Adventurous hen ... help!!!

  • 4 Replies
  • 1044 Views
*

MaryLou

  • Newbie
  • *
  • 8
Adventurous hen ... help!!!
« on: August 18, 2009, 13:55 »
I have a new hen who in spite of having had her wing clipped, seems a bit resourceful in overcoming her handicap.  She eyed up the roof of the run (5' 6" at the apex), half flew, half jumped onto the roof of the adjoining hen house (4' at the apex), and prepared to get on to the roof of the run, from whence a short hop (plummet?) would take her over the back fence (6' high) into my neighbour's garden.  She is a POL Light Sussex hybrid, and already showing confidence beyond the group, in spite of being a wimp with the others.

Any bright suggestions about how to discourage this behaviour would be most gratefully received, as would any reassurance to a relatively new poultry keeper about how long it takes for them to lose the idea of getting up high.  Is it too hopeful to expect her to become more earth bound once she starts laying?  I really don't want to have to keep her in all the time, but can't watch her all the time she is out either.

*

8doubles

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Hakin Pembrokeshire
  • 5266
Re: Adventurous hen ... help!!!
« Reply #1 on: August 18, 2009, 14:09 »
My light sussex is the same and will get on top of the hedge (6ft) if she can do it 3ft at a time, so i need to be careful not to leave anything close to the hedge as a launch pad.
I suppose it`s only natural to roost or rest high up so you can see whats trying to sneak up and eat you. A couple of canes and a piece of net tends to slow down them down. :)

*

iwantanallotment

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • Location: West Midlands
  • 698
Re: Adventurous hen ... help!!!
« Reply #2 on: August 18, 2009, 15:32 »
I had exactly the same problem with 3 hybrids I got last week MaryLou, & they had wings clipped too. Found them on top of the greenhouse, on top of the shed, perched on the fence and all over.
The only way they were stopped was by raising the perimeter of their enclosure to about 8ft with wire mesh.
One has tried since, came a cropper, and hasn't tried again.
Fingers crossed, no probs and no escapees since the fence was raised  ;)

Sorry, I can't suggest anything else. They DO forget about all it after settling though, once that possibility is removed  :)

*

SMD66

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • Location: North Notts
  • 713
  • sunrise over the canal
Re: Adventurous hen ... help!!!
« Reply #3 on: August 18, 2009, 16:48 »
we had one like that, turned out she was broody and wanting to lay her eggs under a tree.  Anyhow, we stopped her by raising the height of the fencing temporarily with black netting, it's quite cheap from Wliko's.  It's the only thing that stopped her.
Music self played is pleasure self made
Samantha :)

*

weedo

  • New Member
  • *
  • Location: Leicestershire
  • 21
Re: Adventurous hen ... help!!!
« Reply #4 on: August 18, 2009, 17:46 »
My crested hen is the same. When I first got her as a POL she soon worked out that she could use the hen house as a step up to a 8 foot hedge and a garage roof. She would regularly try to roost in the hedge and caused me stress every evening, trying to get her down and into the coop. All I did was move anything that she could jump on to in order to get up high.
She uses the coop all the time now. Does not try to get into trees but she still launches herself over the chicken wire fence that keeps her in her own bit of garden!!!   

 

Page created in 0.184 seconds with 35 queries.

Powered by SMFPacks Social Login Mod
Powered by SMFPacks SEO Pro Mod |