Possums and ducks

[irocblu]

I we'll be a new duck owner next spring. Making plans on housing, water and all they needs. My neighbor told me he's seen a family of possum crossing along my back fence. Down here metairie, LA that's rare but not uncommon. Will this be a big concern or a nuisance? Like food missing or duck missing?

 

[Amiga]

Ducks attract all kinds of predators, so plan on making them a safe, secure place especially for night-time.

Up here in New England, we have a list of predators as long as my arm, and so I have a Day Pen with fence top, bottom, and sides, and I built the night pen just inside the walkout basement door.

Electric fence can be a great help. So can half inch metal hardware cloth.

And we have possums up here, too. They are not extremely aggressive most of the time, but after a long snowy winter I would not be surprised if they would make a grab for a duck. They certainly would go for eggs, feed, or ducklings.

 

[irocblu]

Thanks friend tell me grown ups will be ok. I think I should play it save.

 

[JacksonC]

Lots of predators in my area (Western NY). I don't keep a large flock.. Only about 10 ducks or so.. So I only have one pen to worry about.. But I'd suggest definitely making sure it's secure.. You can't ever make it too secure. I have solid 4x4s sunk into the ground right around mine. I had the whole area dug out 4" deep so I was able to lay hardware cloth underneath it, as well.. So it's secure from the bottom, too. Even their outside run area, definitely important to secure it.. Especially if you have smaller ducks in a generally open area.. Other predator birds could scoop them up fairly easy. I have all larger ducks and still have the lid sealed on their run area. Luckily with the larger ducks, I was able to use regular chain link fencing around the parameter and use hardware cloth to close the roof.. Chain link is a bit easier to come across used.. And for cheap.

 

[irocblu]

I plan on 8 ducks. I do plan on sealing bottom of pen. I didn't plan enclosing their run. My yard is fenced in well. I planed on giving full run for adults.

 

[JacksonC]

I tend to worry about mine a lot, lol.
I have quite a bit of money tied up in them as they're all show quality.. Just protecting my investment, as they say. I'd be devastated if I lost one because of something I thought about doing, and never did. They're my children. Haha

 

[irocblu]

Hardware cloth won't hurt their feet?

 

[Amiga]

Sawdust or soil on top of hardware cloth.

 

[irocblu]

Pardon and a green horn question. How do you this? I was thinking of pebbles

 

[Amiga]

For the porch attached to the duck house, I attached half inch metal hardware cloth around the base of the porch. It sat on the soil. Then I covered that in an inch of sawdust pellets. When they get wet, they break down and make a nice sort of flooring. If it got too wet, I would need to add more sawdust, sometimes rake some of it out and add fresh.

For the Day Pen, I have coated chain link fence across the bottom, attached to the base of the pen all around. There is bedding on top of the chain link, you cannot see it, but nothing of any size should be able to dig under and up into the pen.