A few days ago they got walnuts here. I thought I might lose a finger!
Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock
- Thread starter BY Bob
- Start date
Trying to show my setup so far & update everyone. I took some pics yesterday.
Mugshot Monday? Not really, but at least she's sort of facing the camera. This is Butters. The mud patch near the coop, around the blueberry daffodils is where I transplanted two bunches of chives for them. Every day they eat some. I'm going to put more around as I can get to it.
I have only 200 feet of electric netting but more is on the way. I put about 15 feet of old snow fence nearest the house to fill in until more fence arrives. So far the fence power is off and they get to be out and about only during the day when we are home. We are home most of the time. I put it on at night when they are roosting in the coop tractor, and during the day I put them in the tractor and turn it on when we go out for a walk or other exercise.
I read about training them to respect an electric net and tried that soon after getting it up. Unfortunately it was at a point nearest the house where Peanut tested it and got a shock. She then ran toward the fence - (No!!) - toward the house deck 15 feet away, the place she knew as safe. So she got shocked again. She bounced back and again ran at the fence, but I was near the energizer watching and had turned it off. She was desperately still trying to get through the fence when I got to her and pulled her away. The netting seems good in that she wasn't getting through or hung up in it, she could barely get her shoulders in. But poor Peanut! I was horrified and sick at not having thought of this possibility. She was quite wary of the fence after that. But I don't know if I can handle the training with those kinds of results. Since then I've only had it on when they are locked in the tractor. So now they are getting used to what is a regular fence when they are around it. I don't know if this is a bad idea?
I had thought that an electric perimeter fence 24/7, with a moveable containment fence inside was the way to go. But that may be further in the future, it means lots more fencing, gotta think on it. For now the four-legged predators, coyote, raccoon, bear and fox are generally night-time threats, and not people-tolerant, so when we're away during the day everybody will be in the coop run and the fence on. The aerial predators are there daytimes, whether the fence is on or off. So that's where the risk and balance with chicken's foraging nature comes in, and shelter areas important. At least the hawks are not people-tolerant like Bob's because we're more rural.
I constructed a makeshift shelter at Peanut's run-to spot to try to improvise a place to get under if their instincts send them toward the house. They need a place over there anyway. But it's not very good, camo netting on a sawhorse and old deck furniture - I think they are afraid of it because the camo netting moves in the breeze. I will make something solid.
There's two chickens in this picture, do you see them?
Last picture, hello from the tribe!
Mugshot Monday? Not really, but at least she's sort of facing the camera. This is Butters. The mud patch near the coop, around the blueberry daffodils is where I transplanted two bunches of chives for them. Every day they eat some. I'm going to put more around as I can get to it.
I have only 200 feet of electric netting but more is on the way. I put about 15 feet of old snow fence nearest the house to fill in until more fence arrives. So far the fence power is off and they get to be out and about only during the day when we are home. We are home most of the time. I put it on at night when they are roosting in the coop tractor, and during the day I put them in the tractor and turn it on when we go out for a walk or other exercise.
I read about training them to respect an electric net and tried that soon after getting it up. Unfortunately it was at a point nearest the house where Peanut tested it and got a shock. She then ran toward the fence - (No!!) - toward the house deck 15 feet away, the place she knew as safe. So she got shocked again. She bounced back and again ran at the fence, but I was near the energizer watching and had turned it off. She was desperately still trying to get through the fence when I got to her and pulled her away. The netting seems good in that she wasn't getting through or hung up in it, she could barely get her shoulders in. But poor Peanut! I was horrified and sick at not having thought of this possibility. She was quite wary of the fence after that. But I don't know if I can handle the training with those kinds of results. Since then I've only had it on when they are locked in the tractor. So now they are getting used to what is a regular fence when they are around it. I don't know if this is a bad idea?
I had thought that an electric perimeter fence 24/7, with a moveable containment fence inside was the way to go. But that may be further in the future, it means lots more fencing, gotta think on it. For now the four-legged predators, coyote, raccoon, bear and fox are generally night-time threats, and not people-tolerant, so when we're away during the day everybody will be in the coop run and the fence on. The aerial predators are there daytimes, whether the fence is on or off. So that's where the risk and balance with chicken's foraging nature comes in, and shelter areas important. At least the hawks are not people-tolerant like Bob's because we're more rural.
I constructed a makeshift shelter at Peanut's run-to spot to try to improvise a place to get under if their instincts send them toward the house. They need a place over there anyway. But it's not very good, camo netting on a sawhorse and old deck furniture - I think they are afraid of it because the camo netting moves in the breeze. I will make something solid.
There's two chickens in this picture, do you see them?
Last picture, hello from the tribe!
- Thread starter
- #44,393
They get crazy for them!
- Thread starter
- #44,394
Looks like you are doing pretty good balancing risk and freedom. I'm glad the hawks are afraid of humans. That would help a lot.
I never thought of the shock scaring the m into running into the fence more but I can certainly see it happening. It seems a double fence might be the best way to go.
I love the idea of shelters placed around the range for them rest under or duck into as needed.
- Thread starter
- #44,396
Um, that would be "chicken scratch". Just saying.
Last edited:
Scrambles83
Free Ranging
Their beautiful eyes?
Yep, poor Peanut was acting on instinct, not logic, even if it was in chickenese it wouldn't have helped. I thought they would go away from it. It is white, but she must have been focussing on the big house in front of her, not the white strings. She didn't know what got her, just that something did!As long as the read the warning.
Oh thank you for posting about the fence. I read about training them to the fence but have really not wanted to do that and your description confirms my fear of that approach. I am so glad you wrote about it.
I am going with containment using deer netting and a live wire on the outside. I do have 100' or so of the same sort of electric net you have but a couple of wires is very cheap and I think will be just as effective at deterring the 4-legged predators during the day.
By the way, chives (and particularly garlic chives) are prolific re-seeders if you let them so you can get a whole field of them for free!
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