luis
227 posts
Mar 18, 2007
8:06 PM
|
I need to know what would be the best floor covering for breeders.I've got a couple of pairs(no wire floors) whos water intake is horrendous and their droppings are very watery.This in turn creates unhealthy conditions and ruins their feathers.Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
|
Santandercol
887 posts
Mar 18, 2007
9:15 PM
|
Luis,
Howsitgoin?I've found the best so far is starting out with a little pine shavings and letting the dry powdered droppings build up and keep breaking that up on the floor.I've seen a few lofts with just that on the floor and it doesn't stink,not real dusty and you're not constantly shovelling shavings out and having to dispose or compost so much bulk.As far as the breeders with watery shit,don't feed 'em pellets,just a good mix steadily the same and ACV,vites and garlic in the water and hopefully they will dry out soon.I have a racer cock like that,really stinks when he takes a dump and often real watery.Just gotta keep his spot clean but that's easy as he's a real grumpy SOB and likes to beat the crap outta the other birds so he stays locked up mostly.
I'm sure ther's lots of other advice on this one.
Kelly.
|
sac_spinners
84 posts
Mar 18, 2007
9:20 PM
|
I would probally use some wood pellets or wood shavings so when it gets dirty or wet i just clean it out and put some new ones in, some people use sand and other uses pine needles use what you like the best...
Chor
|
fhtfire
846 posts
Mar 18, 2007
9:39 PM
|
I use wood pellets and they work real good and they are about 3.00 for a 50 lb sack. I use two bags for a 5X8 breeder loft. That is about 2 inches deep or so....I rake the loft once a week and scoop up the crap...basically just taking of a layer. They work real good
rock and ROLL
Paul
|
sac_spinners
86 posts
Mar 18, 2007
9:42 PM
|
Paul where do you buy your wood pellets at? thats a really good price man, where i buy it from its like 7 dollars for 50 lbs not so good of a deal compare to where you got it from..
Chor
|
Santandercol
891 posts
Mar 18, 2007
9:56 PM
|
I can't justify consuming like that,personally.There is only so many friggin trees on this planet.Yer darn right I'm a tree hugger.
----------
Kelly
|
motherlodelofts
1588 posts
Mar 18, 2007
10:09 PM
|
Why is the water intake so high ????
|
motherlodelofts
1589 posts
Mar 18, 2007
10:12 PM
|
Tree's replenish themselfs Kelly , besides wood pellets are made from left over chips and such.
Now I'm going back to eating my spotted owl sandwich in my mud hut.
Scott
|
luis
228 posts
Mar 18, 2007
11:48 PM
|
I really can't say Scott.I treated them the first time this happened thinking they had something wrong w/them.No luck. As soon as they quit feeding and moved on to sitting on their next round it ceased.Now they are feeding again and it has returned,they just drink a lot of water!Don't know the reason!They make their coop a mess if its not cleaned every day!!Ruins their feathers and the squeakers too!
Hey Kelly!I'm alright.Hope all is well on your side of the pond.
Last Edited by on Mar 18, 2007 11:56 PM
|
Bluesman
Pigeon Fancier
1086 posts
Mar 19, 2007
4:44 AM
|
Kelly. You can hug them trees all you want but you can only save the one you are hugging.LOL.
As Scott said they replenish themselves and it is a know fact that you have to remove the older trees or you lose many other things in the Eco system that allows all life to continue.So unless it is an historical tree you may as well let go of the one you are huggin and enjoy life.David
|
Santandercol
892 posts
Mar 19, 2007
6:33 AM
|
Sorry guys,
BOPs then the missus p***ed me off yesterday and I'm suffering from SUN deprivation.We could go on forever on the conservation issue but the fact is what I said earlier is what works best for me.Check out what Palmetto Pigeon Plant uses which has 40,000 breeding pairs.They must know something.
Don't drive a Hummer,the consumption is a bummer!!
----------
Kelly
Last Edited by on Mar 19, 2007 7:12 AM
|
old guy
24 posts
Mar 19, 2007
7:05 AM
|
I am sensitive to dust so I use no litter. I just scrape my wooded floors every two or three days using a small kids metal snow shovel. It takes about two minutes. Little dust, little work and usually healthy pigeons. I have half inch wire on the lower two feet on the south side of my loft. This helps keep the floor dry.
Wayne
Last Edited by on Mar 19, 2007 7:05 AM
|
Bluesman
Pigeon Fancier
1087 posts
Mar 19, 2007
8:33 AM
|
Luis. I use a combo of wood chips and ground corn cobs.Cobs are a little dusty but sure keep things dry.They work better after their down for awhile and get droppings mixed in with them.I had trouble getting them and when what I had ground is all I want to try the wood pellets.
