Delawares from kathyinmo

[ronott1]

Yeah. The coyotes here are pretty comfortable. It is a wonderful area for them. Lots of small game and wild woods around little open fields with sparse housing and roads. Perfect for deer, coyotes and hawks.

Gust is an indoor dog, a companion animal not a guard dog or hunter. The hatchery birds and their mutt offspring in the free-range flock will not stay confined no matter how tall we make their fencing.

We have a more permanent immediate solution for the Coop Coyote. Eventually we'll extend what fencing we do have to come up against the house in the front. I predict at least some hatchery birds will still let themselves in and out. But the Delawares seem to stay on the right side of fencing, which is one thing I really appreciate about the breed.

If the flight feathers are clipped on one wing, not both, nearly all chickens will be contained by a 7 foot fence, often shorter. The feathers need to be clipped after they molt though. I have some breeds that fly very well and this stops them from getting over the fence.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

If the flight feathers are clipped on one wing, not both, nearly all chickens will be contained by a 7 foot fence, often shorter. The feathers need to be clipped after they molt though. I have some breeds that fly very well and this stops them from getting over the fence.

I wish. That was the first thing I tried. Our fence is about 6' and the one-sided flight feather clipping didn't seem to slow the hatchery birds down at all. Building a 7' fence is a completely different operation ... I do dream of a day where that would be possible, but so far it hasn't been. TPTB here have a very "anti-fencing" policy to begin with. I can understand why ... in general. So getting them to agree that extending our fencing in a few key spots might help was a MAJOR win.

 

[ronott1]

I wish. That was the first thing I tried. Our fence is about 6' and the one-sided flight feather clipping didn't seem to slow the hatchery birds down at all. Building a 7' fence is a completely different operation ... I do dream of a day where that would be possible, but so far it hasn't been. TPTB here have a very "anti-fencing" policy to begin with. I can understand why ... in general. So getting them to agree that extending our fencing in a few key spots might help was a MAJOR win.

Another thing to try is called a visual cliff--the top of the fence goes inward which makes it look harder for them to get over. It is a type of optical illusion that fools them sometimes.

Another thing to watch out for is something close to the fence that they can jump from. If the feathers are clipped on one wing, they are likely using a jump and fly.

Clipping one wing is important because it makes flight un balanced. Clipping both wings will allow them to compensate and still fly.

 

[finnfur]

I wish. That was the first thing I tried. Our fence is about 6' and the one-sided flight feather clipping didn't seem to slow the hatchery birds down at all. Building a 7' fence is a completely different operation ... I do dream of a day where that would be possible, but so far it hasn't been. TPTB here have a very "anti-fencing" policy to begin with. I can understand why ... in general. So getting them to agree that extending our fencing in a few key spots might help was a MAJOR win.

We only have a 48" E net and clip one right wing twice during first year growth. It seems after the first molt they don't try the escape anymore. maybe weight gain or previous tries failed. I don't know.
This is only with the Kathy line and two older EEs. The hatcheries were more prone to flight so I clipped them continually.
Could you be leaving to much primary feather at clipping. I clip fairly aggressive .
Of course there is always and exception to the rule. If you remember Kathys Flozzie .
I think that was its name. It held the Mo chicken altitude record if I remember.


Chickens are fun. Huh ?

 

[caychris]

We only have a 48" E net and clip one right wing twice during first year growth. It seems after the first molt they don't try the escape anymore. maybe weight gain or previous tries failed. I don't know.
This is only with the Kathy line and two older EEs. The hatcheries were more prone to flight so I clipped them continually.
Could you be leaving to much primary feather at clipping. I clip fairly aggressive .
Of course there is always and exception to the rule. If you remember Kathys Flozzie .
I think that was its name. It held the Mo chicken altitude record if I remember.


Chickens are fun. Huh ?

Keep them interested in whats on the ground and they have no reason to fly

. I worry a little about my lighter hens in with them when I let them roam around the back yard but they never seem to want to wander too far. There is plenty for them to do in just the relatively small space. (many plants to sample. numerous places to dig for bugs, dust and sun bathe.) Not to mention that water while plentiful is usually only available to them by going back in the run area.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

So ...

Build a 7' fence with a V at the top

Cut down all the trees

Plant more LOW shrubs

Eliminate any potential climbing things/elevations

Give the chickens lots of toys and treats low on the ground

Clip their Right (or Left) wings of every bird after every molt

Get a Barking Dog

Keep the chickens in the coop

... Did I miss anything?


Dare I admit now that there was a skunk in the feed room last night when we went out later than usual to close things up?

 

[ronott1]

So ...

Build a 7' fence with a V at the top

Cut down all the trees

Plant more LOW shrubs

Eliminate any potential climbing things/elevations

Give the chickens lots of toys and treats low on the ground

Clip their Right (or Left) wings of every bird after every molt

Get a Barking Dog

Keep the chickens in the coop

... Did I miss anything?


Dare I admit now that there was a skunk in the feed room last night when we went out later than usual to close things up?

Or sell the ones that fly(over the fence) on Craigs list and stick with Dels!

 

[finnfur]

Or sell the ones that fly on Craigs list and stick with Dels!

Good call !

Dare I admit now that there was a skunk in the feed room last night when we went out later than usual to close things up?

Do not shoot skunk inside the fence perimeter where Gust can roll !
Does this sound like experience talking . Yes !
And three skunks with four dogs expand on the delight of the experience. A day to remember .

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Yes! SELL ALL THE CHICKENS!!!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Good call !
Do not shoot skunk inside the fence perimeter where Gust can roll !
Does this sound like experience talking . Yes !
And three skunks with four dogs expand on the delight of the experience. A day to remember .

Oh man. Gust sleeps on my bed. This would be SO bad.

Last year we had a skunk crawl under a pallet in the feed room and die. The stench was incredible and lasting and we just couldn't find the source.

We have gravel floor in the feed room, so someone had set the feed bins on pallets so they were easier to deal with. And some helpful genius had even covered the pallets in plastic, which I immediately asked them to remove (super cozy rodent housing!) but they just gave me that "bite me" look. I kept asking, they kept glaring. This winter I pitched a MAJOR fit and insisted we pull out the pallets. That's when we found SkunkMummy.

After that, Dad went on a major "haul away anything that isn't nailed down, seal everything else up" sanitation sweep of the coop & area.