jerryf
1 post
Dec 27, 2005
3:37 AM
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I want to keep my pairs healthy. My loft has plenty of natural light, good ventilation, and I keep it clean.
The size of the breeding loft is 6 ft x 8 ft and is 6 1/2 high. There is plenty of roost space and presently has 12 nesting boxes with wooden dowel fronts. Nesting boxes are one foot high and 32 inches long. Pairs are mated up in the locked nest box for a week. Then released into the loft.
When the youngster are eating well they will be removed to the growing loft.
I plan on having 12 pair in the loft. If I add 3-4 more nesting boxes........would th space allow for 16 pair?
How many pairs can I house in a loft this size?
Last Edited by jerryf on Dec 27, 2005 3:38 AM
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Bluesman
Pigeon Fancier
604 posts
Dec 27, 2005
4:29 AM
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Jerry.16 pair would do fine in your Loft.You have 48 square foot of floor space.3 square foot per pair is plenty of floor space for rollers.You could even go as high as 20 pair thru breeding season if you have enough nest boxes the size you mentioned.You didn,t say if you had a flyway on your Loft for them to exercise in.This helps too.My opinion only.David
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jerryf
2 posts
Dec 27, 2005
5:04 AM
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Thanks David, Yes I will plan to add a small flyaway so they get sunshine and fesh air. Would a 3 ft x 6 ft x 3ft high evaluated (3 ft high--waist high) flyaway work well? Would a well supported small 1/4 inch wire mesh floor on the flyaway work?
Thanks
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Bluesman
Pigeon Fancier
605 posts
Dec 27, 2005
1:08 PM
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Yes that would work.I think I understand you are going to have it waist high at the floor level? 1/4' mesh wire will give you fits trying to keep clean.I used 1x2 welded wire on mine.They are approx. 3 feet from the ground to the bottom of the floor on the flyways.1" x 1" is much better if you have Weasels in your area.David
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jerryf
3 posts
Dec 27, 2005
4:47 PM
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Yes It will be waist high, then the flyway will be 3 feet high. I will use 1 x 1 inch wire for the floor as we do have weasels. The flyway attached to the outside wall of the loft. The opening loft to flyway will be large to help with summer ventilation. Flyway will be available to the flock at all times.
My flockis kept small to be more enjoyable, My pigeons are kept for their colors and style. We have too many predator birds to fly Rollers. I have Reduced Blacks--"Blue Laced", Andalusians, homozygous Andalusians, a few dark Indigos-- Opals --Blacks and a Barless Blue pair. I have 4 pair of American Fantails, Powder Indigo- Indigo pair, Andalusian -Black pr, a Black -homozygous Andalusian pr and a Powder Silver-Powder Blue Pr. All top quality stock.
I will start with the Fantails in individual cages. The 12-14 pair of Rollers will have the open loft. I like to watch them fly about the loft.
David, I appreciate your guidance. I am in Minnesota, we had a Very cold 1st 10 days of December now we are enjoying 'spring' weather. 30s and 40s...Where are you from, you have Rollers and any other breeds?
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Bluesman
Pigeon Fancier
606 posts
Dec 28, 2005
2:38 AM
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Jerry. I live in South Central Pennsylvania.The weather here changes about every 3 days.It will go from -10 degrees F to 40+ degreesF in the same week.Cold,Warm,Snow,Wind,Rain,Ice,Sleet,Freezing Rain all in the same week.LOL.But overall we have been having milder winters the past 5 years.I start breeding soon after Thanksgiving.I like to get a couple early rounds to get them on the wing early in the year.Past few days the highs have been closing in on 40 degrees.Breeders are lovin it.Me too.LOL.
All I raise is Rollers.Well I do have Barnyard Fancy Chickens freeranging and a couple pair of White Utility Kings for Squabing & a dozen Heavy Laying Hens to keep me in eggs.LOL.David
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donb
2 posts
Dec 28, 2005
5:53 PM
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Jerryf, was reading your post describing the different colors you have. You mentioned having homozygous andalusians. The andalusian blue is actually a heterozygote having 1 gene for Indigo combined with a gene or genes for spread. Homozygous Indigo can create some Ash-Red look alikes. I have a blu bar hen that is homozygous for Indigo and would pass for a red bar except for the head is the real deep Indigo color. I get my prettiest Andalusians from rather poor blacks which is usually the ones with only 1 gene for spread. The real shiny blacks ( usually homozgous for spread) don't usually produce the really pretty Andalusians. Just thought I'd pass on some personal experience. Of course there are always exceptions to the rules LOL. DB.
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jerryf
4 posts
Dec 29, 2005
3:24 AM
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David
We live on 5 acres, rolling hills, oak trees, great views. I have a quad of cochin bantams-blacks and a blue hen in a coop. 9 laying hens for fresh eggs, they run the farmstead. Our 17 Boer goat does and a buck roam the hill pasture. We sell some breding stock, and ship 80 pound kids for the Ethnic meat market.
