"novice asks old hand" about the loft

[andy Burgess]

after the Pigeon Health topic with Walter Boswell "novice asks old hand" I was looking for some guidance about the loft ? I have a standard type loft ,plastic sputniks on the doors , vent grills at bottom , Perspex windows etc . looking for ideas on improving ventilation especially . how do you treat & maintain the loft ? cleaning ,when , how important is cleanliness .any tips on getting heat or natural light in ? looking forward to Walters reply

[greenlands]

Here's my little bit of extra ventilation Andy.

I cut six inch or so off the perspex in the doors and windows,made a wedge shape for the doors and fit a bit of perspex as shown in the pics.

The bit of sterlin board along the top is to stop rain blowing in.

[andy Burgess]

open for reply now Walter , and thank you .

[walterboswell59]

ok andy ill start with ventalation my loft has a 3 inch gap all round the top and the front is all dowelled from just over half way up the racing loft is 24 feet long 8 foot wide with 3 8 by 8 sections one for yb with 70 box perches one for yearlings with 24 widowhood hen up and over boxes and one with 16 large widowhood boxes for old birds and i now use an 8 by 6 ex stock loft for my channel birds this has 10 nest boxes built flush with the wall to give more room allso have two stock lofts one 10 by 6 with 12 large nest boxes the other 16 by 4 with a 2 foot veranda on front this loft is split into 5 small sections with one large nest box in each for one pair of birds in each and i have allways used deep litter on the floor easy bed witch i get cleaned out after the moult and again just before pairing the walls are bear no paint or anything and when the litter has been lifted the inside walls roof floors and boxes are sprayed with jeyes fluid or allmost raw bleech there is never any shutters on the racing loft lots of fresh air and ive never had one eye cold in my yb and very seldom get respitory of any kind in the 10 years ive had this loft and its wide open to the weather but bone dry inside my perches and boxes are only cleaned once every two weeks as i have pigeon lung and im a lazy bassa id much more prefer to spend my time observing my birds than constantly disturbing them scraping out as long as its dry with a good air flow the birds dont care if its clean or not and as the weather heats up so does my loft and brings my birds into form at the right time the stock birds and loft are a diff ball game which i will go into tomorow guys night night

[William Reid]

:animatedpigeons:

[Roland]

Put one or two chimney's upon the roof. Have a false roof about 4 inches above them.

See the old piggery's and Chicken batteries etc. Works a treat and draws out any fould air leaing it crisp and dry and smelling good. Can have a sliding shutter under too to control the drawing is so desired.

[geordie1234]

Always like reading your post's walter

[Kyleakin Lofts]

Put one or two chimney's upon the roof. Have a false roof about 4 inches above them.

See the old piggery's and Chicken batteries etc. Works a treat and draws out any fould air leaing it crisp and dry and smelling good. Can have a sliding shutter under too to control the drawing is so desired.

 

Roland, I don't follow this. Surely the chimneys must vent to the outside?

 

ok andy ill start with ventalation my loft has a 3 inch gap all round the top and the front is all dowelled from just over half way up the racing loft is 24 feet long 8 foot wide with 3 8 by 8 sections one for yb with 70 box perches one for yearlings with 24 widowhood hen up and over boxes and one with 16 large widowhood boxes for old birds and i now use an 8 by 6 ex stock loft for my channel birds this has 10 nest boxes built flush with the wall to give more room allso have two stock lofts one 10 by 6 with 12 large nest boxes the other 16 by 4 with a 2 foot veranda on front this loft is split into 5 small sections with one large nest box in each for one pair of birds in each and i have allways used deep litter on the floor easy bed witch i get cleaned out after the moult and again just before pairing the walls are bear no paint or anything and when the litter has been lifted the inside walls roof floors and boxes are sprayed with jeyes fluid or allmost raw bleech there is never any shutters on the racing loft lots of fresh air and ive never had one eye cold in my yb and very seldom get respitory of any kind in the 10 years ive had this loft and its wide open to the weather but bone dry inside my perches and boxes are only cleaned once every two weeks as i have pigeon lung and im a lazy bassa id much more prefer to spend my time observing my birds than constantly disturbing them scraping out as long as its dry with a good air flow the birds dont care if its clean or not and as the weather heats up so does my loft and brings my birds into form at the right time the stock birds and loft are a diff ball game which i will go into tomorow guys night night

 

Good detail Walter. More like the old fashioned lofts.

[Roland]

Kyleakin Lofts True. I mean if you have a 4 - 6 inch chimney, place a shield above the chimneys only to stop rain and / or vermin getting in. I don't mean all over. Personally I'd wire it off.

Mind I have a complete full falso roof over mine with a gap of 4 inches all around the loft. No matter what way a wind or breeze flows it works a treat.

[walterboswell59]

Roland, I don't follow this. Surely the chimneys must vent to the outside?

