Wood Duck Boxes

[The Freak]

Anyone know where a guy could buy a few wood duck boxes around the willmar area?

[IceHawk]

Try your local sportsmans club if you have one. Alot of times they make houses as winter projects. If you ask you can get some for free to put up. If not there are alot of plans out there to build your own.

[huntingmaxima]

Remember, you have to put some wood shavings in them also. Make sure they are not the cedar wood shaving! Use PINE SHAVINGS......

[ironman]

The instructions I got online said to use cedar shavings. I'm not sure which is best. I've owned lots of different pets in the past and most times they tell you to not use cedar. I would think pine shavings would be best though.

[Nova]

Why not use cedar shavings? That is what we always use and it seems to work...our houses are always full. Is there a reason not to use cedar?

[Dotch]

Curious about this meself so submitted the question to the woodduck society. Should be a reliable source. Will post the result when I receive it.

[ironman]

I'm not sure about wooducks, but for other husbandry of other critters...primarily reptiles it's not advised. It apparently has to do with the sap and oils from the cedar which can be irritating to the skin. I dont think it would be a problem for birds, but snakes and lizards its no good. After doing some laundry today I was wondering if the lint from the filter would be good, its nice and soft.

[Redwalleye]

I use cedar every year. Hens dont seem to mind. I could see for other critters though pine would be good. Atleast I hope those aren't snake egg shells in my boxes Last year ran low on shavings in the last five boxes I had so I took large wadds of dry cattail leaves. that seemed to work well too the hens just matted it down.

[BLACKJACK]

Holm Bros used to have an ad on the wall for selling wood duck kits, check it out, they're not closed yet. Or look up Roger Strand in the phone book, he is THE wood duck guru, he might know where there are some. Or look around for some plans, they aren't that dificult to make. The current issue of the Outdoor News has printed the plans. As a last resort, I have two new ones in my shed I'd sell you, but they won't be cheap, by the time you have $15-20 worth of lumber in each one and labor, it would be $40 apiece.

Good luck. Its a good cause and it feels great when you check your wood duck houses and see eggs/egg shells in them!

A reminder to everyone to mount their wood duck houses on a seperate pole with a coon guard. The current issue of Outdoor News shows a sequence of photos of a coon sitting on top of a wood duck house mounted in a tree and then catching the hen when she comes out!! Do it right and put in on a coon guard protected pole!!

[mnmuzzleloader]

I am not sure about the comment on the cedar shavings the Minn Waterfowl assc. just made 400 houses in New Prague a week ago and they were all filled with cedar, I started checking my 20 houses last weekend and one of the 3 had eight eggs from last year. can't wait to see what are in the rest of them!

[doubleUcubed]

The Freak. Let me check and see what I can find out for you regarding the Wood Duck Houses. We started a Sportsman's Club in Lake Lillian about 1.5 years ago and last winter we had a Wood Duck House building day for the kids. They built about 35-40 of them. A couple members had gotten the material together and pre-cut the wood and turned them into "kits" so it made it a lot easier for the kids to put them together. I'll find out if they are going to do it again this year? I'll post what I find out.

[duckbill]

Use cedar shaving. They tend to last a lot longer than other type of wood. I don't know what the reasoning is either.

Check the DU website they have a good plan otherwise email at renbed03atyahoo.com and I can email you some.

[The Freak]

DoubleUcubed, were you able to find out if they were going to build some this year?

[doser]

Don't know if this is true, but I was told if you use pine or other shavings they can emite a fungus that will harm the eggs. Now I've always used regular wood shavings in the past without any problems. I guess cedar shaving won't carry the fungus. Heard this at a Pheasants Forever convention. Don't know if it's true just what I heard this year. That was the first time I heard this.

[Dotch]

This is the response I got from the president of the Wood Duck Society regarding the pine shavings/cedar shavings/wood chip question I submitted to them. Most appreciated, Steve!

Dotch

We have 11 Directors on the Board. We have all discussed

this topic before and we have all had success with different

blends. My opinion has changed to basically all cedar

shavings. I used to use pine, but it doesn't last long with

moisture from the hen or if the weather is humid. Wood chips

were a little too big for me. At one point, I used cedar

shavings with a hand full or two of pine, but have since

used primarily cedar.

Keep in mind, in tree cavities, there is probably nothing!

The hen makes it work with her down and maybe a leaf or two.

My reason for 'cedar' has been it lasts the best of the

other materials and is readily available at Target or

Walmart in big bags for about five bucks. I think it is

actually hamster bedding. The bag is so big it lasts me

several years.

When a hen leaves with her brood, I usually clean out the

nestbox right away, dumping the feathers and moist shavings

and adding new shavings. I carry the old shavings out in a

five gallon pail and dump them away from the nestbox as to

'not call attention to the box' to passer-by predators. By

cleaning out the nestbox immediately after a new brood, you

might get a second brood! It does happen and sometimes

certain nestboxes are more desireable to hens, maybe because

of location. I never take a chance and take advantage of

ever opportunity I get.

Thanks for the Question, have a great wood duck season and

please email me with your successes and/or failures. We all

learn from other peoples' experiences.

Thanks again!

Steve

Stephen M. Straka

President, WDS

www.woodducksociety.com

[BLACKJACK]

Good post Dotch!

I'm a member of the Wood Duck Society, its only $5 or $10 and they send out an interesting and imformative newsletter a few times a year. I highly recommend it.

[Dotch]

Sending my check off this AM. Between their website and personal corrspondence they answered a bunch of questions as well as giving me some ideas on a few other things I was curious about. Would feel guilty if I didn't subscribe. I've spent $10 on dumber stuff.

[Sartell Angler]

sounds like a good organization for a sportsman to be a member of! I look forward to maintaining a bunch of woodduck boxes and nesting platforms after I finish college and get a place of my own.

SA/wdw