Most of my dust is that real fine white dust and I have to be careful with it or it bothers my lungs.David
|
motherlodelofts
1591 posts
Mar 19, 2007
9:24 AM
|
Kelly I don't drive a Hummer , I much prefere my 1 ton long bed crew cab 4x4 super duty , diesel Ford.
Scott
|
bman
260 posts
Mar 19, 2007
10:08 AM
|
Scott good taste but what "COLOR" LOL
I'm guessing black.
----------
Ron
|
motherlodelofts
1596 posts
Mar 19, 2007
2:48 PM
|
No black here, too dusty , it is mainly white with a grey on the bottom third , the 4x4 is to get the big Bastard off of wet grass LOL.
Luis, something doesn't sound right , sounds like the kidneys are trashed from something , or you are feeding pellets with alot of salt in them.
Are you feeding pellets , or grain ?
Scott
|
fhtfire
848 posts
Mar 19, 2007
6:25 PM
|
Chor,
I get my wood pellets for OSH (Orchard supply hardware) in Woodland....maybe on the next fly on the 1st you can stop by and get a couple bags..it is right down the street from my house. They last quite awhile. Even feed is cheaper in Woodland than Sac...I know guys that do business in woodland and buy there feed here...it seems to better quality...my last bag of wheat was kick ass.
rock and ROLL
Paul
|
fhtfire
849 posts
Mar 19, 2007
6:26 PM
|
IF you want a real truck...get the 4X4 dodge diesel....I would pull that old ford around the block...a couple times..LOL
Paul
|
Missouri-Flyer
375 posts
Mar 19, 2007
6:30 PM
|
OUCH Paul,
I may have to disagree with ya here as I have 3 Fords, 2 being Powerstrokes. I pull and pull often, usually a 28' 4 horse slant horse trailer with Living Quarters, and have pulled the same trailer with a buddys Dodge, and wouldn't take a bet against the Ford..LOL
----------
Jerry
Home of "Whispering Wings Loft"
|
fhtfire
850 posts
Mar 19, 2007
7:49 PM
|
Well....I have a brother and another buddy that have F-250 and after a couple of "drinks" They started talking smack...so I said get a strap baby and we will see who pulls who....I did not think they would say yes...so my brother said...here you go...put the Pro-Comp strap to the trucks...locked the hubs...and guess what...and its one two three fords went out..LOL!!! I pulled both of them down the street...my brother once and my buddy twice...we all had the same tire...they accused me of using my Banks six gun and speed loader on the first one...so I had to have a passenger on the second one as a witness...Anyway....they have more torque...but my old man...80yrs old...mechanic for 60years....said that a straight six will out pull a V-8 any day of the week...due to the fact that a cummins reaches max torque at a much lower RPM do to the straigh up and down stroke....so basically the Cummins did not let the Power-stroke get wound up....anyway...my brother went and got the GMC diesel...and we were dead even in a drag race...but I had to use the banks or he would have whooped my ass...although I have an 03cummins and the newer cummins are are high outputs..anyway...Banks dynoed my truck on level 6 with 755 lbs of torque at the rear wheels. of cours you can't tow on level 6 or your trans will be on the ground...anyway...sorry to get off subject!!
ROCK AND ROLL
Paul
|
motherlodelofts
1603 posts
Mar 19, 2007
9:12 PM
|
Yea Paul, but I don't need one of the wifes ear rings to look cool LOL , and plus the chicks dig it when they don't have to worry about having one of thier ear rings heisted so that some dude can play pirate LOL
Scott
|
fhtfire
851 posts
Mar 19, 2007
9:17 PM
|
Oh yeah ...we play pirate sometimes....shes the cabin girl...ARRRHHH!!!
rock and ROLL
Paul
|
luis
230 posts
Mar 19, 2007
9:21 PM
|
I feed them 16% grain and have 3 pairs with the same problem.Maybe i'll try Tonys solution and see if it works!
|
motherlodelofts
1606 posts
Mar 19, 2007
9:35 PM
|
Luis , you should not be seeing anything like that with grain , it could be an old problem that trashed the Kidneys (PMV/Paratyphoid) , over doing anti- biotics to treat them can also trash them.
Scott
|
ArlenS
43 posts
Mar 20, 2007
3:12 PM
|
Watery droppings were the first symptom of my salmonella (paratyphoid) incident last summer. I believe it most likely spread from mice contacting feed in breeder feed trays. Mice are a well known source of salmonella. It is best to mouse-proof breeder cages by not having openings greater than 1/2 inch along one dimension.
Where that is not practical, I try to always remove the feeders before dark, when the mice are more active. If I have to leave feeders in after dark because of working late or coaching wrestling, and can't get the kids to do it in time, I later look for evidence of mice in the feeder (chew holes in safflower). If I suspect mice could have been in the feeder by evidence or length of time left in after dark, I will throw away leftover feed, rather than take a chance.
