Maybe using a triangle scraper to pull towards you would make scraping allot faster. Clean the floor with a large scraper with a long handle so you won't have to crouch all the time. Pick the pile of droppings up with a dust pan and brush.
Small bucket & put a pedal bin liner in,long handle scraper 10 min job to scrape out loft.Have you chose a loft supplier as yet to get your order in?Good to get some plastic grills for your boxes maybe Blackpool show.Good viewing👍🍻
Cleaning your loft is one of the best parts. The birds watch you like a hawk know your movements they start to trust you . moving about in the loft. Just new to pigeon world and started my own wee channel. I have tumblers
Cleaning the perches and the floor is part of the sport. It's part of the package, ahah. Best of luck pairing up and breeding. I'm going to start mine 2nd week of December.
I have a few bird baths in front of my loft so birds can clean up this helps cut the dust down allot you'll see a white scale on top of the bath water that's the silicone from the feathers!.
Your right mate , timber is very expensive now . If the loft is right for you get it ready made . Give yourself plenty space so you can manage your stock and not overcrowd . Happy birds less stress .
Sorry to hear Charlie is no longer actively racing. I always had my rectangular stainless steel drinkers on the outside of the loft with a triangular cover to protect them. Dowels in the wall for the birds to access the drinkers, as they do in a basket. No wet spots in the loft. Probably too cold in UK to do that. I was looking forward to seeing the new 'you beaut' ready made loft, but if you are intending to keep a similar number as this year, why not just replicate what you have. Although you will have 12 pairs you might only breed from the better 6 pairs and use the other 6 pairs as first round fosters for the better pairs.
Definitely my thoughts atm. There a quite a few things I'd do differently if building another loft. I'm also considering breeding off the better performing birds but as they only raced up to 120 miles I don't think I've given them the best chance to prove themselves just yet. Plus I'm interested to see if a poor performing bird is capable of breeding a good bird. The basket and spreadsheet will give the result, but it's a long term experiment with so many variables. It'll be fun to see the outcome.
We put a large screw in the top of the drinkers to stop them perching on it, drill a small hole first or it might crack 🙈 Another time saver is to put 2 strips of wood underneath each end of the avory to create a runner and slide in a piece of plywood from the front....this will catch the droppings stopping them going on the floor.....less bending down and don't need to do it often 😉 We also put simple grills on the box perches....two pieces of 1"×1" on both sides with a wire on top....simply remove from the box perch every week and scrape. Also a floor scraper with a long handle is a great time saver and is good for your back. I can see you are a busy man but these will save you time in the long run....also good for the birds health and yours. Birds look great, I'm sure pairing best to best using your spreadsheet will pay dividends with both the off spring and cutting down the chance of the loosing their partner at a race. Hope these wee tips help 👍
The screws are in. I put them in after filming and seems to have worked as of this morning. I like the idea of catching the droppings on trays too. All work in progress 👍
Nice one Dan keep at it you don’t need a massive loft. Just another same as you’ve got will give you 4 sections. That’s plenty for now. Keep up the good work mate.👍
love the idea to experiment and pair best to best and worst to worst to see how the offspring compare. hope you try it and i’m subscribed and will be watching!
Well that's a first for me, I've never seen some one in a loft with a shovel, I did get a laugh from that sorry Dan 😁😁😂😂. Try a little bucket and just scrape from the perches and box's straight into it, as for the floor, just pile it like you did and use you're hand and the scraper to load the bucket 😁😂, failing that the scraper and the wall you scraped it against. So the birds don't have to stand in there own sh*+ , if u put a block of wood, just off cuts say, about (2in high 2in square, they will be happier. Seems to be a nightmare buying wood these days, like everything just gone so dam expensive. I'm really looking forward to you seen the lofts at the Doncaster and Blackpool shows, they will give you a serious buzz,
Ah yes, the wooden block. I'll do that now. I'm sticking with the shovel though, it works just fine. I did look at Ecco lofts at the Doncaster show but the guy wasn't very keen to have the inside filmed for some reason so I don't really have anything to show people.
Like watching you on TH-cam hopefully get myself a loft soon but like you said expensive thinking about one loft to start with, not to big then getting one later like you are doing and hope to get some young birds but not expensive ones
just because a young bird never came in the running in the races ... old bird races using the same birds may come up with a surprise all depends on how you motivate them ..
I've only had pigeons for three months. But I installed a 4 foot 40 amp grow light and run it for 12 hrs. a day. I think the birds like it. I have card board on the floor covered with wheat straw. I'm not going to do any cleaning till spring. I don't see how it matters, wild birds live on their own crap. I'm thinking it probably enhances the immune system of the bird.
