Opinions Wanted!

[learning]

O.K. guys I would like to get your opinions on these if you don't mind.

This is a perch design that I am toying with using in my new loft. I got the idea from the Million Euro Loft in China. I think it should make cleaning easier as all the poop comes forward instead of backward. One sweep with a scraper down each row, clean out the collection tray underneath the bottom row and your done. My hope is that it will limit the amount of poop that hits the floor.

It should also help keep the birds quiet as they can not see the birds next to them. Only one bird fits on each perch so my hope is that all of this will combine to reduce the amount of fighting and keep stress levels to a minimum. There will also be two perches for each bird so that should help as well.

Let me know what you think.

Dan

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[abisai]

Well you are right the poop can be scraped downward. I can't see how much room they have - birds like to crow and prance a little on their perch. Also it seems to me that their heads may be somewhat covered by that slanted partition where they cant see out too much or me see them - I like to look in the loft and see the whole bird not just the body. But, if with the true dimensions they have enough room to move, and the entire bird is visible - seems cool to me.

[KO Loft]

Is it just me or would it be better if the top was on the bottom one instead to funnel the waste into one spot. The birds at the botom it would seem would be able to poop in a spot that upper birds would not. If the lip was underneath them the area would be shielded. In additon would certain perches be undesirable from birds point of view based upon loft design? Used to have a few nestboxes that it seemed were the ones chosen last. Much like real estate the key is location location location.

joe

[hillfamilyloft]

Take a look at these perches. I did this in my youngbird loft and have yet to scrape a perch. The birds don't seem to be getting pooped on either. They are also very siimple to build. I put two nails and a screw in each one. used a 1x4 and some scrap 2x4s. Here is a link to get the skinny one them.
http://www.reunionracinglofts.us/reu...s_interior.htm

I agree with the perches being very easy to build and clean. I have box perches, v-perches etc and these are by far the easiest to clean. They work well as supplimental perches and in hen lofts and youngbirds lofts.

Randy

[KO Loft]

Hill

I guess that is why people always tell me to remember K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid). That design looks simple yet functional.

[Lovebirds]

Well, you asked for an opinion...........here it is!!! LOL
I don't like them. Looks like the bird has a piece of wood that is about 3 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Not comfortable for the bird. Will they use them? Of course they will. Will they complain? Nope........but..........they just don't look like something they would use if they had another choice. JMO.

[learning]

You are right Renee, I did want your opinions and I appreciate you cander. I am going to put a link here that has a picture of the perches in the Million Euro loft. Do the differences between theirs and mine address any of your concerns? How much room does a pigeon need on a perch? I have seen many comercially available perches that have a similar surface area for the birds. Please understand, I am not trying to be defensive, I am just trying to make something that is going to be the best I can make it. Another big issue that plays into my particular circumstance is my bad back. I need to keep the scraping of the floor to a minimum. That is one reason I was drawn to this design. Of course, I don't want the birds to suffer for my bad back!

I think one of your concerns was accessability to the pirch for the birds. My thoughts were, from the perspective of the floor to the perch, the slant of the top creates a square target to shoot for. After all, they will only be going from the floor to the perch or the perch to the floor. Just a thought.

Thanks again for your input.

Dan

Here is the picture:

http://www.crpic.org.cn/race/info/photoList2.asp

[Lovebirds]

Originally Posted by learning

You are right Renee, I did want your opinions and I appreciate you cander. I am going to put a link here that has a picture of the perches in the Million Euro loft. Do the differences between theirs and mine address any of your concerns? How much room does a pigeon need on a perch? I have seen many comercially available perches that have a similar surface area for the birds. Please understand, I am not trying to be defensive, I am just trying to make something that is going to be the best I can make it. Another big issue that plays into my particular circumstance is my bad back. I need to keep the scraping of the floor to a minimum. That is one reason I was drawn to this design. Of course, I don't want the birds to suffer for my bad back!

I think one of your concerns was accessability to the pirch for the birds. My thoughts were, from the perspective of the floor to the perch, the slant of the top creates a square target to shoot for. After all, they will only be going from the floor to the perch or the perch to the floor. Just a thought.

Thanks again for your input.

