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       #Post#: 6755--------------------------------------------------
       Loft Aviary
   DIR By: Siddiqir
       Date: May 3, 2011, 8:51 pm
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       Hello Guys, just wondering if open aviary loft work best or
       aviary/cage for each individual pair. It would be really
       interesting if you guys can share pics of your breeding loft
       aviary. I always have open loft aviary. My new loft is a shed
       and I am planning to build individual breeding cages for each
       pair to get sun and fresh air. Please share your setup breeding
       loft setup/pics.
       #Post#: 6761--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Loft Aviary
   DIR By: Joe Asaro
       Date: May 3, 2011, 9:37 pm
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       That's the way  to go individual cages.Takes the ? out of it. Is
       it really out of that cock? ??? Joe
       #Post#: 6763--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Loft Aviary
   DIR By: WhiteWing
       Date: May 3, 2011, 10:13 pm
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       Open loft aviary is the only way I can get my birds to breed.  I
       tried 2'x2' breeding cages but the birds refused to take care of
       their eggs.  I guess it's whatever you AND your birds like.
       #Post#: 6769--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Loft Aviary
   DIR By: Joe Asaro
       Date: May 4, 2011, 8:54 am
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       white wing.....try 30 or 36" by 20 and keep 2 nest bowls in the
       back corners. 8) Joe
       #Post#: 6775--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Loft Aviary
   DIR By: Fhtfire
       Date: May 4, 2011, 11:26 am
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       Its basically whatever works best for you. I tried the
       individual cages and the birds were not happy...and it really
       was a chore for feeding etc. I switched to an open loft set up
       in 04 and have never looked back.
       I feel that letting pigeons be pigeons is the best. Happy
       pigeons are healthy pigeons. The ease of feeding is SOOOOOO much
       better.
       As far as the question about who the cock is etc. Well...I look
       at it like this. Do I really care if one of my good cocks may or
       may not have jumped another hen.  Look at it like this....you
       pick the best birds or birds for stock. You then mate on a hunch
       or educated guess. Regardless of who the bird came from you are
       going to try and different hens...or different cocks to see if
       the bird can produce. So lets say that you have a bird that you
       know for sure was out of XYZ pair....you put that bird in the
       stock loft....you breed to different animals...it hits on 3 of 4
       birds you pit it on.....so you keep it in the stock loft.
       Now....use the same way of thinking and testing with an unsure
       who the bird came from bird....it too hits on 3 of 4 you put it
       on. Does it really matter who the bird came from...if it hits in
       the stock loft it hits plain and simple.
       I have spent MANY MANY hours in the stock loft watching
       pigeons.....I have noticed with rollers they just dont seem to
       jump other hens as more aggressive birds do.  We usually pick
       cocks that are not really cocky right.....if the bird is
       slapping wings in the air.....chasing hens instead of trapping
       etc.....we usually remove that cock from the team. So we usually
       stock cocks that are mellow or not as aggressive.....cock s that
       are not as aggressive and more passive are not running every hen
       in  the loft.  Now other breeds that I have raised in the
       past....racing homers etc....man they try and mount everything.
       What I am saying is that based on what we look for in our
       birds....usually keep the passive mellow cock birds and jumping
       hens does not happen as much as we think it does.  I have yet to
       see a cock jump another hen in my stock loft since I have had
       rollers...and I have spent many many hours...although I am sure
       that it may happen. I notice kit birds do it more but they are
       not really mated or have a claim to a box etc.
       Now if we were a registered type of breed where the pedigree was
       worth something then AOK...but to be honest I can make you up
       whatever ped you want...LOL.....get my point....To me breeding
       individually is a waste of time with no governing organization
       verifying the sire and dam.  We breed the best and forget the
       rest and where the bird comes from should not make a difference
       if it came from your own stock loft.  It does make you feel warm
       and fuzzy......but the fact is most of us shotgun blast a new
       stock bird anyway...we try the bird on may different hens
       anyway. So does it really matter....
       Rock and ROLL
       Paul
       #Post#: 6776--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Loft Aviary
   DIR By: Fhtfire
       Date: May 4, 2011, 11:32 am
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       Individual cages to me remind me of jail cells and I have yet to
       see anybody happy being locked up in a jail cell...LOL..
       As far as an aviary....I do not use one and never will again.
       BOP flock to aviaries.....thats like putting up a big neon sign
       with arrows pointing to you loft "EAT AT JOES"  LOL.  I made my
       loft so that nothing can see inside the loft if I decide to
       close up the doors.  Although Aviaries are nice..to me keeping
       the dinner out of sight to the BOP outweighs the use of an
       aviary.
       I professor at UCD who is at the California Raptor Center told
       me.....if you build it they will come...meaning...if you put the
       birds out in the open the BOP will post and stare at those birds
       every single day until they get hungry and are forced to leave
       and hunt...if they capture ONE bird from you loft and see the
       birds in the aviary the BOP will never leave. Out of sight out
       of mind so to speak.
       rock and ROLL
       Paul
       My hawk problem has dropped 10 fold since I can now close up the
       loft.
       #Post#: 6777--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Loft Aviary
   DIR By: Cliff Ball
       Date: May 4, 2011, 2:31 pm
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       Paul,
       
