Loft Floor ?

[tipster]

First off this is my first post and I have just got started into pigeons. I built a pigeon coop 4x4x6 and bought 6 homers for breeding. I've had them for about a week now and can see that I need/want a loft for the food storage and room and after looking at them on the internet. Anyway to my question if I went with a 6x8 breeding room? and put a walk way down the middle would it be ok to put a wire floor in it? Pros and cons please

[learning]

Originally Posted by tipster

First off this is my first post and I have just got started into pigeons. I built a pigeon coop 4x4x6 and bought 6 homers for breeding. I've had them for about a week now and can see that I need/want a loft for the food storage and room and after looking at them on the internet. Anyway to my question if I went with a 6x8 breeding room? and put a walk way down the middle would it be ok to put a wire floor in it? Pros and cons please

You will get the whole gamut on this one. I guess the pros would be an apparent ease of cleaning, however you still have the mess collecting under the loft. This is going to attract vermin of all sorts, so the poop is still going to have to be dealt with regularly. Another pro would be plenty of ventillation, just make sure you have some way to regulate it. You don't want drafts to develope.

A con would be that you won't be able to monitor your birds droppings very well and this is a good first sign that if you ever have health problems.

I personally prefer the solid floor. You will find supporters on all sides of this issue. It really comes down to personal opinion. As long as you have good ventillation without drafts, you will probably be fine.

Dan

[Trees Gray]

Here in Florida, alot of us use plywood, because of the dampness and humidity. We just put a new 3/4" plywood floor in our new coop, it's also off the floor about a foot.

[Matt D.]

I would have to agree, In all of my lofts there is plywood; but we do have a few walk-in aviaries that have wire everywhere. The wire is easier to clean, as Dan pointed out, but then again cleaning your lofts often (I would suggest twice a day) is part of having pigeons. After cleaning the floor about forty times it becomes really good and smooth and you stop pulling up chunks of wood. I would also suggest a Loft Dressing These will help keep you floor nice and dry. Just a bit of this on the floor and sweep in into the ground. Don't leave any of it just laying in a pile. What isn't swept into your floor needs to be thrown out. You might even want to look at everything Siegel's has to offer.
They just updated there stock a while back, I'm dreading my next order, it'll be a doozy. So goes a pigeon man's money I guess, I'm hoping we win the lottery soon, I have alot of my eggs in that basket.

[tipster]

Thanks for the replys. I just found this site yesterday and I've been reading ever since. Lots of info and I'm sure I'll have a few more questions to come.

[learning]

If you do decide on a solid floor, I have had really good luck using a 3/4" plywood subfloor with Luuan over the top. Luuan is super smooth and makes for easy scraping. It also holds up well to the wear.

Dan

[Elizabethy]

what's Luuan?

[learning]

Originally Posted by Elizabethy

what's Luuan?

Luuan is a very thin laminated wood product, similar to plywood, but only about 1/8" thick. It resists moisture and is smooth as glass. It is used more typically for the outer surfaces of cheap interior doors.

Dan

[zimmzimm3]

My floor is made out of OSB board which is very similar to plywood. Then I just have 2" by 4"s laid on there sides so my floor is raise up about 3 1/2 inches plus the thickness of the OSB board (i think it is 1/2" thick). But my floor is resting on a barn floor.