How to stop our hen from hopping the fence

[bruceha2000]

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

Coons and possums climb trees .... very well. But I agree, though chickens aren't great fliers and mine will run rather than fly more often than not, I think they have a slightly better chance to escape if they aren't clipped.

... and nighttime 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.

But don't forget that coons can and will be out several hours after sunrise and before sunset. Times the chickens like to forage since the sun isn't high.

 

[Sylvester017]

Coons and possums will be out in daylight only if they aren't being bothered. I mean, I've seen them out in the middle of the day on the golf course near our neighborhood but in our city/suburb streets nearly every home/yard has a dog or two that bark the predators away during daylight hours. I'm still more concerned about the stray cats getting way too bold in my backyard for my own or my hens' comfort. Too often people move away and abandon their pets or else don't spay/neuter and then the rest of us have to deal with their irresponsibility.

 

[bruceha2000]

I was thinking about that tulle some more. How do the insects get in to pollinate the plants? Not a problem with greens and brassicas but "fruit" plants like tomatoes, beans, etc need pollinating insects.

 

[Sylvester017]

I was thinking about that tulle some more. How do the insects get in to pollinate the plants? Not a problem with greens and brassicas but "fruit" plants like tomatoes, beans, etc need pollinating insects.

I keep the tulle net over the garden beds until the tomatoes get tall and sturdy and when the flowering starts to show (which the vines are pretty tall and sturdy by then) I remove the tulle. That way the stray cats don't dig up the new compost to poop in it and dig up the seedlings, the young tomato worms can't hatch and eat up my young plants, and the June bug mating is usually past by then and don't burrow into the vegetables. The tulle gives my veggie seedlings the advantage of some sturdy growth before being invaded and destroyed as young plants. Covering lettuce, kale, radishes, etc, that don't flower, the net never has to be removed. I harvest by lifting up the tulle from the ground level and then replace the wood blocks again to hold down the tulle after I've harvested the ground-level produce.

 

[Stephine]

To the OP:
It looks like you figured out how to keep your hen from jumping the gate - but, if you are concerned about dogs: That fence will not keep out any dog interested in the chickens. Even my neighbor’s tiny bichon mix can climb a fence 4 feet tall with ease. Our farm collie can jump a 5 foot fence from standing.
Any dog that is a threat to your chickens can get over a 3 foot fence.

 

[lazy gardener]

I was thinking about that tulle some more. How do the insects get in to pollinate the plants? Not a problem with greens and brassicas but "fruit" plants like tomatoes, beans, etc need pollinating insects.

Many plants, tomatoes included are able to be pollinated simply by the pollen being shaken out of one blossom and landing on an other. This is why you don't often see bees working tomato blossoms.

Self-pollinating vegetables include tomatoes, green peppers and chili peppers,eggplants, green beans, lima beans, sweet peas, and peanuts. Pollen is required for a flower to produce a fruit.

For plants that must be pollinated by an other plant of same species (cucurbits) you need to remove the tulle or netting when first blossoms appear.

 

[aart]

This is why you don't often see bees working tomato blossoms.

Wouldn't this be because there is no nectar?.....
...and/or because the pollen has no nutritive value for them.

 

[Sylvester017]

Wouldn't this be because there is no nectar?.....
...and/or because the pollen has no nutritive value for them.

Tomatoes are from the toxic Nightshade family of plants like white potatoes, eggplant, tomatillos, chili and bell peppers, goji berries, some huckleberries, etc etc, the list goes on and on. I think even cilantro and celery happen to be nightshade related. There are over 2500 plants in the nightshade family and I don't believe any of them need bee pollination. Not all parts of nightshade plants are toxic -- for instance, tomato vines and leaves are toxic to humans, animals, and most common garden insects, and the peels and seeds have high concentration of lectin that bothers digestive processes (we limit our beans and cashew nut intake because of the lectin in them), yet the meat of a tomato is quite safe. Therefore, when I freezer-store my garden tomatoes I blanch and peel off the skins and scoop out the gel and seeds before freezing. I'm sure you've all heard how toxic the green uncooked potato peels are for chickens -- we stay away from deep orange holiday yams as well but use the light-skinned sweet potato instead for our mashed potatoes.

