[Kevin]

Help with pigeons!

Hello Pigeon-talk!, My name is Kevin and I am planning on taking care (or breeding) pigeons. I have done this with my uncle for almost a year back home in the Philippines and now I decided to get back on it cause I miss my pigeons back home =[

I live in Southern California and I have a few questions.

Should I purchase just a pair of pigeons and start from there?

What kind of Pigeon house should I start off with? Pictures please?

Where should I locate the 'loft'? (I'm thinking that 'loft' means pigeon house. Let me know if I'm right.)

I will take pictures of my backyard, and I'll let the pro's of Pigeon-Talk decide where the best place to put it in. I will post more questions later on, I forgot some.

Your help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[Kevin]

Here are the pictures of my backyard.

 

[Kevin]

By the way, I'm planning on having about 8 - 12 pigeons. Please help!

 

[whitesnmore]

Kevin, Welcome to PT. The only suggestion I can make is make sure the loft is not close enough to anything to allow a climbing predator to access the loft from like a tree, brick wall, or roof of the house. Since you have a dog this may not seem like a problem but you will be surprised what they will do in a short amount of time given the opportunity. You wont need to big a building since you are not keeping that many.
ken

 

[windaidedaviary]

Your yard doesn't look like a good place for a loft (pigeon house). Too many tall tree's, powerlines, and close neighbors. For the location, find the clearest spot on the yard and build an 8x4 loft. Divide it into two 4x4 sections and house 1-2 pairs in one side and your racing birds in the other. I would only keep two breeding pairs max for the size of your yard. Keep 5-6 racing birds max. Any more and you're not being considered of your neighbors.

You can also use the 8x4 loft to house young birds in one section and old birds in the other (all racing birds), and build a 3x3 or 4x4 mini loft/breeding cage for the breeding pairs. Breeding pigeons don't need much space. Keep the numbers down to avoid problems with the neighbors.

I'm in the same housing situation as you. I know what it's like.

 

[Kevin]

Thank you.

Yeah, I think 15 - 20 is exaggeration with the place I'm at. More like 8 - 12 would be more reasonable. You guys are great. As for my loft, how should it look like, I do not have any experiences with this because my uncle built the loft, so will definitely need your help. I'm not familiar with 'racing pigeons' and how it works, but homing pigeons are what I was into back home. Do you literally race them? I seriously do not know, and sorry if it is a stupid question.

It would be greatly appreciated if you guys would take the time and show me how it should look from the inside and outside of the loft.

 

[whitesnmore]

Kevin, Go on the "LOFT Design" section on this forum there will be many pictures and helpful info. I would not worry about the powerlines as the Yb's will learn to work around them. I would start with a minimum 2 pairs of breeders and keep your team small until you decide you want to get into racing.
Ken

 

[Msfreebird]

Thank you.

Yeah, I think 15 - 20 is exaggeration with the place I'm at. More like 8 - 10 would be more reasonable. You guys are great. As for my loft, how should it look like, I do not have any experiences with this because my uncle built the loft, so will definitely need your help. I'm not familiar with 'racing pigeons' and how it works, but homing pigeons are what I was into back home. Do you literally race them? I seriously do not know, and sorry if it is a stupid question.

It would be greatly appreciated if you guys would take the time and show me how it should look from the inside and outside of the loft.

I'm moving shortly and in the process of remodeling the shed on the property I'm going to. I have 60 or so birds that I'm moving with me
If you look in the "loft design" forum you can find some great ideas for any size loft. That's the best place I found ideas

 

[Kevin]

As I was looking through the forums, I have read that I should purchase birds from a breeder? I can't seem to find one, not here where I live at least. Today, I stopped by 2 local pet shops and asked, and no one seems to know where I can get them.

 

[Young Bird]

Kevin what city do you live in? Your best bet would be to find a local club and get some birds from there.

 

[Kevin]

I live in the San Fernando Valley. L.A. County Area.

Can anyone give me an estimate and which breed I should purchase?

 

[Big T]

OK, If you took your pictures in the afternoon then the back of your back yard faces west, correct? So you want the front of your loft to face South, and into the sun, (no tree in front. From the brick I would say you live somewhere in the Southwest so you winters are not too harsh, correct? If so you might consider an open front loft.

Now I made a couple of guesses here but build your loft on the north side of your yard facing South with no tree in front. Leave enough space behind the loft so you can get behind it and to clean. 8X4 is a good size for the inside and make it only 6 inches to a foot taller than you. Makes it easier to catch the birds later. Go to this site http://www.redroselofts.com/starter_loft.htm that should be what you need.

