Delta Waterfowl Awarded Grant to Add Hen Houses in Canada

From Delta Waterfowl:

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA — The support of the Manitoba Conservation Trust will allow The Duck Hunters Organization to continually add mallards to the fall flight.

The grant will support the construction of 200 new Hen Houses and enhancement of 1,900 existing structures in Manitoba. Altogether, Hen Houses supported by Conservation Trust grants are projected to produce 9,450 ducklings during the 2023 nesting season.

“I think that the beauty of working in the breeding grounds is that you don’t really know where these ducks are going to go in fall, but they’re going to provide opportunities for hunters throughout North America.” said Matt Chouinard, the senior waterfowl programs manager for Delta Waterfowl.

In areas with limited nesting cover, duck nests are especially vulnerable to predation by overly abundant predators such as raccoons and skunks. Hen Houses are a proven and cost-efficient strategy to increase duck production. Delta places these wire nesting cylinders over water in small wetlands. Past research in Manitoba has shown that mallards using Hen Houses are 12 times more likely to hatch a nest than those nesting in the grass. Delta maintains nearly 10,000 Hen Houses in key regions for breeding ducks in the United States and Canada.

The Manitoba Conservation Trust was created in 2018 as part of Manitoba’s Climate and Green Plan to conserve and enhance natural infrastructure. In 2022 alone, more than $10 million has been awarded toward conservation initiatives. The Conservation Trust’s continued support of Delta’s Hen House program is critical to maximizing duck production and expanding hunting opportunities in North America.

“Since its inception, the Conservation Trust has been very supportive of Delta’s duck production programs,” Chouinard said. “One of the Trust’s goals is to increase harvestable wildlife, which makes it a perfect partner for Delta’s Hen House program.”

For more information, contact Matt Chouinard at (701) 222-8857 ext. 5209 or mchouinard@deltawaterfowl.org. 

Delta Waterfowl Foundation is The Duck Hunters Organization, a leading conservation group working to produce ducks and ensure the tradition of duck hunting in North America. Visit deltawaterfowl.org.