So the plan would be for the house to have 4 holes on one side and none on the other?Carlton wrote:YES! It is easy to convert and the martins are MUCH more apt to stay and nest. All you need is a 2 inch hole in the partition that divides two adjacent compartments and you plug the back nesting chamber hole. My first pair ever nested in such a Trio Grandma house after I converted like that. There are "plans"/diagrams online on how to do this conversion.
Good luck and do convert them.
Problems with Starlings
[quote="James Johnson"]Carl is right. You want regret converting to four deep cavities. Your MSS may have knock outs in the middle partition. I converted my 12 cavity TRIOS to six. The middle partitions were held in place by rods similar to the door rods. When the rods were removed the middle partition slid out. I do not know how the middle partition on the MSS is secured but if you can remove them you may be able to use them for the back door of the enlarged cavities.[/quote
James:
When I get home (on the road Easter weekend), I am going to convert the house. Thanks for the tip.
Larry
James:
When I get home (on the road Easter weekend), I am going to convert the house. Thanks for the tip.
Larry
Carlton:Carlton wrote:I have a lot more housing than I really need here so I turned my MSS-12 into a very safe and luxurious 4. The martins enter through an Excluder entrance into a "foyer" and then turn left and go through a 2 inch hole in the partition. They enter a 6x12 inch enlarge space with lots of dry pine needles. It should be very safe back in there with lots of room for nesting and large broods. This is the first year I am trying this conversion. So far the martins seem to like it and are roosting back in the enlarged spaces.
Another thing I do with my Trios is to slide a small in diameter green bamboo garden stake under the two door clips. The door can not be accidently pushed open or pulled open. The thin bamboo stakes protrude way out beyond the house and provide LOTS of additional perching. That attracts martins.
This is a great idea and I will make the suggested change.
Thanks for all the great feed back.
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Carlton
- Posts: 1959
- Joined: Tue May 17, 2005 6:42 pm
- Location: Florida/Deerfield Beach
- Martin Colony History: I moved to South Florida, from Delaware, in August of 2015.
I care for a 6 condo Sunset House as well as two Deluxe Gourd Racks, with 24 Chirpynest/Excluder gourds, along a canal in Pompano Beach, Florida.
At Quiet Waters Park, nearby in Deerfield Beach, I care for a Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 TVG's. I also care for a Deluxe Gourd rack with 12 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder entrances. I am substituting 6 Chirpynest boxes for 6 of the Conley II entranced gourds in 2026.
At another local park, Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, I care for a Trendsetter 12, 5 gourds rack with 60 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder Entrances and 1 Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 Troyer Vertical Gourds with Starling Stoppers over the Conley II's to keep out smaller starlings.
NO, on the Trio Grandma (MSS-8) you would have two entrance holes on one side of the house and two on the other side. You want the martin to enter and have to make a turn to go into the back nesting chamber. That makes it impossible for a predator to look in and see the nest or to easily reach in a grab the eggs or young. It is like a side nesting room not a "straight back" one.
When you make the holes be careful with the sharp edges. Wear gloves. Lightly file the edges down a little to get rid of any sharp areas so the martins to not get cut too.
Be sure to check out the diagram I posted.
Carl
When you make the holes be careful with the sharp edges. Wear gloves. Lightly file the edges down a little to get rid of any sharp areas so the martins to not get cut too.
Be sure to check out the diagram I posted.
Carl
Carlton wrote:NO, on the Trio Grandma (MSS-8) you would have two entrance holes on one side of the house and two on the other side. You want the martin to enter and have to make a turn to go into the back nesting chamber. That makes it impossible for a predator to look in and see the nest or to easily reach in a grab the eggs or young. It is like a side nesting room not a "straight back" one.
When you make the holes be careful with the sharp edges. Wear gloves. Lightly file the edges down a little to get rid of any sharp areas so the martins to not get cut too.
Be sure to check out the diagram I posted.
Carl
Carl:
You have been a real help.
Got the diagram. If I take the house apart and remove one of the panels, will this work or do I need a semi- wall?
Larry
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Carlton
- Posts: 1959
- Joined: Tue May 17, 2005 6:42 pm
- Location: Florida/Deerfield Beach
- Martin Colony History: I moved to South Florida, from Delaware, in August of 2015.
I care for a 6 condo Sunset House as well as two Deluxe Gourd Racks, with 24 Chirpynest/Excluder gourds, along a canal in Pompano Beach, Florida.
At Quiet Waters Park, nearby in Deerfield Beach, I care for a Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 TVG's. I also care for a Deluxe Gourd rack with 12 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder entrances. I am substituting 6 Chirpynest boxes for 6 of the Conley II entranced gourds in 2026.
At another local park, Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, I care for a Trendsetter 12, 5 gourds rack with 60 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder Entrances and 1 Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 Troyer Vertical Gourds with Starling Stoppers over the Conley II's to keep out smaller starlings.
I really do not know what to tell you about the MSS-8. I know you can take walls out of the larger MSS-12 but I do not know if the structure of the MSS-8 is adequate without the extra brace in there or not. I guess you could try it. Maybe someone else will be more informed about that. All of the modification sites I have seen, for that model, show the hole in the wall but for the MSS-12 they show removing a partition.
I would think the nest would be less visible to predators looking in the door with the panel with a hole in it rather than one open room.
I would think the nest would be less visible to predators looking in the door with the panel with a hole in it rather than one open room.