THE LOFTS AT NOAK HILL
For security reasons, present day photos are not used in this area Photos used are historic and the relevant dates are shown
Throughout the years there have been extensive changes to the pigeon lofts. At the Romford address just outside the London area, the land where the lofts sit is extensive and this has been a huge advantage. We at Planet Lofts extend the use of space so that the birds are never overcrowded. Experience has shown that the biggest problems, with pigeons health, exist through fanciers having too many pigeons in too little space.
Space is a luxury that we all cannot afford, but if you do have it, maximize its potential
The original loft at Noak Hill, was built close to the house, and was only 5 meters in length, however this design has been one that we have used for many years. The design was one that we thought hard and long about. Our original lofts at Dagenham and Chigwell, were of the old English style that incorporated 'The Old Hand method', plenty of ventilation and open front. With the advent of different racing methods, the lofts had to be designed around their intended use. As methods changed then so did the lofts and it became evident that when building a loft it had to adapt to changes very easily.
The ideal loft is one that can be changed and adapted easily, without compromising the environment that the birds are acclimatised to.
 |
As can be seen by the photograph, the main race loft was situated upstairs within the two storey building. Young birds were kept to the right hand side and the widowhood cocks were kept to the left. In all there was 7 sections and a corridor ran the length of the loft. The middle section was a viewing tower and is also where the food etc was stored The downstairs section consisted of 5 breeding sections, all very spacious, with aviaries to the front where the stock birds could enjoy a bath and lay in the sun. The nest boxes were 1000mm x 500mm x 500mm enabling the bird plenty of space to rear their young. Inside the stock lofts the floors were grilled and all lofts were cleaned every day.
In 1982, the continental influence was to come to Noak Hill in the form of a loft built by the Dutch manufacturer 'Buitenhuis'. It had some unique features, such as a rear corridor that had access to all the widowhood nest boxes via sliding doors.
We raced two very distinct race methods with the widowhood cocks, one that involved the use of natural light and one that was based on darkness, therefore the lofts were very different and had to be away from each other. As with the double storey loft, the birds kept in the "dutch" loft, were segregated, widowhood cocks to the left and the young birds to the right.
 |
In 1987 the top race loft was taken down and placed behind the Dutch racing loft in order to provide additional space for the demand of Planet Brothers pigeons. It was replaced with a more spacious loft that again incorporated new designs, more light and electronic controls. Racing by now had ceased and there became a need to house the future stock birds in a controlled environment. The quest to produce outstanding pigeons meant numbers had to be bred in order to get the few really special birds. These were birds that were not destined to be sold and an era of selective breeding took place. In a selfish move, orders were turned away in order to concentrate on the development of our own strain 'the Aliens'. Talk and speculation was fueled by the lack of sales and the obvious lack of involvement within the sport. As the Planet Brothers story gets told over the next few years, fanciers will begin to understand the reasons for such actions and the apparent apathy that set in.
 |
For the last 10 years Planet Brothers has embarked upon an era of selective breeding whereby very few birds were sold. In a task of relentless culling and selection, the very best has been cultivated into one of the finest inbred families of racing pigeons in the world tod
Loft design has long been a passion of ours and the importance cannot be stressed enough,the need for a good loft and one that serves its purpose is
as important as the birds that fill it.
So often is the case where we have found good pigeons kept in a bad environment.
Type of materials used in the construction, the direction which the loft faces, the air flow within the loft, the way the loft can be adapted, the location of the birds within the loft, the heating arrangements, the humidity and the overall appearance are all important.
 |
In our website you will find the answers to many of these questions, as the site develops we will each month pick a new subject and approach it in a way that has never been done before. In a practical and honest approach you will find out the reasons behind what we do and the reasons why another method is rejected. You as a fancier will be able to put your view across and you will be able to find answers that you wont read in a book. I myself collect nearly every pigeon book that has been published and there are very few that ever taught me anything. Each book I attempted to read, was after a short while discarded. The same old questions with the same stock in trade answers were given. Rarely was an explanation given as to why a method was preferred and more often than not , the book was wrote by a fancier that you could not respect as a winner. This made me a very bad reader because there is nothing worse than wasting your time reading garbage.
Hopefully we will change that. If you are one of the fanciers looking for a theory that works or a magic potion, then this site is not for you. We have never been theorist, and are quick to dispel such ideas. The eye, the throat, the wing, the moult, read what we really think about what makes pigeons win you will be surprised to know that it is not that difficult.
A good pigeon loft is the starting place without this the pigeons will never reach their full potential