2 x 4 inch mesh safe for ducks?

[DuneDucks]

Hello there!

I've been sourcing materials for my duck run and (like usual) haven't been thrilled with the options. I read in Dave Holderread's guide that ducks can get their heads/necks/wings stuck or entwined in 2 x 4 openings, so I've avoided looking at those options for the most part. There's no denying just how more readily available and cost efficient said options would be though.

My question for you guys would be what (if any) experience have you had keeping your ducks in enclosures with 2 x 4 inch mesh fencing? Has it been a non-issue or have you noticed a tendency for the ducks to hurt themselves more often? I'm not naive enough to think accidents won't happen in even the most perfect of enclosures, but I'd absolutely like to minimize as much as possible. Probably doesn't make sense to save a couple hundred here if it will cost me more in medical bills and emotional pain in the future.

Any past experiences, tips, suggestions, etc. welcome! Thanks in advance!

 

[Knighstar679]

Hello there!

I've been sourcing materials for my duck run and (like usual) haven't been thrilled with the options. I read in Dave Holderread's guide that ducks can get their heads/necks/wings stuck or entwined in 2 x 4 openings, so I've avoided looking at those options for the most part. There's no denying just how more readily available and cost efficient said options would be though.

My question for you guys would be what (if any) experience have you had keeping your ducks in enclosures with 2 x 4 inch mesh fencing? Has it been a non-issue or have you noticed a tendency for the ducks to hurt themselves more often? I'm not naive enough to think accidents won't happen in even the most perfect of enclosures, but I'd absolutely like to minimize as much as possible. Probably doesn't make sense to save a couple hundred here if it will cost me more in medical bills and emotional pain in the future.

Any past experiences, tips, suggestions, etc. welcome! Thanks in advance!

I did rabbit fencing which worked out well for bigger ducks because it starts out small and gets bigger. But as I found out this year if you have bantam ducks those little buggers will try to actually jump through the bigger holes and can wiggle right on out.

I did have a duck that did get a wing stuck in a large fence opening once when it got spooked by a dog and it ran hap-hazardly into the fence. Otherwise no bad experiences with the fencing.

 

[springvalley123]

I had a large duck enclosure, built it with completely 6 ft tall 2x4 wire fencing, and chicken wire inside of that. If I had it to do over again, I'd use 4 ft tall half inch hardware cloth instead of the chicken wire to prevent babies and wings getting caught. You might get away with 3 ft tall hardware cloth instead, if it's just for ducks and your ducks can't get on anything higher than 2 ft tall.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I used it just to separate some adults for a little while but I wouldn’t risk it with ducklings. When I built my fence I used 1” hardware cloth stapled to cedar fence boards on their sides. It works well.