# dovecote



## SouthOz (Apr 30, 2003)

Can someone please tell me how to pronounce "dovecote". Have tried looking online but its vague. Is it dovecoat (as in overcoat) or dovecot ( as in babys' cot)
Also my husband would like to make one, is there anyone who can help with the layout and structural design?
Absolutely any reply would be appreciated.


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## Jerry (Nov 21, 2003)

Hello,
I'm certainly not an expert and I've heard it pronounced both ways, but I've heard "dove-coat" more often. I believe that's the preferred pronounciation, at least in the US. But someone may be able to respond with a greater degree of accuracy. Sorry I can't help you with the engineering, but I'm sure theres a website somewhere that will help.
Jerry


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## BeckyB (Nov 30, 2003)

We've been looking for a design for a dovecote too. Lots of pics of outside, but don't say how inside is set up! Lots of companies selling them too, but don't say how they're made. And we have looked a LOT on the net. There has to be someone out there with one who can give some idea of how the inside is set up. Thank you! Becky.


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## SouthOz (Apr 30, 2003)

Thanks for the replies. Any one else verify the pronunciation dovecote(coat) please let me know. 
Yes I would like to know the set up inside a dovecote too. Here in Australia I have only seen one, but it was huge and difficult to see. Does anyone live nearby one and have a look inside? There must be heaps of them in UK. I often wonder if the support post actually extends inside the cote, and if so, how far. And I wonder if it really matters whether or not if it does.
Any opinions welcome.


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## raynjudy (Aug 22, 2000)

"Cot" tends to be the European pronunciation, while "Coat" is most often used in the states. The old world pronunciation may well have been "Coot".

Almost nobody here pronounces Porsche right, either. Maybe that's why BMW chose BMW...









The old French and English dovecotes are often mistaken for grain silos by tourists. Using the engineering of the day, they were generally round, tower-like structures, with the nesting spaces stacked around the inside circumference of the walls.

Access to the nesting spaces was by ladder. With luck, the majority of the droppings collected on the central floor--these were used for fertilizer, and later, in the manufacturing of gun powder.

Ingress and egress for the birds was often by a sheltered, central hole in the roof (the pigeon's ability to fly nearly straight up worked well here!).

Dovecotes were often an important part of estates and castles. Think about it. In Medieval times, pigeons would fly in and out, foraging on grain, make two little copies of themselves each month (which matured in as little time), all the while providing one of the best natural fertilizers known today. A pigeon in flight is notoriously tough to shoot down with an arrow. Plus, they're good eating.









If you're in a castle under siege, consider all of the above... Pigeons, in this scenario, are attractive as livestock--far more so than chickens or goats. And if you train a percentage of them, you could dispatch urgent letters to neighboring kingdoms for help!









--Ray


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## SouthOz (Apr 30, 2003)

Thanks for the reply. My husband is having a hard time adjusting to 'dovecoat', as he has been calling it a 'dovecot' for some time now. Not sure which pronunciation suits us in Australia. Although I think dovecoat is probably the more well known way of saying it, but not totally sure of that either. Some people don't even know what it is.
I appreciate the replies. 
Our endeavour to make a structural plan for a hexagonal dovecote still continues. Any more input will be gladly received.


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## Thunderbird (Sep 7, 2003)

Hi Oz;
If you go to www.paccom.com , they have pigeon videos & a few books on dovecotes.
Chris


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

Good morning SouthOz,

A dovecote, pigeon housing, if you will, is pronounced Dove-kOt (just like a coat you would wear).

I am very fortunate to be associated with an organization called PICASUSA (The Pigeon Control Advisory Service, United States Branch), which originated in the UK.

Leslie Wilson, Founder and director of PICASUSA has created a wonderful website. The home page has some beautiful pictures of dovecotes. As you scroll down, on the left, click on 'Habitat nestbox & dovecote plans'.

I hope this will be of help to you. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email Leslie & she will be assist you as best she can.

Here is the website: http://www.picasusa.org 

Good luck.
Cindy 

[This message has been edited by AZWhitefeather (edited December 05, 2003).]


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## raynjudy (Aug 22, 2000)

"If you go to www.paccom.com , they have pigeon videos & a few books on dovecotes."

This is great advice--and it reminds people to peruse this entire website from time to time.

I own both videos, "Oldest Feathered Friend" and "Marathon In The Sky", and have had the pleasure of exchanging ideas with the film's producer, Jim Jenner. In "Marathon In The Sky", host, Michael Langdon, pronounces it "dovecot", like a cot one would sleep on.

Similarly, in remodeling you hear the term "Wainscot" pronounced both ways--"cot" and "coat". Master carpenters usually say, "wainscot". I assume they know their stuff.

While etymology is not my specialty, most English words are of Teutonic origin, and "cot" would be consistent with that. Still, over time these words become anglicized...

So, the debate on correct pronunciation is far from settled. Most likely, both variations are acceptable.

--Ray


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