johnnyksspeedshop

Depends on what sport Average height of a professional basketball player is 6'7" Of course there are exceptions

Haha not quite, but the photobox does help spread the light nice and even!

Hello, I bought one of those ebay photoboxes because I enjoy taking pictures of my birds. I 've only got a chance to use it once. I am going to buy some more lights to brighten it up, and also find another material to use as the background because the felt type material that comes with it just soaks up the droppings. Here is the best shot from the first time using the box. If I had a computer fast enough to run photoshop then I could make it more professional looking by getting rid of the stains and brightening up the background. But here is a pic pretty much unedited:

Very nice birds! They'll be making you proud in no time!

Thank you everyone!

Just want to share some recent pics since I dont get on much because of my work schedule.

A couple more:

Not really pigeon related, but thought you might enjoy a couple pics I took this morning of some cool ice formations in the backyard this morning. These are grape vines, which usually dont have ANY spikes on them!

Didnt know you had to deal with it that low too

They'll be fine, my first round of 2012 youngsters hatched when it was -18F (-27C) Just make sure they are well fed

very nice birds!

Thank you! I plan to make more videos, especially when its warmer out

Hello, all, here is a picture of me (Johnny K) with a bird

Thank you everyone! Rik, I do like and prefer smaller lofts for the reason your birds become tamer and are easier to catch!

This video kinda sucks, but I was just excited about the new camera and had to test it out. I will hopefully be making more and better videos in the future, so please subscribe! Pigeon Video

I use a 40 watt light bulb under my waterer because if i didnt have it heated, it would freeze right after I left for work and its still dark, so the birds wouldnt get any water. Alot of people here heat their water. This is the one I use, it can easily be homemade if you take the time also: http://www.nepigeonsupplies.com/images/cart/0418%20HEATER.JPG

Thanks guys, just thought id share it since it is cheap and functional.

No problem, I thought it was my idea, but like most new ideas, somebody has already thought of it They do hold warmth well also it seems.

Hello fanciers, i'm sure many of you have heard about or use the plastic dog dishes as nest bowls. They can be found for just over a dollar a piece, and are very stable. I've been using these bowls for awhile along with hay as nesting material. Although the nests are nice, the loft looks very messy with the birds dragging hay all over the place. You also do not know if there are any types of bugs hiding in this type of nesting material. Anyway, i'm not fond of ordering materials over the internet and having them shipped here, and often cant wait for something to arrive because I have procrastinated too long. Well, I wanted to find a different nesting material that is a little more appealing to the eye and makes cleaning a little easier. I needed something that would provide traction to prevent splayed legs as the plastic these dog bowls are made of are slippery, but I also live in Minnesota and need something that retains heat well. While looking around my yard for ideas, I noticed that my neighbor, an avid gardener, had hanging flower baskets, and holding everything in was a fiber mat of some sort. I immediately headed down to the local garden store (Linders), and found that they sold this fiber in mat, and it was coconut fiber. So I bought a decent sized sheet of it, cut one circle so it perfectly fit the bottom of the nest bowl, and traced its outline repeatedly on the rest of the fiber mat, and cut out a whole bunch of them. Anyway, they have worked out great so far. Here are some pictures: As you can see (dont mind the mess), the bowls are a great size because the young can easily deposite their droppings outside of the nest bowl, keeping their feathers and bottom clean.

I have mine on just framing and no under ply. My loft is very small though. Framing its sitting on: How it looks on:

Thanks Oldyellow!

Thank you, no problem, its all yours That model is drawn to scale with the person as well. Thanks heads up. I will probably do something similar to my current loft where I have doweled windows and the plexiglass behind it, so the birds can see the dowels. You read my mind John, I was thinking about that yesterday. Thanks for your input! Hello showman, thanks for you input! This designed is based on that plywood comes in sheets of 4'x8' over here (not sure about there). So i would use 3 sheets of 3/4 plywood for the floors, and two sheets vertically for each 8' wall and one sheet vertically for each 4' wall. It will really cut down on the cutting of plywood, and will let me focus on the frame. With this design, the landing board will be 4'x8' as well. Some may say, thats alot of wasted space, but i'm a fan of a manageable amount of birds, and will never need more than a 4'x8' section with v-perches for young birds. I was also thinking about the clear plastic roof, but was worried about the birds running into it, but im sure ill figure something out.

Im looking to build a new, bigger loft next year. It still wont be enormous, but I will be building it so it will be easy to disassemble since I dont own property. I designed what I was picturing in my head, and would just like some opinions on it, pros/cons/etc. It will be divided into 4 sections. Two 4'x4' YB sections in the middle with V-perches only. And two 4'x8' sections on either side with widowhood nestboxes, where I can race OB, breed and separate the sexes. Here is the design. And this view just shows where the front vent under the eave above the landing board would be, in the back toward the ground would be vents to let the air in. I'll probably be putting a window above the landing board as well and have shutters so I can block out the light for the darkness system.

Thanks for the input!