Jill Posted June 29, 2007 Share Posted June 29, 2007 One of my three old girls always used the top of the eglu run to launch herself up onto the top of my outer run fence (8ft high) and then would free range for a bit and then wait at the gate to go back in. Now I have introduced my two new ones and although they are settling in quite well there has been a little bit of bullying but not too much. If it gets too much for them they hop onto the cube roof. However the old escapee has taught one of the new girls that the cube roof makes it easy to get onto the fence and out. Quite worrying as apart from foxes one of my dogs is half feral and would kill her too. I am going to add a bit more to the fence but I was interested to hear if other people have this problem and how they discourage their chickens from going upwards. By the way all of them have their wings clipped and Mark, from Omlet, did the new girls only a week ago so it can't be my poor wing clipping technique. I know someone else put a picture of chicken poo on top of the cube roof onto the forum. They don't even need to use the old eglu but just jump and flap to get onto the cube. Any advice would be really welcome as I am terrified I might lose one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemcg Posted June 29, 2007 Share Posted June 29, 2007 That was me that posted the poo covered cube pics . I removed the perch they were jumping from but Belle still goes up every night so she's getting her wing clipped now. The last thing I said to OH before I went to work last night was " could you get Belle off the roof and pop her in the cube please" - came in this morning and poo everywhere , and he's insisting he put her in. Someones telling porkies . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted June 29, 2007 Share Posted June 29, 2007 Maybe if you added a couple of feet of netting to the top it will put them off. It will be too wobbly for them and they wont be able to launch off it. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted June 29, 2007 Author Share Posted June 29, 2007 Netting sounds a good idea. At the moment the top 2ft is wire netting and they bounce onto it and squash it down. One even tried to nest in it one evening and it was really hard prising her feet off it. They can jump/flap onto the cube roof quite easily and the poo mess looks horrid and attracts flies. I have to hose it down daily. Sorry feemcg, I should have remembered it was you. "Ooops, word censored!"ody else seems to complain about it so maybe we are just unlucky. The top is so flat I think they treat it like a roof terrace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted June 29, 2007 Author Share Posted June 29, 2007 feemcg - clipping their wings doesn't make any difference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 30, 2007 Share Posted June 30, 2007 Is it possible to put fruit netting over the top - from one fence to the other - even if it is only above where the cube is sited. If you look here http://kooringa.com/?p=3685 Where the short posts finish there is fine netting that I have attached to four taller corner posts - to keep out wild birds basically - but it will also prevent the chickens from flying out. You could just put some as I mentioned across where your cube is sited. It is cheap and easy to do - and stretches a long way! I 'sewed' mine along the edge of the chicken wire - which is 'flappy' too, by getting some thin green garden wire - again - cheap for a big roll - and just poked it through to secure the netting to the chicken wire - so very easy - and it works a treat. Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted June 30, 2007 Author Share Posted June 30, 2007 I have spoken to someone who is going to add an extra bit to the top of the fence but have it sloping inwards with netting on it so they won't be able to land on it - hopefully! Thanks for all your ideas. Their pen is turning into Colditz! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocchick Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 At the moment the top 2ft is wire netting and they bounce onto it and squash it down. My old chicken used to do that a lot sometimes taunting us by begging for food through the window, or flying out. We didn't find a solution, and she was climbing/flapping up the wire with her feet, not flying up. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poplars Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 We have two chickens in a mark 1 eglu! seems very out of date now, but one of them is a very good escape artist, she jumps onto the roof and flies offer the netting. To stop her we put several bamboo poles in a wall over the area where she liked to jump off. However, a few weeks later she obviously found a new place to jump off because she still gets out then complains if we dont put her back in after an hour or so! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonesyboy27 Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 We have used extendable metal washing line poles with bean netting they are currently set at 7ft tall and no escapees yet. I can go to 10ft after that its a rifle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
