I HAD 3 hens! Or, How to keep hens from jumping into dog Yard!

[josiemare]

Yes, I had three hens. About a month or so ago, two hens jumped into the dogs yard.....the chickens free ranged. Locked up at night. One rooster. Yesterday, our last remaining hen jumped into the other dog's yard. I figure the hens were trying to escape the guineas......


Short of keeping hens locked up, is there anyway I can prevent the hens from jumping in with the dogs. The dogs are fenced in behind a 4 foot fence. The hens are jumping over the fence into the dog's waiting mouths.

Clipping wings? Muzzle dogs? Getting rid of Guineas? Any fence alterations I can make?

I didn't think guineas were this smart...to plot against the hens!

 

[loot4louie]

Thats tough! Sorry for your loss. I would suggest the heaviest breed of layers you can find. I have Orp hens that free range within our fenced yard. Our fence is 4 ft high, and they do not go over. I had to re home an ameraucana and a barred rock because they hopped it all the time. I would also clip the wings.

 

[mulewagon]

The heavy breeds can't jump far when they're grown, but as adolescents, they can clear six feet! Even wing-clipping won't stop some of them.

Can you raise the fence on the dog pens? Or keep the chickens penned up?

 

[gryeyes]

Bird netting. Comes in rolls of 14 ft wide, 25 or 75 feet long at Lowe's and Home Depot. Inexpensive solution. Throw a swath over, zip tie to fence, cut and throw it back over just overlapping first swath. Zip tie to first swath and to fence, repeat as necessary down the length of your run.

 

[2Gr8Pyrs]

I have lost quite a few of my birds to my two big dogs. The chickens free range, and the dogs have their own enclosed yard surrounded by 6-foot chainlink fence. We discovered that the chickens go up to our deck and then (try to) fly across from the deck rail to the top of the dog's fence. Sometimes their landings are less than graceful and they fall on the wrong side of the fence, sometimes they perch or walk around up there, above the alligator pit, until something startles them and they fall in. It's all over very quickly.

We've managed to be quick enough to save two, but typically all we find is a handful of feathers and two very satisfied dogs.

We can't blame the dogs, since the chickens are so blindingly stupid, and the chickens don't learn from it since they typically don't survive.

We thought of netting, but were afraid they'd get tangled. Building the fence higher wasn't an option, since they'd just try to roost on that.

I had an inspiration last week: Pigeon Spikes! http://amzn.com/B000Z5E4IE

I ordered a set and we'll put them up just on the chicken-accessible areas of the dog fence to make their landing and roosting spots less attractive. Hopefully this will reduce the mortality rate.

Maybe this would work for you? Good luck!

 

[secuono]

Quote:
If you make the netting nice and tight, they will just walk on it totally confused and mystified, but unharmed. My Japs always find a way on the netting and they wander around on it until they find the hole they flew out of, lol. I use the 1/3in and the 1/2in netting, no stuck birds.

 

[Dixiedoodle]

I agree, bird netting or deer netting on top of the dog's run.. Support it was a few boards or if it is a really large run/yard look for flight netting...

OR make your chicken run larger and completely enclose it...

Sorry for you loss..

 

[quinkerton]

Just clip their wings.

 

[sourland]

There may be a strong possibility that the guineas are the problem. A gang of delinquent guineas can make life h*ll for chickens. Not to say that they can not get along, but if the guineas outnumber the chickens and have developed the habit of harassing, peaceful coexistence is unlikely. Clipping the wings of the chickens makes them a target for predators and the guineas. Putting a cover on the dog run would solve that problem, but the guineas still remain.

 

[abhaya]

I would cover the dog run with deer netting it is a bit stronger than the bird stuff it is $15 for a 7x100 foot roll I would double it to be on the safe side.