Home....... This is such a well known term in our daily lives and we do tend to forget the meaning of this word - we feel safe here, we unwind here, we eat here, we sleep here, we want to come back here - in short we LOVE this place.
It is so important that you create a home for your birds complying to all their basic needs. This is virtually your first step onto the success ladder and probably the most important.
The loft need not be a palace and could be constructed from basic materials. My preference is definitely wood since it is an excellent insulator and freely available.
I will give you some basic guidelines as well as my reasoning behind it, however I must iterate that this is merely guidelines and not binding. It is a fact that a pigeon will perform from any construction as long as we have supplied the bird's basic requirements.
My proposed structure is as follows:
I believe in an elevated floor (preferably wooden) in order to avoid moisture and water accumulating in the loft - A wet loft will sign your fate. Furthermore the benefit of an elevated floor is that unexpected visits from vermin and snakes would be restricted.
For the walls I would advise an insulator such as wood and the roof could be constructed from various materials as long as it is a good insulator and water proof. The reason for insulation is in order to avoid major temperature changes in the loft which will prevent ailments.
The following consideration would be the size of the loft as well as the height, width and length.
The size question is an easy one since the size should obviously correlate with the number of inhabitants you want to keep - The proposal is two pigeons per cubic metre, however I am aware that this is hardly ever adhered to in my country and unfortunately neither in my loft. I believe that overcrowding does implicate a potential disease outbreak. I did like my fellow countryman Basil Gossman's reference to "prisoners".
In respect of the diametres of the loft I feel that one should bear in mind that a pigeon is a domesticated "wild" animal (hope this makes sense) and that we should keep the pigeon as close to the field as possible.
Based on this I would propose a narrow loft in order to allow maximum sunlight into the loft and in order to promote ventilation. The proposal is approximately two metres wide. I would construct the loft to suit my length in order to avoid birds flying wildly over my head. The length of the loft would then obviously depend on the number of birds.
The loft should be divided into smaller compartments in order to ascertain tame birds and should you prefer to split the sexes this will be a perfect arrangement. Personally I prefer to fly natural i.e. sexes mixed however more about this later.
Ventilation will be the next consideration and I found that the cheapest and adequate method is to provide ventilation "slits" just above the floor and underneath the roof at both the front and rear of the loft. A good method to check a loft's ventilation is to blow smoke in the centre of the loft and to see whether it routes out of the loft. We are really trying to establish the equilibrum between "used" air piling up in the loft and a draft in the loft which is also futile. - And please - do not make a habit of smoking in your loft.
At the front of the loft the proposal is to use panes which could be opened entirely or closed more pending on the weather conditions. This would assist you with temperature and draft control.
A very important fact would be the direction the loft should face - In the Southern hemisphere it is North to North-East for optimal sun exposure. Natural light in the loft is a definite advantage. On installing artificial light sources in the loft I propose that you avoid neon lights since this is observed by the birds as a continual flash and will certainly strain them.
In respect of the water fountains I prefer to install these outside the loft which would both simplify your loft management and promote hygiene (prevent soiling). Do use glass drinkers or a similar container since there would be no build up of chemicals. Avoid plastic containers.
Any trapping system is acceptable. I find that the American trap system suits my needs best.
Furthermore I like the idea of the birds entering training baskets from the loft and would prefer having exits in each compartment of the loft where the birds can walk into the training baskets, which I place outside the loft. The training baskets are constructed to "link" with the loft for this purpose. This is exceptionally usefull if you have a tight schedule and do not have the time to catch each bird seperately.
The exit the birds should use for loft training should be on the floor so that the birds can walk from the loft - An exit that allows the bird to fly from the loft can easily result in flight damage or even injuries.
Inside the loft you should construct perches - any perch type is acceptable - as long as there is enough perches for all the birds. Perches are normally attached to the rear wall of the loft. Perches must however not be to close together since the birds would certainly fight if they can reach each other. If you do fly natural (mixed sexes) you can construct nestboxes on the front wall at the top of the loft. Since the birds have to fly to these boxes, I would advise that the entrances are large in order to avoid flight damage.
Oh yes - don't forget a door for yourself, but do remember that once you have entered the loft you are a visitor in your pigeons' home. Respect them and they will certainly return some favours.
Do not hesitate to mail me should you have any questions or comments.
Pigeon greetings
Jean-Pierre