hi, new member....

I also have sand flooring, rake it everyday, no major probs at al.

is it sharp sand/ river sand ?

I did throw riversand in the loft, it reduce the dust when raking.

do you find sand/deep litter is dusty ?

it is a bit dusty but doesnt seem to bother them

when ive cleaned out you can see the whitener floating about in the air when the sun shines on it....always wonder about the birds breathing it in.

david youll never have a dust free loft even on bare floors when scraping out you get dust

No dust during cleaning, and one could know the loft is too wet, or too much dampness, better to have a bone dry loft, at all times.

yes, i agree....the loft has to be bone dry as i think damp helps desease breed/spread...

When i used deep litter it was sand and cat litter and about 6 inches thick and riddled out once a week

Ian when i was racing i made my dad change the deep litter to bare floors which were carried out twice aday morning and night

But must say have not got any pigeons due to work and family commitments

do you think you will start again don, have you a garden or somewhere you could build a loft ?

Yes will start again when i have the time to do so

Currently have a large garden 90ft by 36ft and a sun trap and perfect but have the house up for sale to move to a better area

Must say when i have the time and can put the correct time and effort in to my pigeons then i will start again

hope you do don, would like to see you back into it....where we are is nice and quiet but the area has started going down the nick in my view (due to certain reasons )
although i wouldnt want to move as pigeons might not be everyones cup of tea living next door to them...we have no houses more or less all round where we are as we are in the bottom of a culdisac which has open land at the back of my house. the only problem is that the hawks seem to be round near my loft more than a fancier who is further into the estate....

Just try your best to deter the hawks

when they are out im always watching out for them, tommorrow is bath day and its a nightmare looking out for them...

I can imagine eyes in the back of your head

i know, yes....i have a raised area where i put the bath as before when i used to put it in the loft the floor got soaking.....

You could use an aviary if you had one fitted to your loft and all the water would only soak the floor area in the aviary

im wanting to build an aviary onto the front of my stock shed this year, then i can put the bath in for them and they can also come out and get some fresh air and sun on them....

They will be better pigeons for it David

Must say the pictures you have of your pigeons on the site the condition is fantastic they look well

my stock birds have been in the loft for a year since i bought them, so i could do with building it as soon as possible for them....ive had trouble with eggs not hatching this year and not only in the cold weather, do you think not having enough sunlight and fresh air could be something to do with it ?

No sun in the loft no warmth for the pigeons and the colder the loft can be

yes david you need heat and light to get them in condition so its a bit factor

so do you thinkk its maybe the reason why i had quite a few eggs not hatching, as they need fresh air and sun on them....when i have my other birds out exercising i open the stock sheds door to give them some fresh air...