Couperman Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 I have been busy (in-between Monsoons) chicken proofing our garden. I have extended all the low fences to 6ft with chicken wire, plugged some holes etc, etc. Even Steve Mcqueen couldn't jump them now. Having said that he's been trying to get over the fence into Switzerland for the past 20 Chritmas's and still hasn't made it. Our hens have not had their wings clipped and I think they could easily clear the 6ft boundary if they so wished. Especially the Coral Nicks who like to hover in the top of the run How much difference does the clipping make? Should we clip them before let them loose? Couperwife thinks we should 'see how they go', but I think that's exactly what will happen, we will see them go up and over into next doors beautifully manicured flower beds The release papers are stamped for tomorrow, (that might get brought forward now the rain has gone) subject to final border security checks Will post pics once we are sorted Kev. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 Couperman....you are an unpublished genius.....you are so funny! I'd be inclined to clip them. If they form an escape committee and get next door there could be a "situation" with the neighbours. Best get the slammer built just in case. Have you got a base ball handy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 I'm really sorry to say that clipping my girls wings made absolutely no difference at all! I clipped the feathers on one wing for both of them (as I was shown by Johannes); all it made them do was to fly round in circles. They just altered their takeoff run so that they started parallel to the fence so that when they took off and veered to the side they went where they wanted to go! In the end, having trimmed one wing (what you are supposed to do) and then trimmed both wings (in despiration) and then having verbally threatened them with disjointing the wings at the shoulder and removing them altogether - I gave up. I just extended my fencing by putting canes into the existing fence and putting plastic mesh fencing on it. I will post a photo in a minute (will go out and take one now). Mind you - my fence isn't six feet high - and my girls would never in a million years clear 6 feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 I've just nipped out in the pouring rain and taken a couple of photos of my very Heath Robinson extension to the run fencing. I've also taken a photo of Georgie sheltering from the rain under a tree! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperman Posted June 23, 2007 Author Share Posted June 23, 2007 Thanks Richard, Your new extended fence looks about the same height as ours see below. Do your chooks still escape! Kev. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 No, they don't escape now. Georgie did try but she couldn't perch on the top. One of the good things is that the extension is so wappy that there is no way she could do what she was doing before - balence on the top on the way over. they did try to espape a lot more when they were younger - a year or so old. In the last year they have got much more sedate! I've got some more hens coming soon, and have gone for bigger girls - Cochins and Orpingtons, as I understand that the chance of them flying much is pretty limited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 Yours looks pretty substantial - I can't see them getting over that. My fence is probably only four and a half feet or so high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 LOL at Steve McQueen and the 20 Christmases... I think you should start to worry when your girls start to ride motorbikes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smudgley Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 Couperman - let them go out. I doubt very much if they'd get over there,............. it's more about would they want to? We've had our girls 2 weeks now & let them out for the 1st time yesterday, they loved it, they mooched around& came back in when I asked them to.... (bit of bribery with some corn) they've been out again today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperman Posted June 23, 2007 Author Share Posted June 23, 2007 Well that was a laugh! Drum roll please.............................. Ooh, whats going on here? whats she doing? Storm the gate! Get the guards, go for the toes! I'm freeeeee! Me too! I've been captured! back to the cooler! where's my baseball! For you Tommy ze vange is over! Well.... all went well, Splodge,Lily,Snowball, Bubble and Squeak all seemed quite tame and friendly most of them crouching to allow me to pick them up. Flurry on the other hand lived up to her name, and shot around the garden like a deflating balloon whenever we approached, shouting mi mi as she went! None of them seemed too interested in flying even though we didn't clip them. I think we may do anyway. Flurry was eventually recaptured after a we performed a perfect pincer movement and cornered her behind the greenhouse! They seemed to enjoy their little mooch about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah 2 Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 Lovely photos. My girls were exactly the same when I first let them out. They now spend all day free ranging and absolutely love it. My husband and I thought we had clipped their wings but realised today when we picked our new one up we had just trimmed them. So no good at all. They've not escaped yet. But they do like to jump onto the door of my kids toy car. Otherwise they've got their head to the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 Couperwife will only make the mistake of exposing nail varnished toes to the raptors the once. It bloomin' well hurts having your toes pecked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 brilliant photos - it looks great. I just can't wait for my purple cube - only four weeks to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperwife Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 let the little angels out again today, I wore proper shoes!! the garden has flooded, the girls loved paddling around in the water and simba (next doors furry moggy) was trying to find a way of "getting one" unfortunately for him, they are just too big, and those claws and beak just dont look fair!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentle1973 Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 glad its not just my chickens that like polished toes - mine also peck my toes if they see them with nail varnish on - little so and so's! We let ours free range for the first time the other day and they love it. One of them did try to fly but only got up about two feet so we haven't bothered to clip their wings and so far so good I was also very glad to see that my cats were actually scared of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 Love the pic's. Wish I had catalogued my girls first "escape" like that. My Omlet girls have 1 wing clipped but are fat little things and just enjoy jumping over hubbies 3 ft net into the veg patch. Having eaten it all, they then sit there as if they can't work out how to jump back again.....I despair....silly things. But Stella, our later arrival, didn't have her wing clipped. She's so funny when she "low-flys" over the garden to get to the treats bowl, so I've held off. She is quite nippy, but none of them have got over my 6 ft fences....yet....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
