We build a beautiful and comfortable dovecote on our own

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If you seriously decide to breed pigeons, then you will certainly need a dovecote. You can attract craftsmen to build this room, or you can build it yourself. But a number of requirements are put forward for the dovecote that must be taken into account during construction. Consider what requirements a room for breeding and keeping pigeons must meet and how to build it with your own hands.

Do-it-yourself dovecote

Dovecote requirements

To understand which house for pigeons will be the best, one should remember where this bird lives in nature. Pigeons are looking for places under the rocks, but the bird will not build nests in those places where the sun's rays do not penetrate. Accordingly, the dovecote should be light enough, like a cave.

Before starting the construction of the dovecote, you should draw a diagram of the premises. It should be equipped with a manhole for birds, nests in which they can hatch eggs, perches, windows. All elements must be displayed on the diagram. When creating a scheme, you need to observe the ratio between all elements of the dovecote and the equipment with which it will be equipped. On the diagram, it will not be superfluous to display the location of the feeders and drinkers. Thus, it will be possible to correct all errors at the design stage of the structure, which will simplify the construction process.

Types of structures

Depending on the availability of free space and the breed of pigeons, you can build structures of the following types:

hinged;
tower;
attic;
typical.

Consider the features of each type of construction.

Mounted dovecote

The hinged structure is the simplest. It will take no more than a few hours to build it, but such a structure can only be installed in a private house, and there is no need to talk about compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards in such a structure. It is a hinged structure, the most common box, which is attached to the wall of the house. This box has a hole through which birds can go outside and return to the house.

The main disadvantage of this design is the insecurity of birds from bad weather. Since the structure should be light, it is usually made from nets that are nailed to a wooden frame. Accordingly, the birds will have nowhere to hide from the wind, rain, or snow. Such a dovecote takes place if there is a main stationary room.

Tower structure

This type of construction has many advantages. The dovecote tower is built in the form of a quadrangle, hexagon, octagon or sphere.As a rule, the structure has 2 floors. The first is reserved for storing feed and equipment used for cleaning the premises. The nests are located on the second floor. The shape of the structure allows you to freely approach each nest. The bird enters the nest from the outside of the dovecote. Accordingly, there is a hole opposite each nest.

The only drawback of this design is its cost. You will have to spend a lot of money on construction, but as a result you can get a dovecote that will decorate your personal plot.

Attic dovecote

There is practically no need to spend money on the construction of this type of structure, but this option is possible only if you have your own house. The dovecote is being built right in the attic. Of building materials, only mesh or plywood is needed, with which it will be possible to separate the desired part of the attic.

Typical design

In each city, the authorities have developed standard structures for keeping pigeons. They do not contain anything superfluous. The room has squats, one window and a door. The floors are made of wood. All dimensions of the structure are indicated in the standard design.

You can build a dovecote on an individual project. We will consider this option in more detail. An individual project allows you to build a house for pigeons, based on your own preferences, and not the norms prescribed by the authorities.

Dimensions of the structure

To determine the size of the dovecote, you need to know how many birds it will contain, but this is not the only and, perhaps, not the decisive factor. Many have to build on the availability of free space. If there is enough free space to fulfill any fantasies, then the problem is solved. If space is limited, then it is worth considering the design in all the details. If desired, a good dovecote will turn out on the balcony.

According to existing norms, one pair of pigeons needs a cubic meter of space for a comfortable existence. A few pigeon breeders maintain this rate. To provide such space for each pair, you will need to build a large enough room even for a small flock of birds. It is important that the number of perches corresponds to the number of pigeons and the distance between them corresponds to the size of the birds. At the same time, the volume of the room should not be significantly less than the norm.

It is worth taking into account the height of the person who will care for the birds. Pigeons need to be fed daily and the water in the drinkers changed. Accordingly, someone will have to do it. In addition, so that the pigeons do not get sick, they need to be kept clean, and pest control carried out systematically. The size of the room and its design must be such that cleaning does not cause problems. There should not be a single corner in the dovecote that you do not have access to.

