Duck nest boxes

mallards

Has anyone tried setting up a few? I have duck about to nest on my pond this year and I set up one of these. A friend gave it to me who got from a man he knew. The friend doesn't know where the other guy got it from and I can't find any info about it on the web. The stamp on the side says its made by Gicle? Anyone seen these before and where can I get more?
The idea of it is you knock a 3X3" post into the water and the nest box fits down over it using the fitting at the back. It then floats, being free to rise and fall up and down the post as the water level changes. Fill it full of straw and the ducks love it and crows and magpies can't get into it.





Mallards

The Big Fella

Does it stop mink getting into the nest?:D

mallards

Don't tempt fate, no mink up my way.............Yet!

daithi55

mallards wrote: »

Don't tempt fate, no mink up my way.............Yet!

dont let the antis no they might ship some up there or release them from a local farm

Double Barrel

Mallards,
I have not seen a nesting box quite like that one.
But I have made-up 14 of this type and put them out already, just finished the last one the other day. I put a galvanised strip on top to keep the rain out and a vermin shield under the house. Ducks will sit on top so I use stiff wire.



Scroll down to page No.7 for your namesake:
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Portals/9/pdf/Pub%20419.pdf

Delta waterfowl has a very successful "henhouse" program, take a gander at their videos.
http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/index.php

TriggerPL

Double Barrel wrote: »

Mallards,
I have not seen a nesting box quite like that one.
But I have made-up 14 of this type and put them out already, just finished the last one the other day. I put a galvanised strip on top to keep the rain out and a vermin shield under the house. Ducks will sit on top so I use stiff wire.


.


Scroll down to page No.7 for your namesake:
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Portals/9/pdf/Pub%20419.pdf

Delta waterfowl has a very successful "henhouse" program, take a gander at their videos.
http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/index.php[/QUOTE]

has this worked for you we been looking at nesting boxs for the ground to no sucess

Eddie B

Not exactly ideal, but done the job!:D

welsummer

Ducks used these regulary, but we had a lot of predation. They would need to be off the ground and supported in trees
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Eddie B

The only predation we had was from Heron's! They were taking chicks off the water once hatched! Had two broods almost wiped out, before the lads copped on what was going on!!:mad: Got a couple of those decoy Heron's which helped somewhat!!!

Double Barrel

The headless man in the water. ...... pretty effective camouflage. :cool:

Double Barrel

Trigger
Yes they work. I put 3 out initially as a test project, the first year 2 were occupied and 2 broods, and have added a few every year for the last five years.
I have used a piece of drainage pipe, a plastic bucket à la Eddie, with a hole cut in the bottom, all are raised off the water/ground 4-5 feet. I read that carpet could be substituted for hay or straw but have not tried it .. yet.

TriggerPL wrote: »

has this worked for you we been looking at nesting boxs for the ground to no sucess

terminator2

Double Barrel wrote: »

Mallards,
I have not seen a nesting box quite like that one.
But I have made-up 14 of this type and put them out already, just finished the last one the other day. I put a galvanised strip on top to keep the rain out and a vermin shield under the house. Ducks will sit on top so I use stiff wire.



Scroll down to page No.7 for your namesake:
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Portals/9/pdf/Pub%20419.pdf

Delta waterfowl has a very successful "henhouse" program, take a gander at their videos.
http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/index.php

Great job on the hen houses DB any mallard showing interest yet this year i mean

Double Barrel

Terminator
Thanks

I see them sitting on top of the houses so that's a good thing imo .... one thing leads to another and I just let nature take it's course.

Double Barrel

"For the past six years the Devenish Wildfowlers and Conservation Club have been running a conservation project on Lower Lough Erne. This involves the construction and installation of nesting tunnels for breeding wildfowl.

Over recent weeks they have installed a further 33 nesting tunnels, each designed to provide wild ducks with a safe nesting and hatching environment during the breeding season. The tunnels have proved extremely popular with many being used twice in the same season to rear successive broods of young ducklings."

Continue reading: http://www.caireland.org/News/press_releases/Devenish_Wildfowlers_and_Conservation_Club_Project/

mallards

Thanks for the replies lads. I think I will set up a couple of the bucket nests on the island in my pond, thanks for that eddie!
I also want to set up a couple of the nests that you mentioned DB. I seen these before and I think they are a great job.
I looked at the a similar platform nest as yourself welsummer but ruled it out as I don't have enough water to put four or five of these out without them being too close together but I reckon they are a good idea also. The one difference I noticed with yours and the ones I seen is that they had a small entrance tunnel first before the main nest. This stopped magpies and crows entering and stealing the eggs. Might be an option for yourself to help stop predation.

Cheers,

Mallards

terminator2

i wonder could we start our own hen house project like delta;);)

EastTyrone

just a question on them nests on the stands that are up out of the water, how do ducklings get out of it?

mallards

Just jump out into the water, they don't return to it.

EastTyrone

and is the nest totally free from predation?

Double Barrel

East Tyrone,

Not totally free, avian raiders can get in.

I put a homemade cone underneath and that stops the 4 legged lads.
Squirrel guards (conical) if you are not inclined to DIY.

Double Barrel

Some interesting fact filled reading, I like the variety of hen-house shapes : http://eeb.lu.lv/EEB/2004/Laubergs.pdf

Barneyc

mallards wrote: »

Thanks for the replies lads. I think I will set up a couple of the bucket nests on the island in my pond, thanks for that eddie!
I also want to set up a couple of the nests that you mentioned DB. I seen these before and I think they are a great job.
I looked at the a similar platform nest as yourself welsummer but ruled it out as I don't have enough water to put four or five of these out without them being too close together but I reckon they are a good idea also. The one difference I noticed with yours and the ones I seen is that they had a small entrance tunnel first before the main nest. This stopped magpies and crows entering and stealing the eggs. Might be an option for yourself to help stop predation.

Cheers,

Mallards

How have these nests performed were they a sucess.?

mallards

Barneyc wrote: »

How have these nests performed were they a sucess.?

My original green one raised one brood but that was it, I've made two wooden nest boxes and will try two of the tubes in the spring all being well. Catching a mink near the pond earlier in the year makes me think to have them elevated so they at least have a chance.

Barneyc

mallards wrote: »

My original green one raised one brood but that was it, I've made two wooden nest boxes and will try two of the tubes in the spring all being well. Catching a mink near the pond earlier in the year makes me think to have them elevated so they at least have a chance.

Think there is to much emphasis on reared birds nowadays and not enough on habitat improvement this is something all hunters could all do

shotie

Barneyc wrote: »

Think there is to much emphasis on reared birds nowadays and not enough on habitat improvement this is something all hunters could all do

im afraid thats easyer said then done but do agree if the right habitat is there youl have very good hunting ,

Barneyc

shotie wrote: »

im afraid thats easyer said then done but do agree if the right habitat is there youl have very good hunting ,

Just posted about a book will Garfit a "small shoot revisited" he basicaly bought up 40 acres of used sand pits and developed it into a wildlife haven. he does rear a lot of birds and would shoot a couple of hundred birds per year on it.

Now i know this is the extreme an un practical for most shooters but goes to show the importance of habitat.

Should treat yourself to the book for christmas