Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Question for Dudley on Wood Ducks

Dear Dudley: If you place the Wood Duck box on a post out in the water, do you still need to put a guard dish under it?

Also, in addition to racoons, what are the other predators that will mess with the Wood Duck box?

I had heard that racoons won't actually swim unless they are rabid. Does anyone know if that's true?

Thanks.

Sunil, I have and would.
Primary predators are racoons and snakes. I've read that others are squirrels, possum, rats and hawks and other raptors. After the hatch, racoons, coyotes, bobcats, feral cats, snakes, bass and other large fish, hawks, owls, bullfrogs, snapping turtles, and probably others. It's really a stacked deck.
Putting more than four or five inches of nesting material (wood shavings) raises the hen too much and predators can more easily reach her.
Placing boxes under trees allows predators to approach from above.
The literature recommends putting the nesting boxes out of sight of each other to help prevent egg dumping. Since my pond is much smaller than 5,000 acres, I haven't found a way to do this without putting them under trees - another reason for the wood duck police to get you. So my boxes are about seventy feet apart and in very plain view of each other. When cleaning the boxes in late fall, I haven't found evidence of dumping. When I do, I'll have to re-locate the boxes.
Although I've never seen a racoon swimming, I suspect that they do. If they don't, they have to stick pretty close to where they were born. Here in south Louisiana, a racoon's home range would be, at most, fifty feet.

What is egg dumping?
Coons can definately swim. I remember my father telling me about coons drowning their hunting dogs.

Thanks Dudley.

I've had a wood duck box for about 4 years and haven't got around to putting it up yet.

This is going to be one of my projects for today. I picked up some green sign posts from the hardware store.

I've seen a Racoon swimming at my pond last year, but I'm pretty sure it was sick w/ rabies.

Off to the lake!

Egg dumping is the term used when more than one hen lays in a box, Dave.
Sunil, I neglected to include alligators as predators of both ducks and ducklings.