# maintenance reminder



## Redheads (Jun 9, 2008)

If you have wooduck boxes to clean or hen houses that need repaired now is a good time to get them done. With the ice on the marshes it makes it a whole lot easier.


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## s.a.m (Feb 22, 2016)

Watch for screach owls!


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

Probably going to do the maintenance on mine
(only 4 left) this W/E while there's safe ice and I can drag along a ladder, last year was ice free here and I had a ladder in my canoe, interesting adventure.
Granddaughter and I built and installed 6 new mallard tubes last season that need new grass and she's anxious to check on them.
Good luck !


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## FOWL BRAWL (Feb 13, 2020)

One year i had a **** in one of them when i went to clean it. Stuck my hand in there and it went bad real fast as it scared the crap out of me. I pulled out my sidearm and put 16 vent hole in that wooduck house.

I had a predictor guard on the pole and all of the branches from nearby trees were cut ,i still don't know how that **** made it in.


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## Southernsaug (May 23, 2019)

Do you look for the egg casings to see how many hatched last year? I usually do this early summer, but sometimes they're still there now. One note, it's better to use straight sawdust than chips. I will usually just add new saw dust to the original and completely clean every third year. All sparrow nest, starling nest, swallow nest, mouse or other trash is removed. They usually have multiple residents after the wood ducks leave.


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## Redheads (Jun 9, 2008)

We always take out the top few inches and replace with new.

I also have 20 + years of data that shows what each box/nest has done each year and what else used it afterwards (yes i have them numbered just for that reason) 

Some years if the mergansers get in the boxes early the woodies numbers are way down for the entire marsh


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## s.a.m (Feb 22, 2016)

I Put a new box up behind the house filled with small wood chips, noticed one day saw dust on the ground, watched a starling clean every thing out of the box and replace with leaves and grass only to get kicked out by a hen wood duck!!


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## Redheads (Jun 9, 2008)

Took care of the nesting boxes and hen houses today. Out of the 21 woodduck boxes 18 were used. Out of the 18 16 were successful and two still had full unhatched eggs in them. 7out of 9 hen houses were used and successful.


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## Southernsaug (May 23, 2019)

That's great success redheads. won't be long and we'll see wood ducks scouting the boxes.
I have two new blue bird boxes to get up, they are already scouting my boxes


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

Redheads said:


> 21 woodduck boxes 18 were used


Outstanding !
Guess I should get busy and build a few more.
Good luck !


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## FOWL BRAWL (Feb 13, 2020)

what type of boxes is everyone using?


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## Sammy Bixler (Dec 29, 2018)

Where are you getting boxes also?


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## s.a.m (Feb 22, 2016)

Wood mostly, and usually homemade, one can get plans free online and I've used slab wood in the past.
Don't get the hole to big as the raccoons can get in, the oval holes work better.


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

Build a Wood Duck Box
This is a good and simple design.


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## Bprice1031 (Mar 13, 2016)

garhtr said:


> Build a Wood Duck Box
> This is a good and simple design.


Gotta love DU website. Everything from cooking to habitat manipulation for waterfowl!


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## Redheads (Jun 9, 2008)

We’re using fiberglass. 
Made from old water softener resign bottles cut in half and modified.


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