Finished the duck house and now told I used the wrong wire :(

Well I just spent a ton of time working on this duck house and now I was just informed the poultry wire i used is worthless . What can I do to make is more safe?

I used chicken wire first, then later on added chain link or welded wire with 2"x4" holes

It looks great! Nice job!

We used chain link first and covered it with the actual metal hardware cloth with the smallest holes. We got the hardware cloth at Home Depot. It keeps critters from poking the hands through the base wire and from chewing through the base wire.

It looks amazing but you are correct, the fencing will only keep the birds in. Predators can tear right through it. Wrap it in chainlink or hardware cloth to make it safer.
You are going to have some very spoiled birds.

Thanks everyone for the kind feedback. I will just have to keep them locked in their house at night till I get some hardware cloth. Could I just do the bottom 2 feet or would I have to redo the whole thing from top to bottom?

I'm still working on my outdoor coop while my ducks are sleeping in the barn right now with my goats and donkeys. I'm using a 8x24 foot chain link dog run as my base structure and will be adding hardware cloth to the bottom four feet as predator protection. I read somewhere that 4 feet of hardware cloth should be the minimum. You should think about diggers as well. I'll be burying horse fencing underneath the entire run as well as 1-2 feet out in all directions to prevent those diggers. I'm still unsure about what I'm doing for the top of the enclosure though. maybe just more horse fencing well secured? Within the coop they'll also have a couple modified dog houses for cover, but I intend to make the entire run secure so they don't have to be locked in the little houses

I never thought about it, but I like your touches of color with some paint! Seems like such a cheap and easy way to make the enclose pop. Too bad mine will be mostly metal... Maybe I'll have to paint the dog houses! What are you using for bedding, if any, outside? So far mine have just been on the grass outside while I've been trying the deep litter method in their stall, but I'm still unsure what to do for bedding that could be rained on... Their grass is getting kinda gross...

I've also read that you really do have to invest in the hardware cloth as raccoons will work in teams to chase your ducks to one end of the enclosure while another will reach has paws in to grab your duck and eat her right through the fencing! So you really need those small, small holes and strong wires to prevent that

If the ducks are shut in their coop overnight it shouldn't be such a problem though right? It seems most of these attacks happen between dusk and dawn which is when our ducks are safely locked up inside their coop for the night.
We do the same with the chickens.

I think that would be dependent on your environment and location. If your area is fairly safe during the day and you are home then I think they would be fine during the day in the above enclosure and anything similar. Many people free range and my ducks are just in a large yard during the day surrounded by donkeys out at pasture that prevent daytime predators. Nighttime security is key, so yes, I think so long as you are locking them up in a secure place at night and are aware of anytime daytime dangers your ducks and chickens will be fairly safe.

That's beautiful!

And yes, half inch metal hardware cloth saves lives.

You have some ventilation for the house, yes? I covered all openings including vents with the half inch metal hardware cloth.

If you send someone to get it, please tell them to read the label and look at the product careully. Some big box stores sell plastic "hardware cloth." Not useful.

For keeping diggers out of the day pen, I rolled out coated chain link across the bottom and fastened it to the base of the pen.