Basic Tips to Bird Houses

Features of a Good Birdhouse

• It's advisable to purchase or to build untreated, wooden birdhouses. Pressure treated lumber or plywood give off poisonous vapors when wet. Tin or metal boxes and cartons overheat in hot weather, which could kill eggs and young birds.
• The wood should be three-quarters of an inch thick.
• There should be four, quarter-inch drainage holes on the bottom of the birdhouse and two five-eighths of an inch ventilation holes near the top.
• Birdhouse designs should incorporate a hinged side or roof to allow for periodic cleaning. Rust proof hinges are best and a locking mechanism to discourage raccoons is advisable.
• Only Starlings and House Sparrows prefer perches so they are not necessary on your birdhouse.
• The floor should be recessed a quarter of an inch to prevent rotting by moisture.
• The roof should be sloped and extended to prevent wind driven rainwater from getting inside.
• The interior walls should be grooved or made rough to enable baby birds to climb.

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