Hi everyone,
I’d appreciate any advice, ideas or experiences with keeping wild birds away from ducks. Thank you!
I have a flock of close to 40 ducks. Recently I made them a 100 x 150 ft pasture which they have been enjoying. My plan is to subdivide the pasture into smaller pens and rotate the ducks through the pens so they always have fresh forage. The pen is made of 4 ft high hardware cloth, with t posts and wood posts at the corners. It does not have a cover. The problem is bird flu just arrived in my state (Hawaii) and at the moment it looks like the common Zebra Doves may be carrying it. So far bird flu isn’t on my island yet, but I’m very concerned. The government found an outbreak on Oahu and killed 70 ducks
Keeping wild birds out of my duck pen seems like the best way to keep my ducks from getting sick.
So far I’ve thought of 2 options:
1: Some type of water proof cover such as a greenhouse cover to go over the entire pasture. Or half or 1/3rd of the pasture and move it when I move the ducks.
2: make covered duck tractors, and keep these within my pasture.
My concerns with option 1:
The cover will be quite expensive. Building a frame to support it will be difficult/cumbersome/expensive. Also I don’t know how because I’ve never done anything like this before - but I’ll figure it out if I have to.
Option 2: Mobile duck tractors can be heavy and difficult to move. I’ll probably have to make several because I have so many ducks, including a bachelor flock. Also, every time I move the tractor, aren’t I exposing my ducks to possible bird droppings on the ground?
Thanks for reading and any thoughts. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed and just trying to keep my ducks safe.
I’d appreciate any advice, ideas or experiences with keeping wild birds away from ducks. Thank you!
I have a flock of close to 40 ducks. Recently I made them a 100 x 150 ft pasture which they have been enjoying. My plan is to subdivide the pasture into smaller pens and rotate the ducks through the pens so they always have fresh forage. The pen is made of 4 ft high hardware cloth, with t posts and wood posts at the corners. It does not have a cover. The problem is bird flu just arrived in my state (Hawaii) and at the moment it looks like the common Zebra Doves may be carrying it. So far bird flu isn’t on my island yet, but I’m very concerned. The government found an outbreak on Oahu and killed 70 ducks
Keeping wild birds out of my duck pen seems like the best way to keep my ducks from getting sick.
So far I’ve thought of 2 options:
1: Some type of water proof cover such as a greenhouse cover to go over the entire pasture. Or half or 1/3rd of the pasture and move it when I move the ducks.
2: make covered duck tractors, and keep these within my pasture.
My concerns with option 1:
The cover will be quite expensive. Building a frame to support it will be difficult/cumbersome/expensive. Also I don’t know how because I’ve never done anything like this before - but I’ll figure it out if I have to.
Option 2: Mobile duck tractors can be heavy and difficult to move. I’ll probably have to make several because I have so many ducks, including a bachelor flock. Also, every time I move the tractor, aren’t I exposing my ducks to possible bird droppings on the ground?
Thanks for reading and any thoughts. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed and just trying to keep my ducks safe.
