Duck Coup Fencing

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dennin7418

dennin7418

In the Brooder
7 Years
Mar 15, 2012
50
1
39
Sterling, MA
Hi All, duckling arrived from Meyer Hatchery in great condition. 3 Cayugas, 3 Welsh Harlequins, 2 Fawn Runner, and 2 Blue Swedish....quite an eclectic group!

I have a Duck House...I'm calling a Duck Palace since I've spent 30 hours and 400 dollars on it....but I have yet to figure out how I am going to fence in their area. I want to be able to let them free range but we have coyotes, fishers, foxes and hawks all the time. I have a large area...25' X 20' that I can dedicate to them and future birds and I want to make it a permanent enclosure w/ pond and grass and rocks and the like. This way they can be out all the time and have space but also be protected.

Question is though how do I build the fencing? I'm handy and can build most things but I need a place to start from? All pictures and advice are appreciated.

Thanks!
 
I am in Massachusetts. Their duck house is good for all season, but I'm assuming I'll be shoveling them out at times during a heavy winter.
 
My fencing isn't done yet but we are going to use 4' yard and garden fence. It has 1" squares and is very sturdy. They will have a duck yard around their house that is about 15x40 and then a gate that will go out into the orchard (fenced with the same stuff) which is about 60x120 plus a little. We originally wanted them to free range but I have a cattle dog who is showing a little too much interest in them for comfort.

Edited to add: I have 2 Rouens, 2 Runners, 2 Khakis, and soon 3 Toulouse.
 
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We used quiet a bit of lumber in our pen but we had it laying around and it looks really good. The fencing is screwed in between the two boards. That way it is pulled tight and wedged in between the boards. It turned out really good. It isn't 25'x20' by any means more like 8'x10' but they will be going outside the run when we are outside during the day. The kids have a trampoline and the pool will be going up in the next few months. Both are near the duck pen so we will get to spend lots of time outside letting them free range some. I am still timid to leave them out even for a bit if we are not outside. They are my childrens pets and I don't want anything to happen to them.



You can sort of see the fencing in this picture. There are 2x2 boards on the inside that the fence is wedged/screwed in between.



Here is a close up of our babies getting all settled into their new enclosure. It was sort of a nasty night last night and I was a little worried about them, but they did well for their first night outside. You can also see the close up of the fencing we used. We happened to have it left over from some dog fencing we used to have up and it works perfectly. The front gate is 2 hog panels put together with the fencing on the outside of that so nothing can get in/out.
 
I'm not completely sure on fencing for ducks either, as I'm brand new to ducks (still don't have mine - should be here in a few weeks), but I've had chickens for years. In my opinion, the spacing on that fencing pictured above is not quite small enough. That is, IF you have predators such as raccoons, weasel, skunk, etc. They can reach right through it & grab a duck by the head, neck, wing, feet. I have a friend who had a weasel attack in this way, and it was NOT pretty, very, very sad.

Around my area (midwest), we have a ton of fox and lots of owls, hawks, etc. Our chicken fencing is buried in the ground 6-8" down, so that any predators that dig (such as the fox) "should" in theory be discouraged when they hit the metal fencing. For the bottom 2', we used VERY SMALL hardware cloth - by small, I mean the size of the holes. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but it is not more than 1/2". Then, we used regular chicken wire from 2' up to the top, and then chicken wire over the entire outside portion of their run.
smile.png
 
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Wynette said:
I'm not completely sure on fencing for ducks either, as I'm brand new to ducks (still don't have mine - should be here in a few weeks), but I've had chickens for years. In my opinion, the spacing on that fencing pictured above is not quite small enough. That is, IF you have predators such as raccoons, weasel, skunk, etc. They can reach right through it & grab a duck by the head, neck, wing, feet. I have a friend who had a weasel attack in this way, and it was NOT pretty, very, very sad.

Around my area (midwest), we have a ton of fox and lots of owls, hawks, etc. Our chicken fencing is buried in the ground 6-8" down, so that any predators that dig (such as the fox) "should" in theory be discouraged when they hit the metal fencing. For the bottom 2', we used VERY SMALL hardware cloth - by small, I mean the size of the holes. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but it is not more than 1/2". Then, we used regular chicken wire from 2' up to the top, and then chicken wire over the entire outside portion of their run.
smile.png
Click to expand...

I agree 100% Wynette, that is a great setup but the fence needs so updating. closed in all the way around no gaps for anything to climb up crawl through with hardware cloth up at least 3 ft. from the bottom all the way around so nothing can grab and pull your precious ducklings through. I have read of too many heart breaking stories of those that didn't follow this rule and lost their precious ducks and chickens. Other than some work on the fencing it looks great.
 
Miss Lydia said:
I agree 100% Wynette, that is a great setup but the fence needs so updating. closed in all the way around no gaps for anything to climb up crawl through with hardware cloth up at least 3 ft. from the bottom all the way around so nothing can grab and pull your precious ducklings through. I have read of too many heart breaking stories of those that didn't follow this rule and lost their precious ducks and chickens. Other than some work on the fencing it looks great.
Click to expand...

I should have mentioned that, too - sorry! Yes, as far as aesthetics, it's VERY nice!
 

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