Pigeons and space.

[Lance]

How much room does your standard homing pigeon need in the loft?  Trying to get a good cut off number for my loft.

[Guest shadow]

one cubic ft per bird minimum

[Lance]

Wow, can sure pack them in there huh? =P

[Guest Vic]

Providing that your loft, has the proper ventlation, you have no worries, overcrowding (f any) will sort itself out

when you resort to the big divide, be it cocks or hens racing.

[jupiter_19630]

one cubic ft per bird minimum

 

Are you sure? !!!!!! That would mean my little 12 foot loft could take 432 birds. I dont think so do you?

1 square foot floor space maybe.

[westy]

Providing that your loft, has the proper ventlation, you have no worries, overcrowding (f any) will sort itself out

when you resort to the big divide, be it cocks or hens racing.

 

agree with you mate

[paul l]

so in  a 6 x4 for breeding how many and in a 6 x 4 y b loft how many then can i have thanks

[Guest stevie-b]

if you times length by width you get the most comfortable number of pigeons inside shed i.e 6x4= 24 pigeons

[Guest]

think a six by four would be better for twelve pigeons.

[Guest]

I've seen it somewhere ... think it was Wim Peter's advice ... as 1 cubic metre per pigeon. But think that is a cubic metre volume of air per pigeon rather than a cubic metre of physical space.

 

Pigeons don't have access to all available space in my loft, everything above my height is meshed off. Mine is 18' x 10' approx, 17 nest boxes, 33 box perches, and 4 bar perches, wintering 26 pigeons.

[Roland]

No such thing as 'Over Crowding' just a lame excuse for poor management.

Provided there is Air 'CIRCULATION' and room to perch, pigeons are happiest just pecking distance away from each other. Also helps a natural 'Pecking Order' that can well be of an great asset to the observant fancier. Never ever seen Feral, or Churches or Street pigeon looking for room, indeed they clambour to be as near to each other as they can. It is their nature and a healthy way of life. If only fanciers stop thinking of them as humans and were practical and observant.

I have room for 16 pairs in a 5ft x 4' 6'' and great air flow. Birds are always a picture of health. Likewise the y/b's 9 inches apart is too much for them to be natural.

[Roland]

Mind in Canada as a matter of unterest, the law is 1 bird to a Cubic Foot. Now first impressions seem to be golly thats a lot of room ... Hence an 8ft x 7ft x 7ft high means a lot of birds can be legally house in a loft 8ft x 7ft  and 7ft high.

That is 54 birds! IN a 8 x 7 loft. and so it should be.

[pigeonscout]

In a 6 x4 loft for breeding I would put in 8 breeding boxes on the 4ft wall 8 pairs = 16 old birds and 16 young birds in nest total 32. I think that is more than enough for a 6x4.

[jimmy white]

a half to  full sg, metre,,,,,,,depending on ventilation , the length, multiplied by the breadth, multiplied by the height,[ in metres] will give you sq metres   [ david palmer, bhw vet, now,sadly passed away]  

[Guest]

No such thing as 'Over Crowding' just a lame excuse for poor management.

Provided there is Air 'CIRCULATION' and room to perch, pigeons are happiest just pecking distance away from each other. Also helps a natural 'Pecking Order' that can well be of an great asset to the observant fancier. Never ever seen Feral, or Churches or Street pigeon looking for room, indeed they clambour to be as near to each other as they can. It is their nature and a healthy way of life. If only fanciers stop thinking of them as humans and were practical and observant.

I have room for 16 pairs in a 5ft x 4' 6'' and great air flow. Birds are always a picture of health. Likewise the y/b's 9 inches apart is too much for them to be natural.

 

and that is why feral pigeons carry every known disease and they dont have to fly home at top speeds maybe if there was not as many ferals about then we would not have as much problems with hawks and or pigeons would not be reffered to as rats with wings ,however its your choice how many pigeons YOU keep in a small confined space

[Guest jason]

The loft we're building in the 'promote the sport club' will be 6'x4' and it'll be housing no more than 15 birds.

 

jason

[jimmy white]

 

and that is why feral pigeons carry every known disease and they dont have to fly home at top speeds maybe if there was not as many ferals about then we would not have as much problems with hawks and or pigeons would not be reffered to as rats with wings ,however its your choice how many pigeons YOU keep in a small confined space

 

not having a go at roland, its every one to their own fancy, i allways beleived in the three c,s condition contentment and control , and have found out in the past , that over crowding is one of the worst things , to achieve this.

was just going to mention to jason , why not stick a sputnick on its allways another bit of air space , vents back and front , bottom at front and top at back, would help as well. :)

[pigeonscout]

If you can get two of my cocks to share a shelf or sit within pecking distance without pecking, you can take them home with you.

