[Prod]

Ok I caught the bug for chickens last year and having increased my flock saw some Call ducks and thought, cute, have a couple of them. Bought a Silver pair and a month later a pair of Chocolate Bibbed. The Silver pair have always been escapologists. Not matter what I do they get into places, under the shed, through the wire into the neighbour's field and never go into their coop at night. They have their own as they wont share with Connie & Blackjack. I bought a roll of Barrier Netting, the type you see on building sites. I paid extra for green rather than orange so it didn't look so conspicuous. For a week or so it worked till they got their tiny beaks underneath and tunnelled under.   Every night is a fiasco. The chickens coop has an automatic door and they are always in a good half an hour before it closes. Connie & Blackjack go into their coop, either on their own or by some gentle persuasion with arms spread and walking them to the coop. Idris and Esther..... No Chance. Then becomes the nightly game of trying to get them into their coop. Sometimes I give up and have to go back out at 9.30/10 in me nightie so to speak and the only way I can catch them is to leave the main shed door open and 'herd' them into there, then pick them up and lock them into their coop.  Last night I had had enough so I decided to use the electric fence I used to use for the chickens and spent an hour setting it up. Perfect I thought, now Ive got you. An hour later Idris was in next doors field. Eventually caught and put away I spent this morning making sure the fence was tight, no gaps, no shorting out. I thought I would 'try it out' with a chicken  but felt that was a bit cruel so, eyes shut and face grimaced I put my hand out and WAP!!!!  The fence was definitely working.   I have been to the field 3 or 4 times today and each time, you guessed, Idris was out. Last time he was on one side asleep and Esther was on the other side next to him also asleep.  My intrusion woke them up and, trying yet again to catch him, Idris calmly ran through the wire, which cackled, in and out 3 or 4 times completely unbothered!!!!!

Tomorrow I am going to take down the electric fence and build an enclosure using a roll of 10mm chicken wire that I have in the shed................  Watch this space.....

[ANHBUC]

    These things/birds are sent to try us. 

[Kate and her Ducks]

They are complete escape artists! Mine can get through gaps that I can't even see and they are not little birds.

They do get into a routine which makes bedtime easier. Mine don't got to bed of their own accord (unless it is freezing) but they go to bed when ushered without any fuss. It's taken us a while to get there though! Persist and it will all be worth it in the end!

[darkbrowneggs]

Feathers are extremely good insulators, so as long as beaks (or with chickens combs and wattles) don't come into contact with the live bits of the netting they are unaffected by it. 

I only feed my ducks at night, and I call them when they are going to be fed -  "ducks ducks ducks"  Mum used to call "quack-a-duck"   They soon get used to it and will come running from quite a distance like chickens will. 

The geese get called "goosey goosey gander" and the chickens "chick chick chick chick chick" - they have ad lib pellets, but if there are any treats they are called over for them.  Works a treat for me - no chasing at all

The wild birds know all these cals and get into position also - I don't mind as it is normally just the little ones, but when I fed the doves outside the Jackdaws, wild pigeons and pheasants would all turn up as well.