Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

@featherhead007
Alex I put up my electric mesh fencing today, and noted that Buttercup was trying to get out, she was quite anxious. I noted then Blanche was missing....

I went and found her, thinking I had missed corralling her. I put her inside the penned in area and went about my business. Next thing Buttercup is again having a fit! There was Blanche outside the fencing again! She flew up onto the horse fence and over it the brat!!

I will have to put some mesh up to stop her from escaping. In the meantime I am getting some exercise chasing her fluffy butt around

Let me know how your fence works, I will take a pic of mine tomorrow so you have an idea of what I am up against.

 

[RoyalChick]

@featherhead007
Alex I put up my electric mesh fencing today, and noted that Buttercup was trying to get out, she was quite anxious. I noted then Blanche was missing....

I went and found her, thinking I had missed corralling her. I put her inside the penned in area and went about my business. Next thing Buttercup is again having a fit! There was Blanche outside the fencing again! She flew up onto the horse fence and over it the brat!!

I will have to put some mesh up to stop her from escaping. In the meantime I am getting some exercise chasing her fluffy butt around

Let me know how your fence works, I will take a pic of mine tomorrow so you have an idea of what I am up against.

She flew over the electric net? Wow.

 

[Ponypoor]

Mine will jump onto something 4’ high but the won’t simply fly over that height if they can’t land. My electric fence is only 40” and they don’t try and fly over it, whereas they fly up 48” to roost.
So what you need is to fit a thin but visible wire a couple of inches above the fence so they know they can’t land on it.
I read of that truck somewhere on BYC but can’t for the life of me remember where.

Yes that is what I have found. They don't fly over the mesh but were I have the mesh running along the horse fence they can fly up onto the board fencing and taa-daa hop over to the other side. The brats!!!

I think I will put some mesh along the top of the horse fencing to stop the brats from escaping until I can put in my permanent fencing for the run.

Apparently my chickens are smarter than I am!

 

[Ponypoor]

She flew over the electric net? Wow.

She flew over up onto the horse fencing - I have run the mesh along the horse fencing about a foot out from the horse fence.

Blanche flew up onto the horse fence and hopped down the other side. Buttercup then flew up over the mesh onto the metal gate. I was able the chase her back into the pen. But Blanche was having none of that!

 

[Ponypoor]

It’s only four feet high. So I’m hoping that they lose interest in that part of the yard.

Here is the mesh and the board fencing, I ran the mesh about a foot in from the board fencing hoping it would prevent them from flying up onto the board fence.... Last year I had the mesh up tight along the board fence.

I think I will put mesh about a foot or so higher on the board fencing....

 

[RoyalChick]

She flew over up onto the horse fencing - I have run the mesh along the horse fencing about a foot out from the horse fence.

Blanche flew up onto the horse fence and hopped down the other side. Buttercup then flew up over the mesh onto the metal gate. I was able the chase her back into the pen. But Blanche was having none of that!

Oh yes - that makes sense. They will go up on to the top of something higher than 4' and jump down the other side.

 

[Ponypoor]

Oh yes - that makes sense. They will go up on to the top of something higher than 4' and jump down the other side.

Yes for sure

They don't fly over the side with no fence to hop up on.

I think I will run some mesh or netting a foot or so higher on the board fencing.

I need to put up a permanent run when it dries a bit, I want to put both a combo of netting where the trees are, and a solid roof were I can to stop them from flying out, and prevent hawks from flying in.

 

[MaryJanet]

Goodness it feels like the brooder is getting too small for the Hooligans. They have discovered that if they run fast enough and flap hard enough their little wings will lift their feet off the ground.

Bella in particular has mastered doing this deliberately rather than by accident. Bella was practicing flapping from day one and it is paying off. But the brooder is only 29” in each direction which seems not quite enough for flying. When I move them to the brooder box in the coop they will have 36+ inches. But that still feels small!

I am not sure whether to try and make something bigger or just wait until they are big enough to be free roaming in the Chicken Palace.

I don’t remember this being an issue with the Roadrunners. Maybe because there was only two of them.

Of course they are not always flying. Sometimes they take a rest and pretend to look grown-up. And sometimes they can barely keep their eyes open!

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I must not have remembered the correct story because I thought the roadrunners were in the palace brooder from day one

 

[RoyalChick]

I must not have remembered the correct story because I thought the roadrunners were in the palace brooder from day one

No - they were in an unused sink in my guest bathroom - I moved them in to the Chicken Palace about day 10. I am a couple of days behind because it has been sooo cold!
I am going to put them in the garage for a couple of nights so they can step down from 70 degrees to about 50 degrees (F) and then out to the Chicken Palace where it will go down to high 30s at night.

 

[featherhead007]

Can you just imagine the chaos when they go for everyone's food

That’s pretty much why, I don’t take my chooks out to eat. Complete chaos!