i can’t keep my leghorns in the yard

[ChickenMama1988]

My 2 leghorns free range as long as i am home, but these girls are smart and they always find ways out of the backyard .. most time they are in my sight still so i let them be but yesterday they hoped the back fence and were around the block .. i called them with treats but it’s like they forgot how they got over there. My question is will they come back if i just let them be. My mindset is i just want them to live happy free lives but i also want them to come home. Will they come home if i don’t go get them?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

They might.

If they are going off your property, then you need better fencing or containment. Neighbors may not appreciate chickens as much as you do. And any loose dogs, predators, etc. will appreciate roaming chickens.

 

[ChickenMama1988]

They might.

If they are going off your property, then you need better fencing or containment. Neighbors may not appreciate chickens as much as you do. And any loose dogs, predators, etc. will appreciate roaming chickens.

we have a huge property only the yard is fenced in and i usually let them roam outside the yard .. we don’t have a big predator problem here maybe some stay cats but my stella girl fought one and won lol .. we need to have 2 holes in the bottom of our fence for draining purposes .. they use the holes like a doggie doors in and out .. usually when i call them back they run to the holes to come back even though they can jump over the fence as well .. we are installing a higher fence but the holes need to stay there .. i just don’t want them to get lost is all .. my neighbors love them .. i guess a better question would be can they get lost? or will they eventually find their way back to the run/coop where their feed is

They might.

If they are going off your property, then you need better fencing or containment. Neighbors may not appreciate chickens as much as you do. And any loose dogs, predators, etc. will appreciate roaming chickens.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Yes, they can get lost.

 

[3KillerBs]

Some of those Mediterranean birds are just too smart for their own good.

If they are going off your property, then you need better fencing or containment. Neighbors may not appreciate chickens as much as you do.

This.

It is 100% our responsibility to keep our animals on our own property.

Surely you can close those holes with some kind of wire to allow drainage and prevent escapes?

And if they're good flyers like my California White, try clipping a wing. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/wing-clipping.76982/

 

[ChickenMama1988]

Some of those Mediterranean birds are just too smart for their own good.



This.

It is 100% our responsibility to keep our animals on our own property.

Surely you can close those holes with some kind of wire to allow drainage and prevent escapes?

And if they're good flyers like my California White, try clipping a wing. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/wing-clipping.76982/

they are sooo smart is insane!! watching them teach the little girls what to d

Some of those Mediterranean birds are just too smart for their own good.



This.

It is 100% our responsibility to keep our animals on our own property.

Surely you can close those holes with some kind of wire to allow drainage and prevent escapes?

And if they're good flyers like my California White, try clipping a wing. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/wing-clipping.76982/

they really are soo smart!! watching them teach my 5 little girls what to do or not to do is my favorite!!

we actually have a chain link fence and we had to cut the hole bc the mud would get stuck in the smallholes and prevent drainage!! if i call them back from the part of our property that’s not fenced in they come right back through the holes or wait at the gate for me to open it .. even though i know they normally fly over the fence anyway .. i don’t care that they go over there .. they are in and out all day but i don’t want them in the neighbors behind ours yard bc i have to drive to get over there .. the rest of my property i can jsut walk and scoop them up if i have to .. they are normally like puppies though they come running to me as soon as they see or hear me .. i rarely need treats for them to come back .. i only use them when they are being stubborn and i have to leave and need them in the run

they are definitely good fliers i found one in the top of a tree once she flew back down when i called her .. i don’t have the heart to clip their wings .. i wouldn’t want anyone cutting my toes off ya know .. as long as they come back they are free to roam .. i rather them have happy full lives .. if a predator were to grab them (we don’t have much to worry about here) at least they went by natures course and were happy rather than miserable and locked up .. they love being out and about and i can tell when they are ready to come out of the run bc they start chasing the little girls around and bothering them bc they are bored .. i really just don’t want them to get lost .. but i punished then after they went on the neighbors yard (stayed in the run the rest of the day) and they haven’t gone back there since so i think that worked .

. i attached a picture of them outside my fenced in yard happy in the woods(that’s my property as well)

 

[3KillerBs]

i don’t have the heart to clip their wings .. i wouldn’t want anyone cutting my toes off ya know

Wing clipping is just trimming their feathers just like cutting our hair or trimming our nails.

 

[artbykarenehaley]

Wing clipping is just trimming their feathers just like cutting our hair or trimming our nails.

Yes, it's not like de clawing a cat. It's just trimming feathers, which will grow back at the next molt.

 

[TX Chick Noob]

Yes, it's not like de clawing a cat. It's just trimming feathers, which will grow back at the next molt.

As long as it is just feather clipping that is correct. As opposed to pinioning which is removing part of the wing itself and is permanent.