I had thought about this but then I came to the conclusion that mortality in wild/feral pigeons is much higher than well looked after domestic birds. I certainly think exposure to small amounts of bacteria, viruses etc is good to prime the immune systems, but with zero cleaning you run the risk of higher concentrations of parasites becoming established in the loft, worms, mites and lice plus the obvious pathogens so ubiquitous in feral pigeon colonies. Although, if your birds are fit, healthy and kept away from wild birds you might expect the loft to remain clear of germs, but then you always read that the above are always present in small quantities, just waiting for the opportunity to multiply. I don't know which is best. Those are just my thoughts and I'm sure someone more qualified or experienced than me will put me right. Time constraints are probably what dictate loft management more than most things these days anyway. Hope you've enjoyed your first few months 👍
With lights on they lay quicker (10 days+) then with no lights. Fertility is the same. No need to fly the birds in winter, just creates more situations in witch you can lose them or get injured.
Yes I should have said speeds up fertility. I like to fly them at least once a week. Especially the hens as they don't have an aviary as yet. I found out yesterday that we are actually allowed to fly them for an hour a day but the sparrowhawks will soon discover that so weekly suits me fine 👍
@@howtotrainyourpigeon I did that i my first year as well. Stopped when I lost a very good pigeon. This year I just let them in theyre section and I had very good racing results. Here in West-Flanders most of us don't let the pigeons out after the season. But each theyre own system 😉
I've noticed you aren't wearing a mask. I am wondering what the dangers are of inhaling the air that comes from cleaning out the loft? Are there serious repercussions over time, health wise? Also, do you ever wash down the loft with a garden hose or such like? Thanks.
Good question. I know some people suffer from 'pigeon lung' which is where they suffer hypersensitivity to antigens shed by birds. My exposure is quite limited in that my loft is small, I don't spend long in there and it's well ventilated. But if I was or did become symptomatic in the future then I would wear a mask. Since ditching the easibed dust has been much lower. If I had a bigger loft I'd be tempted to fit a passive dust extraction system before strapping a mask to my face. Regarding cleaning down. No i wouldn't use a hose but I do have a bottle of cleaner that I use once a week or fortnight on the perches and floor. I'm planning to lightly torch the floor after worming too. With birds safely elsewhere and hose on standby.
@@howtotrainyourpigeon it’s good to find your pigeons pedigree never know when you will need it for your future champion. At the moment I breed my favourite childhood pigeons( Galati Rollers) I want to start racing as well so at the moment looking for good bloodline.
@@romanianpigeonfancierukass9416 I think it's common for gifted birds to arrive without pedigrees, just so you're not tempted to sell them on for a chunk of cash if you decide to quit. That being said, Charlie would tell me if he cared much about the specific lines (he's more interested in how each individual performs for him) and Dave has given me some info as he's more into keeping up to date with top lines. I got some pedigree from the birds Mitchell bros gave me from Maid Marion Lofts and some Herman Cuesters (I think) from Colin's awesome looking birds in Edwinstowe. All came from top fliers and good guys.
You been doing very good ...tell me ,my bird are flying all over the show they are not flying ass a pack ...what am i doing wrong..but i let them out 1 by1 cause are not home at my loft....please help
been their done this bird flue and keeping them in and no racing ,,,it wont be long before you give them up ,its not worth the trouble in the end, enjoy it while you can .what will finish you is getting paramyxo , you will get it never mind how much you try not to ,
Maybe using a triangle scraper to pull towards you would make scraping allot faster. Clean the floor with a large scraper with a long handle so you won't have to crouch all the time. Pick the pile of droppings up with a dust pan and brush.
Hello just to let you know that I keep racing pigeons as well from Livingston in Scotland
Watching from Australia
Small bucket & put a pedal bin liner in,long handle scraper 10 min job to scrape out loft.Have you chose a loft supplier as yet to get your order in?Good to get some plastic grills for your boxes maybe Blackpool show.Good viewing👍🍻
It's good to see a new video from you.
Cleaning your loft is one of the best parts. The birds watch you like a hawk know your movements they start to trust you . moving about in the loft. Just new to pigeon world and started my own wee channel. I have tumblers
I loved cleaning the birds out .when I was a kid good to see you back
Cleaning the perches and the floor is part of the sport. It's part of the package, ahah. Best of luck pairing up and breeding. I'm going to start mine 2nd week of December.
I have a few bird baths in front of my loft so birds can clean up this helps cut the dust down allot you'll see a white scale on top of the bath water that's the silicone from the feathers!.
