[ghost61]

I brought our three hens home yesterday from the allotment as they turn the water off over winter. They have been moved to an Eglu from a wooden coop, and were very reticent about going to bed, but the torch trick got them in safely. This morning they got very worked up trying to find the nest box they are used to, but eventually they settled down and each laid an egg today. Hopefully the move hasn't been too stressful for them, but any advice would be welcome. I am hoping to let them explore the garden, but have some concerns about them escaping over the fence (6ft) and don't wish to clip their wings, so any advice in that area would be particularly welcome.

[ANHBUC]

That should make things easier with dark mornings/afternoons and frozen water to change regularly.  It sounds as if they are quite happy if they have all laid already.

Wing clipping might not be necessary, you will just have to wait and see how good they are.  The hen that my neighbour found in the street and I now have is a major escapologist!!!  Whoever had her last had severely clipped both her wings instead of just clipping one.  She can not fly but she has a knack of hopping onto her eglu classic and over the net fencing.  She had managed to squeeze through some trellis fencing onto the driveway this morning so I put her in another enclosure with 1.2m net fencing.  This still has not worked as she was happily heading across the garden and through the trellis again this afternoon.     She is due to go in with the rest of the flock next week as her 3 weeks quarantine will be up.  Hopefully she will be happy in with them and not do a Steve McQueen over the fence again.   

[ghost61]

The water freezing over was the main concern, otherwise we would have left them at the allotment. It sounds like your hen did the right thing in leaving her former owner, and is lucky to have found you.

I intend to keep them in their run for a few weeks so that they know where home is before letting them roam free but under supervision. Also worried about cats as our garden is a favourite for the local moggies as we feed the birds. Would a cat attack a hen? The cat down the allotment sent them crazy, by the squawking you'd think they were being murdered despite being totally safe in their run!

[tosca100]

In the UK our hens were in the garden with six foot fences all round, on an ordinary residential street. We never had an anxious moment with flying or cats. The cats gave the chooks a wide berth. We just put them in their run if we went out. Here in BG we have electric netting which is not on when the chooks are out, but is only four foot high. We have had one of our lightweight Shumen hens out twice when they first arrived, but they feel secure in there now and even if we open the garden to them they don't really want to go out.

Unlike ANHBUC's escape artist!

[Mum2mj]

What's the torch trick?!

[ghost61]

Shine a torch into the house and the hens will go towards the light. With the Eglu I dropped the back panel and shone the torch on to the floor and the birds came running in.  Went in tonight with no real problems. Fingers crossed that they've realised this is their new home for the next five months or so.

[Mum2mj]

Thanks!

[ANHBUC]

My hens would give as good as they get from a cat.  I think the cat would soon turn tail once a hen starts flapping and pecking.  I know my daughters Yorkshire terrier does when he thinks he can play with them.     I bet they can give a cat a good kick as well with their sharp claws, I usually have marks on my arms off them!!   

[madcat]

We have cats and across the lane the old lady had not very well fenced cats.  The young cats learnt to keep their distance and the old cat used to sleep happily in the coop during the day when the hens were out ....  it all seemed to work out.