If you decide to breed pigeons, it is very important that the right conditions of existence are created for them. In order not to spend a lot of money, you can make dovecots with your own hands.
Seat selection
It is important not only what the future dovecote will be, but also where it will be located. Pigeons, like other living things, need a lot of free space. In addition, it is important that enough light enters the birds, which means that there should be windows in the building. Still it is worth making sure that there are no drafts. For the pigeons to develop properly, it is very important that the air is fresh and clean, as well as certain humidity.
The device of the dovecote is best implemented in the attic, since it is this place that meets almost all the requirements. In addition, birds will have easy and quick access to the roof. If you do not have the opportunity to occupy the attic, then you can choose another place for the dovecote. The main thing is to remember that the room should be located no lower than 25 cm from the ground. The dovecote can be built on several floors with roofs of various shapes.
What materials to choose?
Do-it-yourself dovecote, the drawings of which you can develop yourself depending on your desire, will turn out no worse than the one that is sold in stores. To ensure that the room meets all the requirements, it is very important to choose the right material.
- Tree. If you decide to choose this particular material, you will have to additionally process the walls inside. You can simply plaster them or sheathe plywood, but only in this case, it is necessary to cover all the seams.
- Brick. In this case, as in the previous version, you will need to process the walls and ceiling from the inside.
- Metal. In the case of using a metal frame, the dovecote will need to be additionally sheathed inside with boards, and outside with plywood.
Helpful information
When arranging a dovecote with your 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 it is necessary to place a heater. In addition, it is worth paying attention to the roof, if it is made of iron, then it should be sheathed with insulating material. In this case, you can avoid overheating and overcooling of the dovecote. The iron roof can be covered with 2 or 3 layers of roofing material, and if it is made of wood, then you can take roofing material, slate or iron to cover it.
The shape of the roof does not matter much, but it is best if the slope is proportional to 1:10, depending on the width of the dovecote.
If you are going to breed a large number of birds, then you should consider that they are not crowded. In this case, there are certain norms: for a pair of medium-sized pigeons there should be at least 0.5 m 3 , and for a large size up to 1 m 3 . It is also worth considering that in one dovecot there should be no more than 15 pairs of birds, and it is recommended that they be of a similar breed.
Interior decoration
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 can separate young and adult birds, and there should also be departments for females and males in the pigeon. In addition, it is also worth equipping a department for storing feed and other materials that are necessary for caring for birds and for maintaining the premises in order.
If you didn’t manage to make many sections during the construction of the dovecote with your own hands, then the minimum number is 2. In this case, you will first need to separate the young and old birds, and in winter to separate the females from the males.
Floor and shelves
When making do-it-yourself do-it-yourself special attention must be paid to arranging shelves and floors. When making the floor, the boards must be knocked down so that they fit very tightly together. Thanks to this, you will eliminate clogging and excess air ingress. The presence of an aviary depends directly on the breed of pigeons, for example, it is not needed for sports birds.
If you are going to breed breeding pigeons, then inside you must definitely make special shelves that will have a length of about 80 cm and a width of up to 35 cm. There will be perches and nests on them. When arranging shelves, keep in mind that it should be convenient for pigeons to breed. In addition, you can make boxes of the same size, which must be installed on top of each other.
Important Terms
To finally understand how to make a dovecote, it is necessary to take into account several important aspects:
- To maintain the health of birds, the location of the windows is very important. If they are placed on the front side, it is best to choose the southeast or south side. Thanks to this, pigeons will receive the necessary amount of light.
- In the pigeon, the presence of electrical wiring is very important. In this case, you can independently control the length of daylight hours.
- It is best to install double doors indoors . At the same time, the outer door should be wooden, and the inner door should be made of a metal grill.
- To completely eliminate the possibility of dampness, it is recommended to install not only natural, but also artificial ventilation. The air inlet must be closed with a special grill and located at a maximum height of 15 cm from the floor. The exhaust hole must be positioned under the ceiling at maximum height.