|
The Original All Roller Talk Discussion Board Archive >
lofts design
lofts design
Page:
1
CHANTICLEER
7 posts
Jun 13, 2007
3:29 PM
|
----------
hi fellas ,
bit of help needed ..........
well by necessity this one is more for the british roller men on here , due to weather conditions etc .......... however feel free to join in .... even if you can wear shorts to watch your birds spin ... lol
shortly iam either going to build a loft or convert a shed to a loft ...... size wise , the diamensions will be around 24 feet long by 8 feet deep by 8 feet high at the highest point . however iam at a loss as which is the best design to suit me BEING A COMPLETE NOVICE ! , i have space for another 2 seperate kit boxes if needed ....... THE ONLY REAL FLYERS LOFT IVE SEEN RECENTLY WAS JOHN WANLESSES ..... WHICH IS AN OPEN DOUBLE DOOR LOFT WITH TWO BREEDING SECTIONS AT EITHER END AND 4 KIT BOXES DIRECTLY OPPOSITE THE FRONT DOORS , WHICH SEEMED AN IDEAL SET UP FOR A 16 FOOT LONG LOFT ....
SO THEN GENTLEMEN .......... WHATS YOUR PERFECT DESIGN FOR A ROLLER LOFT ???
PHOTOS WOULD BE NICE .... LOL .........
thanks in advance
all the best
Lee n / east england
IN THE LAND OF THE BLIND
THE ONE EYED MAN IS KING !!
|
belle
232 posts
Jun 13, 2007
5:04 PM
|
What I would do is know how big I want to get and then build from that.
I want to have about 100 - 120 rollers and 50 white homers. I have a breeding loft for all my breeders. Right now I am flying out of two small kit boxes but I am building a new kit loft it is a 8' X 8' with 4 kit boxes inside it the kit boxes are 4, wide, 3' deep and 3.5' high, and has a 2' walk way down the middle.
Here is my breeding loft
|
Santandercol
1166 posts
Jun 13, 2007
7:53 PM
|
Funny looking whitehomers ya got there Justin!!Something wrong with that one on the roof let me tell ya!!
Chante,
Might be an idea to bring the height of your ceilings down to 7 ft or so with wire ,easier to catch the birds when you need to.
----------
Kelly
Last Edited by on Jun 13, 2007 7:53 PM
|
belle
233 posts
Jun 13, 2007
8:41 PM
|
Hey Kelly how big do you think my pigeons are? The pen is almost 6' high if I was not so short it would be a 7' it looks a little different now I don't have the chickens in it now and the black stuff is not on now that it is warmer and I finished the door on the left. The duck is still there LOL no I'm just playing.
|
W@yne
501 posts
Jun 13, 2007
9:58 PM
|
Lee
Depending on how many birds you want to keep i would build your loft similar to Johns two 6x8 breeders at each end four 4x5 flights sliding doors these flights will give you a corridor to walk down to inspect yer birds in all weathers. That set up is similar to mine but 1 teething trouble i have got is that i should of done bigger windows in my stock loft i have pictures on here somewhere Lee. Having 2 breeding sections means after breeding season you can house your cocks in 1 side and hens in the other after breeding season has finished.
Regards
W@yne uk
----------
Patience Perseverance Perfection
=====================================
Last Edited by on Jun 14, 2007 8:50 AM
|
Santandercol
1168 posts
Jun 13, 2007
10:26 PM
|
Meant Chantee's shed ceilings sorry.
----------
Kelly
|
motherlodelofts
1849 posts
Jun 13, 2007
11:35 PM
|
Tell that dumb duck to get off of the roof !!
|
budharley
47 posts
Jun 14, 2007
3:27 AM
|
hi maybe some people should put some photos of their breeding loft as im looking to start all over again and could do with some ideas also if cock and hen sections are next to each other should it be a solid divider so the cocks cant see the hens and vice versa
|
bman
288 posts
Jun 14, 2007
9:23 AM
|
----------
Ron
Borderline lofts
|
CHANTICLEER
8 posts
Jun 14, 2007
10:45 AM
|
hi lads ,
some real good info on here please keep them coming .its a steep learning curve !
wayne ,
from what i remember of johns loft it had 2 sections at opposite ends of the loft , 8 x 4 feet with breeding boxes on the back wall .. on the end walls were two sheets of ply which had perches on them , these were mounted on runners so after breeding season the ply could be removed easily and slid into the runners on the front of the boxes , keeping the now separated sexes from entering and keeping them clean for next season ....... neat idea i thought ?
so then ..... do you favour indoor section flights like ive heard maurice favours or kit boxes like john ? , what benefits / advantages ?
also if you moved the kit boxes onto the front wall you could have traps fitted to the kitboxes / flights , any benefits / disadvantages ?
or would you prefer the open door trapping / flying ?
what type of breeding boxes do you fellas prefer ?
i would like to get this loft as right as i possibly can on the first attempt , i dont mind changing little bits around however i wouldnt want a full re - build in a years or twos time !!! ...lol
keep them photos coming fellas
thanks again
LEE n / east england
----------
IN THE LAND OF THE BLIND
THE ONE EYED MAN IS KING !!
|
W@yne
506 posts
Jun 14, 2007
11:41 AM
|
Lee
Personal preference i like flights,
I also have kit boxes that i do not use since getting the flights i don't think it makes 1 hoot on performance on flights v kit boxes.
