How to Build a Dove Birdhouse

Doves are known as the Mourning Dove because of their mournful cries and habit of mating for life. These soft gray birds can grow to be about a foot long and have adapted to live almost anywhere in the north Western hemisphere. Doves build nests from flimsy materials that often fall apart while nesting. Doves can be scared away from their eggs by the threat of predators. Building a dove platform birdhouse or nesting cone will attract doves to your yard and protect their eggs while they nest.

Things You'll Need

  • 2-foot square pine wood (1/2 inch thick)
  • Pencil
  • Tape measure
  • Saw
  • Sandpaper
  • Hammer
  • Finishing nails
  • 3-inch wood nails
  • Drill with 1/8 inch bit
  • Paint or wood stain
  • 12-inch square of chicken wire with small holes
  • Wire cutters
  • Thin florists wire
  • Leather garden gloves
  • Peat gardening material
  • Utility staple gun
  • Metal staples
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Instructions

  1. Building a Dove Nesting Platform

    • 1

      Measure three 8-inch squares on the pine wood and mark dimensions with a pencil. Measure two strips of wood 8 inches long by 4 inches wide. Saw the pieces from the wood. Use sandpaper to smooth the cut edges and avoid splinters.

    • 2

      Place one 8-inch square flat on the work surface. Stand another 8-inch square up at a 90 degree angle. Hammer a row of finishing nails through the edge to secure the two squares together. Place the third square on the opposite edge of the first square at a 90 degree angle. Secure it with finishing nails.

    • 3

      Stand the dove platform so one square is flat on the surface, one stands up in the back, and the third square forms a ceiling. Place a 4-inch strip so the edges meet with the three edges at the back. It should form a half-wall for the left side of the dove nesting platform. Place finishing nails in the top, side and bottom edges to secure. Repeat on the right side with the other 4-inch strip.

    • 4

      Lay the dove bird house on its back. Mark with a pencil four places for hanging holes in the back piece. Be sure you can easily fit the drill into the places you mark. Place them as close to the corners as possible. Drill each of the four holes you have marked.

    • 5

      Paint the entire dove birdhouse with weatherproof paint or wood stain. Allow it to dry. Apply a second coat if necessary for the desired look.

    • 6

      Choose the best place in your yard to install the dove birdhouse platform. Look for a location away from dogs and other predators. Be sure the dove birdhouse can receive sunlight exposure and shade throughout the day.

    • 7

      Place the dove birdhouse platform against a garage wall or shed at the desired location. Push a nail through a predrilled hole. Hammer the nail into the side of the wall. Repeat until all the predrilled holes have been nailed and the platform is stable. Provide a birdbath near the dove house. Place a tray feeder on the ground with cracked corn or dove feed.

    Build a Dove Nesting Cone

    • 8

      Use the wire cutters to trim the corners of the wire square into a circle about 12 inches across. Cut a 6-inch diameter line into the circle. Cut another diameter line about 1 inch apart at the edge and meeting in the center. Remove the small wire triangle.

    • 9

      Fold and twist the wire circle, overlapping the edges at the wedge you just removed, to make a cone. Keep twisting until you have overlapped at least 1 inch of the edges on the inside.

    • 10

      Cut a piece of florists wire 5 inches long. Wrap it around the overlapped edges to hold the dove cone together. Continue with more florists wire wherever the cone pulls apart.

    • 11

      Place a layer of peat gardening material inside the cone. Add a small handful of dried grass. Fill the bottom of the cone about one-third up. Leave room for the doves to add their own nesting materials.

    • 12

      Thread a piece of wire through the top side of the cone and wrap it at least 10 feet high on a tree or post in the yard. Use a staple gun to staple the dove cone to the tree for more stability.