 

 

 

Good detail Walter. More like the old fashioned lofts.

i bought this loft off econo lofts 10 years ago apart from the roof sagging a we bit in the middle its been a great loft i put tin sheets on the roof 3 years ago it has a 2 foot over hang and the air flow is bang on for me with birds coming into form when the longer races start i hate lofts that are closed up its not good for me or my birds imo be back on later to tell you about the stock lofts and heating

[Guest Dorset-lad]

Kyleakin Lofts True. I mean if you have a 4 - 6 inch chimney, place a shield above the chimneys only to stop rain and / or vermin getting in. I don't mean all over. Personally I'd wire it off.

Mind I have a complete full falso roof over mine with a gap of 4 inches all around the loft. No matter what way a wind or breeze flows it works a treat.

 

Hi Roland, have you got any Photos of this roofing you could put on please.

 

Brian

[just ask me]

ive been in lofts that are closed up with ventilation just coming in though the roof and out though the roof with perfect ventilation it also allows you keep a more constant temp and humidity you could not smell the birds at all which is a great test for ventilation

[Kyleakin Lofts]

Kyleakin Lofts True. I mean if you have a 4 - 6 inch chimney, place a shield above the chimneys only to stop rain and / or vermin getting in. I don't mean all over. Personally I'd wire it off.

Mind I have a complete full falso roof over mine with a gap of 4 inches all around the loft. No matter what way a wind or breeze flows it works a treat.

 

Thanks Roly, with you now.

[Kyleakin Lofts]

ive been in lofts that are closed up with ventilation just coming in though the roof and out though the roof with perfect ventilation it also allows you keep a more constant temp and humidity you could not smell the birds at all which is a great test for ventilation

 

For me, the negative with closed in loft is the lack of direct sunshine for the birds as well as the PFL problems that can occur in these lofts. I understand the temps are essential for the early sprints, but a slow build up for the distance when the weather should have improved means an open loft should not be a problem.

[walterboswell59]

the best test for ventalation for me is do the birds win if the anser is yes then its right anyway on to the stock lofts and heating ill be pairing my stock birds up in december so the stock lofts have to be closed up with plastic sheets the 10 by 6 has a 3 fin radiator that i got from a junk shop it switches on and off at a certain temp set just warm enough to take the chill out the air and stop the drinkers from freezing the 16 by 4 loft with 5 small sections will have a heater bulb in each section think there 60 watt and there coated with lead or something that holds the heat again this is enough to take the chill off and stop drinkers freezing and then my lights come into play the week before i pair the stock birds the lights go on in the stock lofts from 4 oclock till 10 oclock every night to extend the day light hours ive found the stock birds will go to nest much easyier when this is done even when very cold the idea being to kid the birds its spring once there down on eggs there fine but if its a prolonged freeze you can have problems if you dont give them more heat they just will not lay and you might not get eggs for weeks it seems to set the birds back if you get very hard frost about the 5 th or 6th day they are paired so you need to keep the heat up untill they lay the other thing i found is you must make sure the stock birds last flights are fully grown or when you start using the lights the flight will keep growing ive had some with the end flight 2 inch longer than normal in some birds before i knew what was causing it the reason i pair early is so i can vaccinate every bird in the lofts in the last week in march old young stock and anything in the nest 10 days or older my national birds are not paired till 17 of march so there yb will just be trained and jagged when racing is over so thats the lofts and thats the plans supper time lads

[walterboswell59]

tomorrow ill tell you how to win with latebreds that everyone thinks are a waste of time

[Guest stb-]

tomorrow ill tell you how to win with latebreds that everyone thinks are a waste of time

nothing wrong way latebreeds walter ave had some real good uns over the years

[William Reid]

ive been in lofts that are closed up with ventilation just coming in though the roof and out though the roof with perfect ventilation it also allows you keep a more constant temp and humidity you could not smell the birds at all which is a great test for ventilation

Yes totally agree with you jam . :emoticon-0140-rofl:

[blaz]

nothing wrong way latebreeds walter ave had some real good uns over the years

 

1 of the best in my loft is a late breed.i have a latebreed son of him this year.the 1st time he has bred his spit double thats him in my avatar

[Roland]

Sorry Brian, haven't. Am knock it down any time now for a couple of reasons or so ... Mostly to appease the dagon and stop her blowing flames of fire lol.

Seriously I have a false roof over lapping a wire roof that keeps them in like. Have air vents all the way round and a lot of wired front.

The most important thing - I believe - is free, Fresh air.

Now many hear and say aye to Air Circlulation, but haven't the foggiest of what it actually means I believe. Like smoke or a fag will show how the wind affects the movement of Air etc.

Many think that a bit of a draft from the bottom fron that spread to the back to rise and go out of at the top at the back survices. Rubbish. It needs to circle and get dragged out.

A good example is that it hits the back of the loft, sommersaults and leave by the top at the middle.

My wire roof is mainly only in the middle and boarded at the outsides. Any and all air will be dragged up from any where below and taken out in the middle top. Chimney's do a fantastic job of this. Like wise a breeze / wind etc. the same as ALL the entering circles and is dragged out.

Why am I building a new loft. Well being under trees and bushes damp air can also pass through. So it will be bick or Blocks etc. Going for my dinner lol Be back later as the dragon just sent a flae of fire around the door lol.

