# My cheap "loft" thing. I need help though



## Monkeyzero (Apr 11, 2011)

Hiya

So Since I gave away my silkie chickens, I am getting doves... or pigeons...
So because my dad told me to make the loft/cage on my own, I kinda have to do this thing lol. So here are some ideas
sorry about the mess. My dogs were wanting to play 

I can use this White Cage alone which is 21 in X 21 in X 26 in Tall










Or the Silver Cage alone which is about 2X2X2 feet.











Or I can open both cage openings and put the silver cage ontop of the white cage










Or I can put them side to side and tie them











So which one would work best?
For the winter, We have a tarp that we can put around it to help keep the pigeons/doves warm. 

Thanks


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## Monkeyzero (Apr 11, 2011)

Or Of course, I can do this:

Its the silver cage, but with some wood around it. 
It will be on a stand if I choose this style


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## Pip Logan (Oct 6, 2009)

What did ur chickens stay in? A good rule of thumb for pigeons is 2 feet per bird. Good luck!


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## Monkeyzero (Apr 11, 2011)

They stayed in that. But I can disinfect it. Its actually sitting out in the sun at the time. 
Eppp. 2 feet?
So do you think I should keep the cages together?


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## Pip Logan (Oct 6, 2009)

It may be kind of a tight fit, do you think u could save up a little and build something? Maybe use the cages for an aviary?


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## Monkeyzero (Apr 11, 2011)

I don't think so.
My parents barely give me any money actually. And since school is out, I dont get lunch money.
I think my friend has a large parrot cage with small bar spacing.
And the guy im buying the pigeons from is selling me them for $20 for 2 pairs. or $15 for one. 
I only have $15. 
I shall check if i have some wood left over and see if I can build them somethng


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## swagg (Feb 13, 2011)

Is there anyway you could just put a door and floor on the wooden structure, and then cut a small opening on the other side and attach the 2*2 cage there. It would be like a small loft with an attached aviary.


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## Monkeyzero (Apr 11, 2011)

Yes I can actually. 

would the inside of the wooden sturcure need any perches or can they be in the "aviary"?


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

How are you going to afford pigeons? You have no decent loft. How can you buy feed and grit, or meds if they get sick? Those 2 pairs will be 20 in no time. and those 20 will need something like 4' x 8' x 7' high, and it would take a lot of lunch money to buy one bag of feed. Just some practical questions you need to ask yourself.


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## Monkeyzero (Apr 11, 2011)

My parents pay for the food and vet care when needed. Also for anything thats for health needs. 
I'm repsonsible for paying for the animal and the housing. Otherwise, they pay for everything else.


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

Try looking in the free section of craigs list. You can build a big loft with a garage door and a few free doors. Some times you can even get small sheds, just a thought.
Dave


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

Thats not how it sounded but thats good. You should be able to get birds for free if you check around your area.


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## Pip Logan (Oct 6, 2009)

Good luck and keep us posted!


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## Monkeyzero (Apr 11, 2011)

I think I'll actually do that! 
I saw a bunch of stuff that could be used as an aviary. I saw a picture of a large tv converted into an aviary!  but yeah, I'm in no rush to get the doves
The guy is a breeder and has homers and diamond doves along with fantails and a few other kinds i don't remember. I think I might get diamonds since I heard they're very freinly


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

With diamond doves you will need much smaller cage bar spacing. They would get their head stuck or even escape what you have there. Not sure I would recommend keeping diamonds outside without a large enough loft to have a double door that keeps them from escaping--they're very high strung.


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## AZCorbin (Feb 28, 2011)

Crazy Pete said:


> Try looking in the free section of craigs list. You can build a big loft with a garage door and a few free doors. Some times you can even get small sheds, just a thought.
> Dave


DO THIS. I have found a free 16'x6' aviary made out of red wood. Also got a free used chicken coop which I turned into a dove home which was 6'x3'
Lots of good free items if you search it out.


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## NayNay (Mar 16, 2011)

Yep- scrounge lumber from here and there to build a mini loft- actually as big as you can. Be creative about materials that can be repurposed, old doors, bookcases, home entertainment centers, etc etc. And of course, my favorite, pallets-lol. 

Then use the cages as aviaries. Keep us posted, and have fun.


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## Nomad_Lofts (Apr 12, 2011)

Open your mind to how you want your loft to look good example nay nay's loft she found just about everything for free and came up with a nice sized loft great looking too. How much space do you have to work with. the ideal loft is big enough so that you can(fit in it) spend time in it with the birds (thats just me)


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## NayNay (Mar 16, 2011)

well....I actually bought a bunch of 2x4's, and got cheap everything else on the current build. But it started as "scavenger loft", which is when I was using the pallets for the floor. But they work well as ready made, framed walls as well- we did our whole tree house that way. If you google "Building with pallets", there are some really amazing structures built from pallets. Some folks rip em apart to reuse the lumber, etc. There is a whole house built with them. That guy used flattened beer cans for the roof. 

Here's a link to the site I first consulted on the topic of building with pallets- guy lives in Canada, and his shed is fending off the weather up there awesomely. In spite of what all the "pallet bashers" and Home Depot addicts will try and tell you, Pallets are a viable building material, and available free. 
http://summerville-novascotia.com/PalletShed/


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## NayNay (Mar 16, 2011)

Also, be on the lookout for old fencing- our tree house- which is actually a 2 story 8x8 house with a sleeping loft, and a 4x8 deck- is clad in old cedar fence boards. I built that 4 years ago as a project with my son, and we got just about everything for free. I spent less than 20 bucks on the whole thing. 

So, it can be done- and like Nomad said, it's nice to have something you can actually walk into- esp if you are going to raise babies, or end up with racing pigeons. If you are just gonna keep 2 doves, then something like that little 3 sided thing you showed could be modified for a quick and easy solution.


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