Making your birds at home

● Ensure the dovecote has a landing deck—supplied or homemade and the wider the better—on which to place food and to help prevent squirrels from climbing up the pole

● Don’t site a dovecote near a wall, a hedge or even low bushes, from which a squirrel or a cat might leap, and place it as far as possible from trees in order to deter sparrowhawks

● Home your birds with a fully covering net for at least four weeks—older birds might require up to six

● During homing, feed each dove with a daily half cup of dove mix or similar (this can be found in pet shops), some grit to aid digestion and fresh water. When free, they’ll find their own water and grit. Some say that feeding slightly less just prior to the birds’ initial release will encourage them to return home

● Start with four doves, which will rapidly breed and occupy the apartments in whichever design or size of dovecote you’ve plumped for—there’s a wide range available

● If your dovecote is in danger of becoming overcrowded, remove eggs and replace them with dummy eggs. This should stop the hens from laying again—but you will still need to check