Pigeon Loft Ventilation


If you are involved in pigeon racing, proper loft ventilation is crucial to keeping your pigeons healthy and in good shape. While ventilation may seem like a minor detail in the big scheme of things, not taking it seriously can result in your pigeons getting very sick. Fortunately, once you understand how loft ventilation works, it won’t be difficult for you to take care of it.

How Does Pigeon Loft Ventilation Work?

A common mistake is assuming that you can just open one side of your loft and create the ventilation that you need. In reality, this approach would create an undesirable draft. While ventilating this space is very important, it’s also necessary to ensure that your birds aren't overly exposed to the elements or put in a position where they are going to constantly get wet. In order for a pigeon loft to be properly ventilated, it needs to accomplish two primary goals. The first is allowing the carbon dioxide exhaled by pigeons to leave the loft area.

As carbon dioxide is let out of the loft, clean air that consists of fresh oxygen needs to be pulled into this space. The other primary objective that needs to be met is preventing ammonia from accumulating in the air. Pigeon droppings are the main source of ammonia in a loft. Because an accumulation of ammonia can significantly lower the quality of air in a pigeon loft, it needs to be expelled. By meeting both of these goals and keeping the quality of air in your loft high, you will be able to ensure that your pigeons stay healthy and able to perform at their peak.

What’s the Best Way to Ventilate a Pigeon Loft?

The main factors that play a role in pigeon loft ventilation are:

  • Positive pressure
    • Negative pressure
    • Inlets
    • Outlets

Positive pressure pushes against the top of a loft, while negative pressure is pushed away from it. An inlet is what will allow fresh air to enter a loft, while an outlet will make it possible for hot air to flow out of the loft. By creating inlets that are approximately 1.5 inches in size and an outlet of comparable size, you will be able to create a consistent flow of air within your loft.

Is Pigeon Loft Ventilation Expensive?

While ventilating your pigeon lofts is important and will have multiple positive effects, what’s even better is it doesn’t cost much money to make this improvement. Instead of needing to buy any equipment, all that needs to be done is adding inlets to each side of the loft, as well as an outlet on top of it. You can also decide if you want to add windows to your loft. But just keep in mind that while windows can be beneficial in terms of letting light into this space, their primary role isn’t related to ventilation. In fact, if you decide to add windows, you will want to make sure that you’re able to close them when the weather gets bad.

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