Barn Owl Nesting Boxes

07/25/2024

A very interesting article I found about the benifits of Grazing Slow Feeding Boxes. Now that everything is drying out horses will be going for that last blade of grass and sucking up dirt and sand.
Pictures at the end are some of my Boxes. Email me at [email protected] for more information, questions or pictures.

What’s the Deal With Slow Feeders For Horses?
POSTED ON OCTOBER 2, 2023 BY ECOEQUINE_THE BLOG FOR HORSE HIPPIE

As a certified equine nutrition expert I can tell you this, slow feeders are da’ BOMB!!
Let me start by stating that I am not being paid by any slow feeder manufacturer, heck some of the coolest ones I’ve seen people have made themselves! But I have seen the beauty of how they work so I am a big fan.
In general slow feeders offer a more natural way for your horse to consume his feed stuff; both hay and grain. The range of benefits include health, farm management and economic.
Slowing down the rate at which a horse eats means that the digestive process is slowed down and nutrients in feedstuff can be absorbed much more efficiently and I’m all for that!
HAY SLOW FEEDERS:
What are they? Well, it’s quite simple really: it’s either a net or a grid system placed over your horse’s hay. The net or grid has holes that are fairly small, usually just less than two inches square.
There are many different styles and sizes to fit all kinds of feeding needs, from feeding big round bales using a net system to feeding flakes of hay using a box system or a bag.
Forage feeders are designed to mimic grazing; with the pulling of the hay through the net or grate acting in the same way a horse pulls then chews a mouthful of grass.

Simulating a more natural method of “grazing” the hay slow feeder can result in the horse taking hours to consume a few flakes. Not only does this help you feed less but it helps to manage boredom and boredom associated vices, like cribbing and fence or tree chewing.

Slow feeders reduce feed related anxiety in horses that are on restricted diets. Because they can take hours to eat a few flakes they do not feel like they are being starved to death.
The use of a slow feeder in your sacrifice paddock or stall reduces waste as the horse cannot paw through the hay (then drag it around to ultimately p**p on it) and will eat all of it, even the little chaff at the bottom.
If that’s not enough to convince you. Here’s more, there is also evidence that a slow feeder can decrease the occurrence of ulcers. Horses salivate only when they are chewing and eating, and under natural circumstances they produce up to 30 litres (8 gallons)of saliva per day! Saliva is an acid buffer and neutralizes the hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Since a horse constantly produces stomach acid (even if the horse is not eating) the more often this acid is buffered the better. Slow feeders allow this buffering saliva to be produced for longer periods, thus potentially helping ulcers.
The Horse Hippie

12/16/2022

Have a joyous and happy holiday season!

05/22/2022

Now Solitary Bee Hotels available

05/21/2022

Expanding my building arena!! Now have Super pollinators Solitary Bee Hotels available. Email me at [email protected] for details!!

05/09/2022

Only TWO Barn Owl Nesting Box remaining at SPRING SALE PRICING!

02/04/2022

Now also building Bat House several styles contact me at [email protected] for information!

11/17/2021

Now expanding to Bat houses also for information contact me at [email protected]

07/18/2021

Took some time to catch up with orders, but back now ready to take orders again. Dan at [email protected]

06/29/2021

New box coming soon.

05/31/2021

Due to cost increases of gas and especially lumber prices will increase June 1st. However will hold prices as is until the 5th of June!

05/02/2021

More about the great attributes of the Barn Owl from "National Geographic"

Barn owl
COMMON NAME: Barn owl
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Tyto alba
TYPE: Birds
DIET: Carnivore
AVERAGE LIFE SPAN IN THE WILD: 4 years
SIZE: About a foot
WEIGHT: About a pound

With its banshee call, dark eyes, and bright white face, a barn owl could pass for a winged ghost, moving silently against the night sky.
In fact, many cultures associate the barn owl with superstition. In England, where barn owls often live in graveyards, one of these birds flying by the window of an invalid symbolizes approaching death. The Zapotec people of Mexico also saw the barn owl as a fatal omen, and the ancient Egyptians believed barn owls occupied “the realm of death,” likely due to their nocturnal habits.
But it’s also true that barn owls are a boon to their ecosystems, preying on agricultural pests such as rats and mice. They’re one of the most widespread bird species on Earth, with 10 subspecies inhabiting every continent except Antarctica.
Barn owls don’t migrate, instead thriving year-round in numerous environments, including open lowlands, farmlands, and deserts. True to their name, barn owls may use isolated buildings for daytime roosts, and are at home living among people in cities and suburbs.
Coloration
Their back and wing colors vary from light, buff hues to tawny golds and grays, allowing them to blend into many types of habitats. Their undersides can be red or white; owls with white bellies may reflect moonlight and stun rodents into becoming an easy meal. In one study, voles froze longer in the presence of white-bellied owls than red ones.
Sometimes barn owl breasts are spotted, especially among females. Males tend to prefer spotted females, perhaps because it's a sign of robust health: Females with more spots may have fewer parasites.
Perfect predators
Barn owl bodies are primed for predation, with heart-shaped facial discs that funnel sound into their ears, alerting them to the rustlings of small mammals, snakes, fish, and insects. Their eyes are twice as light sensitive as our own, giving them superior night vision, and they’ll also sway and bob their heads slowly to increase their depth perception.
Once an owl has honed in on a victim, the downy feathers on its wings and legs enable it to swoop down without making a sound and grab the animal with strong talons. Barn owls’ three-foot wingspan is also huge in relation to their one-pound weight, which lets them quietly glide rather than flap.
Like many owls, barn owls swallow prey whole, then regurgitate tough material like fur and bone into what’s called an owl pellet.
Mating and reproduction
Barn owls begin to breed when they’re about a year old. During courtship, males perform elaborate displays, including moth flight, a strenuous physical feat in which a male hovers and dangles his feet in front of the female.
About 75 percent of mating pairs stay together for life, but they will separate if they’re not producing enough young. Sometimes both males and females will have more than one mate. (Related: “Why do barn owls divorce?”)
Barn owls can breed year-round, producing one or two clutches annually that range in size from three to 11 eggs, depending on the availability of prey. The birds prefer to make their tree nests in open areas like fields and marshes, where they can hunt more easily.
The female lays her eggs two to three days apart so the chicks won’t hatch all at once, incubating them for about 30 days. The male brings the brooding female food and continues after the chicks have hatched; the female tears the meat into smaller pieces for the owlets.
By two weeks of age, they’re able to swallow prey whole. At about eight weeks the chicks will fledge, though they’ll hang around home until about 15 weeks of age while their parents continue to feed them.
Conservation status
Global barn owl populations range somewhere between four million and about a billion, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Though their populations are stable, keeping them that way includes protecting their habitat and prey, as well as providing artificial nest boxes in areas where deforestation has removed trees.

04/18/2021

04/12/2021

Recently ask question was: I Have Wasps In My Birdhouse. What Should I Do? This answer from article titled "All about Birds" by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Answer: Wasps and bees seldom usurp boxes from nesting birds. They are mostly found in empty boxes. If these insects are found in a box, it is best to let them be and not take any active measures to exterminate them. Instead, wait to clean them out in the fall when the weather is cooler and their activity has halted. You can prevent wasps and bees from establishing themselves by applying a thin layer of soap (use bar soap) onto the inside surface of the roof. This will create a slippery surface between the insects and the roof of the box.

03/12/2021