We are having the same weather..as you very cold then spring-like then cold again..
I haven't mated them up yet But I will soon. I bought my stock and placed them in the open loft. We are having a warm spell and a few are starting to pair off...and of course I want them mated my way.. Yes I should have the sexes separated I will do that today I will cage the hens, cocks can stay in the breeding loft. After a cool down period I will lock pairs in a nesting box,,,,,,,,I usually lock them for a week, then release every other one box for couple days so the released pairs find their box. What do you think?
I like the open loft method-- I feel my birds are healthier and enjoy life more in an open loft than a pair in a 2ft x 2ft breeding pen.
So I will be having 12 Roller pairs and 4-5 Fantail pairs all in the open loft. I am building a nest box unit for the Fans. At mating time I will lock the pairs in the big nest boxes and remove the stack of cages so the loft will get 10 square feet of additional floor space. Cages will be stored.
David do you have any sage advice you want to share? Always willing to learn something new
Jerry
Last Edited by jerryf on Dec 29, 2005 3:36 AM
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jerryf
5 posts
Dec 29, 2005
3:35 AM
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DB
I like Blues. I have two families a Andalusian and a Reduced Black --"Blue Laced".
Yes I have heard about the shiny blacks used with Andalusians not producing good Andalusian colors. I use blacks from Andalusian matings on my Homozygous Andies, Homozygous have 2 genes for blue and appear Silver with a dark head or as red laced...Ash red mimics.
I like the homo Andie color so I mate Andie to Andie or Amdie to homozygous...too.
I have a few Andalusian-Qualmonds and a few Andalusian Opals. I will be producing reduced and dilute Andies as well.
My Reduced Black family -- "Blue Laced" in solid and baldhead.. Their coloring in light blue with each feather laced in darker blue.....very striking and beautiful.
Jerry
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Bluesman
Pigeon Fancier
607 posts
Dec 29, 2005
3:46 AM
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Jerry.I will offer you a piece of advice I would do.LOL.
I would build a small Loft to keep my Fantails in.You can be sure that sooner or later one of your fantail cocks will jump a roller hen and then you have a crossbreed that will be useless as a roller.And the other way around.If another roller cock jumps another roller hen it is no big deal unless you want to be sure of the parentage.
What I do for my open loft pairs is I breed in a breeding cage for 5 or 6 days and then move the pair to whatever nest box I want them in and lock them in there untill the hen lays her eggs.After that I let them into the open Loft.Most of my nest boxes have wooden nest fronts and this way I know the first round is the eggs I want.LOL.After that if another jumps someone else or they switch mates it is no big deal.If you have a tight family of rollers you are starting with it is much better.Some of my best rollers have been from rollers that picked their own mates.So much for the little I know.LOL. David
P.S. My youngest son raises Boer Goats.Here is his website.
http://www.tripleigoats.com/
Last Edited by Bluesman on Dec 29, 2005 4:02 AM
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Bill from NJ
14 posts
Dec 29, 2005
12:02 PM
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Jerry,
Ditto on the advice Dave gave you...... Get the fantails out of that open loft!
Regards,
Bill from NJ
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nicksiders
327 posts
Dec 29, 2005
4:45 PM
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One breed to one open breading loft. You will have a mess in less than a year or so if you don't.
Last Edited by nicksiders on Dec 29, 2005 4:58 PM
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jerryf
6 posts
Dec 30, 2005
12:47 AM
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Yes I am in the process of building a small loft for the Fantails. In addition to the possible crossbreeding, Fantails do better not competing with another breed.
David, I check ot your son's Boer website, Beautiful Boers, If I lived nearby I would buy a couple of those well built stocky doe kids!
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donb
4 posts
Jan 02, 2006
10:54 AM
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Jerryf, a little further discussion on the color " Andalusian Blue ". As you probably know and as I said earlier, it is created by 1 gene fron an Indigo parent and 1 gene from a spread parent- Making it heterozygous for Indigo and spread. Not trying to be a smart alec but there is no such thing as a homozygous Andalusian. When u put 2 Andalusians together each egg firtilized gets either a spread gene or an indigo gene from each parent. For instance if each parent passes on its spread gene then you hav a black offspring. If they each pass on their gene for indigo then u have a homozygous indigo. the only way you get another andalusian is for one parent to pass an indigo gene and one to pass the spread gene. Without rechecking myself with pencil and paper I think the odds for andalusian color is one out of four from 2 andalusians. Just thought I'd pass this on so maybe someone would realize its not like mating 2 blu bars together where you get a bb everytime. Happy New Year to all. Don Bowen.
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