My chickens won't touch nightshade celery, bell peppers, cilantro, or any of the cruciferous veggies like kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli or cauliflower cooked or not -- from what I've researched the cruciferous veggies play some havoc on the thyroid so we don't bother giving these veggies to family or pets either. Everyone's digestive system is different and can tolerate nightshade or cruciferous veggies but we've decided with our allergies it's best for ourselves to limit them.

 

[Stephine]

Tomatoes are from the toxic Nightshade family of plants like white potatoes, eggplant, tomatillos, chili and bell peppers, goji berries, some huckleberries, etc etc, the list goes on and on. I think even cilantro and celery happen to be nightshade related. There are over 2500 plants in the nightshade family and I don't believe any of them need bee pollination. Not all parts of nightshade plants are toxic -- for instance, tomato vines and leaves are toxic to humans, animals, and most common garden insects, and the peels and seeds have high concentration of lectin that bothers digestive processes (we limit our beans and cashew nut intake because of the lectin in them), yet the meat of a tomato is quite safe. Therefore, when I freezer-store my garden tomatoes I blanch and peel off the skins and scoop out the gel and seeds before freezing. I'm sure you've all heard how toxic the green uncooked potato peels are for chickens -- we stay away from deep orange holiday yams as well but use the light-skinned sweet potato instead for our mashed potatoes.

My chickens won't touch nightshade celery, bell peppers, cilantro, or any of the cruciferous veggies like kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli or cauliflower cooked or not -- from what I've researched the cruciferous veggies play some havoc on the thyroid so we don't bother giving these veggies to family or pets either. Everyone's digestive system is different and can tolerate nightshade or cruciferous veggies but we've decided with our allergies it's best for ourselves to limit them.

What’s wrong with yams? You know, if you look too closely at ANY kind of food you‘ll find that they contain some compound or other that is toxic when isolated and/or consumed in huge amounts. Even strawberries. But they don’t pose any problem at all when eaten in traditional ways and normal amounts.
Anyway... My chickens adore cabbage and it’s a popular treat around here - especially in the fall when everything us dry and brown and I have to rely on produce from the farmers market to give them something fresh and green (or red) - they are handeling it just fine - I am not making cabbage a mainstay of their diet. No need to overthink these things....

 

[Sylvester017]

What’s wrong with yams? You know, if you look too closely at ANY kind of food you‘ll find that they contain some compound or other that is toxic when isolated and/or consumed in huge amounts. Even strawberries. But they don’t pose any problem at all when eaten in traditional ways and normal amounts.
Anyway... My chickens adore cabbage and it’s a popular treat around here - especially in the fall when everything us dry and brown and I have to rely on produce from the farmers market to give them something fresh and green (or red) - they are handeling it just fine - I am not making cabbage a mainstay of their diet. No need to overthink these things....

Not everyone's digestive systems are the same but in our case we eliminated the upsetting or allergenic foods from our diet and also take a cue from the chickens about what foods they eat or don't eat too. And yes, any food can have problems, which is why we had allergy tests and followed therapy menu's for what worked best for us. About yams -- the dark orange Thanksgiving yams are the nightshade family while the very light-colored actual official "sweet potato" is from the morning-glory family. Why the food industry and restaurants call yams "sweet potatoes" when they aren't even in the same plant family is misleading for people that have allergies or digestive problems. The food markets in our shopping area specify yams separately from sweet potatoes. Some sweet potato chips manufacturers are finally catching on to identify the difference from yams in their packaged dried chips which is important to dietary restrictions like ours. Terra brand Sweet Potato chips (no salt added, non GMO) specify that their sweet potato chips are actual sweet potato and not the common yam. I like Siete brand Cassava chips best because they use more natural oils like coconut or avocado oil to make their chips. Since we've been off of gluten, sugar, and corn, in our diet we rely on veggie chips to use like bread for dipping into soft-boiled eggs, etc. We lost 25 lbs each just by cutting out our offending foods so giving up gluten, sugar, and corn, has had its plus side for us. Everyone has to find what works best for them.