Cube mk2 and WIR

[Brian Downing]

We are newbies & have an Eglu placed on a permanent wood chip site confined by Omlet link board (3.5 x 2.6 metres). We let our 2 chooks free range around the outside of the Eglu but within the confines of the link board. To keep the chooks within this area, we have fixed chicken netting (from Omlet) arround the link board.

Unfortunately the chooks have found that they can escape by jumping onto the top of the Eglu & then jumping/flying over the netting (their wings are clipped).

Has anyone come across this problem & do they have a simple solution ?

We are considering :-

(a) Ways of preventing the chooks getting onto the top of the Eglu.

(b) Ways of raising the height of the netting

But, we don't want to make too big a construction or make the run look too intrusive within our garden.

 

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

 

Brian & Gail

[Tiggy]

one of mine does exactly the same thing,the only solution I have found is to put the netting further away from the eglu, are your girls wing clipped?

[Brian Downing]

Thanks Tiggy - Yes their wings are clipped.

[Hen Watch]

My only escape was the same by using the eglu run as a launch pad over the omlet netting. So I moved the eglu nearer the fence and away from the netting, since then no more escapes.

[Brian Downing]

Thanks Katy - having just watched our two chooks easily jump/fly over the Omlet netting ( now repositioned even further away from the Eglu) I'm wondering whether some sort of roofed cage or pen will be better - but, I'm not sure whether they can be bought at reasonable prices. Any ideas ?

I think I might pose the question to others in a new thread.

Brian.

[stoice]

maybe try putting some pea netting or the netting that you put over ponds, over the top? It's green in colour and cheap (£1 from pound shop). It's by no means fox proof but stops any escape attempts. Just use clothes pegs to clip to the netting. Works for me!!

[Fur 'n' Feathers]

Our girls jump on and off the eglu and we have the netting. We just position the netting far enough away so they can't launch at it. It possibly helps that we have a polythene cover over the run as well as they slip off if too near the edge

[Egluntyne]

Good point...mine only ever got over the netting from the top of the Eglu.

[Brian Downing]

Thanks for the useful advice - I've now discovered that one of the chooks flies over from ground level so I may look at the pea netting option.

I'll hang on and see what other useful comments come through.

Thanks again you three.

Brian

[stoice]

I was also told that it's the youngsters that are more 'flighty' and when they start laying will be less inclined to fly. Hmm, not 100% convinced of this, loads of people have also told me otherwise but you may find that it's true as your birds get older (That's assuming they're POL )

[Brian Downing]

Yes, our two have settled down slightly now they have both just started laying - but, they are now lterally more "flighty"

Brian

[chocolatedog]

I have just recently installed the netting too - and my girls are getting out - I'm not sure how as I haven't caught them at it but my neighbour said she was in the garden and heard a great fluttering of wings, looked over the fence and saw one of mine out of the sectioned-off area which means she flew right over the netting at a point nowhere near the eglu I think......their wings have never been clipped - will that definitely put a stop to it? Or can they fly over even with clipped wings?

 

Sorry - just seen that yours have clipped wings and they still do it....hmmmmm I may also try that pea netting stuff, although it'll be difficult to install as the omlet netting sections off an area around our apple tree.........

[shiraz]

just found out today how Buffy gets out of netting. She walks up it, then squeezed through the top larger hole . DW watched her doing it and rushed out as thought she was stuck , a flutter of feathers and she was through to eat the curly kale.

[Chicken Licken]

My old girl Fenny burrows under it and has taught the new girls to do it as well, the younger girls who are lighter hop over the top from the eglu or other staging posts. I now have the netting weighted down with large cobbles and bricks and have moved it further from the eglu, Primrose still manages to escape on occasion, but the other 2 seldom bother!!!! I just pop them back in and tell them how clever they are. I only Primrose escapes then she never leaves the area just makes forlorn noises until she is popped back in - not the brightest of chookies once she is out and about.

[mrsallen08]

I was also told that it's the youngsters that are more 'flighty' and when they start laying will be less inclined to fly.

 

My lil ones were a nightmare at doing this for ages! The older ones aren't as bad because they are heavier/clumsier. We have added pea netting over the top to prevent them jumping out when unsupervised! Good luck!