The Duck Thread

[duckylove]

so does anyone put their ducks in a cage / coop at night? because I put mine in at night because I don't want animals to get them but I feel bad I got a new job so they don't get out for that long now especially since it gets dark early now so they only get a couple hours a day out of their cage

 

[Betsy57]

so does anyone put their ducks in a cage / coop at night? because I put mine in at night because I don't want animals to get them but I feel bad I got a new job so they don't get out for that long now especially since it gets dark early now so they only get a couple hours a day out of their cage

Mine are in a big fenced-in yard and they have a "duck" house (like a dog house) for them to go in at night. My duck was killed before I got home to secure them in their house. Thank goodness the chickens are okay but who knows if the killer will be back. I imagine he will be. I hate the short days. I can't get home before dark to secure them.

 

[goats rule 101]

My ducks free range our fenced in yard when I'm home and at night they go in their run. I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on what type of netting I can put over the top of their run. I used to have some over the top but the square holes were too small and caught the snow causing the whole run to cave in. I quickly cut it off and repaired it all but now I'm worried that the predators will get in. This will be my first winter with ducks and was unaware that this would happen and am now stumped for ideas. Does anyone else have some sort of netting over the top that does not catch the snow? Help is gladly apreciated! Thanks -Hannah

 

[Amiga]

My ducks free range our fenced in yard when I'm home and at night they go in their run. I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on what type of netting I can put over the top of their run. I used to have some over the top but the square holes were too small and caught the snow causing the whole run to cave in. I quickly cut it off and repaired it all but now I'm worried that the predators will get in. This will be my first winter with ducks and was unaware that this would happen and am now stumped for ideas. Does anyone else have some sort of netting over the top that does not catch the snow? Help is gladly apreciated! Thanks -Hannah

Our Day Pen has 2"x3" coated woven wire across the top, with supports (2"x4"s) at 5' or 6' intervals in both directions. Majestic Waterfowl uses a heavy duty netting, I cannot recall the specs on their supports. That information might be on their website majesticwaterfowl dot org.

I am planning another Day Pen, and have wondered if those cattle panels (is that what they are called?) could be flexed into a semi-circle, and then netting placed over that. I am not describing this well. Have you ever seen a quonset hut? That kind of shape.

 

[goats rule 101]

Thanks for replying and I think I get what you're saying with the cattle panel things if that is their name. That's a good idea and will probably have to be a next summer project for me. My pen is around 8ft. By 10ft. Do you think if I put the size netting you use on my pen without supports would it work. The old stuff we had on didn't have any supports and I don't exactly want to put any on now that it's cold out. Thanks again -Hannah

 

[Amiga]

Our pen is 10 x 16. I placed 10 footers across the pen every 5 or 6 feet, and midway on those I sistered three 2x4s as supports. They just sit on rocks or concrete pavers, and are screwed to the 10 footers. That supports the woven wire fence I have across the top of the pen. It works well so far. I used 1 inch diameter washers with little holes in the middle to attach the woven wire fence to the tops of the pen and the 10 footers. That has also held for more than 3 years. Snow does not pile up on it. It does pile up on the light fabric I have pulled across the top, though, to keep me from having to shovel out the pen. And that seems to be no problem, either. We have had about 18 inches on top and it held fine.

 

[ringaring]

truly an accidental finding - a crappy fridge froze all the eggs against the compressor wall. . . figured I'd try them in some cheap boxed cake mixes and they came out fine - no different than if I'd used store bought eggs. I let them thaw just enough to start mixing them in and they finished thawing as I mixed them.

 

[Amiga]

truly an accidental finding - a crappy fridge froze all the eggs against the compressor wall. . . figured I'd try them in some cheap boxed cake mixes and they came out fine - no different than if I'd used store bought eggs. I let them thaw just enough to start mixing them in and they finished thawing as I mixed them.

Glad you gave it a whirl!

 

[ringaring]

My 12 ducks roam a wooded acre all day and are closed in their house at night. I think I'm lucky in that but so far, no losses to predators. We have lots of owls but we also have LOTS of feral and not so feral cats. The ducks are too big for the cats to go after but the cats must be a deterrent for the owls and other predatory birds. I have 3 big dogs in an adjacent fenced acre which seems to be enough to keep the coyotes away. Just a suggestion: try planting catnip around the duck's area - make the wild kitties feel welcome, just keep them wild. But if ducklings are going to be part of the barnyard, they make a nice cat-snack, so keep them well fenced. I haven't seen a cat climb a fence yet but those raccoons are quite agile. (The dogs must scare them away too 'cause they haven't been an issue)
It's sort of like companion planting; two species that cohabitate, benefiting each other in some way.

 

[Amiga]

I agree with the companion planting concept. When I have a problem, I think about how I can adjust the whole system to deal with it. One of my neighbors lets her cat out at night. He is a good rodent patroller. I started leaving the door to the Day Pen open at night. He goes in there and that discourages other critters. He has also taken shelter on a ledge under the edge of the duck house roof. It keeps him dry in the rain.

The ducks themselves are a solution to the slug problem I had.