You’ve noticed chickadees nesting in your nest box, but oh no! You don’t have a hole reducer / hole guard for them. Maybe the store is closed, or you have to wait for delivery. Not to worry.
You can make a 1 1/8-inch hole reducer to temporarily protect your chickadees until your metal hole reducer is available. You can do this by using plastic butter or sour cream container lids. With the included template and these instructions, you can quickly make a hole reducer that can buy you a few days.
One very important thing to keep in mind is that a metal hole reducer is really the way to go. But these instructions are only to provide you with a makeshift solution until you can get a metal hole guard.
When to put a hole reducer on your chickadee nest box
You can add a hole reducer to your nest box to protect chickadees once you have noticed them become actively building a nest. If you have found the chickadees in your yard to be more skittish, wait until the first egg is laid.
We have had success many times when adding the hole reducer while the chickadees were building their nest. When you first add the hole reducer, expect your chickadees to be shy about it and have lower nest-building activity during the first day it’s on.
There is always a possibility that the chickadees will abandon the nest. If you are worried about that and feel comfortable waiting, wait until the first egg is laid. Chickadees will be more committed to the nest at that point.
One important point about chickadee eggs is that while the mother is laying her eggs, she will hid the eggs with a tuft of fur whenever she leaves the nest box. You may not see eggs when monitoring the nest. Instead, look for a tuft of fur within the nest cup. That is a good sign you have eggs in your nest box.
DIY temporary nest box hole reducer instructions
We cannot emphasize enough that these instructions are for a temporary hole reducer. The material selected is flimsy, but is often something we all have available.
Supplies:
- 2 butter or sour cream (or anything similar) container lids
- Hole reducer template
- Scissors
- Awl
- Lighter (Grill lighter)
Video Guide: How to make a temporary hole reducer
Written Instructions: How to make a temporary hole reducer
Get the hole reducer template here:
1. Cut out and trace your template
Because this plastic is very flimsy, it’s not a bad idea to double up. Use two plastic container lids and trace out the template.
2. Use the awl to punch through the mounting holes
If you don’t have an awl available, you can use an eyeglass screw driver, even a box knife. However, these are not the most appropriate tools to use for this task. When using tools that aren’t as appropriate, you run the risk of injury. Be very careful when attempting any of these steps.
3. Cut out your hole reducers using the container lids
Get your scissors and cut out the hole reducer. It’s best not to use scissors that matter to you.
4. Punch a starter hole in the center of your chickadee hole reducer
An awl is one of the best tools to use in order to poke a starter hole through the center hole. You can use other sharp objects in order to do this, but be extra careful as you run the risk of injury doing this. Even if you use an awl, you can still hurt yourself. Be very careful when attempting any of these steps.
5. Cut out the interior hole
Poke your scissors through your starter hole. It helps to snip some lines out from the center to form wedges. This will help your scissors easily maneuver the tight space. Again, always exercise caution and care when attempting these steps. We can’t say that enough.
6. Use the flame of a grill lighter to smooth the interior edges.
Because the edges will be a bit jagged, it’s important to smooth them. One easy way to do this is to flame and melt the edges. Use a grill lighter to do this and watch your fingers! You also want to take care not to melt one section for very long because it can catch flame. Also, hold the items away from you so don’t inhale too much fumes. The fumes are not strong, but melted plastic can release components that could be hazardous.
7. Double up your makeshift hole reducers and mount them to the nest box.
Now, just put your temporary hole reducers together, making sure that the interior edges are really lined up and mount it to your nest box.
