The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: jacob and Georgina on December 18, 2011, 10:14:35 pm
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i will be making the new duck pen over the christmas break and am wondering what height i will need to make the netting for the fence?? they all have their wings clipped so cannot fly, i am new to ducks and as of yet have not seen them jump very high so i thought 900mm might be ok or should i use 1200?? or maybe even less??? although it will be a permenent pen it is within a much larger field so if they did get out it would not be the end of the world but obvioulsy i would rather they didnt!! any replies much appreciated :&> ???
P.s does anyone know where the best place to buy chicken wire from is i think mole valley farmers is quite expensive!!!
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If you keep them in their pen it will become mud fairly quickly. I'm about to make another one so I can rest the first for a year in the hope the grass will regrow. I use one metre wire pig wire so they can get their heads through to eat the grass on the other side, but if they are only in it at night then chicken wire will be fine. My ducks don't have their wings clipped but they are not flyers. I have a Swedish Blue drake, a khaki Campbell duck, and their three daughters. Not breeds known to fly.
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The metre pig wire seems standard for brailed ducks from what I've seen .
Most of the 200 plus bird producers I've seen also use a three or five wire pyramid electric fence about four feet away from the pig wire to deter the foxes from snaffling a few birds .
They weed kill the strip under the electric fence area.
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Not sure what brailed means - brailings are lines on a tent or sails on a boat to keep it in position. Does it mean clipped wings? Mine aren't clipped at all. Most domestic
dicks DUCKS don't fly anyway.
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I put two young ducks(unclipped) in to "test" my new run, eight foot high deer-fencing and they flew out :o You would be alright with lower fencing and clipped wings. I found Mole Valley the cheapest option.
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fence height is all good but make sure you try and put a netting over the top to deter (not stop) pests from flying in like a hawk maybe. plus how high could a fox jump. or dig under? my JRT put a fox over a 6 foot ship lap fence i watched in disbelief with my own eyes as this fox was in full stride in no distance at all from about 3ft away from fence a full bolt and it cleared the fence it also came in that way as neighbour told me. best fence i found to be was heras fence panels with pea netting across top i still need to get some but i found you can either buy panels for about £10 and as its flexable it deters prediters and is solid enough dig a bit of fence into the ground or put slabs around the edge to prevent diggers getting into pen
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my runners dont jump over a standard fence- 3ft.
but our old muscovey drake used to fly about 20 metres or so and that was a good 20ft high. powerful chap - but not powerful enough was he - mr fox? grrr
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My 2 lovely little female call ducks have decided to spend there days down on the river with the wild ducks, only coming home in the afternoon when the corn gets scattered.
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Most domestic dicks don't fly anyway.
Have you turned into the policeman from 'Allo Allo'?!!! :D :D ;D
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Most domestic dicks don't fly anyway.
Have you turned into the policeman from 'Allo Allo'?!!! :D :D ;D
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