raggiedoll88
Chirping
- Jan 14, 2021
- 60
- 170
- 96
Hey everyone!
I've got 6 ducks that just turned 8 weeks old and I'm about to start building their run. We're making it larger than originally planned because my dreams of letting them free range during the day (while I'm outside) have been dashed by a few pesky and persistent neighborhood cats who have become obsessed with trying to get my ducks every time they're outside. More than once I've had to scare them off by spraying them with the hose, but that only deters them for so long and then they come back and try again. The last time it happened the ducks were swimming in their pool and if I hadn't been as close as I was to them I'm sure the cat would've gotten one of my ducks... luckily I was able to scare it away. Because of that though I won't be letting them free range, and instead have decided to expand the area in their coop to let them have a little more room to roam around and forage during the day.
I live in the hills of Northwest Connecticut and we have quite a few predators in the area. My main concern is bobcats, raccoons and black bears. Specifically black bears. I know they're incredibly strong and if they're determined to get into something there's pretty much nothing that can stop them. So I'm trying to come up with the best way to bear-proof my run so that my girls stay safe.
My dad thinks that I should be using 9 gauge chain link fencing for the run since it's a stronger material than the typical residential 11.5 gauge chain link. He's convinced that if we sink the poles a few feet down into the ground with concrete and bury 6 inches of the 4 foot high chain link fencing (so that the height of the run is 3.5 feet) that should be strong enough to stop a bear from breaking in. We also plan on outfitting the inside of the run with hardware cloth most of the way up the walls and electrifying the outside with electric wire hooked up to a solar charger (it'll be located too far from any electrical outlet to be able to use plug-in charger although I'm sure those are probably more powerful). The roof will also be made out of 9 gauge chain link.
I'm also trying to find an audio monitor that can be left outdoors (almost like a baby monitor or walkie talkie kind of idea) so that when I'm in the house and not watching the girls directly I can still listen to their little chitter chatter and be alerted to anything that doesn't sound right -- I'm assuming if a predator was trying to break in to their run they'd make some sort of a fuss that would let me know to go check on them and see what's going on.
The run itself is going to be L-shaped with the main part being 10 x 30 feet long with an addition of 10 x 12 feet coming off the left end. The 10 x 12 addition will house their swimming area -- my father has fallen head over heels in love with my ducks over the past two months and he decided that the large kiddie pool that they have right now simply won't do (it is a little cramped when all 6 are in it) so he's planning on building them a 6 x 10 foot swimming area so they can zoom and splash and float around to their hearts' content
9 gauge chain link isn't cheap (although nowadays what is?) -- from our calculations the fencing material alone (not including posts, hardware, etc) will cost close to $800. And that's not considering the cost of hardware cloth or electric fencing or anything else. I'm trying to remind myself that this is will be used for many years to come, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep my girls safe, But my goodness, by the time we're done building this monstrosity I think we'll have to refer to it as Duckingham Palace
Is there anything else I can do to protect my ladies? Is the 9 gauge chain link overkill compared to the normal 11.5 gauge? Or would a bear be able to take down chain link fencing no matter what gauge it was?
Any advice or suggestions on predator-proofing, and specifically bear-proofing, my run would be much appreciated! Thank you!
I've got 6 ducks that just turned 8 weeks old and I'm about to start building their run. We're making it larger than originally planned because my dreams of letting them free range during the day (while I'm outside) have been dashed by a few pesky and persistent neighborhood cats who have become obsessed with trying to get my ducks every time they're outside. More than once I've had to scare them off by spraying them with the hose, but that only deters them for so long and then they come back and try again. The last time it happened the ducks were swimming in their pool and if I hadn't been as close as I was to them I'm sure the cat would've gotten one of my ducks... luckily I was able to scare it away. Because of that though I won't be letting them free range, and instead have decided to expand the area in their coop to let them have a little more room to roam around and forage during the day.
I live in the hills of Northwest Connecticut and we have quite a few predators in the area. My main concern is bobcats, raccoons and black bears. Specifically black bears. I know they're incredibly strong and if they're determined to get into something there's pretty much nothing that can stop them. So I'm trying to come up with the best way to bear-proof my run so that my girls stay safe.
My dad thinks that I should be using 9 gauge chain link fencing for the run since it's a stronger material than the typical residential 11.5 gauge chain link. He's convinced that if we sink the poles a few feet down into the ground with concrete and bury 6 inches of the 4 foot high chain link fencing (so that the height of the run is 3.5 feet) that should be strong enough to stop a bear from breaking in. We also plan on outfitting the inside of the run with hardware cloth most of the way up the walls and electrifying the outside with electric wire hooked up to a solar charger (it'll be located too far from any electrical outlet to be able to use plug-in charger although I'm sure those are probably more powerful). The roof will also be made out of 9 gauge chain link.
I'm also trying to find an audio monitor that can be left outdoors (almost like a baby monitor or walkie talkie kind of idea) so that when I'm in the house and not watching the girls directly I can still listen to their little chitter chatter and be alerted to anything that doesn't sound right -- I'm assuming if a predator was trying to break in to their run they'd make some sort of a fuss that would let me know to go check on them and see what's going on.
The run itself is going to be L-shaped with the main part being 10 x 30 feet long with an addition of 10 x 12 feet coming off the left end. The 10 x 12 addition will house their swimming area -- my father has fallen head over heels in love with my ducks over the past two months and he decided that the large kiddie pool that they have right now simply won't do (it is a little cramped when all 6 are in it) so he's planning on building them a 6 x 10 foot swimming area so they can zoom and splash and float around to their hearts' content
9 gauge chain link isn't cheap (although nowadays what is?) -- from our calculations the fencing material alone (not including posts, hardware, etc) will cost close to $800. And that's not considering the cost of hardware cloth or electric fencing or anything else. I'm trying to remind myself that this is will be used for many years to come, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep my girls safe, But my goodness, by the time we're done building this monstrosity I think we'll have to refer to it as Duckingham Palace
Is there anything else I can do to protect my ladies? Is the 9 gauge chain link overkill compared to the normal 11.5 gauge? Or would a bear be able to take down chain link fencing no matter what gauge it was?
Any advice or suggestions on predator-proofing, and specifically bear-proofing, my run would be much appreciated! Thank you!
-- and decided to have the peak of the roof be about 7 feet in the center tapering down to about 4 feet at the sides. 
