Wood duck boxes and mallard hen nests

[Ouzel]

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?

[Bo D]

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...

[C.F.]

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

[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...

[FishHog]

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...

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

[coach joe]

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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[Birdbuff]

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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[sabmgb]

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.

[Buddy Boy]

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

[Buddy Boy]

Hello Coach Joe,

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

Jerome