Ideas on keeping feathered babies safe

[LeonaL33]

Hello. I would love some ideas on how to keep my feather babies safe. I do not have a fenced yard for them because they have been roaming freely on my property. And up until recently they have been safe but now a fox has taken a liking to them and I have lost 3 and that makes me sad. When I go to work now I put them in their house. Will this make them sad and depressed? I do not know what to do at this moment I am so scared of losing more.

 

[SolarDuck]

Best bet would probably be to build them a closed in predator proof run

 

[nuthatched]

I'm sorry this has happened, it's hard to loose your flock.
You have to accept the fact that you will loose some no matter what, thats why we give them the best lives possible. Does their house have a run attached? If they do, male sure, it's screened over the top and has dig proof sides. I'd rather have "sad" burds than dead birds. Can you build a hoop coop for them to go in when you're not around?

 

[KaleIAm]

Hello. I would love some ideas on how to keep my feather babies safe. I do not have a fenced yard for them because they have been roaming freely on my property. And up until recently they have been safe but now a fox has taken a liking to them and I have lost 3 and that makes me sad. When I go to work now I put them in their house. Will this make them sad and depressed? I do not know what to do at this moment I am so scared of losing more.

I'm very sorry for your losses.

Can you make a big fully enclosed "run" or "aviary" for them? My ducks have 30ft by 30ft aviary outside wrapped entirely in hardware cloth. It also has a "skirt" of hardware cloth on the ground so nothing can dig in. We live in a predator rich area but haven't had any predator incidents in the 6 years I have had ducks. Your enclosure size could vary depending on how many birds you have.

When I get home from work and on weekends I take my ducks on supervised foraging walks out of their aviary. Because they like it.

In my opinion, if you have predators and you free range it will only be a matter of time before they start take your your birds. If a predator already knows about an easy meal they usually come back quickly.

 

[EvaRay1525]

I feel your pain, I used to have free roaming chickens and the hawks keep snatching them. I would build a small chicken run depending on their size and how many there are. You can add treats in their crate or some fun toys to peck at, another is to add roosting bars for them to fly on.

 

[LeonaL33]

I'm very sorry for your losses.

Can you make a big fully enclosed "run" or "aviary" for them? My ducks have 30ft by 30ft aviary outside wrapped entirely in hardware cloth. It also has a "skirt" of hardware cloth on the ground so nothing can dig in. We live in a predator rich area but haven't had any predator incidents in the 6 years I have had ducks. Your enclosure size could vary depending on how many birds you have.

When I get home from work and on weekends I take my ducks on supervised foraging walks out of their aviary. Because they like it.

In my opinion, if you have predators and you free range it will only be a matter of time before they start take your your birds. If a predator already knows about an easy meal they usually come back quickly.

Yeah I have to figure that part out. Now that the fox knows they're there. And it's winter here in Northern Canada so any hopes of putting in a fenced area for them at this point it's probably not going to happen because the ground is Frozen

 

[KaleIAm]

Yeah I have to figure that part out. Now that the fox knows they're there. And it's winter here in Northern Canada so any hopes of putting in a fenced area for them at this point it's probably not going to happen because the ground is Frozen

I see. It sounds like you really care about them. I would personally keep mine locked inside their house until I could build a safe outside structure. I know it isn't ideal for them, I feel like it might be the best you can do right now. You could still take them for supervised foraging walks if it is light enough when you come home from work, and on weekends.

Do they come when you call? Your birds are ducks, right?

A regular fence might slow down a predator, but it won't stop them. You will really need a fully enclosed pen with no entry points for your birds to be absolutely safe when you aren't around, including a ceiling and the floor.

 

[LeonaL33]

Oh I do love them. They come when called. I have been putting them in when I leave and will only let them out when I'm home. It makes me sad tho. It probably bothers me more than them. I will have to make a space for them when spring comes.

 

[LeonaL33]

I'm sorry this has happened, it's hard to loose your flock.
You have to accept the fact that you will loose some no matter what, thats why we give them the best lives possible. Does their house have a run attached? If they do, male sure, it's screened over the top and has dig proof sides. I'd rather have "sad" burds than dead birds. Can you build a hoop coop for them to go in when you're not around?

Yeah not til spring. The ground is frozen now

 

[RedneckUrbanFarmer]

Yeah not til spring. The ground is frozen now

Just a thought - Can you get dog kennel panels and make a free-standing rectangular kennel, then wrap the lower part with hardware cloth? It should support itself without having to be anchored in the frozen ground.