Important nuances

Many, if there is free space, do not initially think about what size of the room for keeping pigeons will be the most optimal, and build overly large dovecotes. But when building a dovecote, you need to understand that there will be situations when the bird will have to be caught. If the ceilings in the dovecote are too high, you will have to chase the birds with a stepladder or stool, which is very inconvenient. If the ceiling is lower than the growth of the owner, then you will have to walk around the dovecote bent over, and this is extremely inconvenient.

Experienced pigeon breeders note that the optimal height of the pigeon house should be 15-20 cm higher than the growth of the pigeon breeder.

The requirements for the width of the dovecote are no less stringent: so that the birds are comfortable to catch, the maximum width of the dovecote should not exceed the reach of the pigeon breeder's arms by 50-60 cm in each direction. As for the minimum size, the width should not be less than 60 cm, otherwise the bird will not be able to move comfortably in the air.

Seat selection

Before making a dovecote, you need to decide on its location. There are no special requirements for the location of the bird house, but some points should be taken into account.

They build a house for birds in an open area so that the birds can freely leave the house and return back. There should be no buildings nearby, the height of which exceeds the height of the barn itself, nor trees, which are also an obstacle to pigeons during the summer. Also, there should be no power lines, telephone and other cables near the bird house.

Do not forget that pigeons are unstable to all sorts of diseases, so you should not place a dovecote near a cesspool or a household yard.

It is important to try to arrange the house for the pigeons in such a way that there is as much light in the room as possible, and the wind bypasses it.

It is undesirable for a residential building to be located nearby, especially an apartment building, whose residents can intentionally or accidentally harm the birds, because not everyone can like such a neighborhood.

Preparation for construction

There is no need to acquire special equipment in order to build and equip a dovecote. In addition to the standard set, which includes a hammer, drill, hacksaw, grinder, wrenches, screwdrivers and a jigsaw, nothing is needed. The drill and grinder can be replaced with a hammer drill with the appropriate attachments. A screwdriver will help to simplify some of the work, but it will be possible to do without it. The same goes for the jigsaw. It will not be superfluous to have a centimeter or a long ruler on hand. They will be needed in the manufacture of nests and perches.

As for the materials, it all depends on the financial capabilities. Pigeons will feel most comfortable in a dovecote made of natural material. It can be wood or brick. Dovecotes are also built from metal, but such structures look less aesthetically pleasing than wooden or brick ones. The floor of the dovecote, regardless of what material it is made of, is desirable to be made of wood. The device of the dovecote assumes the presence of a roof, so in addition you need to prepare roofing material or slate. Slate should be preferred as it has a longer operational period. You should also prepare thermal insulation material.

It is important, among other things, to prepare a timber from which the frame will be made, mesh and wood for the manufacture of additives, glass for windows. A dovecote project is applied to all prepared tools and building materials.

Building a house for pigeons

The construction of a dovecote for pigeons begins with a work plan. In order to rationally distribute time, you need to look at the drawings, in your head to imagine the structure of the structure in detail. The order of work is similar to the order of work for the construction of any relatively light structure. First of all, the foundation is installed, then the frame, walls and roof are erected. The work ends after the construction of the equipment with which the dovecote should be equipped.

Let's consider each stage of construction separately.

Foundation

Since a house for pigeons is not a heavy structure, it is impractical to lay a powerful foundation. To build the most stable building, it is better to fill the strip foundation. First, on the selected site, the location of the poultry house is outlined. If there are shrubs or trees on the site, they need to be uprooted. Since the strip foundation involves pouring concrete into the entire area under the building, it makes no sense to remove the top layer of soil throughout the entire area; it is enough to dig trenches that will run along the perimeter of the building and in the center. The depth and width of the trenches should be 40 and 30 cm, respectively.

The trenches are filled with fine and medium gravel or pre-crushed bricks. To strengthen the structure, together with gravel, pieces of reinforcement or metal rods are placed in the trench. Pour gravel and reinforcement with concrete solution, give time to dry.

Before the foundation grabs, you should install a timber or metal corner on which the frame will be attached. You can install the metal corner later, but at this stage it is easier to do it, and the mount will be more powerful.

