Pigeon Lofts

Before thinking about obtaining pigeons it is essential to purchase or build a suitable house or pigeon lofts for them. It needs not be anything gigantic or luxurious but it should be built remembering that not only is it the pigeons' home, but that you will need to spend a lot of time there with them.

There are those, of course, who can afford to build some-thing like pigeon palaces - large permanent constructions to accommodate considerable numbers. But such is the equality of our sport that neither the size of the home nor its surroundings guarantee great achievements.

It may be wondered why the building for housing pigeons is called a 'pigeon loft'. This is probably because in earlier times in Britain most pigeons were kept in high buildings. One old fancier told me over fifty years ago that the reason for this was to keep the birds away from poachers, although he said that some of these clever fellows used to employ small boys to climb up through the small entrances to take the birds. In Belgium, pigeons' accommodation is still mostly found under the roof of the family home, in what is usually termed the 'loft' and normally used in Britain as storage space. Many leading Belgian fanciers have had their houses deliberately built to a design with enough loft room to ensure they have the housing they need for their pigeons.

So although most of the pigeon houses in Great Britain are now in gardens, the description of them as lofts is understandable. In some parts of Great Britain pigeon lofts are described by other names; for instance in the Midlands it is referred to as ‘the pen’, 'whilst' in Northumberland and the Scottish Border sit is known as ‘the Cree’. Further north in Scotland it is the ‘ducat’, a colloquialism for 'do cote'; for many north of the Border refer to their pigeons as 'dons'.

Ready-made pigeon lofts are available and are advertised quite regularly in the papers devoted to the sport. There is, however, a great deal more fun in building your own pigeon loft, if you have the ability. If you decide to build your own loft, there are a number of important points to bear in mind. One is the cost, for it is important that pigeons should be a hobby and not just a drain on one's pocket; you must build what you can afford. Secondly you must consider the number of birds you intend to keep, for it is wrong and dangerous to overcrowd them. You should allow about 0.6m3 (2Ocu ft) per bird.

The next point to consider is the sitting of the loft. This, inbuilt-up areas, will probably be controlled by the size of the back garden, but the loft should be as far from other buildings as possible, with a view to obtaining maximum sun. Generally it is thought best to site it facing south or south-east, but if this is not possible adjustments in construction can be made. For instance, my first loft had to be sited facing west, so I arranged an opening on the southern side which allowed all possible sunshine to enter the loft throughout the day. During autumn and winter I covered the southern-end opening with a glass frame, thus shutting out the driving rain of the prevailing south-west wind.

If, your garden is too small or because of local regulations, you cannot have a pigeon loft at your home, you may still be able to keep pigeons. Particularly in the north-east of England there are areas where fanciers have their lofts on allotments, and in parts of south Wales lofts are situated on the side of slag heaps. In some cases such devoted fanciers walk two or three miles to their lofts carrying fresh water at least twice a day.

If an existing out-building, garage or attic can be taken over, it will of course save much time and expense. Avoid anything that has contained poultry, for many diseases can be transmitted to pigeons, especially coccidiosis. Brick buildings have many advantages over wood, for they are inherently drier, less prone to condensation, warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

One other point in the placing of the loft must be the consideration of the position of other buildings in relation to the birds' drop-in. It is important that there should be as few obstacles as possible in the approach for, if a bird has to circle several times before making its landing, valuable time is lost in a race.

When building your pigeon loft remember it should be completely dry and waterproof; for as much as sunshine is a friend to pigeons, so damp is an enemy - in damp pigeon lofts disease will quickly develop. You must also be careful to start with a plan which will suit your own personal requirements, remembering that when you arc in the loft you will need room to move around quietly, working among the birds and near enough to talk to them at the same time.

It is important to make sure you have a good strong floor1.5cm to 2.5cm (1/2in to 1in) thick boards supported by 5cm(2in) cross members on 7.5cm x 7.5cm (3in x 3in) runners the length of the loft. It must take more than your own weight, for at some time or other you are certain to have visitors with you. But, although strong, it should be portable. The floor of, for example, a 5.5m x 1.8m (I8ft x 6ft) loft, could well be made of three sections 1.8m (6ft) square. Portability, in fact, applies to all parts of a loft. Construction should be in sections, and the sections should be joined only with nuts and bolts so that, if the loft needs to be moved, the job can be easily done.

It is not necessary to obtain all new materials for building the loft; some well-designed pigeon lofts have been built of timber obtained from packing cases. Generally the wood covering the sides should be approximately 1.5cm (1/2in) thick; the width of the planks does not really matter although it is desirable, for appearance sake at least, to maintain uniformity of width on each side of the loft. The usual is wooden planks approximate-ly 10-15cm (4-6in) wide, and if you can obtain these in tongue and groove this will help to ensure a close fit, thus assisting damp proofing.

The lower part of the front of the loft should be covered in up to a height of about lm (3ft). The upper part should consist of dowel rods 1.5cm (1/2in) in diameter, set about 5cm (2in) apart. These may be covered with netting of 7mm (approx1/4in) mesh to keep out wild birds such as sparrows or starlings which will carry diseases to your birds, and eat their corn. All horizontal surfaces will need to be scraped regularly to remove the pigeons' droppings; therefore it is very important that there are no joints in which dirt can lodge. Even tongue-and-groove boards are not ideal because in time the wood will shrink and leave gaps, or expand and rise up, causing splinters as you scrape it. Plastic vinyl tiles or hardboard have all been used to give a good scraping floor, which will save you hours of time in the long run.

Interior partitions are usually made of thin wooden laths nailed to 2.5cm or 4cm (1in or 1 V2in) quartering, screwed tot he floor and walls of the loft. Partitions should be removable, in case you wish to alter anything. Each partition will need a door, and if possible these should be of sliding type to save space when opening them. In the normal 5.5m (18ft) x 2m (6ft) loft, two partitions provide three sections - one in which I he breeding will be carried out and to which the old birds will race, one for any pigeons you do not intend to fly out (stock (birds) and one into which the young birds will be transferred and to which they will race in their first season. During winter the sexes can then be parted into two of the three sections.

Ventilation is of great importance in pigeon lofts, fresh air being essential to the health of pigeons. The design of your loft should therefore provide a steady flow of fresh air but not draughts. As a start, the loft should be raised at least 23cm (9in) from the ground, preferably on brick pillars, to allow a steady flow of air beneath. It is as well to surround the support with small-mesh wire netting to prevent marauders such as cats, hiding under the loft waiting to pounce on any bird which may alight on the ground. Bury the lower edge in the ground and turn it outwards to discourage rats and mice from tunneling under your loft, for the latter will eat the corn and rats will kill the pigeons.

Internal ventilation should provide air circulation in the form of inlets in the front provided by louvers about 30cm (12in) wide x 20cm (8in) deep set about 10cm (4in) above floor level, and an outlet opening about 10cm (4in) deep along the top of the back of the loft this opening should be covered by narrow-gauge ‘Twilweld’ or wire mesh. The louvers should be set so as to give at least one in each section of the loft. Avoid draughts, for cold pigeons cannot give of their best, and never have ventilation which will let rain beat into the loft.