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A New Begining


Roland0321
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Folks, I am brand new to the raising and hopefully racing of Pigeons. When I say new I mean brand spanking new. I have no knowledge on this subject, but a great desire. I am starting a new Loft(my first) and do not have anyone to bounce ideas off of. I want to do the best for the birds that I can, and they are my primary concern at this point.

 

I have been researching Lofts and looking at ideas, but in truth I don't really know what is good or what is bad or the whys of doing one thing over another. Thus the purpose of this post. Were do I start? What are the requirements for a good racing loft? I fully intend to build this Loft myself, I live out in the country and not in a city. I do have plenty of room as my place is 15 acres. I do not want to build a loft that I will out grow in a year. I also do not want to build a Loft too big.

 

What I really would like to know is the layout of the interior. Should I have a passageway? to gain access to the interior and to the birds. I have now an old Dog run, it is 8ft wide by 25ft long and is 5 feet tall, it has fencing on everything including the top, it does have a concrete floor. Can I build my Loft next to this, and use this existing run for an aviary?

 

I know to you old Pro's I am doing a bad job of asking these questions, and I am very honest in saying I don't really have any answers. As a matter of fact I am not too sure what questions to ask. Any help any of you guys are willing to provide and share will be greatly received. If you were building a new Loft what would you incorporate? And maybe a little of the why would be good as well.

 

Thanks in advance

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are you a member of a club etc or intend to be,

 

When I made the decision to build a Loft and take up this sport, one of the first things I did was look for a club. That has not born fruit. This is the states and not the UK. You folks over there take your pigeons very seriously, over here it seems to be much more Cliché or a good old boys club like thing. So far I have not found any of them to be very welcoming. I spent most of my life in the military so I don't give up, and like it or not I am here to stay. If I have to do all of this on my own then so be it. Having an old hand to give some guidance would be a good thing and who knows maybe things will change.

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When I made the decision to build a Loft and take up this sport, one of the first things I did was look for a club. That has not born fruit. This is the states and not the UK. You folks over there take your pigeons very seriously, over here it seems to be much more Cliché or a good old boys club like thing. So far I have not found any of them to be very welcoming. I spent most of my life in the military so I don't give up, and like it or not I am here to stay. If I have to do all of this on my own then so be it. Having an old hand to give some guidance would be a good thing and who knows maybe things will change.

Hi Roland, If you type in "Alabama Racing Pigeon Clubs" you will find 5 clubs one of which may be near at hand.

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Roland, your loft design first must be secure. It must provide security for the pigeons. They have to feel safe. You will know what predators you have, so they must not be able to enter the loft area and preferable not anywhere within a fair boundary because if they are prowling around outside when the pigeons should be resting, this will disturb them and stop them from resting.

Having made the loft secure against predators, it also has to be secure against other disease carrying bodies. Wild birds will carry diseases that can infect your pigeons and whilst it is not possible to prevent them from mixing, if you are able to limit this it can help.

Next comes parasites. Try to think of this in your design and management. How will you limit the possibility of parasite infection. If you scrape the loft, then the remaining damp patches require to be treated to dry them and kill the parasites that live in these areas. If you use grills to raise the pigeons above their droppings it can help, but there can be drawbacks with this as well.

Weather next. Your pigeons require a plentiful supply of oxygen, but they need to be kept clear from draughts. The balance between light and shade, heat and cold, and the variations within any 24 hour period have to be considered. You need to provide a home that will not vary too much from the ideal situation, this is especially important during racing season.

There will be other considerations.

The reason the lads are asking about clubs is that this will put you in contact with local fanciers who are able to advise on these variables and also management issues that you will eventually meet up with.

I'm afraid we will probably leave you with more questions than answers at first, but as you work through them, it will become clearer. :)

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Folks, I am brand new to the raising and hopefully racing of Pigeons. When I say new I mean brand spanking new. I have no knowledge on this subject, but a great desire. I am starting a new Loft(my first) and do not have anyone to bounce ideas off of. I want to do the best for the birds that I can, and they are my primary concern at this point.

 

I have been researching Lofts and looking at ideas, but in truth I don't really know what is good or what is bad or the whys of doing one thing over another. Thus the purpose of this post. Were do I start? What are the requirements for a good racing loft? I fully intend to build this Loft myself, I live out in the country and not in a city. I do have plenty of room as my place is 15 acres. I do not want to build a loft that I will out grow in a year. I also do not want to build a Loft too big.