[Roland]

Sorry Brian, haven't. Am knocking it down any time now for a couple of reasons or so ... Mostly to appease the dragon and stop her blowing flames of fire lol.

Seriously I have a false roof over lapping a wire roof that keeps them in like. Have air vents completely all the way round and a lot of wired front.

The most important thing - I believe - is free, Fresh air.

Now many hear and say aye to Air Circlulation, but haven't the foggiest of what it actually means I believe. Like smoke or a fag will show how the wind affects the movement of Air etc.

Many think that a bit of a draft from the bottom fron that spread to the back to rise and go out of at the top at the back survices. Rubbish. It needs to circle and get dragged out.

A good example is that it hits the back of the loft, sommersaults and leave by the top at the middle.

My wire roof is mainly only in the middle and boarded at the outsides. Any and all air will be dragged up from any where below and taken out in the middle top. Chimney's do a fantastic job of this. Like wise a breeze / wind etc. the same as ALL the entering circles and is dragged out.

Why am I building a new loft. Well being under trees and bushes damp air can also pass through. So it will be bick or Blocks etc. Going for my dinner lol Be back later as the dragon just sent a flame of fire around the door lol.

[andy Burgess]

ok andy ill start with ventalation my loft has a 3 inch gap all round the top and the front is all dowelled from just over half way up the racing loft is 24 feet long 8 foot wide with 3 8 by 8 sections one for yb with 70 box perches one for yearlings with 24 widowhood hen up and over boxes and one with 16 large widowhood boxes for old birds and i now use an 8 by 6 ex stock loft for my channel birds this has 10 nest boxes built flush with the wall to give more room allso have two stock lofts one 10 by 6 with 12 large nest boxes the other 16 by 4 with a 2 foot veranda on front this loft is split into 5 small sections with one large nest box in each for one pair of birds in each and i have allways used deep litter on the floor easy bed witch i get cleaned out after the moult and again just before pairing the walls are bear no paint or anything and when the litter has been lifted the inside walls roof floors and boxes are sprayed with jeyes fluid or allmost raw bleech there is never any shutters on the racing loft lots of fresh air and ive never had one eye cold in my yb and very seldom get respitory of any kind in the 10 years ive had this loft and its wide open to the weather but bone dry inside my perches and boxes are only cleaned once every two weeks as i have pigeon lung and im a lazy bassa id much more prefer to spend my time observing my birds than constantly disturbing them scraping out as long as its dry with a good air flow the birds dont care if its clean or not and as the weather heats up so does my loft and brings my birds into form at the right time the stock birds and loft are a diff ball game which i will go into tomorow guys night night

can you give any tips regarding better ventilation to someone who flies to an enclosed loft ? I would like better airflow , yet the loft faces East/south-East .we have mesh inner doors , keep the outer doors open during the day , yet not always possible with rain or bad weather

[walterboswell59]

can you give any tips regarding better ventilation to someone who flies to an enclosed loft ? I would like better airflow , yet the loft faces East/south-East .we have mesh inner doors , keep the outer doors open during the day , yet not always possible with rain or bad weather

mines faces noth east andy if wanted more air id remove the 2nd plank from the bottom the full lenth of the loft leaving a 4 inch gap and put mesh along it then put the plank back on at an angle to keep the rain out and on the inside id have a hinged flap so i could open or close it when i wanted if your loft is not made of planks id cut a 4 inch hole with a jig saw and do same i like the idea of chimneys and sky lights but to me its another place to spring a leak so i like to keep it simple its a nice idea to have heat in the loft for the early races but i win as much sprint races as anyone so i dont think it makes that much difference and i dont want to make my birds soft or bring on condition to soon if i only wanted to win the early races i might have tried heating the loft and closing it up but i want to win them all so its plenty of fresh air for me m8 be it cold winter air or warm summer air and if thats not enough id take the top plank off the back to a dry loft with good air flow and no dampness is what i want nothing knocks a pigeon off form quicker than the smell of amonia or damp dropings imo

[andy Burgess]

mines faces noth east andy if wanted more air id remove the 2nd plank from the bottom the full lenth of the loft leaving a 4 inch gap and put mesh along it then put the plank back on at an angle to keep the rain out and on the inside id have a hinged flap so i could open or close it when i wanted if your loft is not made of planks id cut a 4 inch hole with a jig saw and do same i like the idea of chimneys and sky lights but to me its another place to spring a leak so i like to keep it simple its a nice idea to have heat in the loft for the early races but i win as much sprint races as anyone so i dont think it makes that much difference and i dont want to make my birds soft or bring on condition to soon if i only wanted to win the early races i might have tried heating the loft and closing it up but i want to win them all so its plenty of fresh air for me m8 be it cold winter air or warm summer air and if thats not enough id take the top plank off the back to a dry loft with good air flow and no dampness is what i want nothing knocks a pigeon off form quicker than the smell of amonia or damp dropings imo

thanks for the reply ,you've given me a lot to think about there .

[andy Burgess]

you also mentioned the "stock loft" in the original post Walter , how is that different ??