Reasons:-
My birds feathering stays much better birds look healthier no pissed off looking birds now lol.
Builds muscle on my young much quicker by flying to the ground to feed then back up on the perches this makes my young birds easier to fly and break in.
I think 8x4 is too small for a breeding section but it depending on how many pairs you are thinking of putting together.
I don't use traps i watch my birds from letting out till each and every bird comes down if 1 doesn't come in it stays out without feed.
Lee it all boils down to personal preference what is best for you. I will get some pictures posted of my setup over the weekend.
1 Thing i forgot to mention is that my roof slopes to the front with a gutter fitted
The reason for this is that i like to see my birds on the roof when landing also it makes me have more room to the back in height for my flights.
Regards
W@yne UK
----------
Patience Perseverance Perfection
=====================================
Last Edited by on Jun 14, 2007 2:13 PM
|
Shaun
492 posts
Jun 14, 2007
1:37 PM
|
Lee, to add to what Wayne's said, there's a few things which spring to mind. As you know the North East has its fair share of racer lofts, often with gaudy stripes painted across them. Sometimes they're in back gardens, but they can be found in allotments also. However, where I live, the neighbours and the local council would go apeshit if something like that was erected. I've tried not to upset the neighbours and have just used adapted garden sheds for all my lofts. It means that if I move, they can easily be switched back from lofts to sheds. I also find it a doddle to stick a shed up, once the base is prepared. With the shed in place, I remove the windows and replace the openings with half inch mesh. This gives all the ventilation needed and even in the depths of winter I don't close the windows up. Because sunlight is so important, I build a cage on one of the window openings on each shed, where the birds can hang out and occasionally I'll stick a bath in there.
Because I, like many in the UK, prefer open door trapping, the other advantage of sheds is that there's little you have to change once they're erected. The open door method imposes a discipline, as you have to be there to get your birds back in. As Wayne says, if there's any which don't trap, they stay out.
I've used banks of four racing pigeon nest boxes, which are a nice size, but pricey. I have breeders in one 8' x 6' shed and one kit of rollers in a 7' x 5' shed. Another kit is in an adapted bicycle shed.
You may have hit the nail on the head about wanting to make changes later if you design something purpose built. It's not until you've lived with your original plan that you find whether it suits or not. I can honestly say that had I gone ahead with what I was originally going to build a couple of years ago, I would have been tearing my hair out by now. As it happened, I wanted to get cracking, so instead I put various sheds up and I've had no cause to change the setup yet.
I also agree with Wayne about the sloping roof. I like to do a quick head count of the birds before trapping them in and if they're sitting on a slope which you can't see, it's a pain. So, if the slope faces you, it's easy to see if any are missing.
Just some thoughts.
Shaun
|
Santandercol
1172 posts
Jun 14, 2007
10:12 PM
|
Lee,
One thing I'd like to add is I had plywood nestboxes and foung them hard to keep clean.Went to wire breeding pens.Much easier to clean.
----------
Kelly
|
CHANTICLEER
11 posts
Jun 15, 2007
3:59 PM
|
well fellas ,
some great advice there ............ things are starting to become a little clearer in my head ........... iam a joiner by trade , so the loft wont be a problem , its the planning that causing me a few worries ,
i have a piece of land that runs at the bottom of my home garden , basically i can keep what i want with no problems what so ever
i was thinking about keeping 6 to 8 pair in each of the stock flights ..... too many for a 10 x 4 section ?
.... i was also thinking of making a landing board at the front of the section in front of the windows with a smaller door which can be flapped down allowing a wire cage to be hung on the front allowing me to put in a bath for the stock birds without drenching the loft floor , also allowing them to catch the sun .
PLEASE KEEP THE ADVICE COMING !!
