I have had my best luck using 1 inch by 12 inch shelving. You might have available something like western cedar, cypress, etc. An efficient approach is to make four boxes at one time. Materials needed are four 1 x 12 by 8 feet long pieces of grade 3 shelving and one 1 x 12 by 12 feet long piece of grade three shelving.

Materials for Wood Duck Box

I usually start by taking the four 1 x 12s which are 8 feet long and place two of the boards on edge on a hard surface and the boards are balanced on edge. Take a third board and place it on the two boards which are on edge. Use nails or number 6 deck screws of 1 and 5/8 inches in length or 1 and 3/4 inches in length as fasteners. My preference is to use the screws as I believe that over time in the weather they remain secure longer than nails. Fasten the third board to the edges of the other two, being careful to not place a fastener near the two, four, and six foot marks. When finished you should have a long trough which is open on the ends.

Trough

Take the fourth board and fasten it to the edges of the two original boards. Again rememberto avoid fasteners at the two, four, and six foot marks. When completed you will have a near-square 8 feet long tube. When viewed from the sides, opposite sides of the tube will either be the width of the 1 x 12 or the width of the 1 x 12 plus the thickness of the two boards fastened to its sides. Think of the 1 x 12 or narrow sides of the tube as the front and back of the nest box. This tube when cut using the directions which follow will make four wood duck boxes.

Tube

Take the tube and cut it into two pieces at the 4 foot mark.

Tubes Four Feet Long

Take one of the tubes four feet long and mark a mark two feet from the endon the front and the back. On the front draw a line across the front 1 inch below the mark at 2 feet. On the back draw a line 1 inch above the mark at two feet. Turn the tube on its side and connect the ends of the two lines you drew, turn the tube to the other side and repeat (see faint lines in photograph above). If you cut along the lines you have drawn you will wind up with two tubes that are 25 inches high on the back and 23 inches on the front. Treat the other 4 foot tube the same as this one to make two more boxes.

Tubes For Boxes Plus Tops and Bottoms

Using the remaining 1 x 12 by 12, cut four pieces 13 inches long to be secured as bottoms. With 52 inches removed from the board there should be 92 inches remaining which will allow for four tops 23 inches each.

Place an entry hole about 4 inches below the top on the front or short side. The hole should be about 4 inches in diameter. I usually make mine oblong, so they may be more like 5.5 to 6 inches wide and 3.5 to 4.0 inches high. A drawing can be made for the hole by placing two nails four inches apart, 18 inches from the bottom of the box. The nails should be placed 3.0 inches from the sides. Draw a line perpendicular to the line connecting the nails half way between the nails. Place a nail 1.5 inches above and below the original line. Tie a string fairly tight around the nails. Place a pencil inside the string and draw the pattern allowed as you proceed around each of the nails. The hole can be made larger or smaller by the placement of the nails. I use this size hole because of the variety of birds that select this type box.

Holes For Wood Duck Boxes

If the nest box is going to be placed on the top of a pole or a bench let about six inches of the top hang over the front and back. After positioning the top attach the top with a two inch hinge to the top of the back side. Use a two inch screen door hook to stablize the top on the front side of the box and to allow easy access. Before you call yourself ready to place the boxes be sure to put any screws that might have been omitted earlier due to sawing. Then the boxes should be treated with some type of wood preservative, particularly the sawed or cut edges. Finally I like to put two coats of an outdoor stain on them. In the photograph below notice the cleats that have been attached to the bottom. These are either made of Redwood or wood preservative treated lumber. This addition helps the bottom to last longer.

Since I deal only with pinioned birds I usually elect to place my Wood duck-type nest boxes on a bench as shown. Due to the birds being pinioned it is necessay that I provide a ramp. The ramps shown are six feet long. To keep them from being slick a cover of hardware cloth-type plastic wire has been applied. Small pieces of wood might have been nailed to the ramp to provide footing.

Bench of Wood Duck Boxes

On the inside between the hole and the bottom, nail a piece of hardware cloth-type metal wire or plastic wire to help the mother/babies exit the nest box. I usually place mulch-type bark in the bottom, maybe 2 to 3 inches deep. A couple of 1/4 to 3/8 inch holes in the bottom will let water from rain and wet mothers drain out of the box.

Then If You Are Lucky

The boxes described at this site have been used by Wood Ducks, Mandarins, Call Ducks, Cape Shelducks, Common Shelducks, Paradise Shelducks, Australian Shelducks, Maned Geese, and American Black Ducks.

After several years the bottoms will rot. A saw can be used to cut about one or two inches off the bottom side of the box. A new bottom is placed on the box and a new life begins.

This file was placed in service 02/07/2004.

The University of Tennessee at Martin is not responsible for the information or views expressed here.

Last Modified Saturday, 26-Apr-2008 13:36:02 CDT