Timing the Close-Down Around Dusk
Pigeons settle as light fades, so the nightly routine starts early enough to finish the count in usable light rather than by torch alone. Feed the main ration inside the loft at closing time so returning birds have a strong reason to come through the trap promptly instead of lingering on roofs. Keep the approach calm and familiar, using the same call or feed rattle the flock already associates with home. Young or newly settled birds are watched individually until they are through, because they are the ones most likely to sit out. If weather is turning or predators have been active nearby, bring closing time forward rather than racing the dark.
Counting Heads Against a Real List
A glance that the loft looks full is not a headcount. Work from a current list of the birds that should be inside, counting section by section or perch row by perch row, and mark off any bird that is brooding, in a nest box or in a separate hospital pen so it is not counted twice or missed. Sitting birds are checked gently without flushing the whole loft into the air at nightfall. If the count comes up short, check the flight, roof edges and nearby trees immediately while the missing bird can still be called or guided in, and note exactly which bird it is, since a fit adult sitting out is a different problem from a youngster lost at exercise.
The Lock Round in a Fixed Order
After the count, walk the same lock sequence every night so nothing depends on memory. Start with the entry the birds use, confirming traps are set or secured for the night as your system requires, then the main keeper's door with its bolt drawn and padlock seated, then flight or aviary doors, feed store lids and doors, windows and ventilation openings. Tug each latch after closing it, look along mesh and timber for fresh damage, chewed corners or lifted wire, and check ground level for digging. A latch that feels loose in your hand tonight is the gap a predator or a restless bird finds tomorrow, so minor faults are fixed or firmly noted for morning repair.
Predator, Weather and Feed Checks Before You Leave
Shine a torch along the floor, perches and dark corners for droppings out of place, feathers, or any sign something has been inside. Confirm water drinkers are clean and filled for the morning, feed is stored sealed against rodents, and no leaks drip onto perches or nest areas after rain. In cold snaps check that ventilation still moves air without a direct draught across roosting birds, and in heat confirm vents are open as intended. Remove any spilled feed outside the loft that would draw rats to the walls overnight. These few minutes are also when you will spot a bird sitting hunched and separate from the flock, which deserves a closer look before you lock up.
Recording the Night So the Next Keeper Knows
Write the count, any missing or unwell bird, and any lock or mesh fault into the loft record the same night, not from memory at breakfast. If a second keeper opens up in the morning, that note tells them exactly what to verify first, whether the missing bird returned to the trap, and which repair cannot wait. Patterns only appear when nights are recorded, such as one latch working loose repeatedly or one bird regularly late. Keeping that nightly log in KinsLe's Care Teams means the count and completed lock check are timestamped and visible to everyone who shares the loft duties.