Gourd birdhouses

What's up! I'm growing some Dipper gourd either in my Ho-Chunk or Cherokee gardens this year for spoons or birdhouses. I decide to make birdhouses from some of them. How we make birdhouses from Dipper gourd? How long we wait for the gourds to dry out before we make a birdhouse from them? I'm looking to make gourd martin houses in the near future, but I wanna model them like the ancient Cherokee did centuries ago. I've never grown gourds before. I'll welcome more feedback and stuff to aid me for greater birdhouses to come. Good night!

I don't know if this is the correct way, but I've done it by letting them dry out over the winter, then drilling the right size hole in them with a hole saw.  Then take a pencil with a small piece of chain attached to it and chuck it up in a cordless drill.  Feed that through the hole and whip the chain around inside the gourd.  Like a paint mixing paddle.  That loosens all the seeds and flakey stuff in there and it can just be poured out the hole.  We also drilled a drain hole in the bottom.

I'm not sure if they are really good birdhouses since you can't clean them out.  I'm guessing they are intended to be replaced every few years so diseases don't build up...

I grew birdhouse gourds on a chain-link fence last year and let them dry over the winter. You'll know they are done when you tap on them and they sound hard and hollow.
I picked them 2 weeks ago, lightly sanded any flakes off, then drilled the holes (top for string, big middle entry hole, and bottom for drainage.) I scraped out the seeds with 1 inch scraper, strung them up on a clothes line, and hit them with a coat of spray sealer. Then hung them up with the help of my extendable pole saw.

Some folks go farther and really primer and paint them, or even dip them in wood preservative. But I figured minimal effort was ok. I can just grow more later and I like the natural look. There are specific hole sizes for specific birds. I just put a smaller hole in the smaller guards and larger hole in the larger guards

One concern I have is how much they whip around in the wind! Even with not much string. I managed to screw one to my house and in hindsight, should probably get the extension ladder out to secure the ones in the trees a bit better.

I put out a dozen gourd birdhouses out last year and only one got used. Now I am wondering if I should secure them to the tree trunk rather than dangling around. It's easy to fix with the gourds with a hourglass shape though, I just need to wrap a cord around the middle.
Another use for birdhouse gourd is making bird feeder. Just slice some side walls off. Small birds really appreciate it because the blue Jay won't be able to get the food.

Carolina wrens are breeding in the area and some took the gourd bird houses. One got taken is on a red cedar with many small branches and the opening is facing towards the trunk. So it's quite shaded and not accessible to bigger animals.

One concern I have is how much they whip around in the wind!

I have found that any sort of birdhouse is more likely to be used when it is firmly secured to something stable.

If a bird is the type to build in a tree hollow that a gourd simulates, they're NOT a branch-nest-builder. Therefore: they're accustomed to very stable and protected nests. Not ones that bounce around in the wind, like a nest at the junction of a branch might.

Also: Keep in mind the diameter of the hole, and the internal size of the gourd.
Smaller birds that will nest inside something gourd-sized likely will not need a 2-inch diameter hole.  Choosing the right hole size will change what birds are attracted to the home in the first place. With a very large hole, large birds (like starlings, crows, and small falcons) can shove their head in and harass the nest.

Smaller birds can nest through larger holes, but larger birds cannot access smaller holes.

Entrance hole sizes for various birds:

1.25 inches: Wren, Woodpecker, Warbler, Nuthatches, Chickadee
1.5 inches: Tree Swallow, Bluebird
1.75 inches: House Sparrow
2 inches: House Finch
2.5 inches: Purple Martin, Flicker
3 inches: Kestrel (Sparrowhawk)

Additionally, birds will prefer different /spaces/ to build their nest in, and won't nest in a gourd that doesn't have enough room between the 'floor' and the entrance.
Wrens, Warblers, Tree Swallows, Finches, and Flickers only need about 4 inches of depth to build a nest.
While Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, House Sparrows, Chickadees, and Bluebirds need at least 6 inches.

At a glance, the holes on Matt's gourds may be too close to the 'floor' for most birds.

Purple Martins and Bluebirds prefer birdhouses in open areas: Like, something mounted on a pole to simulate a single dead tree in the middle of a field.
Most other birds prefer concealed areas that help camouflage their nesting area, with branches, roofs, or other overhangs to shield them from view.
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Too Long, Didn't Read:
Stuff that makes small birds who may nest in gourds feel unsafe:
- Too-big hole entrances
- Their house whipping around in the wind
- Their house out in the open where everyone can see them
- Not enough building room between the floor and the door.

Greetings, missed you over here. I wanna find out how long do it take for all gourds to grow? I'm in zone five. How much room I need to grow my own gourd for birdhouses and stuff?

I grew bottle gourds in the last few years in zone 6 and they were easy to grow. Let the vine sprawl for several feets before training it up a trellis. In this way more secondary roots will grow from the nodes. The vine may reach 20 ft long and produce a dozen fruits. If there are some immature one at the end of the season, they are edible too. I usually let the gourds outside all winter and they will dry up and ready for use the next spring. For zone 5 you may want to start the seeds early indoor for a headstart.

Besides bottle gourd, there are gourds of different shapes for bird houses too. This year I grow some apple gourds, they have more usable height and are fun to paint on for kids.

Could dipper gourds be grown on gates and trelisses?  I was wondering how I can hang dipper gourds or others alike with long handles to poles and tree branches. Thanks!

It has been a long time ago though I grew my birdhouse gourds on a barbed wire fence.

I imagine a trellis or an unused gate would work.

Actually anything squash or cucumbers would grow on would work.

A little off topic. The bottle gourd can be made into a musical instrument too. Look up hulusi or gourd flute.

Do all gourd houses have to be clean after birds get through nesting? Some birds nest early, and others late. Is it ok to leave out our gourd houses for summer breeding birds?

I went out to the wooded area and checked the condition of the eight gourd birdhouses I set this year. Six had been used. I am going to take them down, clean up and maybe apply a coating too. I am adding more types for birdhouses: apple gourd and the F1 of birdhouse gourd× apple gourd.

Cool, cool! Could we also use other gourds to build birdhouses?