgian white racers right now that are biggest knucklehead nesters/parents, they are the majority of the source of the problem. they are on the laRge size also, which i don't think is helping.


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## Silver Wings (Jan 27, 2014)

*Simple plywood boxes*

1x1x1. We tried to keep this simple in our loft. Each 'layer' is three sided, so as you add the next 'layer' you are sitting it on the roof of the previous layer. This makes for easy disassembly should we need to. It also makes building fast and easy. I have more pics taken as we built them in the shop if that would help.


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## aarongreen123 (Jan 26, 2005)

1x1x1 is the size of the milkcrates, they aren't open on the front though there is only a hole cut. i have had a couple nest in them, but they abandon the setup pretty fast. i think its that they can see through them on all sides, and that mayve there is too much airflow for this time of year. i like your building system, i think i will try it with 1x2 design in mind, maybe even 16x32


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## Silver Wings (Jan 27, 2014)

Maybe seeing what we did will help you. 

In the first pic, we attached a smaller piece to the long board that measures out to the length of the loft. Then a 'square' is able to be attached to the smaller piece - this helped to then have some substance to attach as well as keep the sides from falling in on the birds as weight is added by nesting materials and birds. 

The second pic shows them upside down as we stacked them while building...


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## Silver Wings (Jan 27, 2014)

Here's how it looked once we got them put in the loft... They simply sit on top of the next 'layer'. Remember the bottom layer will need just a board running the length for it to sit on so it has a 'floor' for the birds.

Some birds are just going to come out of the nests -- so we built the bottom layer of nest one foot off the loft floor as to not crawl into the nest of another male and be killed...


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## Silver Wings (Jan 27, 2014)

*Kit Box Hybrid?? lol*

I just went with what I thought was 'easy common sense' for my loft.  I wanted to be able to have a very personal relationship with them -- handling, good people skills, and enjoy being held. But I also value the feeling of freedom with security, so the kit box goes in the aviary and they currently are making big circles and strengthening their muscles. 

It is very nice to be able to open the doors and gently pick them up and not have to fight for them. I have only three at the moment with more due in, but we have a routine. Every evening I call "Roost" while standing in the middle of the aviary and they fly in to the kit box (loft) in order no less! Snowflake the youngest goes in (if he hasn't already put himself to bed), then Gracie, and Duke always makes one or two circles as if to say yup they are all in, we're good! Before popping into the loft himself! I am on day 16 of my new found friends. Although I have messed with them for years, this is "MY" first set.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

an open loft in Cananda!? oh my.


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## Silver Wings (Jan 27, 2014)

spirit wings said:


> an open loft in Cananda!? oh my.


Whatcha' thinking??


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## ERIC K (Mar 29, 2010)

I bet money that you will have the healthiest birds on the planet. I like what you've done so far.


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## ERIC K (Mar 29, 2010)

Silver Wings . What is growing around your place , wheat or some other grain ? Looks like you have plenty of straw for nesting materials.


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## Silver Wings (Jan 27, 2014)

ERIC K said:


> Silver Wings . What is growing around your place , wheat or some other grain ? Looks like you have plenty of straw for nesting materials.


I am surrounded by barley fields, and the Rocky Mountains. MUCH straw for sure. We have several varieties of wheat, white to reds - spring to winter wheat as well... I also have alfalfa and hay fields down by the river (Sun River, South of me on the other side of the barley field -I can walk there it's close.) and there is a creek coming out of the Northside from the mountains... So I sit between two good 'tagging' waterways for the birds to find their way back - I believe. I can hear the creek as it's just off the property... On the other side of the river and east is a pea field. 

If you were talking about me having the healthiest of birds, why thank you! I sure hope I do. They seem abundantly happy!


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## Silver Wings (Jan 27, 2014)

Hey Shorty2 -

Darling fella there!!


Me too, ditto all the stuff you said! I also have names for all mine and handle them each, every day. 

- Very good, I do the same. I should have more birds arriving any time now. Waiting on a txt back as I write this.


Looks like a great solution, I've never seen a kit box inside an aviary like that. All the benefits of a kit box but with the security of an aviary. Brilliant.

- Thank you, I got many ideas and 'built them together' from the folks here at PT. 

Unique looking aviary -- looks like what you imagine old time cowboys would have used with those logs.  

- Actually we went thru many tragic and life altering events in the last 16 months. The building had been our barn, so we 'repurposed' it as we don't have the horses anymore. I built it about a decade ago. I am now a cowgirl with pigeons lol! 


I do that too! For my call, I open the peanut jar and tap on it to make the peanuts rattle. Then they all line up and I give each one of them a peanut. Then they push in the trap while I put the food tray down. 

- I have not gotten mine to eat peanuts -even from their dishes... 


Just wait, when you get them breeding and make a team you can take out flying, it boosts the awesome level through the roof. 

- I dream of this day! I have been 'training' them to trap with a dog kennel with an extra set of bobs on it. It was my lunchtime "McGuyver" creation this week. A dog kennel, a couple of bobs, a used shipping box, and a coupleah zipties and tadah! A temp. school room inside the aviary! We will try trapping from a bird basket outside the aviary going inside either today or tomorrow... Just waiting on a call for those other birds 

Because I am trying to develop independent birds that think and navigate for themselves, I single toss them. So each bird that I release goes by themselves and it is great to watch them figure out where they are and then head for home. Plus after all that driving, I think it is more fun than group toss, I get to spend some time enjoying the release point.