Dan

Here is the picture:

http://www.crpic.org.cn/race/info/photoList2.asp

I can see from the pictures that the birds can access it easily. My only concern is the perching part. I wish someone else would chime in here and tell me if I'm just being plain stupid over the birds. I've been told by more than one person to my face AND behind my back, that I baby my birds too much. Maybe I do. I say, so what??
Here's a picture of one of my birds relaxing on a perch after a bath one day last year. Does he look comfortable or what?

With my perches, yes I have to scrape the floor. Very few perches get actuall poop on them. Maybe three or four every morning.
It's your decision of course. I'm just throwing my two cents worth in. It usually gets me in trouble though.

[learning]

KO,

I guess I need to explain a bit. The bottom row of perches on any given wall will have a tray underneath it that will extend out to catch not only the poop from the bottom row but also the "run off" from the rows above. The intent being that virtually nothing hits the floor, from the perches at least. Of course there would be the feces from when they fly down to eat, etc. but the vast majority of the pooping occurs while on the pearch. I just feel that this would be one way to help keep the loft much cleaner with much less effort and keep the birds from walking or standing in it.

Of course, I could be dead wrong!

Dan

[learning]

Renee,

I thought about this last night and I was wondering if I might be able to address your primary concern. It appears in the picture you have that the bird is perched on a surface roughly 3" X 4". If I simply replaced the perching surface with a 1" X 4" cut about 4" long that would provide essentialy the same thing would it not? That would certainly be an easy adaptation to make also.

Thanks,

Dan

[Trees Gray]

Hi Dan,

I have to say, these perches are quite different from the norm.

I don't like the idea of the birds not being able to see each other, after all pigeons are very social creatures, and enjoy each other's company and contact. They should enjoy their living quarters, as much as they enjoy the outside world.

You will have an occasional fight now and then, that is normal, but this just doesn't seem normal. If your birds don't suffer from overcrowding, fighting isn't really an issue. The poop scraping is an issue for everyone, but to me it isn't that much work using just a regular perch. Also, I like to be able to know who did which poop, in case one doesn't look so hot, I want to know which bird to isolate, or at least have an idea of where this bird sat, from the possible poop underneath it.

[Lovebirds]

Originally Posted by learning

Renee,

I thought about this last night and I was wondering if I might be able to address your primary concern. It appears in the picture you have that the bird is perched on a surface roughly 3" X 4". If I simply replaced the perching surface with a 1" X 4" cut about 4" long that would provide essentialy the same thing would it not? That would certainly be an easy adaptation to make also.

Thanks,

Dan

That's what it is.......a 2 X 4 cut into I think 6" pieces. I thought about modifiying the perches you're looking at but then I thought, what an expense and a lot of extra work to buy something like those perches and then have to modify them, so I didn't say anything. Unless you are building them yourself?? Then of course you could make them any way you want to.
I may have another question.........have to go look at the picture again.....

[learning]

Just for clarity sake, I am making these from scratch. I am not buying them from an outside source. This is why I am asking for opinions so I can modify the prototypes you see in the picture. The two modifications I am diffinitely going to make are 1) Cutting about 3" off the back so they hang closer to the wall and don't stick out so far and 2) Increase the actual perch area as discussed earlier in this thread. I really do feel that there are significant issues that this design addresses that are favorable to my needs. No question, there are modifications that need to be made to these first attempts, but I do think I am on the right track for me, certainly not everyone, but for me.

Hope that is a little clearer for folks.

Dan

P.S. And I really do appreciate all of your concerns and issues. That is how I can make these the best I can. Thanks

[Pigeon lower]

And i hope you know not all the poo will run off it

[TerriB]

I am so glad your are researching to determine the best design for you and your birds.

Renee, I totally agree with you. Pigeons are most comfortable when they can "perch" with their feet flat and have room to lay their body down on a solid surface. They don't have the strong perching feet of song birds and raptors. A pigeon on a smaller perch wouldn't get as good rest, so his immune system would be always slightly stressed. I'd recommend going with the larger perch (Randy's look comfy, and Renee's bird looks very relaxed!) for the best health for your birds.

Originally Posted by Trees Gray

...pigeons are very social creatures, and enjoy each other's company and contact...

Plus they're incredibly nosey and love to see what their neighbors are doing!

Originally Posted by Trees Gray

...I like to be able to know who did which poop, in case one doesn't look so hot, I want to know which bird to isolate, or at least have an idea of where this bird sat, from the possible poop underneath it.

I have found this to be so helpful in spotting a problem while it's still small.

Okay, now I have CRF (Coop Remodel Fever).