Martin House

[Carolyn C]

We had a metal martin house in our backyard in Newport News, VA for years with no visitors. We moved to Georgetown, TX in Sept. 09 and put up a house in Feb. 2010. We were so excited to have our first scouts arrive around mid March last year. As much as I studied the pictures in my bird book, it was hard to tell what type they were. Hopefully, I will know better this year. Can't wait for mid March!!!

We have a S & K house with two entrances on both sides. It's very hard to get into those side entrances to clean out "other" nests and I would like to cover them up. Any recommendations?

[Louise Chambers]

If you are talking about the attic apts, on the red sides - yes, plug them. I think TX temps would make those attic rooms awfully hot later in the year. You can also paint the red walls white (use fusion paint for plastic, or add a panel of white foam board over red walls) so they will reflect the sun's heat rather than absorb it.

Your house probably has punch out panels in the back walls, so it would be easy for you to remodel it into 6 larger rooms, instead of the 12 small rooms it has now. Larger rooms are usually best. And you can use the half moon entrances on those to keep starlings out.

[Veronica G]

Carolyn,

We started our colony with that exact same house. At that point we didn't know about the PMCA or the best management tools. Because of that, we left all the rooms small (6X6) and used those attic apartments (the ones on the red sides). Please learn from my mistakes - do not use those attic apartments! It got way too hot up there, and if you plan on doing nest checks, they are nearly impossible to do in those. One pair of martins did manage to fledge a brood of 5 out one of those apartments, but those poor nestlings were packed in there really tightly as they grew to fledgling age. I think one of the parents roosted on one of the perches outside the compartment because he/she didn't fit inside.

As for what to use to plug the entrances, well, people use all sorts of things. Those floating pool noodles cut to size are pretty popular. Rags too. Not very pretty, but they do the job. Maybe someone can suggest something more permanent.

Good luck this year!

Veronica

[Tom Christian]

This too was my first house and I also opened up an attic entrance. Not the thing to do. Covered it with gorilla duct tape and has lasted three years now.

Do you and the martins a favor. Take Louise's advice and convert the house to six, two room apartments.They love the side by side rooms, though some will have to be end to end.
S-K sells crescent plugs to plug the extra holes.

Good luck,

Tom

[Carolyn C]

Thank you Louise, Veronica, and Tom. You have been more help than you will ever know!!! I'm afraid to convert the apartments to 6 apartments. I had a lot of martins last year and I'm pretty sure our HOA won't allow me to add another house. Maybe I can find a larger one and make double apartments. Oh well, we'll see. Again, thanks for all your help.

I feel so bad for the poor birds that got caught in our unusual Artic freeze in Houston and possibly San Antonio.

[Donnie Hurdt MN]

Carolyn C call the manafacture of your house and ask if you can buy a kit to add one or two floors to your house. I have seen pics of those with more floors than what you have but am not sure how this was done. Adding more floors would give you more room withought adding another house. but if you add floors be sure to strenghten our pole

[M.Stephens]

Carolyn , they weren't suggesting for you to add another house! The one you have can be enlarged! It is highly advised you do this to give your birds more room and also keep nestlings further away from predators.
You'll have to open the doors and punch out the wall entrance in the compartments on both sides. Maybe someone with pictures here on the forum can show you how to do it.
I have these same houses and if I had a diagram or picture I would show you how.
May be someone will chime in and help you.

[Jeremy Shuler]

Carolyn if you go and buy another s&k barn style and open the box there should be instructions in there that shows you how to connect the 2 together one on top of the other. If there not in the box I know they're on the mfg website.

[apundt-TX]

I used to live in G-town a looonnng time ago.
Here is a diagram for you.

http://purplemartin.org/update/9%283%29trio.html

[Carolyn C]

Thank you every for such good advice. I think I will go ahead and open up the apartments to make them larger. Will it be ok for them to have a front and back door or should I plug up one of the entrances? It seems it would be better when it gets hot to have them open.

You guys have been so helpful.

[apundt-TX]

Use only one door. plug the other.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

As the above post sezs, don't ever use 2 doors, use only one. The further apart the doors, the better, so I would leave some doors in the front and some in the back

[Carolyn C]

Ok- thanks again for all your help guys. Now my husband is groaning and saying that we need to buy another house!! LOL I'm going to try all this with last years house first. And, I want to add some more perches to the house. I"m getting very excited about my martins this year. Last year was a total surprise to me-even though I put up the house. Just didn't really know if they would come. I got upset at a lot of strange things they did- such as fighting to the ground!! But I did a lot of online reading and know that this is normal. I will sit back and enjoy more this year.

Thanks again--Carolyn Cherry

[Carolyn C]

We enlarged the martin house apartments today. It all makes sense.