Show me your pigeon lofts!!! I need ideas

[backyard pigeons]

Why is that?

That's a smart idea with the tarps, in fact you all have smart ideas! I love seeing everyone's different way of doing things. I also really like your nesting sections!
I was also considering instead of a door, you know how at those walk in aviarys at zoos they always have a string of beads or something hanging down in front of the door? Maybe I could do something like that.

It's really sweet to see what you're doing with you're grandaughter! It was my uncle that got me into pigeons and chickens and well..everything else. Some of my most cherished memories with him are driving a mile away from the house with a couple pigeons, letting them go and then racing them back (they always won). Or when he took me to chicken shows. Heck, I even enjoyed mucking the stables with him (how you can tell I'm a city slicker!). And, for what it's worth, I never lost my interest with him or his birds.

You want to get young birds if you get homers. Since if they are to old, they will fly back to their old house, where you got them from. But if you aren't getting homers, it doesn't matter as much, since homing desire isn't as strong in other breeds as it is in homing pigeons.

 

[Rooster_Tyranny]

Hello! There are many good pigeon books out there, but I'm not sure if there are many on meat birds. I have wood floors, but I put pine needles on the bottom and I have a little door to open in the floor, so I just push them out, and replace the bedding. I recommend doing lock in nest boxes so you can separate breeding pairs. And if you have meat birds, they shouldn't be able to fly that well, but I just go in quick! And it's up to you if you want to do walk in or not. And use hardware cloth! Not chicken wire. I hope this helps.

Sorry, for some reason I didn't see your post before! Yes this is very helpful! Could you give me some recommendations for pigeon books? And what exactly is a lock in nest box? I 100% plan on keeping the breeding controlled, which is why I plan on meat birds.

I can't find much information on Scandaroons, but I believe they are meat birds and homers(?). I say this because it says historically that this breed of pigeon might have served as a messenger pigeon for Alexander the Great. Though of course that couldn't mean anything at all, and the breed could've developed over that long period of time.
If I had my senses about me I'd go with a less rare (and expensive ) breed of pigeon and start with something simpler. But that's just not how I role!

Edit: https://www.roysfarm.com/scandaroon-pigeon/

 

[backyard pigeons]

Sorry, for some reason I didn't see your post before! Yes this is very helpful! Could you give me some recommendations for pigeon books? And what exactly is a lock in nest box? I 100% plan on keeping the breeding controlled, which is why I plan on meat birds. And is it possible at all to "break" older birds from their homing instinct?

I can't find much information on Scandaroons, but I believe they are meat birds and homers(?). I say this because it says historically that this breed of pigeon might have served as a messenger pigeon for Alexander the Great. Though of course that couldn't mean anything at all, and the breed could've developed over that long period of time.
If I had my senses about me I'd go with a less rare (and expensive ) breed of pigeon and start with something simpler. But that's just not how I role!

Let me go take pics of the books I reccomend...

Ok. I'm don't know much about scandooroons, but I do know I have never seen them before so they may be really hard to find.

Lock in nesting boxes are just nesting boxes, but you have a door so that you can keep them in there if need be. I like them because you can separate an injured bird, or a first time nesting pair, or to pair birds.

 

[Rooster_Tyranny]

I like it! Nice and simple and no-nonsense. I'm definitely considering this as a model. What kind of climate are you in, the only thing I'd be worried about is them in the cold. I've read that in a loft you need some kind of contraption for when you fly them that allows the pigeons to fly in but not come back out. But from what I've seen most people don't have this? So I guess it's really not that needed? Do you fly your birds?

 

[backyard pigeons]

I'll get pics of my lofts later.

 

[backyard pigeons]

I like it! Nice and simple and no-nonsense. I'm definitely considering this as a model. What kind of climate are you in, the only thing I'd be worried about is them in the cold. I've read that in a loft you need some kind of contraption for when you fly them that allows the pigeons to fly in but not come back out. But from what I've seen most people don't have this? So I guess it's really not that needed? Do you fly your birds?

Ok so if you fly your birds, you need whats called a trap door. They can walk through it to get inside, but not outside. It is needed if you are flying birds.

 

[Rooster_Tyranny]

Let me go take pics of the books I reccomend...

Ok. I'm don't know much about scandooroons, but I do know I have never seen them before so they may be really hard to find.

Lock in nesting boxes are just nesting boxes, but you have a door so that you can keep them in there if need be. I like them because you can separate an injured bird, or a first time nesting pair, or to pair birds.

Nice! I have the bottom left one. I like it a lot but sometimes I feel like it assumes some things are implied when they're not. Looking forward to your pictures!

 

[backyard pigeons]

Nice! I have the bottom left one. I like it a lot but sometimes I feel like it assumes some things are implied when they're not. Looking forward to your pictures!

Are you talking about when they assume you are going to race with your birds? The one on actual racing pigeons is very good, it has a lot of good ideas throughout it.

 

[backyard pigeons]

Alright, here's my breeders loft. As you can see, it has window storage ion the back wall, so when it's nice, I can just put them up there. There is hardware cloth behind the windows. Also you can see the little poop door, so when I clean, I just push out the shavings. And my nesting boxes.

 

[backyard pigeons]

And here's one of my flyer lofts. Nothing fancy. You can see the trap door.