4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Mutrix Farmers]

We've cracked it at last!!

 

We have a blue hose pipe which the chickens hate, so I wondered if a length of hose pipe would work in front of the french doors to stop them venturing into the house. It works, they won't step over it!!!

[..lay a little egg for me]

.....yet!

[Faye&Ant]

.....yet!

 

they dont give up easily!

[Stevie]

I tried many methods to stop the chooky invasion and all failed until i built this saturday...

[Jules.]

Whoa!

[cluckbok]

Sorry guys but I love the chooky invasion! They come in the conservatory well only Matilda mainly just for a cuddle then goes back out again. Though when the really hot summer does one day come I may have to invest in some expanding trellis on legs!!

[Abbey Road Girl]

Maybe if you don't want them invading, the best thing to do is to try to get them inside.

 

When mine were fairly new (one month in residence?), I tried to get them into my kitchen after my son wanted to move the run back after he'd laid slabs. They would have none of it!

 

Even though they must know that their treats come from the kitchen, they have never wanted to venture inside!

 

Reverse psychology?

[Guest]

One of mine is on a misison to come in and eat the cat food. Door open for 2 secs and she's in. Last week I caught her heading upstairs to see if there was any up there. she'd emptied the bowls in the kitchin.

 

Cat food costs too much to feed to chooks!

[ajm200]

I like the trellis barrier but doubt that it would work wiith our lot. They happily fly up and perch on things 3-4ft off the ground.

 

My toddler used to be a good deterant as they were reluctant to get into a confined space with him but now two have decided that he is ok and let him wander round the garden holding their bodies gently as they feed so they follow him into the house.

 

Chickens in the house whouldn't be a problem if we had hard floors but I'm still trying to get the stains out of the carpet from a little parcel that one of them left a few weeks ago

[Shirl]

I find having 6 dogs running around keeps them out the house

[Joojoo]

I find having 6 dogs running around keeps them out the house

 

Having 6 cats running around certainly doesn't stop mine from coming in. They scoff the cat food whilst the cats look on in disbelief

[ajm200]

Found two of our girls had sneaked into our front room this morning.

 

I stepped back from the ironing board, felt something brush my ankle and found Poppy pecking at the carpet behind my feet.

 

I then looked around the room and found Violet roosting comfortably in the basket of clean washing. I have no idea how long they'd been there as they hadn't made a sound but they soon headed outside when they realised I'd spotted them.

[dancing cloud]

My lot sneak in the instant they can and steal Puddy's dinner. As she's not exactly a slim cat, she's on a diet and constantly hungry, but even a hungry cat wanting its dinner is no match for a chook on a mission!

 

They are also very nosey and like to just see what their human and cats are doing. Thankfully, most of mine are hard floors, but I will soon need new doormats as these have been much-blessed.

 

Chickens out? I would say so! Out of the kitchen, the conservatory, the living room, the bathroom, the greenhouse ...

[Mutrix Farmers]

Well it worked for 2 days!! Then they started to look at it sideways and very gingerly step over it. Now they just stampede like they were before!!!

 

I love the idea of them coming into the house, but don't relish clearing up chicken poo off the carpet!

 

It's back to the drawing board for me. It needs to be something that moves so they can't judge how high it is to jump on or over it, but not cause the people of the house an inconvenience!!! I've thought of a child's stair gate but it's a double uPVC french door (just like stevie's below - like the trellis idea but they step over things that are taller) so fixing wouldn't be straightforward.

 

I am a woman on a mission and will not be beaten by a bunch of chickens (even though I love them all dearly!!)

[Gamebird]

I wondered how long it would take them to realise that the big, blue, deadly snake was just a harmless hosepipe.

 

Looking forward to your next idea.