Chicken boarders

[TheChookKeeper]

I've had my chooks for a couple of years now - and when I had my 4 Omlet chooks, i could let them out into their run we fenced off with 4ft fencing, and we never had an escape - everything was great, they enjoyed coming out, and I enjoyed having them out.

We let them out all winter too - it was grand.

 

Then we took the population up to 7. That's when the trouble started... Whenever we open the Eglu Cube run door, within 5 minutes, I'll have 1 chicken out of the run, and in the garden (straight over the gate in teh chicken fence).

About 5 minutes after that, I have 4 more chickens join her...

 

With the imminent planting of this years "crops" in and around the garden, I can't have them out and about as they please - apart from the fact they'll eat all my veg, they are destroying plant pots and borders quicker than I can replant them. I'm at the point of wanting to cook them!

 

 

SO - what do I do? I considered raising the level of the fence... and have thought about a proper WIR - but finances are a serious consideration, in that I have none!

 

My garden isn't very big - the chooks have about 1/3 of it - so I don't want to create a great monstrosity that will make my garden look like a concentration camp - but equally, if they keep escaping and destroying things... I will have a mental breakdown!

 

It doesn't help that my garden is on quite a slope - so I can't help but feel a WIR would be quite difficult to put up? My DIY skills are pretty much non-existant!

 

I saw a garden today that had some long (probably 8 foot) bean poles, just the thin plastic ones, with very fine netting strung between them - do you think this would stop them? The mesh was probably about 6-7 foot high, and was completely u"Ooops, word censored!"trusive... I think this person just used it to seperate his veg patch from the rest of the garden - maybe to stop birds or cats or something?

 

Any bright ideas?

 

Thanks!

[Redwing]

yes I reckon that would work, I was going to suggest netting, its good as chooks cant land on it and if its high enough they wont get over it (in more ways than one )

 

Another couple of feet would do it, foxes also dont like loose-ish netting so thats another plus

[legend21]

What about clipping both of their wings.

 

I agree with Redwing, mine like something solid to jump up on but dont like to jump over my omlet netting even if it is lower than fencing, its the whole up and over thing, they prefer to jump up onto something

 

Good luck

 

Jackie

[TheChookKeeper]

Thanks for your replies - all wings are already clipped - it doesn't appear to hinder them very much at all!

 

I agree with your theories on using floppy fencing - mine don't jump over my fence, they either go onto and over the gate, or on top of the eglu cube and then out into the garden... I might try some experiments with making the gate less attractive to them tomorrow - thanks for your input!

[Gelbel]

foxes also dont like loose-ish netting so thats another plus

Wish someone told the horrible thing that got my girls that.