Bird houses have become increasingly popular over the years as more people look to attract birds to their yards and gardens. A well-designed and properly placed birdhouse provides birds with a safe place to nest and raise their young. With growing interest in birdwatching and creating backyard wildlife habitats, many homeowners wonder if bird houses can also provide a supplemental income stream through sales. The bird house market offers opportunities for creative entrepreneurs, but producing and selling these products profitably depends heavily on various factors.
Do Bird Houses Sell Well Overall?
In general, quality bird houses do sell relatively well due to ongoing demand from bird enthusiasts, nature lovers, and gardeners. Backyard birding has become one of the most popular hobbies in the U.S. with over 50 million Americans feeding and observing birds around their homes. For many people, putting up bird houses is an integral part of attracting more birds to their land. The 2019 Industry Market Research Report on Bird Feeders and Bird Houses indicated steady growth in the backyard bird feeding supplies market. The report estimated the total market value would reach $4 billion in 2020. Bird houses represented about $50 million in sales that year. While bird food sales account for the majority of the market, interest in bird houses remains robust.
Specific sales volumes can fluctuate year-to-year, but well-crafted birdhouses generally do sell if effectively marketed to the target backyard birding audience. Basic bird house designs tend to have lower profit margins, but more complex and decorative bird houses can command higher prices. Birdhouses with unique hand-painted details, reclaimed wood construction, and other custom touches have the most sales potential in this niche market. Sales volumes are highest for bird house retailers who effectively promote their products through online marketplaces, specialty catalogs, birding events and home & garden shows.
Factors That Impact Bird House Sales
Bird house sales are influenced by several underlying factors:
Quality of Construction – Bird houses that are sturdily built from weather-resistant natural materials tend to sell the best. Proper dimensions, ventilation, drainage, and clean-out access are also important. Low-quality birdhouses that are flimsy or made with inferior wood may not attract buyer interest. Careful craftsmanship and use of eco-friendly, sustainable materials result in higher perceived value.
Unique Design Elements – Decorative details and embellishments can boost bird house sales. Artistic additions like painted motifs, reclaimed barn wood, cedar shingles, flower boxes and other custom elements help bird houses command higher retail prices. Unique houses also make great gifts for the bird lovers and gardeners.
Targeted Marketing and Promotion – Selling bird houses successfully requires understanding your customer base and actively promoting products through birding magazines, specialty websites, home and garden shows, and online marketplaces like Etsy. Strong digital promotion and search engine optimization are now critical for reaching customers.
Good Photography – Product photos that accurately showcase the details and quality craftsmanship of bird houses are essential for sales. Photos should highlight artistic elements and convey any unique characteristics.
Fair Pricing – Bird house prices need to align with their materials, construction quality, and complexity of design. Affordable prices for basic models and premium prices for custom artwork and details help drive sales. Discounts and sales can also boost orders.
Prime Sales Seasons – While bird houses sell year-round, activity peaks during the late winter and early spring when homeowners prepare their yards for the nesting season. Sales volumes typically slow down in the hot summer months.
Popular Bird House Designs
The best selling bird house designs cater to specific birds that homeowners want to attract.below are some top-selling styles:
Classic Bluebird Houses: Simple wooden bluebird boxes remain very popular. These have an overhanging roof, ventilation gaps, and a side access panel. Roughly 5-6 inches diameter x 8-10 inches high. Can be painted or stained. Appeal to bluebird enthusiasts.
Decorative Wren Homes: Small ornamental birdhouses with 1-1.5 inch diameter holes appeal to Carolina Wrens, Bewick’s Wrens and House Wrens. Decorative colors and details make these popular gifts and accents for backyard gardens.
Rustic Robin Houses: Robin nesting platforms made from a slab of wood, tree section, or stacked lichen-covered branches have organic visual appeal for woodland yards.
Modern Martin Condos: Multi-compartment Martin houses made of durable polymer, recyclable plastic or sustainable bamboo cater to the highly social Purple Martins who prefer colonial nesting. Contemporary material options attract buyers.
Handcrafted Chickadee Cottages: Charming miniature birdhouses constructed from unique reclaimed and upcycled materials appeal to chickadee fans. Small 1-1.8 inch openings mimic perfect chickadee abodes in the wild.
