Wood duck houses

[browndog]

Good catch woodduck. I have some drake mallards hanging around on the ditches by my woody boxes. I know that the hens are nesting around there somewhere but never found the nests. I haven't checked the woody box(the one I last posted about)since Tuesday. I have a different cam watching it now and I put one on the pipe below the box, just above the water in video mode hoping to catch the ducklings hitting the water on jump day....should be in about 27-28 days. Jump day on the other box is around May 10-12.

 

[woodduck]

Can't wait to see those videos browndog. I haven't checked my wood duck boxes in a while but i'm certain there's no woodies nesting in them....maybe next year i'll move a box or two around and i'll have better luck.

 

[browndog]

Can't wait to see those videos browndog. I haven't checked my wood duck boxes in a while but i'm certain there's no woodies nesting in them....maybe next year i'll move a box or two around and i'll have better luck.

Here is the setup. Cam is on the woody box pole, hopefully I can get some jump day vids. This drake kept swimming around in front of the cam and looking at the box. He did this for almost two hours. I think this was the last egg laying day.

 

[woodduck]

Nice video of that drake. That's gotta catch those fluffy little guys on jump day!

 

[Trophy Collector]

Nice video of that drake. That's gotta catch those fluffy little guys on jump day!

That's a cool video!! Hope u catch them jumping!

 

[tinytim]

Those are some great pictures! I got my boxes cleaned out a couple weeks ago and reloaded with shavings, had last years rotten eggs and empty shells in one, nothing in the others but last year was an off year here, snow and cold well into late may so I hope they do better this year. I hung a new box on the dead maple, we have had a couple beaver dams blow out so the water is low but I think any self respecting wood duck would be happy to raise a family here. The last picture is a funny one, couple years ago I had to wear chest waders to get to it to clean it out, last year, walked out on the ice in late april, and this year, another beaver dam let go walk out to it no problem

 

[woodduck]

Today one of the boys and I went down to the pond to do one of our favorite things, feed the fish. As usual I peered over to the island to check on the nesting hen mallard. Much to my surprise she wasn't there and the grasses shielding the nest were flattened. I went to the house, put on my waders and waded over to the island to investigate. Much to my dismay the nest was empty and there were 4 eggs laying nearby under some over hanging grasses with a hole about the size of a nickel broken in each one. There was also some short, brown, fine hairs stuck to the eggs. Needless to say I was heartbroken.

On the bright side, later on while out on our usual 4wheeler ride around the farm Mason wanted to stop and throw stones in the duck pond. While he was doing that I checked on a few tubed oaks and the Button Bushes I had planted last fall. There hasn't been any Wood Ducks (that I've seen any way) on the pond in around a week. There also hasn't been any Starling activity in any of the boxes in about 2 weeks. I thought I'd open up one of the wood duck boxes while I was down there just to make sure and to throw out any grass that might have been in there if one had tried to move back when. I was taken completely by surprise when there was a hen Wood Duck looking at me when I lifted up the door. I quickly closed the door and got out of there hoping not to cause her any more stress than I already had. Hopefully She'll have better luck than Mrs. Mallard did!

 

[browndog]

Hopefully you'll have some woody ducklings in the near future.

 

[tinytim]

I am working relatively close to camp right now so I went back to poke around and check the boxes I put up and cleaned out a ccouple weeks ago, and I am very pleased, 7 eggs in one, all others are empty and I had to make an emergency repair to the box, hope I did not disturb her too much, she was not there when I got there so I think it will be fine

 

[woodduck]

That's great ! I like it ! I'm sure momma wood duck likes it too

 

[WTNUT]

I have quite a few wood ducks every year. Will some knowledgeable person tell me the benefits of houses if I have ducks already?

 

[WTNUT]

Thanks - I figured that out after I sent the message and looked at the thread. The first clue was the photo of eggs in the house ha ha. Sorry for asking a question I could have answered.

