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

[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.

 

[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.

 

[Ratchnick]

If you can rent a gas auger.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Little progress was made on the duck run, due to my bad health, a broken down car and necessary preparations for the 2020 Fall Ducklings, but at least some progress.
I finished the digging yesterday evening and had the bottom frame laid out to see if everything would fit:

It turns out that the duck-house itself isn't level! The edge with the door sits about 15cm (6") higher than the other side. - At the Moment i'm tot sure how to deal with that, i plan to build the duck-run level and use some wood to fill in the gaps.
And of course, the duck project-managers had to check out e v e r y t h i n g :

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Short video of the duck project-managers checking out if the wall is still square and absolutely vertical.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Update 2020-10-04: The east-wall is framed and the lower half is covered with 2x2" welded wire-mesh:

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Update 2020-10-14: All the framing is done, except for the roof-beams, have to buy the roof-beam support-brackets first…
This is the door-side of the run, the human-door is wide enough for the wheelbarrow and tall enough for human heads:

The opposite side is the achilles heel of the run, as there is a huge gap between to bottom beam and the ground, due to the topography of the hill-site. I need to find a quick and a long-term fix for this:

Here is a detail-picture of the weak-point:

Any ideas and suggestions are very welcome!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

So, i was thinking back and forth about how to secure that giant hole when it suddenly hit me: Not long ago somebody gave me some AC cover-panels from an old, broken AC unit and i was planning to use those next year to protect the kitchen herbs bed from the ducks, but they turned out to be ideal for securing the run, being made out of galvanized steel with powder coating i am sure even the strongest raccoon can't get through those:

I have cut them in half and hammered the spikes about 3 inches into the ground. I will cover all that with heavy gravel, which is also good for draining water out as this will be the side where the automatic waterer will be installed.