Our lofts have gone through many changes over the years, as I am sure most of the fanciers reading this will agree is part of the fun of our hobby. We are always looking to improve conditions for our pigeons. The most dramatic change in our lofts was made 2 years ago when we gutted out all the partitions and nest boxes in our breeding lofts leaving a clearspan 18' x 44' open space. We then built and installed 27 individual walk-in breeding pens that are 3' wide by 5' deep by 7' high. There is one shelf in each pen with a second story for the next round.

As you can see from the photos we used a lot of plastic lattice instead of wire or plywood. This creates a light and airy atmosphere throughout the breeding loft. The water dishes are placed on a shelf in the hallway. We installed heat pads under each glass dish the same way you would put heat in your floor. The pads were custom made to fit our shelves and are controlled by thermostat. Since these photos and water from the hallways without disturbing the birds 
to access the food and grit and eliminate spillage.

We have an air cleaner going 24/7. It has a removable filter that we change every 2-3 days, a built in filter that we change every 6 months and an ultra violet bulb that kills spores and mold etc. and gets replaced once a year. There are 2 large whisper fans in the ceiling and plenty of windows. This system works out well for the birds and it is great for me and Edgar as well.

As you look at the photo of our property the loft in the foreground on the left is our new young bird racing loft. We demolished our old loft that was 25 years old and purchased a prebuilt 10' x 24' building with a vented apex roof built to our specifications as far as the placement of the doors and windows. We had to finished it ourselves for pigeons. It was delivered and placed on our footings, the rest was up to us. We added 3 more Jalousie windows to the 6 it came with. 2 house attic fans were installed as well as a gable fan all working on a thermostat.

The loft walls and floors were insulated and covered with plywood. The floors had heat pads to fit out sections installed under the plywood. These operate via thermostats. The layout is a basic 4-6' sections with back hallway the length of the building, with doors on both ends. The floors have wooden grates 4" above the heated floor. The perches are the slanted type with a shelf at the bottom for easy cleaning. In addition to the stall trap, 2 windows and doorway to the aviary, the front wall also has a cove wall heater which also works on thermostat. This helps on those chilly nights in early Spring and Fall to keep an even temperature in the loft to maintain form.

You are probably aware by now of the California Trap setup for the landing board. It has a slanted door setup on the landing board so when opened it is a landing board and when closed it is an aviary. The doors wither swing up or down. We used this setup for years and always thought that the front had to be slanted so the birds would have access to the landing board. After seeing John Sampson's setup with a square front not slanted we developed "The New Jersey Trap". Over top a 24' x 32" landing board we put slanted Plexiglas roof so if a bird tried to land there it would slide down and soon gives up that idea. The landing board is divided into four 6' sections to match the inside sections. They are separated by Plexiglas pullout panels so we can let the birds have access to a 6'-12'-18' or 24' landing board. The front door to each 6' landing board section is made from plastic coated 1/4" wire framed an to open, you simply slide them up a track under the Plexiglas roof. Guess What? The birds land just fine with the square front and the bad weather doesn't hit the loft wall and trap as it does on a slanted door setup. We like it so much that we are going to do the same with our Old Bird Racing Loft as well.

So there it is, "The New Jersey Trap". Look at the photos and you will understand how this system works.

The building sitting alone on the right side of our property with the deck in front of it is our office and storage space. We had this 6' x 16' building built to our specs and delivered and placed on our footings. We have a sink and refrigerator in there and it is completely shelved. After we disinfect and wash our nest bowls, extra drinkers and feeders they are stored here until next season. I always wanted a place away from the pigeons for the equipment and supplies. We also do feed mixing, stool sample exams, shipping of birds etc. from here. The deck has a picnic table for sitting and relaxing either waiting for training or race arrivals or just sitting around talking with friends.

I hope this segment of our web site will give you an idea or two that will help you in your own loft management.