Gourd Attachment
-
- Posts: 274
- Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2021 5:23 pm
- Location: Sulphur, Louisiana
A friend graciously gave me a few S&K gourds. I don't have any others, but have a 16 compartment house with four 6" aluminum perch rods attached. What's the best way to attach the gourds to the house? Thanks!
-
- Posts: 2879
- Joined: Fri Apr 14, 2017 11:15 am
- Location: Corpus Christi Tx
- Martin Colony History: 2016- Visitors.
2017- 5 pair. 15 fledged
2018- 18 pair. 85 fledged
2019- 17 pair. 81 fledged
2020- 25 pair. 111 fledged
2021- 28 pair. 118 fledged
2022- 33 pair. 151 fledged
2023- 33 pair. 165 fledged
2024- 40 pair.
HOSP: 52 Starlings: 29
Home colony: mix natural, super, Troyer and excluder gourds, enlarged compartment house. All SREH.
Satellite colony: Oso Bay Preserve: 36 PMCA excluder gourds, 6 room trio mini castle with troyer tunnels and enlarged compartments.
2019: Visitors
2020: 3 pair, 11 fledged
2021: 10 pair, 30 fledged
2022: 11 pair, 35 fledged
2023: 18 pair, 101 fledged
2024: 39 pair,
PMCA member
Thomas, can you attach the gourds to the perch arms? Maybe not, suppose you'd want to have the house take the weight without dragging levels down. Can you attach longer perch arms? Think lowes sells them in 3 feet length, run it the length of the house, place them on the ends?
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
-
- Posts: 760
- Joined: Thu May 26, 2016 9:23 am
- Location: tennesse
- Martin Colony History: Started colony in 2014. 0 pairs
2015 0 pairs
2016 0 pairs
2017 0 pairs but visitors
2018 1 pair fledged 5
2019 10 pair
2020 25 pair
2021 42 Pair
2022 60 Pair
2023 72 Pair
You could always hang them from the bottom of the house.
-
- Posts: 215
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2020 6:42 pm
- Location: Fernandina Beach FL
- Martin Colony History: 34 Cavities offered.
24 unit gourd rack with Troyer Horizontal and Vertical Gourds. Sunset Inn aluminum house with 4 Troyer Horizontal Gourds.
2020- 1 pair, 4 eggs, fledged 3
2021- 3 pair, 15 eggs, fledged 8
2022- 5 pair, 26 eggs, fledged 21
2023- 10 pair, 53 eggs, fledged 27
PMCA Member
I hung mine from the bottom of my Sunset Inn house. PMCA sells UGHA (Universal Gourd Hanging arms). You can order either Vertical or Horizontal for the hanging arms..,If you’re worried about the bottom floor being too weak you can reinforce it. I used a couple of pieces of cedar 4” x 9”. They are on there solid.
Phil
Phil
PMCA member
Fernandina Beach, FL
Fernandina Beach, FL
-
- Posts: 4840
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:11 pm
- Location: St. Louis, MO
On aluminum houses I reinforce the floors to add gourds, using strips front to back of 3/4 inch angle aluminum, 1/8 inch thick. Can get at home centers in 36 inch lengths, so one strip can be cut into two. Attach to the floor with short 1/4 inch stainless bolts and washers. Then, I get the gourd hangers from Troyer (come in two orientations) and attach two per house to the strips. (could do four, but I try to keep weight down) Now with 3/4 inch, the tips of the gourd hangers extend a little long, and I cut them off. One could use 1 inch angle aluminum -- I'm just trying to keep weight down.
(If I can remind myself how to resize and attach a photo, will try. )
(If I can remind myself how to resize and attach a photo, will try. )
- Attachments
-
- Gourd Hanger Resized.JPG (83.54 KiB) Viewed 924 times
-
- Posts: 274
- Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2021 5:23 pm
- Location: Sulphur, Louisiana
Thanks. Does it matter how much gourds sway?
-
- Posts: 2879
- Joined: Fri Apr 14, 2017 11:15 am
- Location: Corpus Christi Tx
- Martin Colony History: 2016- Visitors.
2017- 5 pair. 15 fledged
2018- 18 pair. 85 fledged
2019- 17 pair. 81 fledged
2020- 25 pair. 111 fledged
2021- 28 pair. 118 fledged
2022- 33 pair. 151 fledged
2023- 33 pair. 165 fledged
2024- 40 pair.
HOSP: 52 Starlings: 29
Home colony: mix natural, super, Troyer and excluder gourds, enlarged compartment house. All SREH.
Satellite colony: Oso Bay Preserve: 36 PMCA excluder gourds, 6 room trio mini castle with troyer tunnels and enlarged compartments.
2019: Visitors
2020: 3 pair, 11 fledged
2021: 10 pair, 30 fledged
2022: 11 pair, 35 fledged
2023: 18 pair, 101 fledged
2024: 39 pair,
PMCA member
Thomas,
I don't like them swaying, but some of my natural gourds do just a bit. Martins don't mind. Want to keep the swaying down, especially front to back. Side to side seems ok.
I really like johns fix!
I don't like them swaying, but some of my natural gourds do just a bit. Martins don't mind. Want to keep the swaying down, especially front to back. Side to side seems ok.
I really like johns fix!
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
-
- Posts: 1029
- Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2021 6:21 pm
- Location: Laplace,La
- Martin Colony History: Colony started in 1998. 2 s&k modified houses and gourd rack
Thomas , I mount them on the arm, from front to back to prevent the entrance from drooping down. I also put sleeves (if not already built in) through the gourd mounting holes, to prevent rain water from running down the arm and into the gourd.
Rob
Rob
PMCA member
Laplace, La
Laplace, La
-
- Posts: 269
- Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 8:50 pm
- Location: WNY
- Martin Colony History: :
2022 - 1 pair, 5E, 4H, 4F
2023 - 2 pair, 9E, 5H, 5F
when i had an aluminum house, i did similar to john but used a strip of wood attached across the bottom of the floor ( i believe right under where the edge of the porch was bent over) to distribute the weight. it worked fine for a cpl of years i had that house up.