Wtching from Philippines mindanao
Your right mate , timber is very expensive now .
If the loft is right for you get it ready made . Give yourself plenty space so you can manage your stock and not overcrowd . Happy birds less stress .
You can still have your birds out for an hour a day the restrictions only apply to poultry
Ah 🤦♂️ birds out tomorrow then 😂
@@howtotrainyourpigeon Restrictions In wales.... no flying out from the 2nd December until further notice
Andrewyoung you can also let them out for an hour a day in Wales
Your birds are looking vary good
Good
Sorry to hear Charlie is no longer actively racing. I always had my rectangular stainless steel drinkers on the outside of the loft with a triangular cover to protect them. Dowels in the wall for the birds to access the drinkers, as they do in a basket. No wet spots in the loft. Probably too cold in UK to do that. I was looking forward to seeing the new 'you beaut' ready made loft, but if you are intending to keep a similar number as this year, why not just replicate what you have. Although you will have 12 pairs you might only breed from the better 6 pairs and use the other 6 pairs as first round fosters for the better pairs.
Definitely my thoughts atm. There a quite a few things I'd do differently if building another loft. I'm also considering breeding off the better performing birds but as they only raced up to 120 miles I don't think I've given them the best chance to prove themselves just yet. Plus I'm interested to see if a poor performing bird is capable of breeding a good bird. The basket and spreadsheet will give the result, but it's a long term experiment with so many variables. It'll be fun to see the outcome.
We put a large screw in the top of the drinkers to stop them perching on it, drill a small hole first or it might crack 🙈
Another time saver is to put 2 strips of wood underneath each end of the avory to create a runner and slide in a piece of plywood from the front....this will catch the droppings stopping them going on the floor.....less bending down and don't need to do it often 😉
We also put simple grills on the box perches....two pieces of 1"×1" on both sides with a wire on top....simply remove from the box perch every week and scrape.
Also a floor scraper with a long handle is a great time saver and is good for your back.
I can see you are a busy man but these will save you time in the long run....also good for the birds health and yours.
Birds look great, I'm sure pairing best to best using your spreadsheet will pay dividends with both the off spring and cutting down the chance of the loosing their partner at a race.
Hope these wee tips help 👍
The screws are in. I put them in after filming and seems to have worked as of this morning. I like the idea of catching the droppings on trays too. All work in progress 👍
@@howtotrainyourpigeon keeping the wife happy and keeping pigeons .....a tricky balance indeed 🤣
Nice one Dan keep at it you don’t need a massive loft.
Just another same as you’ve got will give you 4 sections.
That’s plenty for now.
Keep up the good work mate.👍
love the idea to experiment and pair best to best and worst to worst to see how the offspring compare. hope you try it and i’m subscribed and will be watching!
Well that's a first for me, I've never seen some one in a loft with a shovel, I did get a laugh from that sorry Dan 😁😁😂😂. Try a little bucket and just scrape from the perches and box's straight into it, as for the floor, just pile it like you did and use you're hand and the scraper to load the bucket 😁😂, failing that the scraper and the wall you scraped it against.
So the birds don't have to stand in there own sh*+ , if u put a block of wood, just off cuts say, about (2in high 2in square, they will be happier.
Seems to be a nightmare buying wood these days, like everything just gone so dam expensive. I'm really looking forward to you seen the lofts at the Doncaster and Blackpool shows, they will give you a serious buzz,
Ah yes, the wooden block. I'll do that now. I'm sticking with the shovel though, it works just fine. I did look at Ecco lofts at the Doncaster show but the guy wasn't very keen to have the inside filmed for some reason so I don't really have anything to show people.
Like watching you on TH-cam hopefully get myself a loft soon but like you said expensive thinking about one loft to start with, not to big then getting one later like you are doing and hope to get some young birds but not expensive ones
just because a young bird never came in the running in the races ... old bird races using the same birds may come up with a surprise all depends on how you motivate them ..
Hi ya , just a warning some bird fanciers can suffer from the silicone dust from the feathers so using a dust mask is a wise thing to do.
Always January for me 👍
I've only had pigeons for three months. But I installed a 4 foot 40 amp grow light and run it for 12 hrs. a day. I think the birds like it. I have card board on the floor covered with wheat straw. I'm not going to do any cleaning till spring. I don't see how it matters, wild birds live on their own crap. I'm thinking it probably enhances the immune system of the bird.
