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Building Scientific Birdhouses For Fun
and Profit Build and sell
attractive standard model and custom birdhouses and bird feeders that
are scientifically designed for specific species.
This business requires a wood shop and basic woodworking tools, paint,
some basic knowledge of carpentry and birds, but not much else. It can
be a very pleasant and uncomplicated but highly
rewarding business.
To be effective, you need to know something about the birds in your area
-- when they nest, what size houses, entry holes, whether one or more
nest in the same area, and of course, how high off the ground they must
be mounted.
If you aren't qualified bird-watchers don't worry - you can only build
one type of birdhouse at a time anyway and you can find out all you need
to know about the bird's nesting needs at your local
library.
As you learn new bird house patterns, you can study up on the birds --
one species at a time. When your houses are ready to sell, you will be
able to tell your customers all about that particular bird, what it
eats, needs, where to place and how to
take care of the birds and their birdhouse.
You can start with a single pattern or blueprint. These are available
from many sources (some are listed below), which will be for one bird
species. You are free to alter the patterns and colors so long as you
maintain the basics -- keep the entries large enough for the target
bird, but too small for predators.
Provide cleverly disguised trap doors for cleaning, different styles of
perches and roofs and of course, a variety of color combinations and/or
designs.
There are enough variables to allow you to make your own style of
birdhouse for any species and still retain the required features.
Check with the local lumbar yards to find the best quality and
prices on materials. You cannot used some types of treated lumbar due to
its odor or even toxicity of the birds at close quarters, but you can
use a silicone sealer like Thompson's (to prevent
rapid weathering).
Let the lumbar yard know you can use odd-sized pieces (which should be
considerably cheaper) and many kinds of scraps. A variety of woods will
serve you nicely -- then you can offer a variety of birdhouse models.
Arrange your working area to have separate places for sawing/sanding and
painting operations. Experiment with building, assembling, painting and
decorating techniques.
Make jigs and patterns for cutting out and fitting the pieces as close
to assembly line fashion as possible. Cut out or buy stencils for
decorative patterns (Dover has some nice, inexpensive ones - see
Business Sources).
Build your birdhouses with hinged roofs or panels so they can be opened
and cleaned each season - birdhouses that are not cleaned are seldom
used again.
Commercially available, assembly line (most are
put together with unfinished wood and staples) birdhouses and feeders
start at about $5 each, but they are very poor quality at that price.
They are made with obvious scraps, some of which will not hold up
outside (e.g. inside grade plywood and paneling) - and unpainted or
treated.
You can get a much better price with attractive scientifically designed
and well colorfully decorated.
Commercial birdhouses seldom specify the type bird they are designed for
-- or how high it should be mounted. The reason is simple: they don't
want to limit their sales!
You should start with the understanding that you cannot build and sell
birdhouses as cheap as the discount stores. You can, however, offer
better ones at nearly their price -- and make good
money.
Since your bird houses are scientifically built for a particular species
of bird, you should provide a little info sheet with each house. tell a
little about the bird, its habits and history, and how to get results
with the bird house.
This info sheet should be no more than one standard sheet -- perhaps an
8 x 11 sheet folded to make two inside pages, each 8 x 5 1/2. The cover
could have a title and silhouette of the bird,
the back, plain. You can have a little booklets printed inexpensively
(see Business Sources section).
Since you need to find out a little about the bird anyway to build the
correct birdhouse, you already have most of the information. This little
gimmick alone can help you get a dollar or two more for each birdhouse!
You can market your birdhouses and feeders through ads, bulletin boards
and posters that feed stores or pet shops allow you to post. You can
sell them at flea markets, at a stand along the road, or advertise them
in the paper.
Check with real estate agent for a vacant store and arrange to rent a
show window until the store is leased.
Set up a display there for your birdhouses and have a sign that tells
people where they can get them.
Take pictures, make up a scrapbook of your different models, add prices
and offer to wholesale them to pet shops and stores, or arrange to place
them on consignment.
You can even advertise in bird watcher.
If you want to be different or expand your business, offer do-it-
yourself kits with assembly, directions and all the parts, nails,
hinges, glue, stencils and possibly even paint.
These could be sold for about half the cost of a completed bird house.
Your instructions would be included in a plastic bag, along with the
same little info booklet mentioned above.
Other possible variations are to paint the birdhouses in patterns to
match each other, or the customer's home; selling mounting and/or
squirrel guards and other intruder accessories; mounting them,
and custom designs (if you are artistically inclined,
otherwise fancy stencils).
About the only problem area in this business would be to build too many
birdhouses for unpopular birds (like sparrows).
If this is a consideration, it might be a good idea to build several
models and see which ones sell best before going into mass production of
any one model.
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