Duckworth
Songster
We have dogs, neighborhood cats, opossums, raccoons, hawks, owls, and foxes in our area, so we take precautions to protect our ducks. We do not free range due to these and other issues, but our ducks do have a covered pet gazebo that served as a tractor for them until we got our house and pen finished. There are threads on preventing losses from predators that you may want to read.
Generally, you need to protect from digging/burrowing by some type of buried barrier, flying and climbing predators by some kind of roof, and ground-based predators by walls and a door. The materials need to be strong enough to withstand a determined attack by teeth, claws, beaks, and talons and have small enough openings to prevent predators squeezing through. You may also want to prevent food-stealing rodents (and the snakes that follow them) and flies from becoming a nuisance.
If you live in a neighborhood or other area not zoned as agricultural, you will need to locate your duck house/pen someplace permitted by applicable city/county ordinances and ensure that your housing meets their requirements. You will also have to have a plan for managing duck-related waste, such as soiled bedding and water. Make sure that you obtain any permits you may need to keep the number of ducks you want to and that you build your housing large enough to meet requirements or in a way that can be added onto easily. The location of the housing will dictate many of the practical aspects of protection from predators. Protection needs to be even greater at night, given the nocturnal or diurnal habits of several significant predators. So having a secure duck house for overnight lodging will be important to your ducks' safety and their ability to rest.
Our house and pen have a solid surface floor, per local ordinance, so burrowing/digging isn't a problem, we have 1/4" hardware cloth on all of the duck house windows and vents and on the lower 36" of the pen, with welded wire fencing over the bottom 24" and metal grating on the lower doors. The upper walls of the pen and extending past the roofline is 1/2" hardware cloth. There is a heavy tarp screwed to the rafters for a pen roof right now, but it will be replaced with corrugated pvc roofing when the rain lets up. The hardware cloth will seal all openings into the pen to keep out predators and rodents. The duck house has a solid roof that will have roofing material added as soon as it dries out. Chicken wire will not keep predators out.
I strongly encourage you to join a local 4-H group that specializes in poultry and waterfowl. This group will be an excellent source of locally relevant information and will provide you with training in many aspects of duck keeping that you may not have considered yet. There may be chances to show your ducks and to enter other challenges and contests aimed at increasing your knowledge and skills. Just call your local agricultural extension office to get hooked up with a group. Our kids were in 4-H for awhile until other interests took over. There are eligibility dates and deadlines for completing certain trainings that you have to do before you can show your birds, so go ahead and join so that you can plan ahead and be both ready and eligible to show your ducks in next season's fairs and shows.
Generally, you need to protect from digging/burrowing by some type of buried barrier, flying and climbing predators by some kind of roof, and ground-based predators by walls and a door. The materials need to be strong enough to withstand a determined attack by teeth, claws, beaks, and talons and have small enough openings to prevent predators squeezing through. You may also want to prevent food-stealing rodents (and the snakes that follow them) and flies from becoming a nuisance.
If you live in a neighborhood or other area not zoned as agricultural, you will need to locate your duck house/pen someplace permitted by applicable city/county ordinances and ensure that your housing meets their requirements. You will also have to have a plan for managing duck-related waste, such as soiled bedding and water. Make sure that you obtain any permits you may need to keep the number of ducks you want to and that you build your housing large enough to meet requirements or in a way that can be added onto easily. The location of the housing will dictate many of the practical aspects of protection from predators. Protection needs to be even greater at night, given the nocturnal or diurnal habits of several significant predators. So having a secure duck house for overnight lodging will be important to your ducks' safety and their ability to rest.
Our house and pen have a solid surface floor, per local ordinance, so burrowing/digging isn't a problem, we have 1/4" hardware cloth on all of the duck house windows and vents and on the lower 36" of the pen, with welded wire fencing over the bottom 24" and metal grating on the lower doors. The upper walls of the pen and extending past the roofline is 1/2" hardware cloth. There is a heavy tarp screwed to the rafters for a pen roof right now, but it will be replaced with corrugated pvc roofing when the rain lets up. The hardware cloth will seal all openings into the pen to keep out predators and rodents. The duck house has a solid roof that will have roofing material added as soon as it dries out. Chicken wire will not keep predators out.
I strongly encourage you to join a local 4-H group that specializes in poultry and waterfowl. This group will be an excellent source of locally relevant information and will provide you with training in many aspects of duck keeping that you may not have considered yet. There may be chances to show your ducks and to enter other challenges and contests aimed at increasing your knowledge and skills. Just call your local agricultural extension office to get hooked up with a group. Our kids were in 4-H for awhile until other interests took over. There are eligibility dates and deadlines for completing certain trainings that you have to do before you can show your birds, so go ahead and join so that you can plan ahead and be both ready and eligible to show your ducks in next season's fairs and shows.