 

What I really would like to know is the layout of the interior. Should I have a passageway? to gain access to the interior and to the birds. I have now an old Dog run, it is 8ft wide by 25ft long and is 5 feet tall, it has fencing on everything including the top, it does have a concrete floor. Can I build my Loft next to this, and use this existing run for an aviary?

 

I know to you old Pro's I am doing a bad job of asking these questions, and I am very honest in saying I don't really have any answers. As a matter of fact I am not too sure what questions to ask. Any help any of you guys are willing to provide and share will be greatly received. If you were building a new Loft what would you incorporate? And maybe a little of the why would be good as well.

 

Thanks in advance

Good luck in your new venture Roland, I hope you find a club to join soon and seek out the members that will help you along and give you guidance and advice :)

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Might be a good idea to read the "DAILY DIARY " of Peter Pandy lots of advice there .Also the posts by Walter Boswell lots of pointers there for a new starter and old hands alike .I personally read both with much interest and recommend them to all fanciers ..

All the very best

yours in sport

sandy

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Might be a good idea to read the "DAILY DIARY " of Peter Pandy lots of advice there .Also the posts by Walter Boswell lots of pointers there for a new starter and old hands alike .I personally read both with much interest and recommend them to all fanciers ..

All the very best

yours in sport

sandy

 

Sandy, Thank you very much for that reference to those posts. I have been reading almost non stop Mr. Pandy's Diary post. Not only is this a great read, it is just full of information. Thank you again Sir...

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The north Alabama racing pigeon club is in huntsville Alabama about 36 miles from guntersville it's part of a 3 club combine under the the name of SPIRIT OF ALABAMA RACING PIGEON COMBINE,which also includes BIrmigham ( heart of Dixie ) and Albertville (wings of glory) hope this helps

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Just had another look on google and found that one of the other clubs in this combine Albertville (wings of glory) is approx 11 miles from you,why don't you phone this combines secretary Nick Redfern and maybe he can help you out with a few things

 

Sir I want to thank you for that information. I did reach out to all of those groups, the Wings of Glory group in Albertville is no longer in existence. The other clubs have not returned my inquiry, but I do hold out hope.

 

Interestingly as I was typing this message my phone rang and it was the secretary of the old Albertville club. While the original group is no longer there, a few of the remaining members have gotten together and are forming a new group or at least trying. Seems like there are only four members at this time. The secretary a Mr. Geddes has stopped with his pigeons and has sold or given away all of his birds (200) due to health problems. He is going to continue with his duty's of secretary. He did inform me that the other members would be more than willing to help me acquiring my birds, that is quite a load off of my mind as I was worried about the shipping etc. He also has invited me to a club meeting this coming February the 6th, which I certainly will be attending.

 

I also would like to add these thoughts to this post. This message board and its members have been more than gracious and accepting of me and my questions. I am sure that just another newbie asking the same questions that all of you have heard and answered dozens of times, does get a little old. I want to thank everyone that has responded. As I stated in an earlier post I spent the best part of my life in the military, The United States Marine Corps, that was my home and my family the first happy home I had ever known. I was raised deep in East Texas, and that being from Texas has influenced my life in many ways. I have always been a very independent man, and I am proud to say I have lived a mans life. My last mission in the Marine Corps went very badly of the 7 men on that Fire Team I was badly injured. I then spent the next two years in the Hospital in recovery and rehabilitation. When I finally left and retired after 30 years I was somewhat lost. Don't get me wrong I am not feeling sorry for myself, but without that "PURPOSE" things were just different.

 

I had married late in life and to this day have a wonderful wife. The problem was I was not the same. I lost a lot on that day I was injured, one minute I was Super Man and the next I was dependent on other people for everything. That is a humbling thing. I also have not handled this handicap very well, I am somewhat ashamed about that. For the life of me I cannot seem to what I need to just to get better just for better's sake. I still need that "PURPOSE".

 

For the last couple of years I have taken up the rocking chair, I spend weeks inside without ever even venturing out on the porch, that stupid TV my only company. I am sick and tired of it and also realize that if at my age if I don't get up off of my butt and do something, well you know what I mean.

 

The Pigeons for me are actually going to be a selfish thing. My Pigeons are going to have a job. A job other than just finding there way home. They are I am convinced are going to save my life in a way. As living breathing things I will at all cost provide for them, and never see them neglected. They will and are going to be My Purpose.

 

Well this simple post has turned into something completely different than I thought it was going to be. I have sat here for some time with my finger hovering directly over the DELETE button, thinking well I guess I really needed to say that. I then reason that maybe I just needed to put those thoughts down on paper, something I have never done before, and no one else really needs or probably even wants to read this crap. It is aid though and I don't really know what to do with it, Send it and make a fool out of myself and my thoughts, or delete it. HUMMMMM...