I had thought about this but then I came to the conclusion that mortality in wild/feral pigeons is much higher than well looked after domestic birds. I certainly think exposure to small amounts of bacteria, viruses etc is good to prime the immune systems, but with zero cleaning you run the risk of higher concentrations of parasites becoming established in the loft, worms, mites and lice plus the obvious pathogens so ubiquitous in feral pigeon colonies. Although, if your birds are fit, healthy and kept away from wild birds you might expect the loft to remain clear of germs, but then you always read that the above are always present in small quantities, just waiting for the opportunity to multiply. I don't know which is best. Those are just my thoughts and I'm sure someone more qualified or experienced than me will put me right. Time constraints are probably what dictate loft management more than most things these days anyway. Hope you've enjoyed your first few months 👍
@@howtotrainyourpigeon Your right especially when there is dust.. I'm going to reconsider my my loft cleaning.
Hmmm, sand and lime on the floor…. Will help the welfare of the loft and birds
To stop your birds perching on the top of your drinkers screw a couple of long screws threw the top .. they wont land on it again trust me it works
Done 👍
Try looking second hand for a loft.
I brought mine last month 24x8 corridor 3 section with boxes perches, aviary 2500.
That’s a great idea 👍
Good morning, All the best !
With lights on they lay quicker (10 days+) then with no lights. Fertility is the same.
No need to fly the birds in winter, just creates more situations in witch you can lose them or get injured.
Yes I should have said speeds up fertility. I like to fly them at least once a week. Especially the hens as they don't have an aviary as yet. I found out yesterday that we are actually allowed to fly them for an hour a day but the sparrowhawks will soon discover that so weekly suits me fine 👍
@@howtotrainyourpigeon I did that i my first year as well. Stopped when I lost a very good pigeon. This year I just let them in theyre section and I had very good racing results. Here in West-Flanders most of us don't let the pigeons out after the season.
But each theyre own system 😉
If you put your handle on the wall instead of the door your handle alone will hold the door.
Oh why didn't I think of that? 🤦♂️
Whats the tall bit on the front of the lofts for? on the roof?
To put the birds off landing on the roof when they're trapping 👍
@@howtotrainyourpigeon ahh brilliant cheers
I've noticed you aren't wearing a mask. I am wondering what the dangers are of inhaling the air that comes from cleaning out the loft? Are there serious repercussions over time, health wise? Also, do you ever wash down the loft with a garden hose or such like? Thanks.
Good question. I know some people suffer from 'pigeon lung' which is where they suffer hypersensitivity to antigens shed by birds. My exposure is quite limited in that my loft is small, I don't spend long in there and it's well ventilated. But if I was or did become symptomatic in the future then I would wear a mask. Since ditching the easibed dust has been much lower. If I had a bigger loft I'd be tempted to fit a passive dust extraction system before strapping a mask to my face. Regarding cleaning down. No i wouldn't use a hose but I do have a bottle of cleaner that I use once a week or fortnight on the perches and floor. I'm planning to lightly torch the floor after worming too. With birds safely elsewhere and hose on standby.
I’d use your worst racing pair has a ( floater) pair to your best racing pair…. More youngster !👍
N
🎉
Hi from Luton, what bloodline you have trough your birds?
I've no idea 🤷♂they were gifted. Might find out more in the next video
@@howtotrainyourpigeon it’s good to find your pigeons pedigree never know when you will need it for your future champion. At the moment I breed my favourite childhood pigeons( Galati Rollers) I want to start racing as well so at the moment looking for good bloodline.
@@romanianpigeonfancierukass9416 I think it's common for gifted birds to arrive without pedigrees, just so you're not tempted to sell them on for a chunk of cash if you decide to quit. That being said, Charlie would tell me if he cared much about the specific lines (he's more interested in how each individual performs for him) and Dave has given me some info as he's more into keeping up to date with top lines. I got some pedigree from the birds Mitchell bros gave me from Maid Marion Lofts and some Herman Cuesters (I think) from Colin's awesome looking birds in Edwinstowe. All came from top fliers and good guys.
You been doing very good ...tell me ,my bird are flying all over the show they are not flying ass a pack ...what am i doing wrong..but i let them out 1 by1 cause are not home at my loft....please help
Oh sorry to say, im from South Africa
If they're young birds they wont 'kit' together straight away. It will be several weeks before they fly as a flock.
@@howtotrainyourpigeon thanks..they are young birds and flying with the older ones....so i just need to wait a while?
Should you be wereing a mask while doing that
Disagree… keep scraping… keep educating 🔨
been their done this bird flue and keeping them in and no racing ,,,it wont be long before you give them up ,its not worth the trouble in the end, enjoy it while you can .what will finish you is getting paramyxo , you will get it never mind how much you try not to ,