[Lance]

If you can get two of my cocks to share a shelf or sit within pecking distance without pecking, you can take them home with you.

 

LOL.  You and me both.  Infact my white homer cock wont even let the other cocks in the nest boxes if he sees it.  He's a problem, but also my favorite bird.

[pigeonscout]

How do you motivate a team of birds if they do not have their own space or box?

[Roland]

Sammy Wrote

and that is why feral pigeons carry every known disease and they dont have to fly home at top speeds maybe if there was not as many ferals about then we would not have as much problems with hawks and or pigeons would not be reffered to as rats with wings ,however its your choice how many pigeons YOU keep in a small confined space

Ferals eh! If one young one ever comes into your Loft Sammy, let it in! Make your Water yella  and stella, then send it up the road with your y/ b's, yours will always be behind! Hawks have a job catching street wise pigeons. Flying rats by Livingstone had nothing to do with ferals etc. Just a slant to clear Trafalger out. Mind he has always been very anti pigeons.

The best anti dope for any bird is - like a jab - is to catch a dose.(That is innoculations work)

Many flyers encourage y/b's to get infected and the sooner the better. Sooner mended and raced. And the NUMBERS in any vacinity has nothing to do with Numbers, but how cleanse your loft and feeding and water habits are! Water is a main carrier... so oe places after feed and gri and removes. Birds have to be content, that is why generally speaking a Natural contented bird beats Widowerhood etc. on hard and distance races. Especially the hens. Birds have to be cont and happy and feeling safe or you will never break one in. Birds love and feel safe in numbers!

Still every one to their own.

[pigeonscout]

  Roland you say

Natural contented bird beats W-hood , etc. on hard and distance races. Especially the hens.

I don't think it is about contentment that natural hens birds fly better than w-hood cocks on the longer races. Here in the UK the longer races it is normally 2 or 3 days in the basket. The hens spend two days in the basket resting and the cocks spend two days fighting. In Parts of the USA where birds only have to spend one day in a basket for 500 and 600 mile races the W-Hood cocks do most of the winning. If you send hens and cock to a 250 here in the uk and you have a 3 day hold over you will find the hens are the front runners.

[pigeonscout]

 

Lance if you have a bird that is putting other cocks out of their boxes here is a tip heat a nest bowl hot to touch but not to burn and as soon as he puts the other cock out of the box put in the bowl he will dance on it to show of soon as he feels the heat he will be out and never want that box again. The other way is to lock the cock that is getting put out in one half of his box and in the other half put in a hot plate or bowl. You should be able to hold the plate or bowl in your hand never have it to hot.

[Lance]

Interesting Roland.  Unfortunately i only have disposable nest bowls.  I'm just gonna have to get some nest box fronts that can lock.

 

Someone else gave me a method they use which is to wait for the cock to jump into the nestbox then pull him out as he starts to fight with the other cock.  The object would be to make him think the other cock is stronger.  I tried that, but I think my bird's a bit too smart for that.  Just gives me dirty looks. lol.

 

Oddly enough it only seems to be that one pair he doesn't like.  He'll even let some other birds (not his mate) into his nest box with his 2 week old babies, and doesn't have a problem.

[Roland]

So all, we have a wire cage 3foot 6inches wide, by 6 foot long and 8 foot high. Then adjoining it we have some boxes 12 inches deep for the birds to sit in enclosed, which is adjacent to another foot square of wire. My 16 birds are Happy… why the wired frame, just so we have control of them. Like wise we also have replicates 10 foot high and 24 foot long! Then we have 50 Rabbit hutches like nest boxes that are 2foot long where one half is just wire mesh, whilst the other is just a box to shelter the birds from the elements… So how high and long can we stack these?

  Now Sammy and co… just where does the problem lie? Air circulation is paramount. The parimeter is no mor than to contain the birds for easy managerment!

As you say Pigeon Scout ... then by the same token as Natural are beat W/Hrs' even on the sprints and especially from 300 miles upward I'd tend to take natural as the better proposition. But this isn't really the site topic here so We'll have to make another thread I guess lol.