E-coli bacteria is naturally present in the gut but can get out of balance or a pathogenic strain can be present. Since pigeons will peck at particles, including feces, pathogenic bacteria can be ingested, spreading infection or causing reinfection. Wood floors will increase the likelihood of pigeon or mouse feces ingestion.
I would treat with 4 in 1 followed by Biopro, a probiotic, to restore healthy gut microbial flora. I treat regularly with probiotic to reduce the likelihood of pathogenic bacteria infection.
A flat pan or open top feed tray keeps them off the floor but allows them to contact feed with pigeon feces- contaminated feet or droppings to enter. For breeders, I use aluminum feeders with holes on top (reduces likelihood of pigeon fecal contamination) or even better, no-waste feeders with holes in the sides (totally prevents pigeon fecal contamination).
I also installed welded wire floors both to keep their feet cleaner and reduce likehood of fecal material ingestion, and more importantly, keep out mice. I installed 3 inch by 1/2 inch galvanized wire floors. You need one dimension of the wire to be 1/2 inch to keep out mice. I have installed removable trays about six inches below the wire floors to catch droppings that fall or are scraped through. I slide them out and clean them periodically with scraper and shop vac. Airborne dust in the shed I built that houses the breeder boxes and kit boxes is much lower as a result of the wire floors and catch trays. Not as much gets stirred up by their wings.
Foam shut/seal up other mice-sized openings. Use poison bait, traps, and clean up spilled feed promptly if possible.
Last Edited by on Mar 20, 2007 3:47 PM
|
luis
237 posts
Mar 20, 2007
7:21 PM
|
Sounds like a great set up Arlen.Can you post some pics i'm sure everyone would love to see it.
ps:Thanks for the info.
|
REEDM
19 posts
Mar 21, 2007
11:01 AM
|
Kelly,
I am a tree hugger also.
 These trees have been screwing up my kits for years, I finally decided to start cutting them down. It was getting dark when my wife took the picture but that is me up there hugging the tree.
----------
Mitch
Great rollers come from great rollermen,
great rollermen fly in competitions.
|
ArlenS
44 posts
Mar 21, 2007
1:06 PM
|
Luis,
I will take some pictures real soon, although because of the tight internal configuration of my shed, I may not be able to step back far enough from the breeder cages to get great pictures of the wire floors and catch trays.
In the interim, I noticed that that Scott Campbell (Motherlode Lofts) appears to use wire floors and galvanized slide-out catch trays under his well-constructed (wish mine looked like that) kit boxes. You can see the photo under the thread today titled "Scott?".
Last Edited by on Mar 21, 2007 1:13 PM
|
Santandercol
894 posts
Mar 21, 2007
8:47 PM
|
Mitch,
Great shot.Nice Pine trees where you live.Truth is I'm not a real treehugger deep down as I've done my share of logging and tree topping.Theres nothing like the crash of a Big Doug as it hits the earth.Still climbing trees,I live in a rain forest,so of course I cut trees,I just like to conserve whenever I can and not waste stuff.Trees don't always regenerate so fast everywhere they are cut down.I know lots of sidehills and mountain tops that will never see a tree after they were clearcut,rained on and topsoil washed into the salmon streams and onto the seabed.Hey Scott and Paul and all you big truckers,I get by just fine with my little S10 4X4.My boat weighs 5 ton but stays in the water and burns 1.5 imp. gals per hour cruising at 1800.Only 7 knots but a relaxing 7 knots.Just trying to not put a big dent is all I'm sayin'.
----------
Kelly
Last Edited by on Mar 21, 2007 8:51 PM
|
fhtfire
855 posts
Mar 22, 2007
8:52 AM
|
I have witnessed what wild fires do to the dense old growth forests or the trees that are on there way out and have not been cut down...anyway....I think as long as they cut and add more trees and basically just thin out the thicker areas everything will be fine...
Rock and ROLL
Paul
|
motherlodelofts
1624 posts
Mar 22, 2007
10:13 AM
|
"IF you want a real truck...get the 4X4 dodge diesel....I would pull that old ford around the block...a couple times..LOL "
Paul
Paul if that is all I cared about I would by a D-9 dozer with wheels , which is about how those Dodges ride LOL LOL
|
nicksiders
1490 posts
Mar 22, 2007
10:30 AM
|
I am on a concrete floor and I now scrape it all off everyweek or so so I no longer have a floor covering, but when I did use a floor covering I found a product called "Muck Breaker". It was for horse stables and consisted of small chunks of wood; ceder I think which had multiple benefits. It being ceder had a nice fragerance and it also kept insect infestations down. I got it when I was in California and I noticed that it was available in several feed stores in the area that I lived. Lots of horses in California.
Nick
----------
Snicker Rollers
Last Edited by on Mar 22, 2007 10:32 AM
|