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Wood Duck Box Design
1. Nest boxes should be constructed of weather resistant wood, such as cedar or cyprus.
2. An entrance hole with a four-inch diameter or an oval that is three inches high and four inches wide is created.
3. A three-inch wide strip of ¼-inch mesh hardware cloth should be securely fastened to the inside of the box under the entrance to function as a ladder for the hen and newly hatched ducklings.
4. The cut edges of the cloth should be folded back before being inserted to avoid injury to the ducklings.
5. The wood surface under the hole should be roughened with a chisel to help the ducklings climb.
6. A three-inch layer of coarse saw dust should be placed at the bottom of the box to serve as nesting material and to prevent the eggs from rolling around.
7. The lid should be removable to facilitate monitoring and cleaning in the future.
8. The boxes should be fitted with a galvanized sheet metal predator guard six to twelve inches below the bottom of the box.
9. Repeat to make three nesting boxes.
Figure 1: Wood Duck Nesting Box Design
Project Materials
Cedar (weather resistant wood): used to build the nesting boxes out of. It will be acquired from a local hardware store.
Table Saw: for cutting the wood for assembly of the boxes. It is already owned.
1/4 - inch Mesh Hardware Cloth: to be attached to the front of the boxes to help the ducks climb into them. It will also be purchased from a local hardware store.
Chisel: to score the door of the boxes to aid climbing. This instrument is already owned.
Sawdust: to line the bottom of the nesting boxes. This will be acquired from a local hardware store.
Drill: to create the holes for assembly. It is already owned.
Screws: to complete assembly.
Screwdriver: to complete assembly.
Galvanized Sheet Metal: to create the predator guard. It can be purchased from a local hardware store.
Tape Measure: to measure where the wood duck boxes will be mounted.
Digital Camera: to track the progress of project completion and to generate material for the final presentation of information. It is already owned.
Display Board: used to create the final presentation.
Wood Duck Box Mounting Procedure
1. The individual nest boxes should be placed in secluded areas on land or over water within timber stands where cavities would occur naturally.
2. They should be placed at least four feet above the high water level and six hundred feet apart (not visible to one another).
3. They can be mounted on snags, wooden posts, PVC pipes or metal pipes.
4. The entrance hole should face the water, rather than the shoreline.
5. The area between the nest box and the water should be free of obstacles.
6. Those boxes placed in trees especially need predator guards, because the highest predation occurs here. Also, the closer to the water the box gets, the higher the predation, so the proximity to water also determines the importance of the predator guard.
1. Nest boxes should be constructed of weather resistant wood, such as cedar or cyprus.
2. An entrance hole with a four-inch diameter or an oval that is three inches high and four inches wide is created.
3. A three-inch wide strip of ¼-inch mesh hardware cloth should be securely fastened to the inside of the box under the entrance to function as a ladder for the hen and newly hatched ducklings.
4. The cut edges of the cloth should be folded back before being inserted to avoid injury to the ducklings.
5. The wood surface under the hole should be roughened with a chisel to help the ducklings climb.
6. A three-inch layer of coarse saw dust should be placed at the bottom of the box to serve as nesting material and to prevent the eggs from rolling around.
7. The lid should be removable to facilitate monitoring and cleaning in the future.
8. The boxes should be fitted with a galvanized sheet metal predator guard six to twelve inches below the bottom of the box.
9. Repeat to make three nesting boxes.
Figure 1: Wood Duck Nesting Box Design
Project Materials
Cedar (weather resistant wood): used to build the nesting boxes out of. It will be acquired from a local hardware store.
Table Saw: for cutting the wood for assembly of the boxes. It is already owned.
1/4 - inch Mesh Hardware Cloth: to be attached to the front of the boxes to help the ducks climb into them. It will also be purchased from a local hardware store.
Chisel: to score the door of the boxes to aid climbing. This instrument is already owned.
Sawdust: to line the bottom of the nesting boxes. This will be acquired from a local hardware store.
Drill: to create the holes for assembly. It is already owned.
Screws: to complete assembly.
Screwdriver: to complete assembly.
Galvanized Sheet Metal: to create the predator guard. It can be purchased from a local hardware store.
Tape Measure: to measure where the wood duck boxes will be mounted.
Digital Camera: to track the progress of project completion and to generate material for the final presentation of information. It is already owned.
Display Board: used to create the final presentation.
Wood Duck Box Mounting Procedure
1. The individual nest boxes should be placed in secluded areas on land or over water within timber stands where cavities would occur naturally.
2. They should be placed at least four feet above the high water level and six hundred feet apart (not visible to one another).
3. They can be mounted on snags, wooden posts, PVC pipes or metal pipes.
4. The entrance hole should face the water, rather than the shoreline.
5. The area between the nest box and the water should be free of obstacles.
6. Those boxes placed in trees especially need predator guards, because the highest predation occurs here. Also, the closer to the water the box gets, the higher the predation, so the proximity to water also determines the importance of the predator guard.