The traditional wood duck box has helped the magnificent wood duck make a remarkable recovery during the past 50 years. Early in the 1900s, some people believed the wood duck was becoming extinct. Now, it is one of Minnesota's most abundant waterfowl, and is regularly the 3rd most abundant bird in the hunter's bag.
Step by Step Instructions
Wood Duck Box Construction Guidelines
(Adapted from MN DNR Publication, "Woodworking for Wildlife)
The traditional wood duck box has helped the magnificent wood duck make a remarkable recovery during the past 50 years. Early in the 1900s, some people believed the wood duck was becoming extinct. Now, it is one of Minnesota's most abundant waterfowl, and is regularly the 3 rd most abundant bird in the hunter's bag.
The following are general construction guidelines. The house should be constructed of wood that is strong and can be made weather resistant. It can be painted, stained, or treated - on the outside only! Some woods, like white cedar, are more weather resistant. The floor should be recessed ¼ inch up from the lower edge of the sides to prevent rotting, and several ¼ inch holes should be drilled in the bottom to let water out.
As shown in Figure 14, the entrance hole should be an oval 3 inches high and 4 inches wide. This hole excludes most raccoons. The hole should be centered 19 inches above the floor. An 18" x 3" strip of ¼ inch hardware cloth should be cut out and the cut edges folded back. This should be attached inside the box under the entrance to function as a ladder for the newly hatched ducklings. Sometimes, squirrels will tear this ladder loose so it will need to be checked annually. At least 3 inches of mixed sawdust and wood chips should be placed in the nest to serve as nesting material. Don't use only sawdust because it doesn't dry quickly and can cause rotting and chilling of eggs. The roof should be wired so the box can be opened for maintenance. Paired roofing nails with large heads should be used around the top of the box to wire it shut so raccoons can't open the box. Some box designs build a door into the side of the box. These work too, but in all cases, make sure the door latches shut tightly, or raccoons will find their way in.
Houses can be erected on a tree or on a 16-foot long, 4" x 4" post that is cypress, cedar, or preservative treated wood. An aluminum or tin sheet should be nailed around the post under the house to prevent squirrels and raccoons from climbing it. Since wood ducks are not territorial, two or more boxes can be placed on the same post or tree. Avoid placing boxes in direct sunlight as this can cause hot temperatures in the box, stressing the hen. For this reason, it is often beneficial to place houses on the north side of trees, facing away from the midday sun. Make sure there is a clear flight path – at least 30 feet of open space free of branches – in front of the hole.
When locating a suitable area for placing boxes, remember that the hen needs to quickly walk her ducklings to a suitable wetland or flowage. Check with the local DNR office for good sites. A good wetland is more than an acre in size (a 300' circle is roughly an acre). Permanent creeks and rivers also serve as temporary brood water. Boxes should be within 100 yards of water, but need not be directly over the water, and should be a minimum of 30 feet from water to reduce raccoon traffic. The best height for boxes is above 20 feet.
There is a tendency to scatter boxes widely throughout a woodland area near water. This makes boxes difficult to locate and maintain. It is much more efficient, and effective, to cluster your houses in a small area to facilitate maintenance. For example, placing and monitoring 20 or 30 boxes in a 10 to 20 acre park-like woodland near a good marsh or lake complex would be an ideal location for intensive wood duck management by a group. Get them up by March 1, and keep a good record of your wood duck box locations.
Annual maintenance on wood duck boxes is essential and should be completed by March 1. Boxes should be opened, inspected and more sawdust added if necessary. A side door near the bottom of the box makes this job much easier. When you service wood duck boxes, be adequately prepared. In addition to a good, sturdy ladder held by an assistant, you will need a wrench for loosening lag screws, a hammer, extra roofing nails, wire, a sack of wood chips, and extra roofs. A rope is very helpful for lowering boxes to the ground for maintenance work. Be extremely careful as boxes are heavy and ladders are unstable! Good luck and have fun with your wood duck box project!