How to stop our hen from hopping the fence

[Ljc01]

how do you know how far to clip ?

I found a video on line that I watched before I clipped her wing.

 

[Sylvester017]

A great idea about tulle instead of bird netting! Please share on thread what did you do in the garden today?

You asked for it -- LOL!
Horrible heatwaves and being in therapy for arthritis complications has taken away a lot of my outdoor gardening time but here are a few pics today of the overgrown garden beds (didn't have the heart to tear them out since they're still producing), have been enjoying our 3 new two-month-old Dominique chicks chasing their crickets and earwigs, & a pic of the chicks taking a 1/2-hour dustbath in one of the raised garden beds:

Haven't the foggiest idea why these chicks like resting with my dust pans and brooms!

The old ripped canopy has been replaced with a tarp but the sun has been destroying it too, so time for a new one to keep rain off the chicken dustbath box under it. We hooked up a hummingbird feeder under the canopy to shade the feeder syrup.

This garden bed closest to the back door will soon take over the whole porch in spite of using storage pails as a barrier -- but the 2 adult hens and 3 Dom chicks like to hide in the foliage from the stray cat that frequents the backyard. Hate to do it but we'll have to capture the stray with a Hav-a-hart cage and turn the Calico over to the humane society. She catches rodents and stalks the wild birds but I can't chance that she'll go after one of the hens.

These Dominique girls have been our friendliest pesty chicken breed to date -- jumping onto my knee for some attention!

Another chick sitting on my left knee while the right knee chick is barely visible on the right.

The chicks are having fun chasing bugs.

It's amazing what pretty blue eyes these chicks have -- eventually the eyes will turn to a reddish-bay when adults.

It's fun to see how much stroking and petting these Dom girls want and jump into our lap for the attention. Our Leghorns were friendly & tame but this kind of attention they would never tolerate.

Wow @Sylvester017 that canopy is a real shame! Nice tip on the tulle, I had a terrible problem with cucumber beetles this year, this could solve that next year.

I get so tired of wasting money on gardening and yard supplies that I have to figure ways of saving $$$. We've experienced 6 years of torn canopy covers from our violent Santa Ana winds. The winds happen only 2 to 3x a year but do significant monetary damage. The last one tore off the roof tar paper from our new backyard patio roof so now we're trying to figure out what to use as roofing that won't rip off again. As far as canopy covers go, we've been getting cheap tarps 2x a year (once in Spring and another one in Fall) to cover the canopy frame because real canopy covers are just too expensive to keep replacing. Our horrible SoCalif sun damage is just as bad as the occasional Santa Ana wind damage.

I've been extremely pleased with the ultra fine/ultra wide bridal veil tulle from JoAnn's Fabrics because I've been able to save the netting for next year's two garden beds -- not having tomato worm moths or June bug beetles nesting in my young seedlings has been worth every penny invested in the fabric and it kept out stray cats from digging in the garden beds and the wild birds and chickens stay out while the young seedlings are growing to sturdy size. I have to use some lumber to hold the netting down at ground level, and use sturdy clips to hold the netting to the tops of the tomato cages. I planted way too many tomato plants this year and got tired of freezer canning tomatoes so I'll reserve just one bed for tomatoes next year and the other bed for cucumbers because my chickens go nuts for cukes.

 

[bruceha2000]

Cats aren't likely to go after adult chickens but I understand your concern!

 

[Sylvester017]

Cats aren't likely to go after adult chickens but I understand your concern!

Yep, I'm really torn about what to do with that Calico. She's a good mouser as we've found shredded rodent in the yard. But her presence in the yard is keeping the adult hens from venturing out of their coop/pen to enjoy foraging in the backyard when she's here and she's here every darn day!!!!!

 

[bruceha2000]

How long does she stay? My girls all hide under bushes for shade all day long when it is hot, not related to any possible predator. They come out when the sun gets lower in the sky.

 

[Phoenixxx]

Clipping wings, in my experience, is more a detriment than an advantage. They can still figure out how to fly out of a 4' enclosure with one wing clipped, but can no longer make it 10' up into a tree when a coon decides to visit. Build a taller pen or get a chicken dog

 

[black_dove2]

Cats aren't likely to go after adult chickens but I understand your concern!

The pesky cat I had coming by had eyes bigger than her stomach. She didn't care how big the chickens were. The mockingbirds were more bother than the cat when they were protecting their nests. They even fight with an old roadrunner that comes through here daily.

Yep, I'm really torn about what to do with that Calico. She's a good mouser as we've found shredded rodent in the yard. But her presence in the yard is keeping the adult hens from venturing out of their coop/pen to enjoy foraging in the backyard when she's here and she's here every darn day!!!!!