It is advisable to establish support corners located at the corners of the dovecote and along the walls until the foundation completely solidifies, but it is impractical to build the entire frame. Only the supporting elements of the structure are important.

Frame

Further, in order to build a good dovecote, you have to be patient. The functionally comfortable pigeon house consists of 2 floors. The ground floor stores food, cleaning and disinfection tools, and detergents. A ladder is made between the first and second floors.

When creating a frame, you need to take into account where the windows, the access hole for the birds and the doors will be located. First, the frame can be assembled on the ground and all possible connections made, then the frame is raised to a vertical position, installed on the foundation and attached to the support pillars. This is perhaps the most time consuming stage of construction.

All fasteners must be secure. If you decide to build your own dovecote from wood, then all boards are pre-treated with antiseptic and moisture-repellent agents. After processing, allow the boards to dry.

Walling

Before you upholster the structure with wooden boards, you need to prepare them. In accordance with the arrangement of the dovecote, the location of windows and doors, manholes for birds, are marked on the boards. They also measure the required length and make notes on the boards. Then, using a hacksaw, cuts are made according to the markings. It remains to mount the prepared structural elements.

You can preliminarily not make cuts on the boards, but cut out windows, doors and manholes after mounting the boards to the frame. This option is good because with such a sequence of work it is impossible to make a mistake and cut out a door or window in the wrong place, but you will have to operate the equipment "on weight", which is not very convenient.

It remains to knock off the frame from the inside. To create comfortable conditions for pigeons in the dovecote, heat-insulating material is placed between the outer and inner upholstery. Mineral wool or sawdust can be used as thermal insulation. You can look in specialized stores and more modern materials for insulation, but their pricing policy will be much higher than the price of mineral wool. When using mineral wool, you will additionally have to install waterproofing, which can be used as a plastic wrap.

Roof erection

There are several options for roof construction. If we are building a dovecote in the private sector and want it to become not only a home for birds, but also a decoration of the site, we can make a gable or multi-level roof. A single-pitched roof looks much simpler, but it is also not as difficult and costly to build as a gable roof.

Regardless of which version of the roof structure you settled on, the first step is to install the Mauerlat. This element is a wooden beam, which is a connecting element between the roof and the walls. The Mauerlat must be well fixed at the ends of the walls, on which it is being installed. This structural element redistributes the weight of the roof so that the pressure on all walls is the same. The more powerful the structure, the larger the wooden beam is taken. It is better to connect the Mauerlat elements with each other using the cutting method.

After installing the Mauerlat, the rafter system is mounted. Its design depends on the number of slopes.If the roof is single-pitched, the rafter system consists of several beams located at a slight angle. Accordingly, on one of the walls, you need to fix the supporting beams. Their height depends on the angle of inclination of the roof. If the roof is gable, then the rafter system is more complex. Two wooden beams, located at the same angle, are connected at the top with a cover plate. The lower part of the beams rests on the Mauerlat. The connection method is cut-in, it is the most reliable. Since the size of the dovecote is small, you will need a little rafters (2-3).

When installing a gable roof, you also need to install a ridge.

Roof covering

After the construction of the rafters, they begin to cover the roof. There are many roofing materials on the market. Which one to choose is up to you. Regardless of the material chosen, a waterproofing material should be placed between the rafters and the roofing material. So that there is a gap between the roof and the waterproofing, small wooden slats (with a cross section of no more than 5 cm) are stuffed onto the rafters over the waterproofing material. Then they make a crate, on which the roof is laid.

How exactly to make the crate can be said only after the roofing material has been selected. It can be solid or consist of boards and bars. The step of fastening the bars also depends on the selected roofing material.

It remains to lay the roofing material itself. Slate is best for a dovecote. This is a relatively inexpensive roof that has a long operating period. This completes the installation of the roof. If you wish, you can insulate the roof from the inside.

Arrangement of the aviary

Some poultry farmers equip the dovecote with an aviary. It is a small balcony attached to one of the walls of the dovecote. The frame of this balcony consists of wooden bars, which are covered with a net.

It makes sense to make such a balcony if there is not enough space inside the house. In other cases, it is inappropriate to spend time and effort on arranging such an enclosure. In addition, it will make the structure somewhat heavier.

