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Community groups unite to install henhouses on Utah Lake to boost duck populations

By Curtis Booker - | Apr 4, 2025
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On Saturday, March 29, 2025, the Provo Bay Chapter of the Delta Waterfowl Foundation along with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Utah Lake Authority installed 25 henhouses in the Provo Bay of Utah Lake in efforts to provide a safe nesting habitat for ducks and boost the animals' population in the area.
Courtesy Utah Lake Authority

Various organizations are coming together to ensure a future for ducks in the Provo Bay of Utah Lake.

On March 29, nearly 40 volunteers and members of the Provo Bay Chapter of the Delta Waterfowl Foundation spent the day installing 25 new henhouses for ducks that have made Utah Lake their home.

The group began working with the Utah Lake Authority and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources three years ago to explore conservation efforts around the Provo Bay of Utah Lake.

Last spring, their collaborative efforts resulted in 18 new henhouses at Provo Bay, following 12 nests that were installed in 2023.

Dallis Davis, chairman of the Provo Bay Delta waterfowl chapter, said it didn’t take long before ducks started using the habitats.

“So the first year we installed 12 (henhouses); seven out of the 12 nests were used the very first year — absolutely remarkable,” Davis said. “What did that tell us? (It) told us there’s a huge demand for nesting needs on Utah Lake.”

Hens fly into the house to build their nest, which can hold between 10-14 eggs.

Those who participated in the project ventured out to the lake on duck-style mud boats to make any necessary repairs and improvements to existing henhouses. They then installed 25 ones.

While the groups were on hand placing new henhouses into the water, a promising discovery was made.

“The observation that a couple of waterfowl started their nest early, with 14 eggs already present, suggests that the birds are responding well to the setup, which is a good sign,” Utah Lake Authority said on their social media page after the event.

The Provo Bay chapter, formed in 2022, hosts a yearly banquet to help with funding for the project, including costs associated with building the nests.

“We want the henhouse to sit about four feet above the water. That’s high enough that any predator in the water can’t get up to the nest, but not so high that ducklings can’t jump out of them and things like that,” Davis noted.

Each henhouse can be used for nesting up to three times.

With the implementation of now 55 henhouses, biologists with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources anticipate the waterfowl population to grow by 500 animals.

The henhouses aim to provide an alternative way for ducks to nest, ultimately leading to an increased rate of survivorship.

“Ground-nesting ducks are highly vulnerable to nest predation, leading to significant nest failure rates. These artificial henhouse structures protect nests by keeping them off the ground where terrestrial predators such as raccoons, skunks and coyotes can’t reach the eggs, ducklings or the hens protecting the nests,” said Michael Packer, DWR’s conservation outreach manager for the Central Region, in a statement.

Conservation experts say the henhouses lead to an 80%-90% success rate for eggs to reach adulthood compared to the roughly 10% success rate for eggs in nests on the shores.

“Henhouses are helping produce more ducks for future generations of bird lovers and waterfowl hunters,” Packer said.

Davis said the area could sustain 100 henhouses, but he’s unsure how long it will take to get to that number.

“We anticipate the bulk of these nests to get filled up by the end of April,” he told the Daily Herald.

Davis expressed gratitude to partnering agencies, DWR and Utah Lake Authority for their support and granting permits for the project.

However, the public can also get involved. One way Davis said is just simply respecting nature and the conservation efforts that have taken place, as he said there have been previous issues with vandalism to some of the nests.

“You don’t need to vandalize it and cause problems,” Davis said. “You know, they’re there for everyone to see and everyone to enjoy.”

More information on the project can be found at deltawaterfowl.org

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