Smudge Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Our Go and attached run are in a netted-off section of the garden for the girls to use, but for the last couple of weeks when we've left them in the netted area we return only to find they've all escaped! We've now discovered that they're using the Go and run as a launch pad! This has only started happening since we added two new girls, who must be the ringleaders as we've never seen any evidence of Sage or Onion getting up on top before (the muddy footprints are the give away ). The answer would obviously be to move the netting and Go/run further away from each other, but the area we have is long and narrow, and we can't really make it any wider. All the girls have had their wings clipped and the netting is the newer Omlet netting that's 1.25m high. So I was hoping some of you might have some ideas! There's that spiky stuff you can get I think to deter birds that we could maybe put on top of the Go/run but would it injure the girls as they're heavier? Any suggestions much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan08 Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 We have our netting set up against the Go rather than around it. This is going to be hard to explain but I will have a go. We have Go set up with 4 metres of run, this is the morning and evening play area!. At the back of the Go, we have the Omlet netting set up and over the edge of the Go's back door, there isn't enough room for them to get onto the roof and it is held down by some kerb stones I had left over, the netting door is at the side of the Go for egg collecting. To let them out we just reach over and lift out the back door. I am not so good at the photo lark but will try and have a go at posting one later on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan08 Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Just had another thought which may be a bit easier. If you set up the netting against the door of the run, then you can just peg it up around the doorway, keeping Eglu and its run out of their way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavysqueak Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 We were told (by the guy from Omlet) that you need to make things look like they are not safe - usually by putting something wobbly, like chicken wire on the top. Then they don't like to perch on wobbly things! So it might look a bit of an eyesore and I'm not sure how to do it, but once they've got the idea they might give up?!?!?! Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted September 30, 2011 Author Share Posted September 30, 2011 Thanks for your replies! Duncan08 I understand what you're suggesting but it would be difficult for us to move the Go so that it's sitting outside/on the edge of the netted off area - we might have to try it as a last resort. The idea of putting something wobbly on top sounds like it's worth trying, I really wasn't keen on resorting to the spiky stuff. I think we have some chicken wire or some plastic trellising somewhere so we'll give a go and see what happens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennym Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 I'd be careful about what you put in their way - especially anything spiky. Mine will have a go at jumping on anything, no matter how wobbly or scary looking it is to me. You mentioned it's difficult to move the go to the edge of the netted off bit - could you just shuffle the netting around so it it joins up at/around the run door, as Duncan suggests? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan08 Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Our netting is definitely "shuffled" to fit the space. We Don't use it all , it is folded back on itself for a few panels. Our girls seem to quite like wobbly They have a load of logs in the run and the netted area that they get onto and wobble on then they bury them its all about finding what suits you and the girls. If you can manage to move the eglu and run to the edge of your chicken area it might work. It's hard to say without knowing what you have to work with. We are limited by 3 old tree stumps so dont have lots of options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 Can you put some netting (not necessarily the omlet etting) across the Go, from one side of the Omlet netting to the other, making a "roof"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 Thanks for the suggestions, it sparked off a couple of ideas. Over the weekend we tried laying bits of plasic trellis on the roof with the edges slightly protruding, and my OH also hung the omlet shade on the netting so it looked more solid, and that seems to have done the trick for the moment - no escapes! But what we're thinking of doing for a slightly more permanent solution is making the roof area a netted-off area by putting garden canes into the ground right by and around the go and run (it's on soil) to support either some netting or the plastic trellising just at roof height, making a little netted 'island'. We're not really able to arrange the omlet netting so it's positioned as Duncan08 and Jennym suggested, but that along with Witchhazel's suggestion was what gave us the answer (hopefully!) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
