Trio Duracraft Castle nest box build

[deancamp]

I made some nest boxes for my Trio Duracraft Castle as water will seep in under the doors. I used the plastic cardboard or yard sign material and I think it will work well. It is easy to work with, light weight and water will not affect it. I made a prototype from carboard before cutting the plastic cardboard. I then taped all the sides together and made sure I had a good fit in the house nest cavity. I then caulked all the inside joints and all the exterior vertical joints to glue it all together. After the caulk dried I removed the tape. It appears to be very strong and I am happy with the overall results.

[Matt F.]

Those look really good Deancamp! One thing to keep an eye on, is your seals being so good on those trays, that they may actually hold any water that my come in from above through various seams and cracks in the housing. I had put together some nest trays sometime back for a couple of houses (one Trio and one Duracraft) using signboard and superglue. We had a couple of hard rains before the Martins arrived that year, and upon checking the housing after the rains I found there was actually some standing water in a few of the trays. This was of course quickly resolved by punching a few small drain holes in each tray. These houses were both the regular, rectangular models (M-12K and DR-12N), which may be more susceptible to water intrusion than the hexagonal Trios and Duracrafts - not sure though. To date I've not had the opportunity to work on and/or manage a hex model.
Great work on your housing enhancements!

[deancamp]

Thanks for the heads up Matt. I'll definitely keep a watch on that, in fact I'll probably go ahead and put some drain holes in them now. Can't see there would be any negative effect even if not needed.

[Kegger]

nice job Deancamp your nest box does look very sturdy! I needed some flexibility in mine to make them
work better for my build. Happy new year and stay healthy!