Could I put my loft inside of a pole shed?

[moonshadow]

I am interested in getting a few pigeons this summer. Right now we have a 40X45 pole shed that already houses 2 horses, 4 ducks, 2 geese, 2 goats and about 11 small chickens. Would it be okay to put my coop inside? I would need to have a couple of entrances installed, but would it work? Would it effect the other animals?? Or be bad in any other way?

How high does the (I'm not sure if I'm using the right term here) returning entrance need to be?

I don't know a whole lot yet, but I'm just trying to figure out if I have the beginnings of the right facility for pigeons.

Any input would be helpful. Thank you.

[Trees Gray]

One thought that came to my mind, is ventilation. Pigeons need adequate ventilation for access to fresh air and an aviary so they can get some sunshine too.

I am also not sure about the contact with other birds or animals in regards to airborne diseases, etc. Any fumes, mold, can trigger problems, pigeons have very sensitive lungs and air quality might also be a problem.

[moonshadow]

Could I use an old chicken coop? We have a coop, but it only about 5 feet tall. I was thinking it was too short.

[moonshadow]

Originally Posted by Trees Gray

One thought that came to my mind, is ventilation. Pigeons need adequate ventilation for access to fresh air and an aviary so they can get some sunshine too.

I am also not sure about the contact with other birds or animals in regards to airborne diseases, etc. Any fumes, mold, can trigger problems, pigeons have very sensitive lungs and air quality might also be a problem.

As far as ventilation...we have 3 garage doors on the pole shed. At least 2 are pulled up during the day. We also have windows that can open and have screens. We leave these open when it's not freezing outside. I would have at least one more of these installed on the pigeons side of the shed-that would probably become the return entrance.

Not sure about the other stuff. Anyone else?

[Trees Gray]

Make sure the coop is off the ground.

Anything that is inside a house, that can hurt a bird, needs to be considered also in any enclosed building. Exhaust fumes, heaters, etc.

[moonshadow]

If I had a coop built inside the pole shed could I just do a super tall cage? Or does it still need to be off the ground? I was thinking maybe about 10 ft tall, 12 ft long and 5-6 ft wide with some perches and stuff inside. Would that be suitable for approx. 10-12 birds?

[Heather-Mole]

I Did Have 15 Birds In My Outdoor Shed Which Has A Proper Ventilation Thing Which Is At One Side Of My Shed Already Built In Plus Theres A Window At The Back And A Very Bih Wondow At The Oppostie side to The Built In Ventilation And At The Other End Is The Shed Door With a Return Flap Which My Dad Made. Its About 5 ft wide And 6 ft Long, I Also Have a Few Corner Cabinets In 2 Of The Corners Which Are fantasitic nest boxes And They Also Had Branches To Perch On. I Think You Design Should Be Fine

[Lovebirds]

Originally Posted by moonshadow

If I had a coop built inside the pole shed could I just do a super tall cage? Or does it still need to be off the ground? I was thinking maybe about 10 ft tall, 12 ft long and 5-6 ft wide with some perches and stuff inside. Would that be suitable for approx. 10-12 birds?

12 ft long is ok. 6 ft wide it ok. BUT.......don't make the ceiling so very tall. Tall enough for you to walk inside upright comfortably. The higher the ceiling, the higher the birds will go and you'll NEVER be able to catch them. Keep everything in your reach.
According to calculations, a loft 6 X 12 X 6 will hold 28 birds. I would say 22 to 25 comfortably, provided there's a good size aviary for them to get outside.
Here is the formula for figuring out how many birds you can put in a space.

Length X Width X Heighth divided by 15 equals (# of birds).

That gives your birds 3 cubic feet of space each. Depending on what you are doing with the birds, you can go to the high side of the number or the low side. If the birds are going to be flown then the high side is ok. If we're talking about breeders/prisoners, then I'd go on the low side. JMO

[moonshadow]

I just found a place that could ship me a breeding pair of white pigeons. How much space would I need for just one pair? I'm not really ready, but we have lots of experience with pet birds/parrots. We have an old large parrot cage. Would that be big enough to start off with? Or am I being crazy? Should I wait or go for it?? Ahhhh!! Don't know what to do. HELP!! Advice please! Anyone?