❓❓❓ What kind of wire-mesh to use for a duck-run ❓❓❓

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Hi friends, i am planning to add an open run to my duck's house, so that the food and (especially) the water will be out of the house, but they still have access to it 24x7. The size of the run will be 2.5 x 3.6 meters (8' x 12') and it will sit right in front of the house:


Now currently it is almost impossible to obtain ½" x ½" hardware cloth in reasonable amounts, except you are willing to pay the equivalent of a Saturn V rocket, so i looked around and found the following welded-wire fencing material:

1. 4' x 100', 1" x 1" mesh, 16 gauge wire
2. 4' x 100', 1" x 1" mesh, 14 gauge wire
3. 4' x 100', 1" x ½" mesh, 16 gauge wire

Would a 1x1 inch mesh with 16 gauge wires be sufficient to keep Raccoons out? - I am also planning on covering the bottom meter (3') with additional hardware-cloth to prevent raccoon-paws from reaching in and grabbing ducks.

Also, would 4x4 posts be stable enough to support this? And how many posts do i need?
Do i have to ram the posts into the ground? I am planning to build some kind of "box" with lumber at all edges and patio-stones around to prevent digging.

Any hints, tips, tricks and don't do's are very welcome!

 

[Ratchnick]

1x1 16 ga will be strong enough as long as you can keep out racoon paws, i don't know about snakes or rats as i have no experience with those. The easiest and cheapest way would be to use 4x4 posts dug into the ground, 5 should do it. Its same as installing a fence post, lots of u-tube videos on how to do that. You might look into aviary net for the top, might be cheaper.

 

[neo71665]

The problem you will have with 1x1 and even 1x1/2 wire is coons can reach in both openings up to at least their elbows and grab. That means they can claw and kill even if they can't actually eat their kill.
Don't believe me I can try to get pictures of one of my girls with their arms in 1x1/2 inch fence. they can stick it in there a good 4-6 inches. Grab a corn on the cob and eat it without ever getting the cob on the other side.

 

[Ratchnick]

The problem you will have with 1x1 and even 1x1/2 wire is coons can reach in both openings up to at least their elbows and grab. That means they can claw and kill even if they can't actually eat their kill.
Don't believe me I can try to get pictures of one of my girls with their arms in 1x1/2 inch fence. they can stick it in there a good 4-6 inches. Grab a corn on the cob and eat it without ever getting the cob on the other side.

Yeah he said he knows this in the op.

 

[Callender Girl]

Don't know if you have mink -- or any other weasel -- in West Virginia, but they can definitely get through a 1-inch space.

I know what you mean about hardware cloth. Even the woven wire fencing you mentioned is nearly impossible to get right now.

Good luck with your build!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

1x1 16 ga will be strong enough as long as you can keep out racoon paws, i don't know about snakes or rats as i have no experience with those. The easiest and cheapest way would be to use 4x4 posts dug into the ground, 5 should do it. Its same as installing a fence post, lots of u-tube videos on how to do that. You might look into aviary net for the top, might be cheaper.

My plan is to cover almost the whole box in that 1x1" wire mesh, all sides and the top. I have to excavate up to one foot deep into the ground on one side (to the left in the photo) to create even ground, so one part of the run will be in the ground anyways. My plan is to connect the 4x4 posts with 2x4 bars at the top, center and bottom and add some diagonal supports. - Not sure about the doors at the moment. - 2x4 bars to support the wire-mesh on top, so that if necessary a temporary roof (tarp) can be installed for example during the winter.
The most challenging part will be the excavation - by hand, spade, pike and shovel.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

The problem you will have with 1x1 and even 1x1/2 wire is coons can reach in both openings up to at least their elbows and grab. That means they can claw and kill even if they can't actually eat their kill.
Don't believe me I can try to get pictures of one of my girls with their arms in 1x1/2 inch fence. they can stick it in there a good 4-6 inches. Grab a corn on the cob and eat it without ever getting the cob on the other side.

I know that Raccoons can reach through everything wider than ½ x ½"! - There is some left over ½ x ½" hardware cloth, 1' tall, which will be installed at the bottom around the run in addition to the wire-mesh, so that the raccoons can only reach the inside above one foot. I guess that should protect the ducks. (?)

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Don't know if you have mink -- or any other weasel -- in West Virginia, but they can definitely get through a 1-inch space.

I know what you mean about hardware cloth. Even the woven wire fencing you mentioned is nearly impossible to get right now.

Good luck with your build!

Weasels! - My nightmare! - I would have to cover all openings in the duck-house with hardware-cloth! At the moment just two layers of chicken-wire with an offset of ½".
Yes we have some kinds of weasels here, i saw them twice, first before i bought my air-rifle and the second time the pellet missed it by a hair's width.
For now the raccoons are the larger thread here, elsewhere somebody is catching them and releasing them here. Traps have becoming entirely useless, so i have to shoot them.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Yeah he said he knows this in the op.

Nevertheless, better safe than sorry! can't tell your kid's often enough not to touch the hot oven… (They will still do it!)

 

[Ratchnick]

If you can rent a gas auger.