I built this floating duck house for our ducks so they hopefully wont get killed by the fox around my property. This is from beginning to end product.
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| 1st, started be water proof staining a pallet |
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| 2nd, I built the actual duck box and stapled chicken wire to the bottom . |
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| 3rd, this is the box upright, with a hole sawed out for entrance. |
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| You can see I made the front of the box slightly higher than the back so rain can run off. |
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| 4th, I attached the box to the pallet. |
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| looking down at the interior of the box. I ended up stapling a layer of black weed guard in to give it more stability but still allowing good ventilation. |
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| 5th, added roof with hinges so I can lift it to clean it if needed. |
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| 6th, me finishing all the staining touches. |
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| These are the duck. Peking ducks @ 2 weeks old. |
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| 6th, in this photo you can see (barely), but I slid 2 layers of insulation foam into the slats of the pallet. That is what makes it float. I screwed screws throughout the pallet to hold the foam in place. I also filled the gaps with moss so hopefully moss will grow in it. |
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| I filled the bed area with pine shavings and some dry nesting grass. The inside is stained with a clear sealer. |
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| back view |
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| Front view, and you would think it's done..But NO! |
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| I needed to get crazy and add stairs up the side so the ducks could bask in the sun on the roof! |
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| Finished product floating in the pond! |
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| anchored with a brick and a rope. |
I will keep this updated to let you know how long it stays afloat.
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Update 2015: The duck house lasted a successful 2 years, including being frozen in the ice for two winters. If or when I do this again in the future I will add more foam for floating and make sure the foam is packed and sealed really well. It would've lasted longer, but the foam started to break loose and thats what did it in.
So cute! At Birds Unlimited they were selling Wood Duck Houses, which are nesting houses for Wood Ducks. I've never seen anything like what you have made--very clever!
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool! I love all of your ideas Becky!!
ReplyDeleteWe are trying to 'grow' the duck population in our pond. (Lots of predators) This would give them a nice refuge! Please keep me up dated on how long it stays floating and we may make one!
ReplyDeletestill floating perfectly.
DeleteI have had the duck house floating for three months and its still floating just fine. Plus the moss i stuck in the pallets around tge landing has filled in and grown really good.
ReplyDeleteLooks nice and sturdy. Do they ever use the steps to access the top of the house?
ReplyDeleteI think its very creative. Please keep me updated so i can see if it works...
ReplyDeletelove it. thanks for sharing. where can i buy the foam and is it still floating? also could i use a dog house on top of the crate?
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing. could i use a dog house instead of building a duck house. also where can i buy the foam?? or could i use a 1/2 barrell for the house on top of the crate? is it still floating?
ReplyDeleteI found your site while looking for floating duck nest. This will take care of my project problems very easily. Thank You for the idea and the photos, I copied all of them to keep track of what to do. We have ponds in our neighborhood that has a flock of ducks almost year round and every spring the ducks speed lots of time trying to find nesting sites.
ReplyDeleteHow long did the island last? What improvements would you suggest?
ReplyDeleteThis lasted 2 years on waters including being frozen in ice for two winters also. As for improvements, I would add more foam for better floatation.
DeleteLove this! By chance do you remember how long the pallet lasted?
ReplyDeletethis lasted a good 2 years, including getting frozen through the winter. Next time I make one I will do a better job of packing more floating material in the base. I was happy to have it last for 2 years though.
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