Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => Chicken Chat => Topic started by: orchardlady on September 28, 2010, 19:59
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I must start this post in saying that I have kept hens for over 15 years now and absoluly no hens were over stressed or hurt doing this.
I have 8 new POL warrens and I started them off in a house with a run, then made the run bigger and then removed the run and used poultry flexible netting to cordon off their lovely large area. All the time being able to see the other hens. The final stage was to allow them access to the other hens and for them to free range together. I felt they should continue to sleep in their origanal house but rather foolishly moved the house about 20 yards from where it had started. They could see it, they could go in and out, they could walk round it but no they decided that was not where they were going to go. Some decided to go to bed in with the ducks (much to the ducks displeasure) some decided to go into the main hen house..fine..and some decided to go into the half grown chicks house again not ideal. In and out they went looking worried and unhappy and simply refused to 'see' their origianl home. To herd chickens I thought why not use the hose pipe. So I set the hose pipe to a thin strong stream and herded them to the main hen house. I did not make them wet but put the hose water just in front of them if they looked like they were going to make a dash in the wrong direction and they responded calmly and perfectly taking themselves to bed perfectly happily. Voila ...how to heard hens! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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:lol: :lol: :lol: pictures required, possibly a video :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Do you have a water meter orchardlady??? :D :D
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Yes I do have a water metre GrannieAnnie but the hose is the gun sort that has a trigger so just a quick dab of water here and there did the trick plus after all the water my darling husband put on the lawn this Summer, oh he loves his lawn think bowling green with beautiful stripes, I'm not going to worry too much. :lol:
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i find that if you place a torch in the coop they will just head for the light! It works every time! After a couple of times they will know where their coop is and the torch will no longer be necessary !
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Orchardlady - I have used the hosepipe too with great effect!!!
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Bravo Orchardlady, don't it feel great when a plan comes together, thank goodness I only have 5 hens to care for :D
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fab! :lol:
Adam usually uses a long bamboo cane in each hand and waves them around whilst gathering them up.
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I feel a video library coming on .... demonstrations of hen herding ..... I bet one of the mods can add any necessary laughter track! :D
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Ah but the wonder of hen herding with a trigger hose is that you don't get out of puff, red in the face and cross. Just stand still and a quick dab of water just in front of the feet of the postential escape artist and it stops it in it's tracks :D :D :D
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doesn't work with ducks. they are mad.
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With only four ladies I don't have this problem. Carrying a small food dish they will follow me to the ends of the earth if need be. Into their house, to their compound on the grass whatever. The only question is how fast can I move to get there first. Funniest thing you ever saw, legs flying everywhere, mine included. John
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we have six ducks, they get fed a little corn when put to bed so as I step out the back door I whistle (usually just after dark), they are in their duck house by the time I get there and I shut the door.
Simples
R
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I feel a video library coming on .... demonstrations of hen herding ..... I bet one of the mods can add any necessary laughter track! :D
And the theme music to Benny hill :D
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Ah well the reason I was herding them was because I wanted them to go to bed with the main flock. If I started on more food at that time of the evening everyone who had gone to bed would be out the door faster than you could say knife. It was just my young ladies that needed a guiding hand/hose pipe! :lol:
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I must be lucky,when all the girls are at the bottom of the paddock I just tap the galvanised scoop whilst shouting "Fresh Corn" Fresh Corn" and they all come running which is absolutely hilarious due to some just cannot fly but they have a good go to get up as fast as possible :D