I woke up this morning, and started on my normal routine, Get up, Start coffee, Check on my new chicks (they are 2 weeks old), Go outside and check on the garden, Go feed the ducks.....
When I got near the run, I noticed that I only had 2 ducks waiting on me... there are supposed to be 4 there. We have a white pond duck (we have had him for about 3 years) and we HAD three wild ducks that we rescued from a hit and run on their mom. I thought well, maybe they flew off... but the way I have the fence, that would be very unlikely. (It curves in at the top) So I go in the run and see a wing laying on the ground
I thought I had done a good job in making the run... I buried Chicken wire about 2 feet and curved it under so nothing could dig under. So I start looking for what/how this thing got in.
My coop/run is in an old barn, the previous owner used about 500lb of concrete on each post.. so I couldn't get the chicken wire all the way to the posts. To solve this, I took some cinder blocks and stood them next to the post and the wire went behind them just a little. Well, the fox actually chewed through the wire and pushed his way in.... He got 2 of the baby ducks. They were about 5 weeks old, and almost ready to fly off...
Looks like I need to start over, and bury something a bit tougher than chicken wire.
On the plus side, I am glad that this happened when my "foster ducks" were in there, I would have been crushed if that darn fox had gotten my chicks.
I guess the moral of the story here is: DO NOT TRUST CHICKEN WIRE TO KEEP OUT PREDATORS !!
[UPDATE] wasn't a fox, but this little guy... He got another duck last night... I guess he climbed the 8' fence. I guess I am going to have to build their run out of steel and concrete... and perhaps set up armed guards.
Have mercy on his soul.
When I got near the run, I noticed that I only had 2 ducks waiting on me... there are supposed to be 4 there. We have a white pond duck (we have had him for about 3 years) and we HAD three wild ducks that we rescued from a hit and run on their mom. I thought well, maybe they flew off... but the way I have the fence, that would be very unlikely. (It curves in at the top) So I go in the run and see a wing laying on the ground
My coop/run is in an old barn, the previous owner used about 500lb of concrete on each post.. so I couldn't get the chicken wire all the way to the posts. To solve this, I took some cinder blocks and stood them next to the post and the wire went behind them just a little. Well, the fox actually chewed through the wire and pushed his way in.... He got 2 of the baby ducks. They were about 5 weeks old, and almost ready to fly off...
Looks like I need to start over, and bury something a bit tougher than chicken wire.
On the plus side, I am glad that this happened when my "foster ducks" were in there, I would have been crushed if that darn fox had gotten my chicks.
I guess the moral of the story here is: DO NOT TRUST CHICKEN WIRE TO KEEP OUT PREDATORS !!
[UPDATE] wasn't a fox, but this little guy... He got another duck last night... I guess he climbed the 8' fence. I guess I am going to have to build their run out of steel and concrete... and perhaps set up armed guards.
Have mercy on his soul.
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