Recommendations for a new house set up

[asop]

Looking for one that can be lowered and raised up & down on a pole. Dam sparrows always raise havoc. I want a quality heavy duty one with maybe 8 nesting areas. Thank you

[deancamp]

The Martins at my place prefer the gourds, so that is the direction I would go. I assume you don't have a colony now? If not have you checked out the gourd rack bundles on the pmca site? I like the gourds with the tunnels and sreh. The 2" aluminum poles would be plenty stout and are nice to look at in my opinion. Good Luck

[jhcox]

Building you own is not out of the ? It is not very hard to do get you some heavy gauge round pipe. 3” pvc pipe the length of the pvc is based on the number of gourds you decide to use. Pulleys cable and winch. Also 1/4”all thread to connect to the pvc and to go through the gourds. I have made 3 of them myself they are the first to be taken each year. Good luck. If I can figure out how to put pictures on here I’ll try to put some on are the the ones I made.

[Dave Duit]

Hi asop,
Deancamp and I are in the same thought with gourds racks, STREH and tunnels and 2 inch poles. You will see many differing opinions on this website when it comes to housing. I like the deep cavities the Troyer gourds offer.

[D. Doll MN]

You are installing new so I am forced to put in my two cents for you to think what might work best for you. I am in MN so my birds might act a little different and humidity and a lot of things might be different. I also don't like cutting people products down so with out saying any names, any gourd that is real long and narrow neck entrance I have a problem with. They are great if you have problem with owls tring to reach in and getting the young.(I don't) My problem with them is how dirty the young chicks get some times from them. The Problem comes in when the chicks get in the twenty day old or older. If there is a large clutch and the chicks are all fighting in the enterance for food. When one gets feed and he poops before the parents can grab that fecal sack and carry away the young smash it in the entrance. The next time a chick comes up there to get feed he crawls through it and his feathers get all matted down. I had four of this kind of gourds and i modified them and cut some of the neck length off. And put on the Troyer tunnels on them, that way they had the trap built in if ever needed and I made them shorter. Any tunnel is designed for safety to keep the chicks far enought away from enterance so nothing can reach in and grab them. Other wise you would be better off with a regular gourd with out a tunnel or a porch. The martins were born to grab onto the entrance on the outside of a tree to enter the holes. So you really wouldnt need the porch, what that dose is give crows or other things something to hange onto. But what it does do is give the martins someplace to sit and sing from there own porch. And it gives us more to see of them instead of just a head pocking out to sing.

[RAMSMARTINS]

I always tell new landlords just starting out to check out existing colonies close to you, and start by using the same housing as they are.

[Bird Brain]

I always tell new landlords just starting out to check out existing colonies close to you, and start by using the same housing as they are.

I hear this a lot and it may work. I think its better to surpass/exceed the housing of nearby colonies if you can afford it. If they are offering 1 or 2 star housing, then I would offer 3 or 4 star housing. Offer something better and roomier than what they are getting currently. Site fidelity is strong and they may not jump ship. But sometimes they do. Superior housing that is free of house sparrows can be an irresistible temptation for an unhappy, abused martin living in squalor. Instead of mimicking nearby housing, eclipse it if you can afford to.

[RAMSMARTINS]

I was mainly referring to putting up gourds vs. houses. You should definitely try to put up a better product.

[asop]

Have had a heavy wood house up 16 years. Used to get them every year until 5 years ago. Owl at night attached in early spring. They abandoned and haven't even able to get them back since! Sparrows nest early and it's its a real pain to drop the rig I have to clean out the areas. Get a visitor now and then but the sparrows drive them off! Thought one with a pulley systems along with an aluminum house would be the easiest? My base is in concrete with 2 aluminum 5" channel projecting above grade about 4' and are about 5" apart. I'm looking for something sturdy in both the house and pole/pulley system. Thanks

[wnieman1]

Would recommend Troyer vertical gourds with the Conley 2 entrance and a 2" or 3" gourd rack pole, etc. from the Troyer magazine.

[Spiderman]

Would recommend Troyer vertical gourds with the Conley 2 entrance and a 2" or 3" gourd rack pole, etc. from the Troyer magazine.

This. Call Troyer and have them send you a catalog. I like the Horizontal Gourds but they make some really good products.

Buy once and be done!