The dovecot for many is a symbol of the childhood. In ancient times dovecots were in each yard, and today their quantity promptly decreases because the number of people who are interested in cultivation of pigeons and their development decreases. If to you these are interesting, to all familiar, city birds, and you are going to breed pigeons and to receive from them posterity, it will be useful for you to learn how it is correct to construct a dovecot taking into account all features of its internal design.
Instruction
1. The dovecot and its device are very important for healthy activity and reproduction of pigeons. At construction of a dovecot consider that it has to have rather free space for the inhabitants and that enough sunlight and fresh air got into it. For example, you can establish a dovecot on the warm and aired attic of the house.
2. You can select material for construction according to own taste. If a dovecot wooden, sheathe it plywood from within, plaster and process seams hard putty. In the dovecot constructed of a brick it is also required to plaster walls and a ceiling, and it is necessary to board a metal dovecot from within and plywood, and then to cover plywood with plaster. If you want the dovecot to be warm, make double walls between which there will be a layer of air or heat-insulating material.
3. Construct a dovecot with several offices – for young pigeons and also for separate keeping of females and males in the winter, and for storage of a forage and stock for leaving. It is necessary to keep old pigeons in one more office.
4. Height of a dovecot has to be 1.8-2 m, and the door size – at least 150х55 cm. Make a door double – external of boards, and internal of a strong grid. It will allow without danger to pigeons to open an external door during the summer period, creating the best ventilation of a dovecot.
5. Within the walls of a dovecot surely make windows which area has to be 1/10 from the area of a floor. Make also letka for an exit of pigeons outside, about 20 cm wide and up to 25 cm high. Height a letka over a floor has to be no more than one and a half meters for pigeons of flight breeds. For adjustable letok use a thick metal wire.
6. Direct a facade of a dovecot to the South or southeast side that sunshine constantly got to birds – it supports them in a healthy state. To have an opportunity to turn on the light to pigeons even in cloudy day, install electrical equipment in a dovecot.
7. Make floors of the boards which are densely adjusted to each other. In a dovecot establish perches for each pigeon and also pigeons have to have a place for a nest and a laying of eggs. For perches take the wooden bars 2-4 cm wide which are at the height of 30-40 cm from a floor. Make nests in the form of boxes with a plywood bottom and rack walls. The bottom of a nest has to be slightly concave down.
8. For convenience of feeding of birds establish in a dovecot of a feeding trough and a drinking bowl with automatic giving of a forage and water. Also for pigeons it is necessary to make superficial bathtubs for bathing and during the winter period to lay on a floor straw, sand or hay for thermal insulation and simplification of cleaning which regardless of a season has to be made daily.