Building Nest Structures, Feeders, and Photo Blinds
for North Dakota Wildlife
Hen House
The basic design of the hen house is a three foot long grass cylinder. The hen house is easy to build and all the materials are readily available.
Materials to build a hen house include:
- 7 foot piece of 2" x 2" mesh welded fencing wire 36" wide or 1/4" hardware cloth
- 1" x 6" x 3' treated lumber
- 10 foot long 2" pipe
- wire
- four screws
- pipe flange
- flax, marsh grass
Take short pieces of wire and tie the roll together in two or three areas. Use screws to attach the flange onto the center of the board.
Attach the cylinder to the board with pieces of wire about five feet long, weaving the wire through the cylinder and attaching it to the board. Repeat this two or three times to make sure the cylinder is on tight.
Pound the 10 foot pipe into the bottom of the wetland to make sure the pipe is stable and secure. About three feet of pipe should be left out of the water. The nest is then attached to the pipe with a flange. Installation of nests should be done in late winter when pounding the pipe into the wetland bottom and attaching the nest can be done easily. Hen houses should be placed at least 100 feet apart because hens are territorial and are intolerant of other ducks nesting in close proximity.
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