How to Build Roosting Boxes

It can be difficult for birds who do not naturally migrate to find both food and shelter in the winter. Bird watchers who wish to attract birds during the winter months try to provide both. Building a roosting box and placing it in a location that is difficult for predators to reach will bring small birds to your back yard even in the coldest part of winter. Building a roosting box is relatively simple, and is a DIY project that can be completed in about an hour.

Things You'll Need

  • 1-by-10 board, 12 feet long
  • 1/4 inch dowel rod
  • Drill
  • 1/4 inch drill bit
  • 1 1/2 inch hole saw
  • 1 1/2 inch wood screws.
  • Circular saw
  • Hand saw
  • wood glue
  • 1-inch hinges, 2
  • 1/2 inch wood screws
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut out the main pieces of the roosting box from the one-by-ten inch board using the circular saw. The back is 30 inches long, the front and sides are each 22 inches long, the roof is 10 inches long.

    • 2

      Cut the floor of the birdhouse from either the one-by-ten inch board, or a scrap piece of plywood. The floor is an eight-by eight inch square.

    • 3

      Cut nine-inch long perches from the dowel rod. Use the hand saw to cut the dowel rod.

    • 4

      Use the hole saw to cut a 1 1/2 inch hole about a half inch above the bottom of the roosting box's front panel.

    • 5

      Bevel the edges of the bottom panel, or blunt the sharp corners, by cutting off about a half inch of wood across each corner using the circular saw. This provides a drain for any moisture that gets into the box.

    • 6

      Drill three to five staggered holes through the left side of the box, using the electric drill and the 1/4 inch drill bit.

    • 7

      Coat the end of the perches in wood glue to affix the perches inside the 1/4 inch holes drilled through the left side of the box. Allow the glue to dry completely.

    • 8

      Screw the front, back, and side panels to one another using the 1 1/2 inch wood screws and the electric drill. Make sure that the sides are flush against one another to prevent drafts in the final product.

    • 9

      Screw the floor into the constructed box using the 1 1/2 inch wood screws and the electric drill.

    • 10

      Attach the roof to the roosting box using one-inch hinges. The hinges should be attached to the back of the box and to the roof using 1/2 inch wood screws.