How To Build A Goose Nesting Box

While some find geese to be a nuisance, others enjoy watching and feeding the birds or hunting them for sport. Since the large birds breed and raise their young near natural fresh water sources, a floating nest platform will attract more geese to your lake or pond. You can make a floating nest for geese using some common hardware items and cedar wood poles and planks. Cedar wood is preferred over other types of wood because it is naturally water resistant and doesn't contain treatment paints or chemicals that could contaminate fresh water.

Step 1

Saw the cedar pole into three 4-foot-long sections.

Step 2

Lay out the three cedar poles so the poles are parallel and there is a distance of 8 inches between each pole.

Step 3

Lay the eight cedar boards across the cedar poles so the boards are parallel to each other and the long sides of the boards are perpendicular to the cedar poles.

Step 4

Attach each board to each pole with two nails, using a hammer. Place the nails at the center of each boards and pole's intersection point.

Step 5

Saw a 22-inch-diameter metal drum to a height of 10 inches to make a basin-sized nest.

Step 6

Cut a 6-inch-by-8-inch window, using tin snips, 1 inch down from the basin's rim to allow goslings to escape. Cut the window so the 8-inch side is horizontal.

Step 7

Sand any rough areas with sandpaper and rough up the sides of the basin so it will take paint.

Step 8

Paint the basin brown to blend in with the goose's natural environment.

Step 9

Place the basin on the center of the platform and drill 10 drainage holes through the bottom of the basin and any boards lying under it. Drill four additional starter holes through the basin into the boards beneath and screw it in place.

Step 10

Fill the basin a third of the way up with native grass found around your lake.

Step 11

Tie a 4-foot long chain securely around one of the end cedar poles. If necessary, drill a hole in one of the cedar boards to allow the chain to wrap around the pole.

Step 12

Tie the other end of the chain to an anchor.

Step 13

Float the nest in a 2- to 4-foot depth of water.