Five Tips for Building Wooden Birdhouses
Woods
There are many types of wood that you can use to build wooden birdhouses. No matter what type of wood you choose, you need to make sure that it is untreated. The chemicals in treated wood is very hazardous to the birds when they gnaw on it. Maple is commonly used to make wooden birdhouses because it is dense, beautiful, and weathers well. Pine is also a common option as it is lightweight and cheap, but lacks the durability of other types. Some of the other types of common woods include cedar, mahogany, and cypress.
Finish
If you don’t want to leave the wood with its natural finish, you will have to paint it. You should make sure that you don’t use paint with a lead base on wooden birdhouses. Paints with a lead base are very harmful to birds.
Ventilation
Wooden birdhouses also need slots to provide adequate ventilation. The slots should be near the top of the structure, but not in the room. If you create slots in the roof, they will only let precipitation inside. You should also make sure to put slots in the floor of the wooden birdhouses to help provide drainage.
Roof
You will also need to design the roof carefully when building wooden birdhouses. The roof should extend beyond the entrance to the house. This will help provide protection from the sun and elements. You should also avoid creating a roof that is too flat. It should be slanted so that rain can drain away easily.
Maintenance
One of the next things you need to consider when building wooden birdhouses is maintenance. You will need to clean the inside of the house periodically, and your hands will likely be too big to fit through the entrance hole. Therefore, you need to construct an alternative entrance so that you can reach inside and clean the house.
These are a few tips for building wooden birdhouses. Make sure that you use untreated wood because the chemicals in treated wood is hazardous to birds. If you use paint, you need to make sure that it doesn’t have a lead base. Also, make sure that you provide slots near the top of your wooden birdhouses to provide adequate ventilation.
