Question about bird houses - Woodworking Talk

User3489 · 12-05-2007, 09:26 PM

Hi: My name is Dale and just retired. I am rather new to wood working as a hobby. I am handy with tools and wood. I built the house I am in,a log home 2 story 2500 sq. ft. I am a bit of a perfectionist by nature.

My question is that I built a scale log home exactly like the one I am living in. 6"= 1' scale. Now I want to make a bird house for swallows out of it. It will be a 36 unit condo. I do not want to make bird entrance holes all over it. I was thinking on making 4"x6" hall ways through the building from one end to the other with a perch at each end. The bird holes would be along the hall ways. I would need 5 such hall ways going through the house. That way I could preserve the looks of the front and back of the building. I have dormers front and back but I will not use them for the birds,just for looks. The real question is,will the swallows go into it? If any one has thoughts on this please post a follow up. Thanks Dale

**Daren** · 12-05-2007, 09:51 PM

Hi Tom. Well if you built your own log home I would say you are handy with tools. I can't help with the birdhouse thing, I am just welcoming you.

There is a feller here who builds some extreme birdhouses, maybe he will chime in.

woodman42 · 12-06-2007, 08:02 AM

Welcome to the site Dale!

**Daren** · 12-06-2007, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodman42

Welcome to the site Dale!

Yea what he said

. Shows how much attention I was paying, you said your name was Dale. I glossed right over that and since your username was tom-3 I called you Tom.
Ok, Dale...why did you pick Tom as a username? Just to confuse me

, it worked for a minute

.

woodmantra · 12-07-2007, 10:56 PM

Hi Dale,

Welcome to the site. I'm a new member too and so far I've found the advice and information I've gotten here really useful and the other guys very friendly. On your swallow house question, I've designed and built quite a few different bird houses for the Pacific Northwest envirnoment(although where I live in Canada, it's actually the Pacific Southwest). Barn swallows and tree swallows, like most birds, prefer to nest and rouste in a shelter whose entrance directly faces the outdoors. Having them enter the house through a hallway may not be very successfull. Barn swallows will more likely just build mud nests on the porch at either end of the house.

A few things to keep in mind when buidling bird houses in general and swallow houses in particular:

They need to be easy to get at and clean out (after each season).
Don't paint or finish them on the inside.
Perches aren't necessary and can give preditors a place to hold onto while raiding the nest.
You need to size the hole to suite the bird you're hoping to house. Goolge "bird house hole size" and you'll get lots of info on this.
Swallow house should have an oblong hole about 3/4" by 1.5". This will allow swallows in but keep out pests like house sparrows.

You might want to consider turning your little log cabin into a bat house. You'd only need to put slots in the bottom and vertical baffles inside - Google "bat house design". Your house would look fine from the outside. But bat houses definately aren't for everyone. They are handy little critters though, and they probably eat just as many insects, if not more, than the swallow... and you don't have to (and wouldn't want to) clean out the house each year.

Good luck Dale

Gord

User3489 · 12-08-2007, 01:42 AM

Thank you Gord. You give me things to consider as options. I never thought about a bat house. Then I could make a proper swallow condo next. Thanks again Dale in the U.P. of Mi.

seawolf21 · 12-08-2007, 11:55 AM

Dale you need to contact cranbrook2 on this site. He makes gigantic birdhouses.

Gary

Kingfisher · 12-08-2007, 03:05 PM

I think you need a smaller scale, 6" to 1' is 1/2 scale, wouldn't that make a 24' wide log cabin into a 12' wide bird house

User3489 · 12-08-2007, 04:39 PM

I hoped no one would notice. I noticed right after I posted it but did not know how to change it. It should be 1"= 1' . Bird house is 32" by 48".

Dale[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Dale/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg[/IMG]

cranbrook2 · 12-08-2007, 07:08 PM

Hi Dale and welcome aboard.
I use 1" = 1 ' scale on my birdhouses.
Do you have a picture or design of what you are wanting to build ?

I never have problems filling my houses up with birds

It must be because they have all the luxuries including big screen televisions and internet service.

Be sure to post some pics when you are done.

User3489 · 12-08-2007, 07:43 PM

Thanks every one. Sorry about the tom-3 sign in. I do that because I have to sign in to many of the sites I use,So I use the same name for all. It save on my already weak memory.

Dale