Hi I am a new member. I am planning to get up to 4 ducks to keep as pets and for egg production in my backyard. While they are unsupervised, I intend to keep them in a 4 ft. x 12 ft. area fenced with 0.5 inch hardware cloth, including above. (is this large enough?) I would let them out for free range time when someone is present.
One question I have is whether or not it is safe to have them free range between dawn and dusk even without supervision. I live in a suburban area with a wooden fence around the backyard (so no dogs except my own Pomeranian who mostly stays in the house). I have seen domestic cats, hawks, and squirrels in the area. I have never seen owls, foxes, raccoons, or other larger predators in the area but it is possible they are here.
I am also redesigning my garden and one idea I have is to put 4 ft. tall hardware cloth fencing with 2 in. x 4 in. holes around the garden area(~300 sq. ft.) to serve as a plant trellis and to keep the ducks in a limited area while free ranging. The rest of the yard is paved and wouldn't be good for walking/foraging. I could put some large plants and other tall objects inside to deter hawks, as I've heard they need a clear path to hunt, but it wouldn't be a complete exclusion. Any opinion on this and how it would affect free ranging during the day? Also, would squirrels be a threat to adult ducks?
Thanks
One question I have is whether or not it is safe to have them free range between dawn and dusk even without supervision. I live in a suburban area with a wooden fence around the backyard (so no dogs except my own Pomeranian who mostly stays in the house). I have seen domestic cats, hawks, and squirrels in the area. I have never seen owls, foxes, raccoons, or other larger predators in the area but it is possible they are here.
I am also redesigning my garden and one idea I have is to put 4 ft. tall hardware cloth fencing with 2 in. x 4 in. holes around the garden area(~300 sq. ft.) to serve as a plant trellis and to keep the ducks in a limited area while free ranging. The rest of the yard is paved and wouldn't be good for walking/foraging. I could put some large plants and other tall objects inside to deter hawks, as I've heard they need a clear path to hunt, but it wouldn't be a complete exclusion. Any opinion on this and how it would affect free ranging during the day? Also, would squirrels be a threat to adult ducks?
Thanks