Your duck pen....

[Miss Lydia]

I am sorry I read your post that you left them outside of their pen last night

Looks like you have gotten some good advise.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I totally get the paranoid thing right now! I do eventually want to upgrade their house but I need to do the best I can with what I have for now. I was told not to use security lights near them as it upsets hem but the flashlight is probably the very same effect.

I guess because my ducks have had it since the beginning, they aren't having any problems with it. When I go to check on them, it trips the light, which makes it easy to see everything. Then, I just close them up for the night. The light is on an adjacent building, not directly over them.
I wore my headlamp out one night because I needed to check on the chickens to see if they were using their new roost (they are not!) I shined the light on the ducks and they freaked out! I was a little worried, but they were all fine in the morning.
The security light is only supposed to kick on when something 40 lbs or more is out there. I kind of freak out when I see it on and we aren't out there (we live in the country), but it might have a few quirks as we never see anything out there when it kicks on.

 

[CrystaBub]

Just sharing a link to the carolina waterfowl rescue site - they have great info on how to provide housing to keep your babies safe. It's an ongoing project for me too - i'm now trying to bear proof my housing LOL.

https://www.cwrescue.org/predatorproofhousing

 

[Sue S]

I agree it needs to be more secure, hardware cloth around & on top of the pen & paving stones or something secure to keep predators from digging underneath. I've also learned the hard way with losing my 2 ducks to a raccoon

 

[afwifey]

I agree it needs to be more secure, hardware cloth around & on top of the pen & paving stones or something secure to keep predators from digging underneath. I've also learned the hard way with losing my 2 ducks to a raccoon

I did bury the hardware cloth all the way around and have a few pavers around but I think I will add the pavers all the way around. I added an aviary netting to the top secured with some serious clips.

 

[afwifey]

Well, they are in the house locked up at night. I am adding much tighter wire as a second layer to what is there now on the doors of the house. They are inside the pen (5ft) which is inside our chain link fence (5ft). We do have possums here and I’ve seen a small fox in our neighborhood before but our dogs usually alert before anything gets into our fence. Should I have a top over the whole pen?

 

[afwifey]

What predators would you potentially have?

We have possums and cats in the neighborhood. I’ve seen one small fox but never in my yard as my dogs alert and run off most anything. Then pen is outside our master bathroom window which I’ve left open to hear if they alert us. The pen is well tucked into our yard which is 100% fenced in 5ft chain link.

 

[afwifey]

How are going to keep predators from climbing over your fence? I would never leave them outside over night they really are sitting ducks. Raccoons opossums mink weasel foxes coyote even dogs can break through or climb over fencing and that isn't even talking about owls that can fly in.

Sorry, replied above but didn’t tag you.

 

[afwifey]

Just don't be late getting them into the house at night. We had our pair of ducks attacked by an owl shortly before official sunset time. One was eaten completely, the other survived with two puncture wounds, one on his back the other on his belly. Else put a top on the pen.

Additionally, consider how desperate your local predators might be. During the summer, my ducks, who can fly, are allowed to free range my 6ft privacy fenced backyard. In the winter, they are not allowed outside. The Redtail hawks in my area are not too brave, but I'm sure they would get more bold.when they are starving to death in winter. I also have an American Bulldog who wanders the yard to provide additional I.

I put them in myself before sunset and they have good cover from the house and the 15ft+ bushes/trees on the other side of the pen but we do have owls. I will need to brainstorm a more permanent roof! Thank you!

 

[afwifey]

Hello..Nice set up..All those pine shavings are not needed because once it rains they become a total mess. You will need to rethink your set up. Once Birds are out predators come too..Best wishes..

That is straw. It controls the mud.