evoke Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 How can I stop my hens from coming into the house when I have the back door open? I didn't want to put a baby gate up as this would stop my elderly cats from going out. I have found two of the hens going upstairs and if there is any cat food down then they start pecking at it (not a good idea!). Any suggestions please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Er - keep the door closed? Seriously, the only thing you can do is put up a barrier of some sort. You can't train hens not to go somewhere (if only ... I'd have mine trained not to touch the veg patch!) and once they have discovered cat food, they will be back. If you put up a stair-gate type of thing, would the cats perhaps be able to squeeze through or climb over it? The trouble is that the hens are just as likely to work out that they can perch on top of it and then jump down. I never, ever let my hens in the house - chicken poop on the patio is bad enough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueandwhite Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 I have a baby gate across my back door. It was just too restricting not to have the back door open and although I do let the girls in sometimes I don't want them in all the time. My cat is 11 and she can easily jump over it. Ebay once managed to get over but has never tried since. She also got through the cat flap (!) so now that is locked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenopolis Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 We started off by being good and not letting our in, but with the nice weather and we had the door open, all 3 chooks came into the kitchen and then parked themselves by the fridge. We have a laminate floor in the kitchen, so cleaning up poop is easy. I have to say, hearing our girls chirping away to each other is a sound I would miss if they were not in the kitchen, so I let them carry on and then clear up the poop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 I'd love to let mine in but OH threw a wobbly when he saw a photo of Pigeon on the worktop I have Omlet netting across the garden to keep them in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reikiranf Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 I have a couple of fabric baby barriers that I use on the lounge and conservatory doors, I got them a couple of years ago to keep the kittens in, but found they had the added bonus of keeping the girlies out They have mesh in the middle so you'll see if the cat is there. My girls love my conservatory floor and seem to want to buy it Well I think that's why they leave a deposit on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomeena Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 We have a baby gate and the girls sit on it and chat to me while im in the kitchen but if i leave the room they do hop over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalu Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Hi, I have just invested (£3!) in one of the old fashioned door curtains - ribbons hanging down. I like to think of it as a "vintage/retro" addition to the kitchen . It has been up a week and we haven't had any of the girls popping through it yet, they don't seem to like the movement and rustling so stand a couple of feet back from it. Definitely worth a try for £3 and i should think cats will still go through it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LottyJ1 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Ours are always coming in the house if they are FR and the door is open - chicken poop on the sitting room rug is not nice. They just love it though and even if the door is shut they sit outside a look in. I have found they will not stop so when the door is open they are confined to the WIR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salop Chuck Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 It is possible to purchase pet gates with cat flaps - I think Amazon have them. Worth looking into maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
counturchickens Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 We spent a fortune on a stable door the poor cat is too scared to go out when the girls are there anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 We too have a stable door - the hens perch on top of it & watch me cook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeloo Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 I've thought about getting something like this screen curtain to let the kitchen air out occasionally when it is a nice temperature outside, but keep the flies and moths out. I can't have a permanent screen door because I have a cat flap in that door. http://www.amazon.com/Bug-Off-Instant-Screen-32-Inch/dp/B002DR0DMS/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top I guess if a cat or dog could figure out how to get through, a pushy enough hen could, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shona Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I have a bamboo curtain to stop my girls coming in, but the dog can easily get out into the garden , he just races through it! I got mine on Ebay for about a tenner. It hangs easily on two hooks and fits a standard size door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 Ha ha! Marlene & Cassandra wander into our kitchen too. Fortunately, we have a terazzio marble floor, so any poops are easy to clean up. We can't stop them really & as we are easy going people - we don't really mind. We soon get them out with a few treats thrown outside. They seem to stay out then. Baby gate? or one of those funny tape / beaded curtains might deter them. Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty14 Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Our hens are always coming in when the patio doors are open, much to the surprise of my elderly Sheltie cross who wonders what they are doing. Only one comes into the house whilst the others all preen and burble away. I find it quite sweet and comforting, and of course they have trained me to throw out a treat when I want them out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadietoo Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 I have a bamboo curtain to stop my girls coming in, but the dog can easily get out into the garden , he just races through it! I got mine on Ebay for about a tenner. It hangs easily on two hooks and fits a standard size door. Because our kitchen is south facing and gets very hot I have one of those mesh screens hanging up (my OH says it makes us look like the butchers which is quite amusing as we are all veggie) It does stop the sun and the flies but doesn't deter the girls at all...any of them..Only Attie doesn't come into the kitchen but she is extremely flighty anyway!..... TBH I'm not too bothered about them coming in as we have hard floors which are easily cleaned up....my OH always chases them out...and at one time just threatening the late and much lamented Kipper with a water pistol was enough to make her turn tail and run back into the garden..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bok bok Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 one of our original hens, Mrs Trout, loves being in the house. She was poorly for a while and lived in the kitchen...... (she was in a cat box) whenever the back door is left open she make a point of walking round the kitchen and dining room Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
