Section size for young birds?

[PeteDerby]

Hi all. I’m being told by some that young bird losses are particularly high these days and that I should aim to start out with 30-odd youngsters or more. Whether that’s a commonly held view or not I don’t know, but it’s got me thinking about the layout for my new loft.

I was originally intending to have 5 x 6ft sections (Loft 8ft deep inc a 2ft corridor) - cocks / hens / YB + 2 sections for stock birds so I can split cocks and hens out of breeding system. I’m now wondering if I should have a bigger YB section for c30 birds?

I’ve scanned previous threads for the subject but couldn’t find anything specifically about loft sizes for young birds. Any thoughts?

Cheers

Pete

[Murray]

Hi Pete,
Your 6x5 is probably adequate for 30 youngsters. By the time you get them to the races you will have lost 10% of them that were not good enough, everyone does. Then unless you are very lucky you will lose a few to predators, wire strikes etc. So your 6x5 section will be plenty.
If you feel they are a bit crowded, you could always open the door into the corridor so they have 8x5 to live in, and you could move them back into the section when you want to handle them,
It's only my opinion, but I prefer two smaller sections with a dividing wall and a doorway in between. That way if you get young cocks that are harassing other pigeons they can go and find a perch on the other side. The bully cannot be in two places at once. Or if the hens are getting no peace you can just shut the cocks in one side.
Best of luck with your project, looking forward to seeing it develop.

[NeilA]

I have a 6x6 for 35 birds I find once I’m down to 27/28 I hardly lose any so that may be the ideal number or I just lose the daft ones , I don’t know
I have another little shed 8x4 it’s for my hens but I use it for ybs currently
I find this ideal as the ybs are close to me they are instantly tame they never move off the perch while I’m in the shed

[NeilA]

Hi all. I’m being told by some that young bird losses are particularly high these days and that I should aim to start out with 30-odd youngsters or more. Whether that’s a commonly held view or not I don’t know, but it’s got me thinking about the layout for my new loft.

I was originally intending to have 5 x 6ft sections (Loft 8ft deep inc a 2ft corridor) - cocks / hens / YB + 2 sections for stock birds so I can split cocks and hens out of breeding system. I’m now wondering if I should have a bigger YB section for c30 birds?

I’ve scanned previous threads for the subject but couldn’t find anything specifically about loft sizes for young birds. Any thoughts?

Cheers

Pete

If I was building a new loft say 18 foot by
I would think about a yb section one end a hen section the other with 2 cocks sections in the middle
I wouldn’t have a corridor the full length I would have just infront of the cocks
So my 2 end sections were 8x4 each my middle two 5x5 making use of the depth each end so two narrow section either end there be more tame plus your hens are more confined
I would also have a walk in aviary all along the front say 3 foot wide with one trap so from birth all birds use that trap then get moved to there section
Plus ideal to bath the birds in safety

[Trev]

That sounds plenty big enough to me Pete, you don't need loads of room for youngsters or they can become wild and uncontrollable. Are you having averies on the front of your loft ?? One of our members does just as Murray suggests and let's his youngsters have the corridor as well during the day so that they have access to the aviary as well.
As for needing to breed 30 youngsters each year !! That's a bit of an emotive one and open to opinion, I know plenty of fanciers who still only breed 20 or less each year and do well with you them, you just need to be extremely selective as to what you breed from.
All the very best.

[NeilA]

Agree Trev
You can never tell what you need or what’s going to happen

This year I had more than I ever have 54
Weaned I still have 42 after 3 races
2 I moved on so 10 lost off the loft/ training etc but I have found it hard work if I’m honest having that many and not really what I like as a hobby
4 years ago I bred 27 one Sunday evening before I started training I lost 9 in one hit off the loft

Another year I had 32 ybs and 3 return from training with broken wings 2 smashed up and never saw 5 ever again I guess from pylons
But that was 10 down in one day

[PeteDerby]

Hi all. I’m being told by some that young bird losses are particularly high these days and that I should aim to start out with 30-odd youngsters or more. Whether that’s a commonly held view or not I don’t know, but it’s got me thinking about the layout for my new loft.

I was originally intending to have 5 x 6ft sections (Loft 8ft deep inc a 2ft corridor) - cocks / hens / YB + 2 sections for stock birds so I can split cocks and hens out of breeding system. I’m now wondering if I should have a bigger YB section for c30 birds?

I’ve scanned previous threads for the subject but couldn’t find anything specifically about loft sizes for young birds. Any thoughts?

Cheers

Pete

Gents, once again thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts. I’ve got the builder coming down on Tuesday to start the base for the loft, then up to see Matt at Ecco to finalise the loft design. Once the weather turns I’m stuffed for access where my loft is going so I’m having to make a lot of decisions in a relatively short space of time.

My design has gone from 3-section 18ft to 5 section 30ft, with me wondering whether I should put base down at 36ft just in case I need to make the YB section bigger.

Trev, I’m going for 5 (6?) 5 ft x 4ft Universal aluminium traps / aviaries on the front. For the difference in cost I might go for 10ft rather than 8ft depth, so get so more air space that way, plus use the corridors as suggested.

A lot of info to take in at once but, again, thanks everyone for your suggestions.

[PeteDerby]

Hi Pete,
Your 6x5 is probably adequate for 30 youngsters. By the time you get them to the races you will have lost 10% of them that were not good enough, everyone does. Then unless you are very lucky you will lose a few to predators, wire strikes etc. So your 6x5 section will be plenty.
If you feel they are a bit crowded, you could always open the door into the corridor so they have 8x5 to live in, and you could move them back into the section when you want to handle them,
It's only my opinion, but I prefer two smaller sections with a dividing wall and a doorway in between. That way if you get young cocks that are harassing other pigeons they can go and find a perch on the other side. The bully cannot be in two places at once. Or if the hens are getting no peace you can just shut the cocks in one side.
Best of luck with your project, looking forward to seeing it develop.

Hi Murray, again good thoughts. With the dividers in between the sections, not particularly for young birds, but are solid or dowelled dividers best? I’m particularly thinking air flow versus cocks seeing hens

[king]

Hi Pete,
Your 6x5 is probably adequate for 30 youngsters. By the time you get them to the races you will have lost 10% of them that were not good enough, everyone does. Then unless you are very lucky you will lose a few to predators, wire strikes etc. So your 6x5 section will be plenty.
If you feel they are a bit crowded, you could always open the door into the corridor so they have 8x5 to live in, and you could move them back into the section when you want to handle them,
It's only my opinion, but I prefer two smaller sections with a dividing wall and a doorway in between. That way if you get young cocks that are harassing other pigeons they can go and find a perch on the other side. The bully cannot be in two places at once. Or if the hens are getting no peace you can just shut the cocks in one side.
Best of luck with your project, looking forward to seeing it develop.

Hi Murray, again good thoughts. With the dividers in between the sections, not particularly for young birds, but are solid or dowelled dividers best? I’m particularly thinking air flow versus cocks seeing hens

Dividers in a YB loft are very useful. They can help keep the birds settled. Dowelled ones are best as they keep both the light and air flow. A smaller section is also easier to catch birds in. Solid dividers should be used if dividing cocks & hens.

[Murray]

True that.