Bird House Type | Target Bird Species | Average Dimensions | Materials |
---|---|---|---|
Classic Bluebird Box | Eastern Bluebird | 5x6x8 to 10 inches | Wood, pine or cedar |
Decorative Wren House | Carolina Wren | 4-6 inches | Wood or Polyresin |
Rustic Robin Platform | American Robin | 6x6x2 inches (platform) | Wood slab, tree section |
Modern Martin Condo | Purple Martin | 6-12 inches x 14+ compartment | Plastic, bamboo |
Handcrafted Chickadee Cottage | Black-capped Chickadee | 4-6 inches | Reclaimed wood |
Profitability Factors for Bird House Businesses
For sellers looking to turn bird houses into a full-time business venture, profitability hinges on several factors:
Production Costs
Keeping material and labor costs manageable is crucial for maintaining adequate profit margins on bird houses. Buying unfinished bird house kits in bulk helps minimize materials costs. Minimizing waste in the construction process also improves cost efficiency. Finding local sources for reclaimed wood can assist with controlling materials expenses as well. For higher end custom houses, the inherent material costs may be greater, so pricing has to account for that. Outsourcing painting and finishing work to independent contractors is often a more time and cost effective option compared to hiring employees.
Pricing Strategy
A well-planned pricing scheme ensures profitability across the entire product line. Basic bird house designs should be affordably priced for the mass market. The sales volume makes up for the lower margins. More ornate bird houses can be priced at premium levels,generating larger margins for the added value. Limited edition and rare bird houses also merit higher pricing. Promotional discounts and sales help fuel demand during slower months to improve cash flow.
Sales Volumes
Generating steady sales month-to-month is imperative for bird house businesses to maintain positive cash flow. Seasonal fluctuations are inevitable, but a diverse product line aimed at backyard birding enthusiasts helps smooth out periods of high and low demand. Expanding sales channels through online marketplaces, independent retailers and placement in gift shops also increases volumes. Creating awareness through promotions, home & garden events and social media branding drives sales higher. Limited runs of new, specialty bird house designs also create exclusivity that boosts order volumes.
Streamlined Order Fulfillment
An efficient order taking and shipping process saves labor time and keeps overhead costs lower. Taking orders online via e-commerce or through integrated platforms like Etsy simplifies order management. Direct order fulfillment relationships with shipping companies also help streamline the fulfillment process. Outsourcing order fulfillment during high volume periods can help minimize staffing costs as well. Fast shipping turns orders quickly so revenue keeps flowing in.
Operating Expenses
Keeping other operating costs like shop rent, utilities, insurance and other administrative expenses in check also enables small bird house businesses to realize decent profit margins. Having lower fixed costs makes the business model more adaptable in periods of changing sales volumes. Taking measures like running efficient energy systems, negotiating good rental terms, and maintaining adequate insurance levels without overpaying all contribute to optimizing expenses.
Should You Start a Bird House Business?
For crafty entrepreneurs with woodworking skills and passion for birds, a backyard bird house business can certainly be financially viable and personally rewarding. Doing adequate planning, managing costs wisely, creating distinctive products, and tapping into the strong consumer demand for quality bird houses can lead to a sustained, profitable venture.
As with any small business, consistently maintaining quality, controlling expenses, providing great customer service, and investing time into marketing make the difference between success and failure. Starting out small, learning the business dynamics, and slowly expanding helps minimize risk as well. Birdhouses will likely remain popular with backyard nature lovers, so a thoughtfully executed business plan in this niche can yield fruitful results.
For individuals seeking to turn a small hobby into supplemental income, bird houses represent an appealing option. For those looking to fully replace a primary income source, significantly higher sales volumes would need to be reached, which requires major time investments into production capacity and marketing. Testing the market initially through online sales provides good insight before committing to full-time bird house production.
Overall, bird houses are specialty backyard wildlife products that do sell quite well in the right marketplace context. With strategic planning and passion for nature, they can certainly provide promising small business opportunities. The bird house niche will likely continue seeing healthy demand as backyard birding remains a favorite hobby.
Conclusion
Quality bird houses generally sell quite well among backyard birding enthusiasts, nature lovers and gardeners looking to attract more birds to their yards. While basic bird house designs have lower profit margins, uniquely handcrafted houses made from reclaimed and sustainable materials can command premium pricing. Bird houses with artistic embellishments and details that are effectively marketed through birding channels and online marketplaces tend to generate the highest sales volumes and margins.
For small businesses, keeping production costs low, creating distinctive high-end products, optimizing order volumes across seasons, and maintaining lean operations and expenses are key factors that influence profitability. With careful planning and execution, a bird house product line can be crafted into a sustainable business model. The backyard birding consumer market shows ongoing demand for tastefully designed bird homes. For creative entrepreneurs with woodworking skills, bird houses provide an appealing niche opportunity.