       My philosophy exactly! The only time I see the need for an
       individual breeding pen (I have four) is when I want to put a
       cock on another hen and he wants to keep going back to his old
       mate, who has since been paired to a new cock.
       
       By the way, I am very pleased to hear you announce, "Now if we
       were a registered type of breed where the pedigree was worth
       something then AOK...but to be honest I can make you up whatever
       ped you want...LOL...."
       
       I've been preaching that along different lines all along! LOL!
       
       Cliff
       #Post#: 6784--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Loft Aviary
   DIR By: wannaroll
       Date: May 5, 2011, 9:26 am
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       I use 8 individuals only to pair up birds, after they have laid
       their eggs I open their door so they can be pigeons in my open
       loft. Sometimes after they have their first round they will move
       to an empty box outside of the individual cages.
       #Post#: 6786--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Loft Aviary
   DIR By: maxspin
       Date: May 5, 2011, 12:36 pm
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       I agree with Paul on the (NO AVIARY). I do not have a bad
       cooper hawk problem even with trees in the area. My breeder
       lofts are open. I have (2) six box open breeder sections. Each
       section has a corrugated clear skylight to let daylight in. They
       are built with a huge amount of ventilation in them. Each
       section is 6' wide x 6' deep x 6'6" high. The roof has a steep
       pitch making it 3' high at the center and is 10' across. This
       gives me a 4' covered walk in front. The ceiling of the breeder
       section and the walkway are all covered with chicken wire (open)
       giving non-draft ventilation. The peak of the roof also has a 1
       1/2" vent build into it so that air will go out the top.
       Even when dirty I can hardly smell pigeon when in the loft.
       Keith
       #Post#: 6816--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Loft Aviary
   DIR By: Jay Knepp
       Date: May 7, 2011, 6:55 am
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       If you breed in an open loft how can you be sure a bird is what
       the pedigree says it is.....personally I want to be 100%
       sure.....not 80% sure but 100% sure....   Twenty years down the
       road I want to be able to say that these birds lineage is 100%
       exact what the pedigree shows them to be....Don't be mistaken I
       am not a pedigree breeder...but when I see a bird in the kit
       that is good enough to test in the broodloft I want to be
       absolutely sure that I know where the goods are coming
       from.......Now some of you are saying that if you have a tight
       bred family it does not matter if they jump mates.....well to me
       it does and that is why I chose to breed individually.
       I did not post this to get at anyone nor to be critical but I
       have been around registered  livestock all my life and my Dad
       always taught me how important it is to be sure of every
       mating......he always said that one illegitimate mating will
       compromise your whole stud ......I guess I am like my Dad
       because I am drilling that into my sons also.
       Jay
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