It's too bad cats stressing you hens especially since she's helped with rodent control. I understand all to well about the wind and sun on the tarps. They don't last a season here where I'm at. I'm so near the pass the wind is a constant. I'm out by the windmills and solar farm.

Thanks for the photos!!!

 

[lazy gardener]

Doms are absolutely the best, most friendly 2 legged puppies I've ever met.

 

[Chickassan]

Smart little things too, that one I adopted knows when its time to close the coop.She won't roost by herself, she waits for me to open the backdoor runs up and makes me carry her to the coop. Drives hubby crazy he thinks I should let her just roost on her own, he doesn't get that she just likes for me to carry her. She isn't dumb just spoiled.

 

[Sylvester017]

How long does she stay? My girls all hide under bushes for shade all day long when it is hot, not related to any possible predator. They come out when the sun gets lower in the sky.

Normally my girls will snooze midday too and usually outside in a doghouse or the bushes, but with the stray Calico (and lately a stray grey Tabby) my girls come out of the coop/pen only if I'm in the yard. Last night we came home after dark to find the Calico running through our front yard into the backyard. I'm glad we already had the adult hens locked up and chicks secure inside our house.

Clipping wings, in my experience, is more a detriment than an advantage. They can still figure out how to fly out of a 4' enclosure with one wing clipped, but can no longer make it 10' up into a tree when a coon decides to visit. Build a taller pen or get a chicken dog

I understand owners' concerns regarding keeping their hens safe and enclosed but I agree that clipping wings isn't the best answer. I just don't believe in clipping for the birds' safety. We found clipping wings wasn't as safe an answer as fortifying our property from ground as well as aerial predators. On larger property I believe in a guardian/flock breed dog (not a herder but a guardian type because herder breeds leave the flock but guardian breeds stay with flocks in the presence of predators).
We get Cooper's Hawks (commonly known as chicken hawks) often in the Spring during nesting season. What we've done is provide ample cover for our hens to hide during the day -- 5 recycled dog houses, 10x10 covered canopy, lots of potted plants and trees, garden beds, make-shift low lean-to's, lawn furniture, even an old wheelbarrow, etc etc. The Hawks will land in the yard sometimes as close as 5 feet from a hen on the ground but if she's under furniture, in bushes, in a dog house, etc, the Hawk will not pursue. Apparently, Hawks prefer to swoop on a running hen rather than battle on the ground.
Daytime ground predators are usually dogs and foxes and a well-fortified property fence will keep them out and nightime ground predators like raccoons and possums are kept from sleeping hens that are secure in a well-fortified coop that 'coons or possums can't tear open.

A little hard to see in this photo but we have a sturdy covered dog kennel run attached to our coop and the coop is also covered by a patio roof. 2 little Silkies on the ground near the rear chair.

A better pic of the sturdy dog kennel wire. The hens love spending time under the coop under the patio roof.

The pesky cat I had coming by had eyes bigger than her stomach. She didn't care how big the chickens were. The mockingbirds were more bother than the cat when they were protecting their nests. They even fight with an old roadrunner that comes through here daily.

It's too bad cats stressing you hens especially since she's helped with rodent control. I understand all to well about the wind and sun on the tarps. They don't last a season here where I'm at. I'm so near the pass the wind is a constant. I'm out by the windmills and solar farm.

Thanks for the photos!!!

After we came home last night to see the skinny stray Calico running through our yard I made the decision to bring out the Hav-a-hart trap. Talked with the neighbors and they are having trouble with the Calico and the other grey Tabby. I hate to do it but it's either my hens' welfare or get rid of a sickly stray cat. The strays carry all sorts of diseases that affect chickens when not taken care of by a vet or responsible owners so I've decided on trapping.

Doms are absolutely the best, most friendly 2 legged puppies I've ever met.

I've had both Doms and Barred Rocks before and both are nice breeds. I just happen to like the lighterweight Dominiques that can almost 100% be counted on to be the pestiest-friendliest family chicken to own.

Smart little things too, that one I adopted knows when its time to close the coop.She won't roost by herself, she waits for me to open the backdoor runs up and makes me carry her to the coop. Drives hubby crazy he thinks I should let her just roost on her own, he doesn't get that she just likes for me to carry her. She isn't dumb just spoiled.

I love "spoiled" chickens. My DH never had chickens growing up and he spoils ours even more than I do. On his own he started getting up at dawn every day to open their coop and clean and feed them too. Chickens are fun and relaxing to interact with and gentle docile breeds like Silkies, Breda, Dominiques, and Ameraucana or Easter Eggers are my favorite docile breeds. We lost our Blue Wheaten Ameraucana and Blue Breda last summer and lost our old Black Silkie this summer. Glad I managed to order 3 Dominique chicks thru my local feed store before chick season was over. The new chicks help to soften the blow of losing some of our old chicken "friends" below.