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

[KateG]

We got 3 hens about a month ago. Victoria and Martine are a bit older than felicity so we knew we'd get eggs from them first. Victoria has been squatting everytime I approached her for about a fortnight now and today, we find a tiny egg- which I assume is hers. I'm very excited, I was beginning to think they'd never produce any

 

Until now, they've been kept with in their WIR. Partly because I've been too chicken to clip their wings and largely because they're not ovely keen on human contact and I am not sure i'd get them back in.

 

But now I'm feeling brave and want to let them free range. I'm going to clip their wings first thing- does anyone have any tips?

 

I try to handle the girls every day and offer them a little treat after doing so. But is there anything els eI can do to make them like me ?

 

Any other tips for a successful first day of free ranging would be greatly appreciated.

[chickenopolis]

Dried mealworms get our girls back into their run - if you shake the plastic container they come running (even from the bottom of the garden). I would recommend them..

 

We are scared of letting ours out, but once you have done it once, your confidence grows, not that the chickens notice anything.

[sjp]

let them out about half hour before bed time the first few days to get them use to finding the way back they won't go far the first few times get a plastic container with a lid fill about a quarter full with dried corn to make a rattle shake it every time you give treats they'll soon learn to come running also when you've got they'er attention by the way into there run throw a few meal worm's or corn through the opening to get them in usfull in emergencies

I've only got one girl with a clipped wing cyclone but it's doesn't stop her getting airborne 2-3 feet of the ground but thats only if she's at the top of the garden when she hears the feed store door been unlocked but thats no higher than road runner goes she's a gold legbar does has a slow gear if sh's not running or jumping she's airborne

[KateG]

Thank you for your encouragment.

 

I'm getting nervous over the low fences on either side - at most they are 4ft and we've got a narrow garden...suddenly it seems far too easy for them to leg it over to the neighbours. SAdly I know I'd never be able to vault the fences as quickly and fear I'd never get them back again

[jan246]

We`ve had our girls for 2 weeks (is that all??) and we let them out after 5 days- I felt bad they were in the run gazing at the rest of the garden longingly, I was scared to clip but more scared of them flying over the (6ft) fence, so we did it! I held the girls with their head under my arm pointing behind me (so they couldn`t see) and I held the wing out while my son cut the feathers one at a time. I felt happier with 2 of us on the case but it was remarkably quick and easy- all 3 in under 5 mins. . Also, with regards to free ranging, we let them out an hour before bedtime on the first night, so they werent out for all that long before beddy byes. A quick shake of the treat tin gets their attention to come in!

Jan

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Well done . I've never actually clipped a wing myself . The farmer did my original 3 for me and I haven't done the new girls yet (but will take heart from your successful attempt ).

[KateG]

We let them out, with both wings in tact- we decided it was a bit pointless as we've got low walls on both sides which they could jump even with out wings (martine showed us that she can actually jump a good 3ft directly upwards with out even lifting a wing earlier today )

 

So, they've been out. The cat needs to be in when they are out and we are desperate for some omlet fence i think but all in all, a good start

[cluckingmad]

we use a handful of corn to get our lot back in OH runs round the garden in figures of 8 and the girls all follw him (he's even had them jumping obstacles to follow!!)... am hoping that once our new girls are settled in they will simply follwo the others (fingers crossed)

[Lewis]

Wing clipping is ok, its clipping their nails that I don't like

I made my uncles chicken bleed the other day bcause I hit the quick - it looked worse than it was

 

4ft is quite a low fence, could you put a bit of trellis or something like that, over the top to make it a bit higher?

The older chickens run over when I whistle or tap on the window, so hopefully eventually the little 'uns will copy them