Old newbie
Hello from Northeast Mississippi. I am a want to be landlord and have been on and off for close to 40 years, here is a brief summary of my attempts. I started with 25 gourds strung out on a wire between 2 trees around 1978-79. My uncle is a big time Martin home provider and he got me started but I never saw a single Martin around those gourds. From what I have been reading for the past couple of weeks I can see why as procedures have changed from the time I have tried in the past. Back then following my uncles advice and duplicating his method is nothing like today's way. Then you just hung gourds and waited, no paint, no doing away with competition, no nothing as it is today. He was very successful and would clean his gourds out in the fall and plug the holes until next year, but he had 250 gourds, plastic milk jugs, just about any type container he could find that would work. He had hundreds and hundreds each year. But anyway back to my history, around 1983-84 I got the fever again and ordered a 4 story, 24 hole aluminum house but this time I would have a visitor or two but none never stayed, I still have that house and just took it down last week to fix up and retrofit to today's standards. The trees had grown up close to it and that help protect it from the storms. Then in 2005 bit again this time I bought 2 plastic 24 hole houses mounted them on a rhom tower and winds from severe weather turned them on their side and have been that way until last week when they also were removed, roof tops painted white from green and now I am ready to make them as the other house into crescent openings if possible. I have also purchased plastic gourds from time to time through the years thinking that may be what I needed to attract martins but some when down with the plastic houses and the others were not in a place a Martin would even consider. So now fast forward, thanks to the internet with a Hugh amount of information I have learned the best way to approach the task again. If I may I would like to ask a few questions and hope some of you pros will set me straight so I can get this things in the air in the next couple of weeks as that will be about 4 weeks after my areas normal time. 1. Am I understanding correctly about the crescent shape holes? Are the 1-3/16" at the center vertical? curving down on either side to meet with the horizontal that is 3" wide? That seems really short for the birds to get in, sounds more like humming bird size. 2. Can I have the crescent holes 1/2" above the porch level as opposed to level/flush with the porch? This will make it a lot easier to retro the openings. I propose to glue aluminum valley tin over the existing holes and then cut the crescent thru the plastic and aluminum and aluminum glued to aluminum on the aluminum house. 3. I have purchased and cut it into long ways some 3" sch 40 pvc pipe to make a half moon roof over the entrances, how wide do they need to be? I have read anywhere from 1/4" to tunnels as long as 4" . How high above the hole do they need to be? 4. I propose to take out the portions between apartments where possible to enlarge the apartment, do I need to cover one of the holes so the now larger apartment has one hole or leave both holes so the apartment will have two entrances? I realize there are more than 4 questions here but I grouped the subjects to a question number thinking it would be better but now that I think about it, it probably doesn't make any difference, probably better to number each question so when addressed people could respond to a number. I have more but This is probably enought for now. Thanks in advance for any and all help or suggestions.