Duck keeps escaping..

[Chickiemom25]

I have muscovies which are NOT small birds. My duck house is a hoop coop made of cattle fencing. Over the top is a tarp which is relatively tight. the bottom 4 feet also has a layer of redbrand wire 2X4" Seriously can't imagine a 7 pound hen getting through that. never had a predator problem but the last few days the hen hatching ducklings has escaped. she comes back to perch on top when she cant get back in. On Sunday I ran some more wire over the back arch thinking maybe she was getting on top the straw bales and somehow getting through the cattle fencing 4 feet up and escaping through the cattle panels ( but under the tarp). Once again she escaped. Yesterday evening the eggs started hatching. So being out of hardwire, I added chicken wire to the front arch and over the door. Predators are not a problem and I have 6 adult ducks currently living down at the pond, but the ducklings have a hard time surviving the turtles till they get bigger so I really want to keep the ducklings in the coop a few weeks and the best way to do that is keep mamma there. I sure hope I have finally found her escape route. I have a second hen sitting in the coop but her eggs are a month out from hatching so she isn't as antsy and I havent seen her leave the nest at all. Please keep your fingers crossed she doesnt escape again. Last clutch to make it to the pond at hatch, I have 3 out of 13.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Your ducklings probably could get through the 2x4 openings.
Maybe she can get through that space above the door since muscovies can fly and perch?

 

[Chickiemom25]

although the ducklings could get out, they never seem to leave momma... so the key is keeping momma in. I closed up that top with chicken wire yesterday even though there wasn't much room to take flight and get through that hole. the arch is only 6 feet high if that.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Good luck, hopefully you have patched up all of the escape routes.
I can't believe you have no issues with predators. I mean I haven't had any problems ... yet ... I couldn't say there won't be any future problems. But, I can only do so much and as long as their lives are happy while living - then I have done the best I could. We live in the middle of a cornfield basically. My birds are probably more protected than most around here, but I know if there is a way and the will - my situation is not for knox.

 

[Chickiemom25]

Good luck, hopefully you have patched up all of the escape routes.
I can't believe you have no issues with predators. I mean I haven't had any problems ... yet ... I couldn't say there won't be any future problems. But, I can only do so much and as long as their lives are happy while living - then I have done the best I could. We live in the middle of a cornfield basically. My birds are probably more protected than most around here, but I know if there is a way and the will - my situation is not for knox.

helps to have dogs to alert and horses to trample intruding animals. Most birds are put up at night so its not exactly like we are advertising birds for dinner. Besides the neighbors flock is back in my woods and they seem to get eaten rather than my flock which stays closer to the house or the ducks sleep on a small island on the pond.