Wood duck boxes and mallard hen nests

So a few of us got together today and built wood duck boxes and mallard hen nests. As I was gathering material and planning for the build, I learned that hen nests have a hatch success rate of close to 80% as compared to less than 10% for ground nests. And that hens will return to their previously used nests. Plans are available online through Ducks Unlimited and Delta Waterfowl along with interesting facts and information. So get off the covid couch and get building! Great day spent with friends and Winnie and us are looking forward to the fall.

Nice work cj.

Nice Work!
Our chapter is getting out next weekend to check our boxes. Need to get going on building some more though. Demand is outstripping supply at the moment, so we need to get caught up.

Our group here in B.C. found the nest tubes didn’t work. The eagles and herons used them more to roost on. Our nest boxes however have been highly successful. There’s been a significant increase in wood ducks in our area. Check out pittwaterfowlers

Great website! We wired in some spikes to out mallard nests to keep the larger birds off and hopeful that will work.

To the OP - what did you use for bedding material in the hen houses???

Just used hay and filled half to 2/3 rd full as per DU and Delta Waterfowl directions. Straw was used when rolling the metal fencing to form the exterior of the nest.

Very useful info. Thanks. I hate to admit it, but I killed off a duck's brood by using sawdust and too high in the box. :(

When we were building the boxes, we had read that wood chips only and not sawdust for that very reason.

So went out today in -20 but sunny weather and checked some of those nests we built. Out of 6 mallard hen nests and 3 wood duck boxes, we had 5 that were nested in. One confirmed wood duck and one confirmed mallard nest

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I have installed 6 wood duck boxes and 6 hen houses on a large wetland where I hunt. I have had excellent success with the wood duck boxes, 80% successful nesting for several years in a row now. I have had no luck with the hen houses. I think one may have had some action over the last 2 years, but that's it. Does it take time for the hens to figure out what they're for?

Up at our camp we've had very good success with the mallard nests. What we've done is drive in 4 x 4's into the marsh bottom and nail in a skid on top of the 4 x4's . We try and get the skid about a foot or so above the water... Have had real good success doing it that way...

Hey Bo D , can you elaborate on the design you guys do ?
Is it just a skid a foot off the water, or is there a hens house aswell?
I’m interested in doing the Delta waterfowl hens houses or any other solution for helping get the numbers up

The hen house is set on top of the skid.... We secure the house with a U nail front and back. Once the birds hatch out and leave the nest you may get the odd muskrat that will take residence and build his own nest on top of the skid. We check them every spring and do some cleaning if need be...

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Originally Posted by Bo D

The hen house is set on top of the skid.... We secure the house with a U nail front and back. Once the birds hatch out and leave the nest you may get the odd muskrat that will take residence and build his own nest on top of the skid. We check them every spring and do some cleaning if need be...

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I’ll have to try that as I’ve had no interest in mine. Although I have mine on a pole higher out of the water.
The only activity I’ve had is a moose in the fall destroyed one twice. Now I remove it late summer and put it back up in late winter

Got out today to replace a few mallard hen nests which have collapsed over a few winters due to the fact that i did not use the proper gauge wire recommend by Delta Waterfowl. Most recent issue of Delta Waterfowl refers to the 2022 U.S. State of the Birds Report where it states that an estimated 3 billion fewer birds exist today as compared to 1970. Ducks (along with geese and swans) continue to thrive, up 34%, since 1970, mostly to conservation efforts by organizations and hunters. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/sta...ebirds2022.htm

So get out there and build some mallard nests and wood duck boxes!

The vehicle in the pic is a 1972 Play Cat snow machine.


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I was at the sportsman show today and passed by the delta waterfowl booth. They had this cool wood duck box.

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Where I hunt deer the landowner has a small pond, so we built a couple of wood duck boxes. Never had any wood ducks but did get an owl living in one, I think it was a barn owl, never got a good look at it.

Hello Birdbuff,

I have seen those Wood Duck boxes advertised in a magazine regularly ... when I see the advertisement again I will post the information for you. I think that they are molded plastic ... right?

Jerome

Hello Coach Joe,

I have posted a separate "thread" about that article in the Delta Waterfowl magazine regarding the various bird populations.

Jerome

Yes they are plastic, with a detachable bottom to refresh the shavings.