How to build a dovecot with their own hands?

If you decide to breed pigeons, it is very important that they have the right conditions for existence. In order not to spend a lot of money, you can make a dovecot with your own hands.

Choose a place

It is important not only what will be the future dovecote, but also where it will be located. Doves, as well as other living beings, need a lot of free space. In addition, it is important that enough light is supplied to the birds, which means that the building should have windows. Still it is necessary to take care of that there were no drafts. For proper development of pigeons, it is very important that the air is fresh and clean, and also a certain humidity is observed.

The structure of the pigeon loft is best implemented in the attic, since this place corresponds to almost all requirements. In addition, birds will have easy and quick access to the roof. If you do not have the opportunity to occupy the loft, then for the dovecot you can choose another place. The main thing is to remember that the room should be located no lower than 25 cm from the ground. Dovecote can be built in several floors with roofs of different shapes.

What materials to choose?

Dovecot with their own hands, the drawings of which you can design independently, depending on your desire, will not be worse than the one that is sold in stores. To fit the room to all requirements, it is very important to choose the right material.

1. Tree. If you decide to choose this particular material, then you will have to further process the walls inside. You can simply plaster them or cover with plywood, but only in this case it is necessary to cover all the seams.
2. Brick. In this case, as in the previous version, you will need to process the walls and ceiling from the inside.
3. Metal. In the case of using a metal frame, the dovecot will need to be additionally trimmed inside with boards, and outside with plywood.

Helpful information

When settling the pigeon with their own hands it is important to take into account the insulated version for the winter period. To do this, it is best to immediately build a room with double walls, between which you need to put a heater. In addition, it is worth paying attention to the roof, if it is made of iron, it should be insulated with heat-insulating material. In this case, you can avoid overheating and hypothermia of the pigeon. Iron roof can be covered with 2 or 3 layers of roofing material, and if it is made of wood, then for coating you can take roofing material, slate or iron.

The shape of the roof does not really matter, but it's best if the slope is made proportionally to 1:10 depending on the width of the dove.

If you are going to breed a large number of birds, it is worth considering that they were not crowded. In this case, there are certain standards: a pair of medium-sized pigeons should account for at least 0.5 m ³ , and for a large size up to 1 m ³ . It should also be taken into account that no more than 15 pairs of birds should be in one dovecot, and it is recommended that they be similar breeds.

Interior finish

In order for pigeons to develop and feel much better, it is recommended to build a room with several internal compartments. Thanks to this you will be able to separate young and adult birds, and also in the pigeon house there must be departments for females and males. In addition, it is additionally necessary to equip the department to store feed and other materials that are necessary for bird care and to maintain the premises in order.

If in the construction of the pigeon house you could not make many departments with your own hands, then the minimum number is 2. In this case, first you will need to divide the young and old birds, and in winter, separate the females from the males.

Floor and shelves

In the manufacture of dovecot with their own hands, special attention must be paid to the arrangement of shelves and floors. When making the floor, the boards must be knocked down so that they fit very tightly together. Due to this you eliminate clogging and excess air intake. The presence of the enclosure depends directly on the breed of pigeons, for example, it is not necessary for sports birds.

If you are going to breed tribal pigeons, then inside it is necessary to make special shelves, which will have a length of about 80 cm, and a width of 35 cm. They will be roosts and nests. When placing the shelves, take into account that pigeons should be comfortable to breed. In addition, you can make boxes of the same size that you need to install one on top of the other.

Important conditions

To finally understand how to make a pigeon house, it is necessary to take into account several important aspects:

1. To maintain the health of birds, the location of windows is very important. If you put them on the front side, it is best to choose the south-east or south side. Due to this pigeons will get the necessary amount of light.
2. In the dovecot, the presence of electrical wiring is very important. In this case, you can independently control the length of the light day.
3. It is best to install double doors in the room . At the same time, the outer one should be wooden, and the inner door should be made of a metal grate.
4. To completely eliminate the possibility of damp, it is recommended to install not only natural, but also artificial ventilation. The inlet opening must be closed with a special grate and be at a maximum of 15 cm from the floor. The exhaust hole should be placed under the ceiling at the maximum height.