Cube mk2 and WIR

[Laura&Sean]

I have clipped all four of my girlies wings yet the other evening I had to hunt high and low in the garden to get them to bed because they had decided to roost elsewhere than the eglu except for lolo.

 

I found Dolly perched ontop of my parasol, how on earth she got up there I do not know.

 

I found Petal and Marilyn roosting fast asleep ontop of my 6ft fence.

 

I was really upset and felt so guilty that I hadn't been able to enforce bedtime due to a family drama I had to rush out early evening.

 

I was under the impression they always put themselves to bed??

 

Also will they stray into next doors garden now they know they can jump 6ft?

 

If they do will they know where home is

 

I knew the free ranging had been too good to be true so far!

[mrs chook]

Mine get on top of the eglu run and not alot more. Wow! Are there not other things they are using as well (not ladders )

 

I know one of my older ladies got onto the eglu run and then propelled herself onto a 6ft fence because luckily I saw it happen - needless to say I moved the run from near the boundary as she would have been next door. It must have been very scary for you tho!

 

Can you clip their wings any more? Make sure they have nothing to venture up in 'stages'.

 

As for the parasol

 

Don't be upset or disheartened about last night. Do they have an enclosure? Maybe you could section off a safe area away from the neighbour's fence, perhaps they need a roofed enclosure??

[abwsco]

Don't want to appear rude but you did only clip one wing on each chicken didn't you. My sisters Ambers ended up getting over an 8ft fence despite being clipped Unfortuantely they kept doing it into the neighbour that they had mega legal battles with (which my sister won) so the Ambers have gone to a new home with no fences for them to get over.

 

Hopefully it was just a one off for you.

[Laura&Sean]

Thanks for your replies, yes the girls have possibly used a chair or the eglu roof to leap from , the parasol will remain a mystery unless dolly got onto the fence and thought the top of the parasol looked more appealing?

 

I did only clip one wing on each bird, I think I have clipped enough off but was scared to go too short...I can't seem to see where the blood vessels start?

 

As for roosting elsewhere than eglu is that usual?

[FruitandNutCake]

well, my ex-batts have hardly any feathers, but one of them can still jump 4 ft! And she would rather roost on the fence, than in her coop!

[dancing cloud]

And my ex-batts were very oven-ready too, and could still get on the roof of the Cube from a standing start. After a couple of weeks of lifting them off and makng them go inside the Cube to sleep, they've given it up now.

[Snowy]

Have you double checked their eglu/cube/henhouse for red mite? It can make them reluctant to go to bed as that is when they get bitten.

 

I recommend giving the eglu a good clean and dust with red mite powder, then confine them to quarters for another 5 days. Sometimes you do need to reinforce where it is they are supposed to sleep. Mine love to roost outdoors when it's hot, but luckily they have branches just outside the cube, but still safely under cover that they can use.

[ajm200]

One of ours could still get onto the 6ft fence and take swooping flights across the lawn to be first to the treats after having her wing clipped by Omlet at delivery time

 

Someone on the forum suggested clipping the rest of the flight feathers on the same wing as Omlet only cut the first 5. That definately helped as she take off as easily. They all got a few of their flight feathers again after a partial moult when they had been with us for a few weeks and had to be trimmed again

 

Luckily since they've all started laying they've calmed down a bit and don't take off a much so if your girls are new they should calm down in a few weeks time