New pideons owner

[biophiliac]

I'm thinking to have 4'x 2' of wire enclosed under roof on the east side, then the main 4x6 enclosed portion of the loft. I now think I want the people door as well as the trap and another door to the aviary portion, all on the east side. All perches and nest boxes above 18" off the floor to leave the bottom open for wire covered openings on the three remaining sides with hinged covers to close or open. Then in the ceiling there would be additional ventilation that could be closed if needed. The roof would be slightly elevated - in hope of preventing the sun from overheating the interior.
I expect the lower vents will let in natural light also. Do I need additional windows, or can they just go in the wire portion for sun?

 

[scottcaddy]

I'm really limited by space available. It has to go with the 6' sides S and N, the 4' sides E and W. :/ It is closely sheltered by a large concrete building [pics in my media].
only planning to keep 9 - 12 homers.

You Hope!
Scott

 

[RezChamp]

I've been to Manitoba , and yes you are right about the winter temps in WI. Also its gets pretty hot and sticky in the summer, maybe not quite as much as where you are. In the summer, I wondered if at least the south exposure could be insulated to prevent excessive heat building up during the day - or will the ventilation take care of that? In my experience with chickens, ventilation is your friend - and heat, not cold is your enemy.

I've been seriously all over the Internet for several months now, so I take your point there
Thanks again for you thoughts.

The walls on my coop are white. It doesn't attract heat.
I'm glad I can be of help in any capacity.

 

[RezChamp]

That's interesting. Another nice thing about incorporating ferals into your lines is I'd imagine they are great breeders. In racing lofts, pigeons get some help with breeding to some degree (they get a nest box, nest materials, sometimes climate control, etc), but in the wild, the pigeon must be a creative breeder. I'd imagine that helps.

You know, I never really consciously recognized the"nesting" thing till you mentioned it. I pondered it for a quite a while and it looks to be true. It appears the more inbred a line is the less likely they are to be....uuhhmmm....smart. I guess surviving "the wild" around here would definitely breed a smarter, tougher bird. So, ya, put some smarts back in my racing coop.
Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[RezChamp]

You Hope!
Scott

Exactly.
That dozen or so will last about 2months?
But there's always hope



Still, we should all wish him well.

 

[RezChamp]

I'm really limited by space available. It has to go with the 6' sides S and N, the 4' sides E and W. :/ It is closely sheltered by a large concrete building [pics in my media].
only planning to keep 9 - 12 homers.

I can totally relate to limited space. That's why I code to live in an area that has lots more.
So how do I get to your media?

 

[RezChamp]

I'm thinking to have 4'x 2' of wire enclosed under roof on the east side, then the main 4x6 enclosed portion of the loft. I now think I want the people door as well as the trap and another door to the aviary portion, all on the east side. All perches and nest boxes above 18" off the floor to leave the bottom open for wire covered openings on the three remaining sides with hinged covers to close or open. Then in the ceiling there would be additional ventilation that could be closed if needed. The roof would be slightly elevated - in hope of preventing the sun from overheating the interior.
I expect the lower vents will let in natural light also. Do I need additional windows, or can they just go in the wire portion for sun?

Former CPFA president Clint Robertson raises world champion Jacobins. His coops aren't closed at all. There's just these big screened openings. I think you search his coops on the web.
I like windows with screens. Mine are dbl & triple paned. My first one is single paned but it had vents at the bottom and traps at the top and a 14X14X3 aviary on the roof for the prisoners and the access was always open. All the bird accesses and vents were on the same wall(front). The coop floor was 12X11@ 5'6" back wall and 8' front wall with a single pitch roof with ashphalt roll roofing glued down with "WETBLACK"(a tar) that had been thinned with gasoline(works like charm on repurposed spruce sheathing). The front wall faced, you guessed it, S.E.byE.. The more southerly wall had only one window as opposed to 2 on the front wall. All of them had big screen on them. My biggest mistake was the aviary had only stucco wire on it. Good for keeping hawks and owls out but sparrows, starlings and millions of mosquitos could get in. Oh ya, weasels and minks got in that way too.

 

[scottcaddy]

Exactly.
That dozen or so will last about 2months?
But there's always hope



Still, we should all wish him well.

I do wish him well!!
Scott

 

[LamarshFish]

You know, I never really consciously recognized the"nesting" thing till you mentioned it. I pondered it for a quite a while and it looks to be true. It appears the more inbred a line is the less likely they are to be....uuhhmmm....smart. I guess surviving "the wild" around here would definitely breed a smarter, tougher bird. So, ya, put some smarts back in my racing coop.
Thanks for pointing that out.

Yes, generations of ferals I would think, intuitively, MUST have good instincts for being clever and creative with nesting (in highway overpasses, bridges, nooks and crannies of buildings, etc), and the ones that don't have these good instincts just don't reproduce or have failed nests or failed rearing of young. And, likewise, on the flip side of this idea, the loft birds who lack the good nesting instincts often end up getting help with their nests from humans, so their poor nesting genes get passed on.

With this in mind, and the fact that I've heard fanciers sometimes get a feral that flies in to their loft with the rest of the pack... perhaps you may not kick that feral out? For one, you get a feral for the aforementioned benefits, and, to boot, a feral that apparently has taken a liking to your flock and may do better in your loft than just any other feral that you may trap or net from the streets....

 

[biophiliac]

So how do I get to your media?

Click on 'Biophiliac' to get my profile page, then look for the 'Media' or 'Album' tab.