Sputniks!

[Matt D.]

Hi Everyone,
My family and I are long time landing board users and I am interested in converting one of my lofts for sputniks. I will then decide after a year if we will make all of your lofts "sputnik ready". If you have anything to say about sputniks I need to hear it. If you have a sputnik please respond wiht pictures and tell me the pros/cons of having them along with personal tweeks you may have. Thanks for your time.

[abisai]

Don't know anything about "sputnicks', never even seen one, but a White Dove Release forum I visit has an ongoing debate on how effective are they really when birds can exit when the trap is sopposed to be closed.

[pigeonpoo]

Here are some photos of my sputnik Matt. Although I do not race, I do know of very successful racers who use sputniks. I like mine because it acts as an aviary for the birds and I find it very easy to train young birds to trap into it.

[Matt D.]

Thanks for the pictures... I will make one of them before young birds this season and test it out!

[Victor]

Beautiful structure

Beautiful birds

Beautiful surroundings

Just simply beautiful!

[DEEJAY7950]

Originally Posted by pigeonpoo

Here are some photos of my sputnik Matt. Although I do not race, I do know of very successful racers who use sputniks. I like mine because it acts as an aviary for the birds and I find it very easy to train young birds to trap into it.

I just have to ask you this, while this is good looking and all, doesn't this leave your loft open for hawks and many other predators to enter your loft seems very risky or do you have some way of locking up that box so nothing can get into the loft after the birds are in?

[pigeonpoo]

Originally Posted by DEEJAY7950

I just have to ask you this, while this is good looking and all, doesn't this leave your loft open for hawks and many other predators to enter your loft seems very risky or do you have some way of locking up that box so nothing can get into the loft after the birds are in?

No, it's quite safe. A sheet of perspex slides down from under the glass to cover the holes that the birds drop through. In addition there are doors on the inside of the loft that I can close to shut off the sputnik. This way I can shut young birds in the sputnik, before they can fly, so that they get a good look around outside the loft and, also, if I have a bird that is overdue, I can close the inside of the sputnik to protect the loft but the bird can still trap in, at least, to the sputnik. I've even been known to leave food and water in it for a late arrival! We don't have the hawk problems here in the UK that there are in the US; I have had my birds for three years now and have yet to see even a Sparrowhawk. Having said that, I'm always very careful to remember to close the sputnik once the birds are in.

To train young birds, once they are weaned I place them on the landing board, one at a time. They hate being out in their own and drop almost straight away through the holes. After three times I think they are trap trained. Then I place them all out together onto the landing board for half an hour before feeding time (this is before they are flying). As soon as I shake the can they trap and gradually, over the days, become more adventurous until they are on the loft roof and then taking little flights around it.

[TAWhatley]

For those who have been having fun with the sputniks and space types of posts, please feel free to carry on in the Small Talk Forum .. I moved the posts there so as not to clog up the Loft Designs area with a bunch of unrelated stuff.

Here's a link to your new thread: http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=24160

Terry