Good Luck and welcome,
Tony

 

[bloodlines_365]

if you lived in FVC area visit this SFV web site.... or go to thier club...http://www.fvcsnowbird.com/fvcClub.php

 

[RodSD]

Kevin,

Read your ordinance code as to where you can put your loft. As much as possible face the front to the south or southeast to get lots of sun. Your yard is big enough, but those trees definitely can give advantage to hawks. Where the dog is located on the first picture seems to be the best place. It is open there. You can't put your loft near the chairs because that would be against ordinance code. It is too close to the house.

You can try starter loft like this: http://www.redroselofts.com/starter_loft.htm. It is better if you can divide the inside into 2 areas: one for your breeder, the other for your flier.

If you start with breeding pairs, then those might end up as prisoners( birds that are not released). I would get 3 different breeding pairs at the least though and not related. Or you can get young birds (less than 2 months old) that you can resettle and fly.

If you want flying breed, then I recommend pure homers. You can try rollers, too, but LA seems full of hawks....From experience mix homers are not that good. I have those.

 

[Kevin]

Kevin,

Read your ordinance code as to where you can put your loft. As much as possible face the front to the south or southeast to get lots of sun. Your yard is big enough, but those trees definitely can give advantage to hawks. Where the dog is located on the first picture seems to be the best place. It is open there. You can't put your loft near the chairs because that would be against ordinance code. It is too close to the house.

You can try starter loft like this: http://www.redroselofts.com/starter_loft.htm. It is better if you can divide the inside into 2 areas: one for your breeder, the other for your flier.

If you start with breeding pairs, then those might end up as prisoners( birds that are not released). I would get 3 different breeding pairs at the least though and not related. Or you can get young birds (less than 2 months old) that you can resettle and fly.

If you want flying breed, then I recommend pure homers. You can try rollers, too, but LA seems full of hawks....From experience mix homers are not that good. I have those.

I would love to put it at the spot you had chosen, but we have a gardener who comes every weekend, but I don't think he would mind. I would love to have that loft, but I don't think I should because I'm not going to have that much birds. I'm only looking to breed 8-10, can I use one of those kits that they have in the loft section?

I'm also worried because of my dog, she stays out in the backyard all day except at night. Do you think that as long as I have the front screen and trap door covered and locked she can get close but not get in? But if I'm training and letting them fly I can keep my dog locked in the side yard. So much problems!

 

[Kevin]

RodSD,

I searched google for my cities ordinance code, I searched for pigeon on it and it didn't say anything about where to put the lofts. This is everything that showed up.

"Sec. 14-3. Keeping near dwellings, schools, hospitals or similar institutions.
Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, no person shall keep any animal, fowl or bird, wild or domestic, other than cats, dogs, canaries, racing or homing pigeons or birds of the Psittacidae family, within 50 feet of any residence or dwelling house or other building used for the habitation of human beings or within 100 feet of any school, hospital or similar institution."

I am nowhere near a hospital or a school, they're both about 4-5 miles out.

 

[RodSD]

The ordinance tells you how far to put your loft away from your house (50 feet) or other institutions (100).

My recommendations was for your loft to be located where it gets lots of sun and has clearings for birds to see and fly and that is not close to a tree where a predator (hawks) can set up an ambush and kill your birds. I ended up putting my loft under a tree because I had no choice. It is the farthest between myself and my neighbor. They get lots of sun in the afternoon, but barely in the morning because of other trees. I fly my birds almost all the time and they sun themselves.

As I said before find the spot that is far away (50 feet) and build there. Your choice of what do you think is good. The goal of a loft is to have lots of air, sun and the inside is dry. Obviously they better have space clearing where they can take off and land unhindered. Good luck!

 

[windaidedaviary]

Kevin,

If you read the city ordinance carefully, "no person shall keep any animal, fowl or bird, wild or domestic, other than cats, dogs, canaries, racing or homing pigeons or birds of the Psittacidae family, within 50 feet of any residence or dwelling house or other building...", you'll notice racing pigeons does not fall into the 50 feet catagory. Build it wherever it's easy to get to and keep it simple.

There are alot of racers around where you're at. The Snowbird Classic (http://www.fvcsnowbird.com/index.php) is basically in your backyard, if you want to see how racing is done.

 

[RodSD]

windaideaviary,

I think you may be right! We can keep them closer. When I read the code for San Diego, they are concern about diseases so they recommended certain distance away from the house. Now, having reread LA ordinance code it does sound like it is okay to keep those birds within 50 feet. Kevin has a free choice where to put the loft then. Thanks for the clarification!

 

[Big T]

Ok, the kitbox from my understanding is used when training rollers, but they also have a loft. You can take the sunset loft and cut it down to size. It is a 8X4 loft, just make it 4X4 and open the front with hardware cloth. Build two nest boxs up high to save your back and to keep the birds off the top and have at it. Do you plan to race or are they just for your enjoyment?