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

[eggregiousness]

Hello All! I will be getting my first chickens at the beginning of August. I thought that I would have 2 Cochins, but rather fancy blue eggs so was considering swapping a Cream Legbar for one of the Cochins. I have read that they are notorious for escaping. My garden is walled on all sides, but one of the walls is only about 2ft 6in tall. I imagine it would be quite easy to jump over (although not for me!) If my hens jump over into my neighbour's garden will they come back by themselves or will I have to fetch them? The garden is about 30tf by 60ft. We kept hens when I was a girl but we lived in the middle of nowhere and the hens just wandered wherever they wanted. I imagine that a Cochin would manage the wall too because there are some shrubs in front of it which would make good ladders....

 

Do I stick to two Cochins or do I go for one of each? Will I be coming home from work at 10pm and having to scour the neighbourhood looking for them?

 

Thanks in advance for your expert advice!

[-sarahjayne]

For first hens maybe a cream legbar would be a bit much, they are also quite nervous birds, my sister keeps them and they are a nightmare to catch! You would obviously need to clip their wings but to do that you would need to catch them. Obviously, I don't have one myself so hopefully someone will be along soon who does.

If I were you I would stick to cochins, you can always add to your flock when you get more confident!

[rufusrooster]

Hi, i'm a newbie as well, we have an arched trellis as access from the patio into the garden, i made some swing gates to keep the birds of the patio, funnily enough about 2'6" high,

my 1st problem was i didnt make the gap between the angled struts wide enough and they could just tilt and walk through so i had to fix some plastic mesh across the bottom 18"

 

that kept them out for another week and most of the time they dont bother but now if they want they just jump onto the top of the gates and hop onto the patio, and no matter how many times you shoo them out they just come straight back

 

 

so i think you will have to up your wall with fencing to a height of 5' and clip there wings.

[sjp]

cylone had a clipped wing when I got her she can get up on top off a 1 meter high hurdle if she wants to the CLB can get up 1/2 meter at the moment and shes growing feathers as well but I wouldn't be with out them

could you divde the garden so that they have there own part

[chelsea]

Cream legbars are gorgeous so I don't see why you shouldn't have one of each! (at least then you will get eggs whilst your cochin is broody )

 

I have no experience of Legbars but would advise wing clipping and perhaps putting something near the fence to stop them escaping. Trellis is a good idea, or even some chicken netting that would keep them away from the area entirely (netting comes in handy anyway).

 

Cochins do not fly (small wings - ours arent even clipped), they can jump - the highest ours have jumped is about 2 feet.

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Will the girls be in a foxproof area whilst you are at work? Even if the chooks don't go over the wall, a fox would have no trouble at all. Sorry !

 

BTW I have no experience of either type of chook, but my Orpies, who are a little smaller than a cochin I think, can take a running jump & land on the top of a 4ft gate if the fancy takes them and can run like a small tazmanian devil, but don't really fly.............

 

Good luck with your newbies, whatever you choose.

 

Sha x

[eggregiousness]

Thanks for the advice chicken people! I have decided to have the cream legbar and the cochin. As a result of your advice I have ordered some Omlet netting as well to keep them out of the neighbour's garden and to make smaller pens when necessary.

What a great source of help this forum us!

Thanks!

[Redwing]

One of the main problems would be if you had anything near the wall that they could use as a springboard (tables etc..)

 

Cream Legbars are lovely, just be sure to clip a wing and you will probably be fine

 

Most chickens are contented to stay put

[eggregiousness]

I've spent the day clearing shrubs away from the wall so that I can get the fence close to the wall and I've cut the stumps down low so that they don't act as launch pads! I've studied all the youtube clips I can find about wing clipping. Now I can't wait for the coop to arrive! I think I've changed my order to one Cochin and one cream Legbar - I'll see what arrives!