 

[OakSeeds]

That's great ! I like it ! I'm sure momma wood duck likes it too

Wood Duck ... unlike Woodies that are cavity nesters, Mallards are canopy nesters (like to nest under a shrub or large plant they can hide in (avoid predators - especially avian). Geese, on the other hand, prefer to nest in the open (papa stays to help guard the nest). If you want that Mallard to pull off a successful clutch of eggs, cut off 1/3 of a 55-gal. barrel (metal or plastic - cut it - around the barrel -on either rib on the barrel). Get a strong metal pole (the kind - 8' - they use for stop signs or other signage), wade into your marsh - drive the post into the bottom of the marsh - bolt the barrel on the post about 3 feet above the water line at normal pool- now it is essentially a tub (with holes drilled into the bottom for drainage and a door-slot cut out of the side of the barrel - little ducklings have to get out of the barrel right after hatching) about 3 feet above the water line. Next -and this is important - rig up a top / canopy over the tub ( I would use the top of the barrel (the one you used to make the tub) ....I suggest you .... cut off the top as a flat piece with the same diameter as the tub (leave a 6" wide and 10" long tab attached to this round top section) - tab is cut out of the side of the barrel on this top section - then, use a piece of 2X4 or metal (better) post (3 brackets/posts is best - one in back and one on each side) attached to the tab AND the rear of the tub to create a top 18-20 inches above the top of the tub section. In late Feb / early Mar, place wood shavings in the tub and get ready for a nesting duck.

 

[woodduck]

Wood Duck ... unlike Woodies that are cavity nesters, Mallards are canopy nesters (like to nest under a shrub or large plant they can hide in (avoid predators - especially avian). Geese, on the other hand, prefer to nest in the open (papa stays to help guard the nest). If you want that Mallard to pull off a successful clutch of eggs, cut off 1/3 of a 55-gal. barrel (metal or plastic - cut it - around the barrel -on either rib on the barrel). Get a strong metal pole (the kind - 8' - they use for stop signs or other signage), wade into your marsh - drive the post into the bottom of the marsh - bolt the barrel on the post about 3 feet above the water line at normal pool- now it is essentially a tub (with holes drilled into the bottom for drainage and a door-slot cut out of the side of the barrel - little ducklings have to get out of the barrel right after hatching) about 3 feet above the water line. Next -and this is important - rig up a top / canopy over the tub ( I would use the top of the barrel (the one you used to make the tub) ....I suggest you .... cut off the top as a flat piece with the same diameter as the tub (leave a 6" wide and 10" long tab attached to this round top section) - tab is cut out of the side of the barrel on this top section - then, use a piece of 2X4 or metal (better) post (3 brackets/posts is best - one in back and one on each side) attached to the tab AND the rear of the tub to create a top 18-20 inches above the top of the tub section. In late Feb / early Mar, place wood shavings in the tub and get ready for a nesting duck.

Thanks OakSeeds. I think I'm going to construct and place one of those hen houses out in the pond . I was hoping I could get woodies to nest here after I built the new pond but I never thought I'd have Mallards using the pond simply because I rarely had them on my other pond in the past....now that they seem to have an interest I guess Ill have to help them out:D

 

[browndog]

A few days ago, I tried to put a camera by the wood duck house that will be hatching next week. I kicked a bunch of woodys off the ditch that the house is on. I watched the house for about one hour(5:15-6:15pm) and figured the hen was one of the woodys I kicked off the ditch and was getting ready to go feed for the evening.....So I went to put the cam on the pole on under the box and she cam busting out of the house(pi$$ me off!) I ended up leaving right away and put the cam about 70yds from the house. The woody house is about 20yds on the other side of the cattails in the vid. Probably won't be getting any duckling videos with this cam placement.

 

[browndog]

No woody ducklings yet. The hens are still laying in the boxes as of yesterday, but I did get some videos of a recent mallard hatch:cool:

 

[browndog]

I was planting a foodplot today by one of the wood duck boxes and saw a hen on top of the box and thought it was odd she was there. I checked it out and was disgusted at what I saw. There were cedar shavings and egg shells all over by the box and floating on the water. The cam on the post was turned around so I kind of knew what happened. This box(pics below) was close to hatching. I checked the other box and only one egg out of 14 didn't hatch...I was happy to see that.

 

[kabic]

Is that a wood or metal pole?

 

[browndog]

2" galvanized pipe.

 

[Merle Hawggard]

Wow! I had no idea they could go up a metal pole so easy. Those dog proof coon traps work great if you feel like thinning the herd.