How to Make a Dove Cage

Store or transport your pet doves and other pet birds using a dove cage. A dove cage is a wooden cage with a hinged door that can latch to close and keep the bird secured inside. Build your own dove cage using plywood and pine boards. Drill a series of holes through the plywood to provide air holes for the bird and to see inside the cage. A simple dove cage like this can be made in less than an hour in a workshop.

Things You'll Need

  • Tape measure
  • Pencil
  • Straightedge
  • 4 plywood sheets, 1/4-by-14-by-14 inches
  • 2 plywood sheets, 1/4-by-14-by-14 ½ inches
  • Drill
  • Drill bit, 1/4 inch
  • 4 pine boards, 1-by-1-by-14 inches
  • 4 pine boards, 1-by-1-by-12 inches
  • Screw gun
  • 36 wood screws, 1 ¼ inch
  • 2 hinges, with screws, 2-inch
  • Swivel hook, with screws
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Instructions

    • 1

      Draw 12 lines across each 14-inch plywood sheet spaced 1 inch apart starting 1 inch away from a pair of 14-inch edges. Rotate each sheet 90 degrees and repeat this process so you have a grid pattern on the plywood sheets. Drill a 1/4-inch hole where each of the lines intersects.

    • 2

      Lay two 14-inch boards flat, parallel and 12 inches apart. Lay two 12-inch boards between them at right angles and space them 12 inches apart so they are flush with the ends of the 14-inch boards. Lay a 14-inch plywood sheet over the boards so the edges are flush and screw it to the boards using three screws for each board. Repeat this step using one more 14-inch sheet of plywood and the last two 12-inch and 14-inch boards. These are the sides to your frame.

    • 3

      Position the sides of your frame upright so the boards are 12 inches apart and between the plywood sheets. Set another 14-inch sheet with the holes in it on top of the sides so the edges are flush with the boards and screw it to the boards using three screws for each board. Turn the boards over so this third 14-inch board is on the bottom and screw the last 14-inch plywood to the boards using another six screws. This is the frame of your cage.

    • 4

      Screw one of the 14 1/2-inch plywood sheets to one of the open ends on the cage so the edges are flush. Use 12 screws. Screw two half-hinges to the last 14 ½-inch sheet so they're spaced 10 inches apart and so they can fold around the edge of the plywood. This is the door to your cage. Screw the other pair of half-hinges to one of the boards on the cage frame so when the door closes, it is flush with the sides of the frame.

    • 5

      Screw the swivel hook to the cage door and the frame on the side opposite the hinges. This will keep the door closed.