Jumping Ducks! Need to finish the duck house (pic included)

[duckiesrule]

We have (now only) 3 runner ducks that are 5 weeks old. I have them in a baby pool on top of a card table with their food, water and a heat lamp. I extended the height of the sides of the baby pool with hardware cloth around the sides.

Yesterday we had put 2 of the ducks in their pool and were going back for the 3rd. We turned around and only 1 duck was still in the pool. The other had jumped out! Up and over at least 8" of hardware cloth and down at least 3 feet. Unscathed.

Today, we opened the garage doors (where this set up is held) and then turned around, all 3 had jumped out and waddled out of the garage.

Furthermore, we learned that at least one of them can jump up at step that is at least a foot and a half tall.

I guess that house really needs to be finished!

The insulation is now covered with plyboard and we are in the midst of putting linoleum on the floor. It needs a human-sized door in the middle there and it has hardware cloth over the rest of the open areas.

 

[duckiesrule]

I invite any and all suggestions on how to make this predator proof. I need to buy more hardware cloth to bury around the bottom and all the open areas at the top will be covered with it as well.

 

[Ashdoes]

Hiya! I just wanted to let you know I just bought 48in by 50ft hardware cloth on Amazon. They were 76 a roll, with free shipping. It's the best deal I've found.
Your little duck house looks great.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

I reccomend putting window screen behind the hardware cloth on the building openings to keep the skeeters out during the warm months (or year round here in FL). The corrugated roofing panels burried in the ground and then screwed to the sides of the building will give a very solid barrier blocking off the underside space of the house.

 

[duckiesrule]

I reccomend putting window screen behind the hardware cloth on the building openings to keep the skeeters out during the warm months (or year round here in FL). The corrugated roofing panels burried in the ground and then screwed to the sides of the building will give a very solid barrier blocking off the underside space of the house.

I dont know if I can justify buying the metal roofing for the underside of the house, as I just bought three for the roof! I want to do everything to keep predators out, but I was hoping for a little less expensive. In any event, once the door is on, there should be almost no openings around or under the bottom of the house.

Does anyone have suggestions on how to make the door secure? I will be making the door out of plyboard to fit the opening.

Furthermore, my current plan is to cover all the plyboard of the house in some kind of siding (I'm thinking barn boards). I might even have those go closer to the ground then the current walls.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Not predator advice, but I suggest that you be really sure that roof is strapped down securely to the walls with good solid metal plates, because that roof structure is going to act like a big kite in the wind and if it isn't securely fastened it is going to rip off in a strong wind.

Other than that, if the floor is solid and the walls solid, nothing is getting in.

 

[duckiesrule]

Picture: The duck house before the roof, interior walls, and floor went in. There is insulation, then interior walls, then linoleum is going over the floor and up the walls at least 6" ... I dont think I have to worry about predators from below.

 

[Going Quackers]

wow, that is sure insulated! for predator proof just ensure all openings are covered, make sure any windows that you will open have hardware cloth(small metal wire, no chicken wire) and i would put a hasp/lock on the main "human" door.

Not a tip for predators but i keep a thermometer in my barn so i know where it's at for temps.

This is mine... it's on an industrial sized skid so the floor is solid wood... we are siding it with old barn boards, antique windows backed with hardware cloth and it has a solid wood door.. again old...



and yes they sure can jump! we learned that the hard way when bringing home my two black drakes as 3/4wk olds.. they jumped out of the box while we were driving! we laughed so hard.. actually we gave up the box and let them pitter about the floor..(it's a civic and had rubber mats down anyways)

 

[duckiesrule]

Not predator advice, but I suggest that you be really sure that roof is strapped down securely to the walls with good solid metal plates, because that roof structure is going to act like a big kite in the wind and if it isn't securely fastened it is going to rip off in a strong wind.

Other than that, if the floor is solid and the walls solid, nothing is getting in.

Thank you for the suggestion, there will be walls going up to the roof on the side walls so it wont be as open. I will also be adding metal roof panels which should weigh it down and create more structure. I will talk to my building experts (i.e. people I have wrangled into helping me, pictured above) about the kite possibility.

 

[furbabymum]

Thank you for the suggestion, there will be walls going up to the roof on the side walls so it wont be as open. I will also be adding metal roof panels which should weigh it down and create more structure. I will talk to my building experts (i.e. people I have wrangled into helping me, pictured above) about the kite possibility.

This is my Wyoming opinion. Wyoming of the epic winds. Metal roofing weighs nothing. We have several structures with metal roofing and we are ALWAYS nailing it back down. Wind rips the stuff right up and rips it in half. Ripped metal roofing is worth nothing. I'm not sure about your winds but I'd cement the thing to the ground if it were mine.