Unsecure chicken perches

[migsy]

I am very fond of them but I am completely exasperated. They used to be in a WIR but then I moved house, leaving the WIR behind. My parents then had them for a couple of months where they had unrestricted free ranging. I got them back at the weekend and I have set up an electric fence for them and have bought them a field shelter as I thought they would prefer that to a WIR.

 

Now, even though I have clipped their wings, they are standing on the eglu and flying over the top of the fence. Whilst they are waiting to take off, they are making a horrendous bok, bok, squark noise which I'm sure must be disturbing my new neighbours.

 

I've spent a fortune on this set-up and cannot afford to get another WIR which I feel they would squark in anyway as they are so used to FRing now.

 

Now they are unprotected and I am sure they will get killed by a fox soon. I could rehome them at a poultry place I know of but I wondered if anyone has any other suggestions about what to do. I feel really miserable about the whole thing.

[majuka]

I'm sorry to hear that you feel so disheartened at the moment. If it is of any comfort, we are still in the sort of weather where your neighbours are probably indoors a lot with the doors and windows closed. You are understandably very concious about the noises your girls are making but your neighbours may not even have noticed.

 

I know when we put anything new or change anything for the girls, they will enjoy shouting at me until they get used to it. You've only just got them back so their new home is pretty new to them, I'm sure that they will settle down very soon. Are you able to move the eglu more centrally in the fenced area so they can't use it to jump out from?

[scarlettohara]

Sorry you are so fed up, they can be really annoying when they decide not to play ball One of my bluebelles has decided she won't go back into the WIR and I end up chasing her round the garden usually when I am leaving for work When I got Freckles the cockerel they shouted from about 7 am the next morning and generally behaved like a load of hooligans

 

Just a thought could you put weldmesh on the front of the shelter with a door ? There are some deals for panels on ebay. The shouting would stop after a while and as majuka said most people are indoors at this time of year, I thought all my neighbours would have heard Freckles crowing but not one did - just me being sensitive

[Chortle Chook]

I agree with majuka. Your hens are probably just feeling rather het up at the new situation. After all, even when we move, we need to put the kettle on and have a chunder Don't despair yet, it is really early days

[chicken bark]

Sorry if this comes across wrong but you have only clipped one wing per hen and you also need to take quite a bit off.

As someone else has suggested make sure the coop is as far away from the fence as possible so they can't use it as a launch pad.

 

You could also get some twine and run strands across the top of the netting. You won't need much but when a hen jumps up and knocks into it - it should be enough to put them off then hopefully you will be able to take it down when they don't try anymore.

 

Good luck with it.

[cooker]

I'm not sure if this is what you are supposed to do but, I clipped both wings of a few of our hens. After I clipped only one wing Audrey escaped over a 1.5m fence (flew over) and we found her wandering in the garden. So I clipped the other one aswell, which worked a treat, no more escapeeism.

 

They seem otherwise fine and healthy and unaffected by the loss of a second wing, maybe try that?

 

Rachel

[migsy]

Thanks for all your replies. I really am feeling bad about this and I do not want to rehome them. The coup is placed as centrally as possible but I think I will try the suggestions of clipping both wings. They are difficult to catch. Do you think I could do it this evening whilst they are sleepy?

[Griffin]

Can you put something on top of the Eglu to stop it being used as a launch pad? Most of my girls are too thick to bother trying to escape but Robin is a great thinker and she figured out that if she climbed on top of the coop she could just about flap hard enough to get herself over the 6 ft fence of their run Delilah soon copied her idol I cut a 12 x 4 inch piece of chicken wire, threaded a stick up the length of it and nailed it like an antenae to the front of the point of roof where they took off. I'll have to take a photo of it Not pretty but it does the job

[migsy]

That sounds like a good idea too Griffin. I have just been out and clipped both the wings of all of them. I probably took 3-4 inches off the flight feathers. Does that sound OK?

 

There was a man having a fag in the garden behind - I'm sure the vision of a woman doing something with scissors to chickens by torchlight gave him something to comment on when he went back inside!

[rossco]

sorry but if you clip both wings it will make it easier for them as clipping one wing is supposed to make them off balance i made this mistake myself would garden cane with string round the sides and a fine plastic mesh on top work would be cheap good luck hope you feel better bout it soon

[migsy]

Thanks for your support! What would I do without Omlet?

 

Things seem a lot better this morning. They are all still in their enclosed area and none of them are standing on top of the coup. Fingers crossed that this lasts. I'm sure they would have got out by now if they could have done as it didn't take them long before.

[Chortle Chook]

I'm so glad that things are looking up. Moving is stressful enough without a load of nutty chickens but they'll soon have you laughing again

[Omletina Kyckling]

I can sympathise....mine have been driving me to distraction. They worked out if the flew up onto the Cube, then onto the WIR they could get up enough flapping to fly over the Omlet netting and into the rest of the garden, MY bit of the garden. 2 or 3 could massacre my tiny garden in an hour, pulling up all the bulbs. I then went around and put up veg netting supported by bamboo canes all around the top of the Omlet netting and thought, I've won......then they started pushing their way UNDER the omlet netting, so I've put tent pegs around the bottom part today in my attempt at keeping them in.

They've been much worse since Gustav arrived, think they were trying to escape his amorous attentions! He's leaving tonight, so they may not be soo bad.....hmmmmm....

Good luck with it!

[migsy]

All well today Chickens stayed in the fenced area. The severe wing clipping seems to have worked. They haven't even jumped on top of the coup!

Thanks guys!

[Alis girls]

I feel your pain - I am trying to section off a bit of garden for the girls and am in process of putting up a fence which is incomplete - however even with chicken wire Jez keeps getting out. To make matters worse she is the one hen who hates being picke up and OH found craters in his lawn (sure it wasnt my girls ) I blamed his cat

[jess1merlin]

They are frustrating at times! I have some of my borders fenced off with green wire fencing to try and keep a few plants intact which works well for all but one of by hens. She insists on jumping over it and digging everything up while the others just stay the other side and never cause any trouble

[Lavenders_Blue]

Fingers crossed that the wing clipping has worked Sounds promising so far.

Mine are too lazy to fly, but they do from time to time find a way under their fence into the rest of the garden. I usually find them some time later pacing up and down the netting trying to get back in having first pooed all over my patio

[Alis girls]

Jez was on top of the 5ft+ fence today - I think someone needs her wings clipped. - she was goading me and i could see her going " na na ne na na" - paranoid me - yes

[migsy]

Jez was on top of the 5ft+ fence today - I think someone needs her wings clipped. - she was goading me and i could see her going " na na ne na na" - paranoid me - yes

 

Well, a sharp pair of scissors seems to have done the trick for me Now my middle son (7) says he feels sorry for them because he thinks they are bored now.