Any chance of you lads putting up a few photos of your lofts
all the best
LEE
----------
IN THE LAND OF THE BLIND
THE ONE EYED MAN IS KING !!
|
Electric-man
334 posts
Jun 15, 2007
9:20 PM
|
Paul, (fightfire) has a nice one you ought to see before you build! Scott, (motherload lofts) has a nice set up also! Two off the top of my head you ought to look at before you build! Maybe they will pull their pictures forward for you or you might look back in the archives and find them yourselves, cant remember their headings to look under, but their back there! Do a little research before you build and you'll be better off for it. Wished I would of anyways! There are other nice ones but these stuck in my head for practicality purposes! Good luck!
Who the hell is the one eyed man, if you don't mind! LOL
Val
|
Shaun
494 posts
Jun 16, 2007
12:20 AM
|
Lee, for your breeders, space is largely determined by whether you'll have the pairs locked up most of the time in nestboxes/cages or whatever, or you'll have an open loft setup. This is where many of the design issues lie which can cause a rethink somewhere down the line. There are pros and cons to having an open loft versus penned up breeders, so you need to have considered which you're going for - and then you might change your mind later!
For the kit birds, bear in mind that most in the US use traps rather than open doors, to get their birds in. So, if you're looking at US setups, you'll usually see different to what you'll find in the UK. Again, you have to weigh up the pros and cons of each and build accordingly.
The common consensus in terms of your kit birds is that you should easily be able to reach them. This in itself gives an indication as to the dimensions - so how long are your arms!
Having said that, I have kit birds in one particular shed, whereby I walk in and quickly grab them if I have to.
There's always lots of discussion as to whether birds should have limited space and even darkness. However, I've not noticed an iota of difference in performance or behaviour between kit birds in a typical kit box and those in a shed or suchlike, where they have more space. The theory is that - assuming you're keeping cock and hen kit birds together, they're more likely to pair up if they're given more space, and also waste valuable energy which fornication inevitably brings. However, if anything, I've found more eggs on the floor where the birds have been in the more confined space, so out went that theory for me.
I've found that despite having open mesh windows, lots of rainwater on the floor is quite rare. The roof overhang shields a lot of the rain and the wire cages have a covering. Ideally, you want a system whereby you can quickly pull a shutter over the windows when the rain is driving in, or there's day after day of it. It's true to say that a damp loft spells disaster, but I've found that the odd rain shower isn't the problem - it's more likely to be leakage, or direct contact with the ground, which allows damp to permeate through the wood.
Draughts can be a big health problem, where you have shafts of cold air playing on birds. Time after time, I've heard about guys who've tried to make their lofts warm and cosy, but have had more health problems than with the elements blowing through. If you keep the temperature difference pretty even between inside and out, via lots of ventilation, then you shouldn't have draughts.
As a joiner you might also like to consider hanging kit boxes. You walk into your main loft and have your kit boxes hanging from the wall or ceiling. As they only tend to be about 3 to 4 feet cubed, they're not that heavy and can be removed for cleaning. It means the birds exit and trap through the main loft doors and are often fed in a corridor on the floor, before being allowed back into their particular kit box. This is what I would do if I were to start again, mainly for my shelter and to store food and gear - but also because the birds can easily be observed in their kit boxes, because rather than hard fronts you would have dowelling or suchlike.
Shaun
|
CHANTICLEER
12 posts
Jun 16, 2007
3:07 PM
|
THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO WRITE FELLAS !!!
its slowly sinking in , and iam building up a mental picture of the loft and its various features , i will be making the loft and all its various componants sectional so if it was the wrong set up for me i could re- jig it without too much fuss .......... the loft if too small for my future needs wouldnt be too much of a problem as i have space for kit boxes american style as well ......... though the idea of the moveable kit boxes Shaun is an interesting one
Iam surrounded by some excellent racing pigeon men who i consider good friends , when i saw the lofts the first thing i asked about was the standard measurement for the sections and was told it was the loft owners arms outstretched , might not be too much of a problem for me as the better half always says i have arms like a gorilla ... LOL ,
i totally agree about the air flow in lofts etc ...... my own expoeriences with birds has proven to me respiritory trouble with mg - crd is caused to spread quickly in stale aired buildings ,.... a workmate of mine built a brand new loft about 12 yrs ago , previous to this he had been topping the local racing club regular , however once the birds were moved into the new beautiful loft his winning ways stopped ..... till he got the airflow right , once new vents were fitted the birds picked right back up again .
by the way ....... my signature at the bottom ........ is an old saying , refering to the fact that " knowledge is power "
ALL THE BEST
Lee n / east england
----------
IN THE LAND OF THE BLIND
THE ONE EYED MAN IS KING !!
|
kopetsa
771 posts
Jun 01, 2008
4:11 PM
|
lmao santandercol.. that first comment of yours.. hahaha
----------
Andrew
|
WaTtS UpP
909 posts
Jun 01, 2008
6:47 PM
|
cool lofts
----------
Watts uppp homeboy
|
Post a Message
|
|
|
