Making a goose house from a drum

• 1). Cut a 10-inch-tall section off a 55-gallon plastic or metal drum with a reciprocating saw. Start a kerf by holding the saw blade along the contour of the drum. After you plunge through the metal, carefully cut around the drum's circumference. You can make three goose houses from each drum.
  
  
• 2). Cut a 76-inch piece of old garden hose with a utility knife. Slit it lengthwise. Apply an all-purpose waterproof exterior glue to the inside and outside edge of the cut part of the drum and glue the slit hose around the drum's circumference to prevent injury to the geese on the drum's sharp edge. Omit this step with a plastic drum.
  
  
• 3). Drill scattered drain holes in the bottom of the drum with a 1/8-inch drill bit.
  
  
• 4). Plunge cut an escape hole with the reciprocating saw for goslings in one side of the drum. Measure up 3 inches from the bottom and make the hole 4 inches high and 6 inches wide.
  
  
• 5). Cut the 12-foot cedar pole into three equal lengths with a chainsaw.
  
  
• 6). Cut the four 8-foot 2x6 boards in half with a circular saw, miter saw or radial arm saw.
  
  
• 7). Space the three cedar poles equidistant, with the outside edge of the right pole 48 inches from the outside edge of the left pole.
  
  
• 8). Lay the 2x6 boards across the cedar poles, spacing them equally and keeping them flush with the edge of the cedar poles.
  
  
• 9). Screw the boards to the poles, using six screws per board.
  
  
• 10
  
  Drill through the base of the drum with the 1/8-inch drill bit. Sink some screws into the wood to anchor the drum in place. To anchor the middle drum section, which has no bottom, sink screws into the wood and tight to the drum, all around the drum. Leave the screws sticking up about 1 1/2 inches from the wood to act as pegs to hold the drum in place.
  
  
• 11
  
  Tie an anchor to one end of a rope and the other end of the rope to the wooden platform. Anchor the goose house in shallow water, less than 4 feet if possible and at least 20 feet from shore to cut down on predation. Position the raft around the corner from other goose houses or at least 200 yards from other houses if no corner is available to avoid territorial conflicts.
  
  
• 12
  
  Fill the drum with hay, straw or dead grass.