Selecting and Curing

• 1). Select a gourd 8 to 13 inches in diameter with a few inches of stem still attached. The top of the gourd is the tapered end where the stem attaches.
  
  
• 2). Wash the gourd in hot, soapy water and rinse it in a 10-to-1 solution of water and bleach. Dry off the gourd with a towel. Place the gourd in a warm, dry location for three to six months, turning it often, so the gourd can cure. When the seeds rattle inside, the gourd is ready.
  
  
• 3). Wash the gourd again in hot, soapy water and carefully scrub it with steel wool, or clean the gourd while dry using very fine grade sandpaper to remove any mold. Rinse the gourd and allow it to dry. Washing and rinsing will not soften a cured gourd.
  
  

Preparing the House

• 1). Use a 2 1/8- to 2 1/2-inch hole saw to drill an entrance hole in the gourd. The center of the hole should fall along the widest part of the gourd’s body. The hole should not face upward toward the sky or rain may flood the interior. The hole should not face the ground, as the young birds may fall from the nest.
  
  
• 2). Drill eight evenly spaced drainage holes around the circumference of the bottom of the gourd using a 5/16-inch bit.
  
  
• 3). Drill two holes for the mounting wire using the same bit. Place these to either side and 90 degrees from the entrance hole and approximately 2 to 3 inches from the top of the gourd. Between the holes for mounting the wire, add four more evenly spaced ventilation holes around the circumference of the gourd’s neck, approximately 2 to 3 inches from the top. Angle all of these holes upward to prevent rain from draining into the gourd.
  
  
• 4). Thread a length of copper wire between the mounting holes after you complete the preservation process in Section 3. The length of the wire needed may vary, as you should hang the gourd so that it will swing freely.
  
  

Preserving the Gourd

• 1). Spoon out the dried seeds through the entrance hole.
  
  
• 2). Don a pair of rubber gloves. Submerge the gourd in a solution of 1 pound copper sulfate in 5 gallons of warm water for 15 minutes.
  
  
• 3). Drain the gourd and allow it to dry. Do not rinse. This preserves and extends the life of the gourd.