PM House Questions by a Newbee

[mulebarn]

Hello! Fist year PM house build and I have a few questions.

I built a 16 compartment PM house with each compartment 6" x 12" x 5 1/2" high. The center of the house has a 4" x 4" ventilation shaft with vent slots in the back of each compartment. I have 4 Troyer vertical gourds that I will hang below the house. I originally started with the standard 2 1/8" opening but after doing some reading I have decided that I would need a crescent shaped access hole due to all the starlings in our area. I modified the doors with a 3" x 1 3/16" crescent and placed wood behind the hole. After painting I decided to reinsert the drilled out holes (pictures shown below). Now after doing some more reading.... I have concerns that the door edge may create wing entrapment issues.

A. What do you think about the idea of adding putty at the edges of the crescent hole? or maybe use exterior caulking? See the last picture This house will be pole mounted without the ability to winch it up and down; Therefore, the putty or caulk would be in place until Winter cleaning. I will have a lower hinge on the pole so that the house can be tilted down each Winter. I realize that this is not the best setup but if we can get some PM action this year or next then I will likely add a satellite pole that can be winched up and down.

B. Should I add any traction tape on the porches and inside even though the opening is down flush the floor? Perhaps no tape within 2" of the door center?

Pictures below of the house build and house location.

Thanks for any thoughts that you have! John

[John Miller]

I don't think you need to add the putty, at least not to prevent wing entrapment.. You may have seen it called wing "hang." I think the extra board on the back serves as a pretty good wing entrapment guard, and wooden doors anyway seem to get less cases than aluminum. I think what happens is that two martins are fighting inside and one tries to exit, but the one inside is dumbly holding on. So the bird trying to exit twists and turns and maybe get gets a shoulder out and one wing, and then sometimes too wings and is wedged sideways. I think you'll be okay, especially this season and can re-evaluate in future season when it's full occupancy. It's a nice house.

Your proposed placement is a little far out there; may be okay but there's some thinking that martins feel more secure a little more in proximity to people buildings. I'd put it in the back yard..you could better observe and enjoy it there...or down by the pond adjacent to the road leading there.

[taxidermy lady]

Yes I agree with John. The back yard would make it more pleasurable for you and the martins. Very nice and open. Good luck

[CraigMo.]

I would put it 30 feet away from your back deck

[William A]

That is a very nice house. I too am confident that martins prefer very close proximity to buildings with human activity. Good luck

[mulebarn]

I don't think you need to add the putty, at least not to prevent wing entrapment.. You may have seen it called wing "hang." I think the extra board on the back serves as a pretty good wing entrapment guard, and wooden doors anyway seem to get less cases than aluminum. I think what happens is that two martins are fighting inside and one tries to exit, but the one inside is dumbly holding on. So the bird trying to exit twists and turns and maybe get gets a shoulder out and one wing, and then sometimes too wings and is wedged sideways. I think you'll be okay, especially this season and can re-evaluate in future season when it's full occupancy. It's a nice house.

Your proposed placement is a little far out there; may be okay but there's some thinking that martins feel more secure a little more in proximity to people buildings. I'd put it in the back yard..you could better observe and enjoy it there...or down by the pond adjacent to the road leading there.

Thanks John and others for the feedback!

I will "nix" the putty at the doors. I don't have pine straw but I plan to add a cup or so of pine flakes to each compartment. I also often dust the chicken coops with DE (Diatomaceous Earth) to stave off mites so I may sprinkle a bit of that in each compartment before I erect the house. Regards, John

[DebA]

What a cool place you have. I don't have chickens, or ducks, or a pond, but do have dogs and goats. LOL. And a couple of horses and donkeys and barn cats and parrots.

Great job on your house! Very nice. I agree with John Miller as well. After all I consider him a mentor and have always done everything he says. Put your PM's where you want but there's nothing more fun than sitting 20-30 feet away and observing them. Mine are very used to me around the colony. I get a kick every year out of the newbies spookiness of me while the ASY's are very comfortable. But I am the epitome of crazy bird lady out there talking to them all the time.

I have a metal house and I have not put any traction strips outside the door. I did get the associated nest trays and they were slick when new. So I am sure per John's suggestion, I used something to scrape lines horizontally across the tray area that is just inside the entrance. Now in my fourth year of using them the trays are certainly not new and slick.

I look forward to your future posts and hope this year starts that beautiful house to being full.

Deb

[William A]

Seems like I have read negative comments here about using DE for martins. I have always used 1/4 tsp of seven under the nest with good results. Maybe somebody will chime in on using DE. Good Luck

[mulebarn]

What a cool place you have. I don't have chickens, or ducks, or a pond, but do have dogs and goats. LOL. And a couple of horses and donkeys and barn cats and parrots.

Great job on your house! Very nice. I agree with John Miller as well. After all I consider him a mentor and have always done everything he says. Put your PM's where you want but there's nothing more fun than sitting 20-30 feet away and observing them. Mine are very used to me around the colony. I get a kick every year out of the newbies spookiness of me while the ASY's are very comfortable. But I am the epitome of crazy bird lady out there talking to them all the time.

I have a metal house and I have not put any traction strips outside the door. I did get the associated nest trays and they were slick when new. So I am sure per John's suggestion, I used something to scrape lines horizontally across the tray area that is just inside the entrance. Now in my fourth year of using them the trays are certainly not new and slick.

I look forward to your future posts and hope this year starts that beautiful house to being full.

Deb

Thanks Deb! I did appreciate John's explanation of wing entrapment very much! I assumed that it was all about the wing getting wedged and caught in a slot rather than his explanation.... The goats are nice because we can be Agricultural Zoned instead of Residential Zoning (much cheaper with the taxes). We have 5 dogs and 2 cats so PM's will have plenty of activity from our yard. Thanks for the scrape line tip. I think that I will rough up the porch and inside with a few lines to create traction.

[mulebarn]

Seems like I have read negative comments here about using DE for martins. I have always used 1/4 tsp of seven under the nest with good results. Maybe somebody will chime in on using DE. Good Luck

William... Thanks for "chimming in". I know that DE is all natural and I use a lot of it in the goat pens and chicken coops. The stuff really knocks down the insects and mites. Great to have around the farm. You can get a 25 lb bag at Tractor Supply for about 10 bucks.

[saltair]

I agree with the others, putting the PM house closer to your house along with the dogs in the vicinity should help keep the Snakes away. With the pond and animals around I would also think about Snake guards or netting.