Hello from Pleasant Grove CA. New chicken mom needs help.

[chaenggi]

Hello,

My name is Chrisitna and I live in Pleasant Grove CA, right in the middle of the CA rice fields. I have recently become a Chicken mom and have lots of questions. I live on almost an acre, I have 12 hens and 2 roosters. Every one gets along fine but I have 2 hens that go crazy before they lay there eggs. I have all there wings clippd but I have one that still manages to hop the fence every morning before 9 am. Every day for the last 3 days I have to walk to the neighbors property and catch her with a net. Can't figure out where she is getting out. We have 6 foot deer proof fencing all around the property. I have wonderfull nesting boxes that the rest of my hens lay in, but this one wants no part of being here. I have even put a portable one out near where she disappears from and that doesnt work. If I keep her locked up that means the rest of my hens do not have access to the coop. It stresses me out to have her do this every day for the last 3 days. I think she is a leghorn. Oh, and she is so mouth before she needs to lay that she distrups the rest of the group.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[Catfishfedd]

Welcome to byc!! That's just leghorns for ya, they will tolerate confinement, but are the worst of the worst at half-assed confinement. I know these birds well, mine free range, but I know they will settle down IF you can confine them. Their wings are so large and strong in comparison to their lean bodies they are not well suited to try to confine to a yard. You're either going to have to seriously clip her wings, tie her out, put a lid on your yard, or trade her for something fat, thats pretty much all there is to it.