Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[squiffs]

I mentioned this before in a thread about pear trees - but I'm slightly paranoid - I have a pear tree in my garden, I'm not sure what type but I know they're hard as rocks. We've started getting a lot of windfall, being on the coast, Worthing has a reputation for being incredibly windy too. I've got horrific visions of a rock hard pear dropping on one of my chickens' heads and hurting them.

 

I've read on this forum in the past that someone lets their chickens free range in an orchard - so I was wondering if I'm just worrying for nothing. If one of these pears hit me on the head it would really hurt though.

 

My OH said it would be very unlucky if a chicken was stood exactly under a pear when it dropped, but this tree is fit to burst with them!

 

Would a chicken be able to dodge a falling pear, or should I try and fence off the windfall area until it's safe?

 

Any advice on when would be a good time to pick them would also be helpful - not knowing what types of pear they are, and whether they're ornamental or not, means I'm not sure if they're 'ready' or not!

 

[gongladosh]

I'm not so sure that they'd see it coming if they were head-down, pecking. I keep mine away from the apple and pear trees when free ranging at the moment...

[jackian]

Our pear tree hangs over their WIR so at the moment we have a roof full which needs to be swept off in a direction this weekend .

Today is the first day the girls have taken any notice of the few that have fallen on the path and Clover has been pecking all afternoon . There must be half a dozen on the ground but each time she goes and has a peck Florry has to get her beak in

[squiffs]

One dropped to the ground with a great big thud a minute ago, all the girls were busy on the patio having a snooze though. It had a thud reminiscent of a cricket ball or a boules ball - it bounced too. I'm not too sure I want them anywhere near it, so I tend to put their grubs and glugs up the far end of the garden near my bench, so they gravitate towards that bit.

[Egluntyne]

Mine are surrounded by apple trees and don't bat an eyelid when when the apples fall. They do enjoy scoffing the windfalls.

[squiffs]

Mine are surrounded by apple trees and don't bat an eyelid when when the apples fall. They do enjoy scoffing the windfalls.

 

 

Oh yes, they love a tasty pear! Although I have to say the apples we used to have were nowhere near as heavy as these pears - that's what concerns me, they could do serious injury to a person if they were hit with one (I used to have an apple tree, it's in the back of the picture, it's quite definitely dead, we'll be chopping it down this autumn)

[NatalieC]

This makes me laugh as my girls have lived very happily (and maybe a little drunkenly) under our two apple trees for 5 years and I've never seen any of them hit by a falling apple. I'm always seeing apples fall into their enclosure and they seem to sense the movement (or rustle of leaves maybe) above them and scurry out of the way and to my knowledge have nevery been hit. They love to peck at the windfall apples too!

[NatalieC]

Forgot to say - they are cooking apples too so are absolutely HUGE

[fluffy chick]

I have a pear tree, plum, apple and peach. I've never even thought about it to be honest they do like jumping up to get the fruit when it hangs low though.

[Space Chick]

I have a pear tree and a plum tree... They are going crazy for plums at the moment

[squiffs]

This makes me laugh as my girls have lived very happily (and maybe a little drunkenly) under our two apple trees for 5 years and I've never seen any of them hit by a falling apple. I'm always seeing apples fall into their enclosure and they seem to sense the movement (or rustle of leaves maybe) above them and scurry out of the way and to my knowledge have nevery been hit. They love to peck at the windfall apples too!

 

maybe mine will sense it too! I hope...

[Saronne]

Mine seem to sense movement and never get hit by windfall Bramleys or anything I chuck into their run!

 

Saronne

[Plum]

Why not give it a good shake each day?

[squiffs]

Why not give it a good shake each day?

 

 

I'll try that now. I'll report back on the results.

 

Okay so it was inevitable that one of them was going to plop right on my head, wasn't it

 

 

Got about 20 pears on the floor now, maybe more

[Harley]

I'd guess that since a lot of predators attack chickens from above, and they have a strong in build defense against airborne attacks that they would be pretty quick at dodging, unless they happened to be very unlucky and distracted at the wrong moment

[Alis girls]

Do they make hard hats for chucks