Wood Duck nesting box - material?

B

BRUCE LUDWIG

Member
Greetings from Erie, PA!
I want to build a new nesting box, but the price of cedar makes it a difficult pill to swallow.
are there other acceptable types of wood that I could use?
we have larch locally, not sure of that?

any insight is appreciated!

can't wait for spring to arrive!
thank you;
Bruce
 
Bruce,

1x12 pine boards will work. Although they don't last as long. I would not use any kind of stain or sealer on the pine boards.

RVZ
 
Here in SC there was a push to get away from slow growing, albeit long lasting cypress and use pine instead. The use of pine lumber only lasted 3 years. The sun and humidity take a toll on wood down here.

The pine boxes that folks painted the exterior are still holding together and the ones without paint are splitting and beginning to rot.
 
We used plain pine boards for my son's Eagle Scout project.
Does not last as long as cedar, but its affordable.
 
I maintain some i,ve built with everything from t-111 scraps, to cedar, to rough cut pine boards. Birds use them all. T-111 are painted on outside of bx. to prolong life a bit. Most sites i,ve seen recommend not painting bx. insides. Lesser woods just mean lesser life but even plywood will last a while if painted .
 
Larch would be a good one to use if you can find it. It's rot resistant and always pretty cheap if you have a mill nearby. We used it for our raised beds. The 2x10 stock I used may outlive my career.
 
I made some out of regular pine cdx? Pywood years ago...the wood lasted longer than the damage done by critters and wind. If you want something that lasts a long time use cedar or the old sign board material they used for road signs. When I worked for the DNR in iowa they used alot of old Freon type containers, the cut tops, flipped on top of each other. Cut opening, holes in bottom for draining, riveted climb wire and hinge in back, snap lock in front.
 
Bruce

We use ruff cut pine and they last for a good while. We have out over a hundred up and down the Hudson River Valley. As they get older we take them down and put a new one in its place. Last year we didn't build any new ones or get any from the State do to covid. So we went out and had a big clean out of old boxes. Out of the twenty five my crew cleaned we had over eighteen with signs of being used. We use fine wood chips for bedding. They work great and have for many years. Cleaning out a boxes is as good as putting new ones up. Last year we cleaned out about fifty or so. Its great your building some. Remember it doesn't have to be that great. Wood ducks nest in holes in trees. I was thinking about taking a piece of a ceder tree and boring a big hole in it. And cutting a piece that I could hollow the post and put it back. So there would be room for the eggs to be dropped. Prices are so out of control. So we have to use our heads even more to help the wood duck. Great job!

Anthony
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anthony m coons sr said:
Bruce

We use ruff cut pine and they last for a good while. We have out over a hundred up and down the Hudson River Valley. As they get older we take them down and put a new one in its place. Last year we didn't build any new ones or get any from the State do to covid. So we went out and had a big clean out of old boxes. Out of the twenty five my crew cleaned we had over eighteen with signs of being used. We use fine wood chips for bedding. They work great and have for many years. Cleaning out a boxes is as good as putting new ones up. Last year we cleaned out about fifty or so. Its great your building some. Remember it doesn't have to be that great. Wood ducks nest in holes in trees. I was thinking about taking a piece of a ceder tree and boring a big hole in it. And cutting a piece that I could hollow the post and put it back. So there would be room for the eggs to be dropped. Prices are so out of control. So we have to use our heads even more to help the wood duck. Great job!

Anthony
Click to expand...

Many years ago my father and I (I was about 10-12 at the time made one out of a hollow piece of basswood. After a year of so we started getting nesting. It was cool to watch the wood ducks off the back deck.
 
I found that the bird boxes I put up that had some form of waterproof roofs lasted longer. I have used sheet aluminum flashing but anything that keeps the water off works.
Ken
 
Ken,
I never considered protecting the roof. Always thought the box had to be natural material. Great idea because the roof deteriorates faster than the rest of the box.

RVZ
 
I looked on CL for free material and was able to get enough wood scraps to build several boxes. You can also cruise through any manufacturing facilities, many times they have packaging crate material that may also work. They may give it to you if asked vs. placing in dumpsters.
 
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