-Interesting line of of thought, I hadn't heard anyone talk of doing it this way as yet. Very interesting.... 

> Although I have messed with 
> them for years, this is "MY" first set.

How were you messing with pigeons before? 

What kind of stuff are you planning to do with your birds?

I had friends with birds and I was always helping to transport and release them. Some had rollers and tumblers, that was over 20 yrs ago and another part of the country... Then I have messed with the grandparents and great grandparents of the birds I have now, also transporting and releasing them and such.

I have all white homers, so I hope to do events and some racing


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Silver Wings said:


> Whatcha' thinking??


um... brrrrr.. drafty cold winter wind.


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## Silver Wings (Jan 27, 2014)

spirit wings said:


> um... brrrrr.. drafty cold winter wind.


Well actually you are right, outside the barn it is that way. Inside not so bad. What you can't tell from this photo is the right side has commercial cardboard up over a large area. We've screwed it to the back timbers as a winter wind block. The cardboard is used to bring automotive windshields out to this area and stands up to the elements very well.

Once the dangers of avalanches has passed I plan to go and get some pine trees from the forest to bring around the barn (Horses would have nibbled them away) and make a more lush area for the birds. Small planters are also in the 'Spring Making" plans to dress up the area. A friend is also giving us her patio table and chairs to sit inside of the paddock (outside the aviary) on the far side. Should turn out to be a nice 'living space' for everyone to come and watch the birds fly about. 

BTW, The building is 26 feet by 12 feet enclosed...


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Im sure my birds would be frozen..lol.. but birds adjust to differing situations. drafts are the only thing I would be worried about as that is a big no no in the pigeon keeping world as it can cause sickness. you're place looks amazing to fly birds and sounds very beautiful ! jealouse.


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## Silver Wings (Jan 27, 2014)

spirit wings said:


> Im sure my birds would be frozen..lol.. but birds adjust to differing situations. drafts are the only thing I would be worried about as that is a big no no in the pigeon keeping world as it can cause sickness. you're place looks amazing to fly birds and sounds very beautiful ! jealouse.


Thanks Spirit Wings. Yea, I've been really aware of drafts (I've also had parrots for a couple decades now -- can be a bit more interesting in Montana than Florida haha.. That's why I went and got the heavy cardboard, break the wind. I've also strategically placed over a dozen straw bales about the aviary to keep the drafts down, and another four bales under the kit box/ loft just so the wind doesn't whip under and around it so it keeps the day time heat from the sun warmer inside. Topping it all off? I got a thermometer that actually goes about 500' to a display up at the house so I KNOW what the true temp and humidity is INSIDE the kitbox/loft.


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## rickerra (Feb 23, 2014)

The nice gentleman I got my domestic pheasant pigeons from had a similar open setup.

Picture the corner of your property... with solid 7ft block walls (nice) on both sides. Out of this corner he created a large, fully enclosed aviary... must have been 15ft x 20ft x 6.5ft(high). He had his pigeon/dove nest boxes mounted up high on the walls near the corner. Fully exposed... no loft to speak of. But the birds did fine. Even through the occasional 0 degree winter nights. Being in the corner like that with solid walls... I don't think there was much wind to worry about.

Love your re-purposed barn!

Cheers!


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## ERIC K (Mar 29, 2010)

Silver Wings said:


> I am surrounded by barley fields, and the Rocky Mountains. MUCH straw for sure. We have several varieties of wheat, white to reds - spring to winter wheat as well... I also have alfalfa and hay fields down by the river (Sun River, South of me on the other side of the barley field -I can walk there it's close.) and there is a creek coming out of the Northside from the mountains... So I sit between two good 'tagging' waterways for the birds to find their way back - I believe. I can hear the creek as it's just off the property... On the other side of the river and east is a pea field.
> 
> If you were talking about me having the healthiest of birds, why thank you! I sure hope I do. They seem abundantly happy!


Yes , Having them in a more open environment will keep them in a high state of health. I like your set up. Sun River ! You must be just west of Great Falls .


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## Silver Wings (Jan 27, 2014)

ERIC K said:


> Yes , Having them in a more open environment will keep them in a high state of health. I like your set up. Sun River ! You must be just west of Great Falls .


Ahhh Yes, I think fresh air is good for everyone. I also like that it gets the sun on the ground. Yes, the Sun River runs from the Rocky Mountains (passing us) and into Great Falls where it meets the Missouri River. I haven't kayaked that whole distance- yet. lol. But yes, all of the Sun River is west of Great Falls.

rickerra -- Thanks! yes, you get inside or near the building and the wind is gone. Sounds like this fella you mention, has a nice set up!


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## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

I am happy with my boxes with dowels, see my webpage for pictures.


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## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

shorty2 said:


> I was checking out your website, great stuff. Read that you aren't currently flying with a local club. Measured an airline between our locations (I am in Phoenix AZ), we are about 300 miles apart. Later this year like in Aug / Sept, do you want to race together? We could exchange birds in the mail and release them at the same designated time. Might be able to get some others around here to race with us too. Whatcha think?


Sounds interesting. My only issue is time. August, September are tough months for me being a teacher and the early year demands, kids in sports etc. Plus all my birds are promised out to fliers already. Phoenix has some clubs that you could race with. I would check with the AU for clubs.


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