Hello,
I've been raising chickens for several years now, and I used this forum to get me started. So, I've been away from here for awhile. I just got my first two ducks with my last flock of chickens. I've always wanted ducks, there is just something I like about them. I have them pictured, a Rouen and a Runner.
Anyway I built them their own house and a small run with a pool. For now I am putting them out in the afternoon, but locking them up in a spare chicken coop at night. I have a large woods behind the house. I have a lot of racoons, several hawks and eagles, and rumors of coyotes.
The house I just built (pictured) has an access door on the left side so I can clean, etc. I plan to keep their food and water outside as much as possible. I'll probably have to move the food/water inside during the cold months (NW Ohio).
So I need to put in some kind of access door to the run (for me) and a roof over the top of what I have. I want to do this as cheap as possible, but convenient. FYI with what is pictured here, the only things I paid for were the drip edge, the hardware cloth, a gallon of blue paint (we wanted to match the house we live in), a couple of hinges, and the baby pool. Everything else was used with scrap material. The entire duck house was used with leftover construction wood, and built as strong as a house. The shingles will also be donated from a friend.
Any ideas on a door and a top? I thought of using some kind of poultry netting. Maybe put up an eight foot post and spread the netting down to the walls of the run. I had a friend that had a large chicken run, approx. 25' in diameter, with poultry netting. Although I think the only real threat where he lived were hawks.
Any ideas or pics would be great. Thanks for your help.
I've been raising chickens for several years now, and I used this forum to get me started. So, I've been away from here for awhile. I just got my first two ducks with my last flock of chickens. I've always wanted ducks, there is just something I like about them. I have them pictured, a Rouen and a Runner.
Anyway I built them their own house and a small run with a pool. For now I am putting them out in the afternoon, but locking them up in a spare chicken coop at night. I have a large woods behind the house. I have a lot of racoons, several hawks and eagles, and rumors of coyotes.
The house I just built (pictured) has an access door on the left side so I can clean, etc. I plan to keep their food and water outside as much as possible. I'll probably have to move the food/water inside during the cold months (NW Ohio).
So I need to put in some kind of access door to the run (for me) and a roof over the top of what I have. I want to do this as cheap as possible, but convenient. FYI with what is pictured here, the only things I paid for were the drip edge, the hardware cloth, a gallon of blue paint (we wanted to match the house we live in), a couple of hinges, and the baby pool. Everything else was used with scrap material. The entire duck house was used with leftover construction wood, and built as strong as a house. The shingles will also be donated from a friend.
Any ideas on a door and a top? I thought of using some kind of poultry netting. Maybe put up an eight foot post and spread the netting down to the walls of the run. I had a friend that had a large chicken run, approx. 25' in diameter, with poultry netting. Although I think the only real threat where he lived were hawks.
Any ideas or pics would be great. Thanks for your help.