Dovecote floors

The last thing left to do is cover the floors. As a rule, floors are made of wood, but before laying it must be treated with special agents that make the material moisture resistant. It is advisable to lay the boards at a slight incline. With this design, moisture will not accumulate in the same places. There should be no gaps between the boards, otherwise there is a risk of injury to the pigeons.

To simplify the cleaning process and increase the operational period of the floor, it can be covered with linoleum. It is not necessary to cover the house in one piece. The fancier must have access to the floor. General cleaning and disinfection of the dovecote involves cleaning not only the floor covering, but also the wooden board, which is covered with the floor. If the linoleum is covered with narrow stripes, it is much easier to remove it and take it out of the dovecote.

Dovecote equipment

A dovecote is a bird house where they spend most of their time, so all equipment for a dovecote must be carefully selected.

Installation of communications

Before making cages and feeders for the dovecote, you need to carry out all communications. First of all, electrical wires are mounted. The dovecote must have an artificial light source. If the house is not equipped with an electric heater, then it will not be superfluous to make at least one outlet just in case. It may be necessary to connect heating equipment in a harsh winter.

You also need to ensure that the dovecote can be ventilated. Ventilation must be well thought out. When arranging ventilation openings, make sure that subsequently drafts do not form in the poultry house, which negatively affect the health of the birds.Alternatively, you can make an automated ventilation system, but certain knowledge is needed to equip it, so at this stage you will have to turn to an electrician for help, who, if not, will tell you how to properly organize the device of an automated ventilation system. If the ventilation is not organized properly, then the pigeons will constantly get sick. Even disinfection will not save you from epidemics in such a poultry house.

Installation of nests and entrances

If the communications are over, then they proceed to the installation of the perches. Each bird should have its own place inside the house. Accordingly, the number of perches or perches inside the dovecote should correspond to the number of birds. Since the number of birds is a variable value, it is advisable to make a little more perches. You can organize perches using the honeycomb method. For this, a wooden structure is mounted, which in its shape resembles a honeycomb. You can just nail slats or shelves to the wall. The perches should be on a wall without windows. There must be at least one window on the opposite wall.

You can make the nests yourself. Maybe they will not be as beautiful as those offered in specialized stores, as long as they are functional. The size of the nests depends on the size of the bird. Pigeons of different breeds grow to different sizes.

It is noteworthy that not only doves, but also pigeons sit on the eggs, so the size of the nests should correspond to the size of the males.

Installation of feeders

Each dovecote should be equipped with a feeder. Pigeon feeders have a specific shape. They are a miniature analogue of the trough, but if the trough does not have sections, then the pigeon feeder is divided into small compartments, in each of which different feed can be poured. This feeder can also be used as a drinker, but the water compartments must be covered with a waterproof material.

To prevent the birds from entering the feeder with their legs, they make a crate for it. The bars in the lathing are placed only vertically. The distance between them should be such that the head of an adult bird passes between them. If you build the feeder correctly, then it should be equipped with legs 4-5 cm high. If necessary, replace the old feeder with a new one. If the feeder is inconvenient, it will be extremely difficult to accustom the birds to it.

On this, the arrangement of the dovecote can be considered complete. Making a good dovecote with your own hands is not easy. This, in addition to time, will require considerable material costs. Alternatively, you can purchase an old poultry house, but you need to look at the condition of the old dovecote and how much its design complies with the standards. Sometimes the restoration of an old dovecote is not cheaper than building a new one.

If you plan to keep a large number of birds, it is advisable to build several poultry houses. If this is not possible, then it is advisable to equip the entrance for the dovecote (at least 2).

Conclusion

It is quite possible to build a dovecote with your own hands. For this you do not need to have the skills of a builder or carpenter, it is enough to have a desire to build a house for feathered friends. But before you build a dovecote, you definitely need to make a project. Not everyone can do it on their own, so at this stage it is advisable to seek help from a specialist. After the completion of construction, you should start arranging the bird house. In order for the birds to feel comfortable in the new dovecote, it must be properly equipped.