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What a super and inspirational letter to have written. Thank you. My nephew struggled at school and it was eventually found out that he had dyslexia. After school he joined the army and excelled in his training eventually passing out. He was soon to be age to become a fully fledged soldier, just what he always wanted. He was getting on well with his next stage training, but whilst on leave suffered a motorbike accident and is now paralysed from the waist down. Obviously, he was eventually discharged from the army. He is still dealing with this, but has shown a similar strength to that you have written about, by driving his life forward. He is attempting to become active in sport, he rides a quad bike, well strapped in, etc.

What you are talking about is strength and resolve and you are to be admired for it. Putting it on paper is an aid for others in their time of adversity.

Once again, thank you. :)

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Guys I have to tell you today as a busy day for me. I was up at the crack of dawn this morning and made the long drive down to Birmingham, by the way that is Birmingham, Alabama not the UK English one. Had an early meeting for breakfast with some folks down there that contacted me late last night about looking at there birds and Lofts. Seems like you guys advice about reaching out worked out.

 

All of these folks were pretty nice people and answered my questions with interest. The raising of racing birds here in Alabama has fallen on hard times it seems from talking with them. It appears that while interest has remained relatively high, politics is getting in the way and a lot of the folks have bad feelings about that. isn't it interesting how politics can do that very thing to a club.

 

The Birmingham club was at one time a big club, today it seems like it is just a fraction of what he used to be. Eight of there members are so unhappy that they are willing to change there membership up to Albertville which is 75 miles one way for them.

 

All of these folks were eager to see another person getting interested in the Pigeons, and were more than happy to let me see there Lofts and there birds. I must confess I held my first Pigeon today. I also was asked if I would take 25 birds with me for my trip home and release when I did in fact get home. I must say doing that was really something for me. I opened the carrier and watching those birds rush out and up was a sight for this old country boy. They circled for a couple of times and then they were off all headed south and back home, man that was a sight. I came in the house and was having a cup of coffee with my wife. I was excited that I had such a good day, and I guess I showed that in the way I was speaking. I looked over at Joanne and see had tears in her eyes. When I asked her about that should said" It has been a very long time since I have seen you so excited about anything" I never realized it was bothering her. I have made the right choice with the Pigeons.

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Guys I have to tell you today as a busy day for me. I was up at the crack of dawn this morning and made the long drive down to Birmingham, by the way that is Birmingham, Alabama not the UK English one. Had an early meeting for breakfast with some folks down there that contacted me late last night about looking at there birds and Lofts. Seems like you guys advice about reaching out worked out.

 

All of these folks were pretty nice people and answered my questions with interest. The raising of racing birds here in Alabama has fallen on hard times it seems from talking with them. It appears that while interest has remained relatively high, politics is getting in the way and a lot of the folks have bad feelings about that. isn't it interesting how politics can do that very thing to a club.

 

The Birmingham club was at one time a big club, today it seems like it is just a fraction of what he used to be. Eight of there members are so unhappy that they are willing to change there membership up to Albertville which is 75 miles one way for them.

 

All of these folks were eager to see another person getting interested in the Pigeons, and were more than happy to let me see there Lofts and there birds. I must confess I held my first Pigeon today. I also was asked if I would take 25 birds with me for my trip home and release when I did in fact get home. I must say doing that was really something for me. I opened the carrier and watching those birds rush out and up was a sight for this old country boy. They circled for a couple of times and then they were off all headed south and back home, man that was a sight. I came in the house and was having a cup of coffee with my wife. I was excited that I had such a good day, and I guess I showed that in the way I was speaking. I looked over at Joanne and see had tears in her eyes. When I asked her about that should said" It has been a very long time since I have seen you so excited about anything" I never realized it was bothering her. I have made the right choice with the Pigeons.

 

Roland, great to hear this. I am so happy for you. I hope you had a good look at the lofts and have formed some ideas regarding the way to go when building your loft. Best of luck with your project and keep in touch with your progress. :)

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  • 1 month later...

Of course Roland you now realise you he a load off Scottish fanciers backing you and wanting to know hat you will be doing next. So now it's getting pigeons for yourself but also putting up note on here on a regular basis so we can all share in your development and pleasure. Lots of guys on here are very very good pigeon men and the advice is gold dust, and most are just good nice guys too. Good luck and I await your next updat. Cheers :emoticon-0137-clapping:

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