Flying

[Kathy1]

As I am reading through the threads I notice that even with a wing clipped some will still fly 6' high. I am in a county setting but in the middle of a city on a very busy road and do not want to have one fly over the fence and get hurt. I do have a 6' stockade but in some spots it is 5' because of the land being higher. What are the breeds that dont.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Breeds that don't fly? Mainly the Silkies, I think. Their feathers are hookless, so they do not get enough lift to get over a fence.

As for breeds that don't fly well, you want to look at your heavier breeds usually. Not a guarantee, but generally the heavier the bird the harder it is for them to fly.

I think Silkies are your only guaranteed non-flyer.

-Kim

 

[Kathy1]

So the heavier the bird they are less likely to get over the fence. The heavier breeds are red stars the wydon's that weight 6-8 lbs. The smaller breeds are bantams, must be good flyers as they are so light. I had originally looked ar silkies they are adorable but they wont be in untill August.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I consider Red Stars a medium bird myself. When I think of large birds, I think of the Giant Cochins or the Jersey Giants. Really big birds. They do not get weighted down though, until they are adults and mature. At that age they start to get really heavy and lazy.

Do your chickens have a run or do they just roam the yard? If they have a run, it would be easier just to cover their run with fencing or netting and then you can get whatever breed you like and don't have to worry about hawks and owls flying into the pen.

Covering the top of the pen is usually the easiest, cheapest and most reliable method of keeping birds from flying over. If your worried about the price, just think of it as your spending money on their pen and not continually replaced birds that escaped or were eaten.

And yes, the little bantams can fly quite well. I went to a friend's, who keep the Old English Game Bantams, and I watch a hen fly from the bottom of some stairs to the top of cages about 15 feet away. It blew me away to think that a chicken could actually fly out and up and then turn to land where she wanted to. I thought it was pretty cool.

-Kim

 

[hensdeliverthegoods]

Just today, my BO-Wyandotte cross hen and two of my Gold Comet sex-links decided to fly over the 5-foot fence in their run today. First time they've done it, and they're 7-8 months old. Silly chickens...

 

[Kathy1]

I dont have them yet, I have 2 coming this week to the grain store, I had planned on getting them from a local farmer but we are going to try the brooder. The man at the store was great. He had alot of info to share and I bought a feeder waterer heat lamp and bulb. I will get the feed when I pick them up. I am going to get just 2. That will be plenty for us now, maybe a third I guess I will know when I get there.

I have a prefab coop, 2 nesting boxes and a run being delivered this week and plan on building it in the next week or so. I will have a run added on and then I also bought wooden strapping and netting to make an additional run area that can be uses in different parts of the yard and hopefully be attached to the one on the coop to make a larger area. I am going to put netting on top of both. I have wanted these guys for a long while so want to make sure they are safe and sound.

I will say I am a bit nervous about getting them so young. The man at the store said it was a piece of cake. They stay in the brooder for 3/4 weeks or untill they get their feathers then they can go outside. start at 95degrees then go 5 lower each week, also by that time it will be very warm here so they should make an easy transition to the big house lol.

He also said not to bother with shavings just to use newspaper, I said I read that this was not good for them splayed legs, poison for the ink, etc, He said he has had hundreds of chicks and he always uses newspaper that it is quicker and cleaner and less expensive than shavings. This is a business that has been around for EVER, so I just might try the paper approach. He belives I am ok with them free ranging for a little bit in the afternoons with a clipped wing.

Oh I forgot I am getting RIR's I will post a pic when We get them situated.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Growing up I had 3 hens that started out as Easter chicks. Well, 2 of the 3 decided they would venture over our 6 foot privacy fence into the neighbors yard. Unfortunately, green grass and bugs weren't the only ones waiting on the other side, their Doberman had a grand ol' time eating and mauling my Barred Rocks. The 3rd hen, a Rhode Island Red, must have realized there was a reason the 2 Barred Rocks never came back, becuase she never jumped our backyard fence. LOL

I had always used newspaper as well, that is until I had a whole batch of chicks go splay legged. It was aweful, we weren't able to correct any of their legs, they all died. If you use newspaper just be sure the use the black and white parts, as those have more texture and grip. Do not use the glossy colored advertisement papers because those are much more slick and are that mush harder to walk on.

I started using shaving, got the large bag of shaving at Walmart. They are great, I'll never use newspaper again. The shaving absorb the poo, gives them something to snuggle in and it cleans up better than paper. Because it absorbs the moisture out of the poo, the poo doesn't stick to the chicks, brooder, waterer, feeder, or even you as you clean it. LOL All you do with shavings is pour out the whole batch and then put a new layer in. With paper, you'll peel it out but all the moisture and poo is still sitting on the bottom of the brooder. I can personally tell you shavings are really the way to go.

-Kim