Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[dekel18042]

Around the area, about one acre, my chickens forage is a 54" high fence. Inside it are coops and covered runs. The poultry are pretty safe when they stay within this area but of course there are some who fly over and love to forage in the woods. Some only once, others are the instigators. I have noticed before any leave the yard they will fly up and sit on the top rail of the fence. I was wondering if running a hot wire across the top would discourage this, if it would keep them on the inside. OR, could they just fly over in one swoop and having gotten out would be reluctant to return? Now they return with no problem.
Since last spring I have lost two during the day to foxes outside the fenced area so if they stay within they are pretty safe.
Should I just figure that is the price of doing business or would a hot wire help?

 

[dheltzel]

Interesting. When I was leaving for her I heard one of the girls screaming the danger scream. It was the broody one, something scared her off the next. But as I was checking the coop, I remembered how last week how there were a bunch of her black feathers where she sits. At first I thought she might have been injured, but I dismissed it. Now, it makes much more sense. Here's hoping she stays put for a while. It will be much better now if one of my girls goes broody now, because I have a large enough coop that I can section it off if they raise chicks.

You said that the midget whites you gave me are brother and sisters right? Will I get a turkey with 3 wings if I hatch some of their eggs?

I assume Midget whites can breed with other turkeys if I raised different poults?

The MW's are siblings, but their parents were unrelated, so you will be fine inbreeding for several generations. Poultry is much more tolerant of inbreeding than some other animals. I've heard of numerous flocks that were interbred for decades without any new member added and the resulting birds are better and healthier than at the start. That happened mostly because of heavy culling of any with undesirable traits.

I have had strains that I suspected were too inbred and the birds lacked vigor and/or laid poorly. I can't say for certain that it was inbreeding, it may have just been that they were poorly adapted to my particular situation.

So I say go ahead and hatch the MW eggs. Later in the season, you will find a ready market for the poults, you might make enough to pay for some of the feed they eat. Letting your broody hatch some and raise them will be an easy way to increase your flock and give you a little "insurance" in case any more of your breeders die.

 

[dheltzel]

Around the area, about one acre, my chickens forage is a 54" high fence. Inside it are coops and covered runs. The poultry are pretty safe when they stay within this area but of course there are some who fly over and love to forage in the woods. Some only once, others are the instigators. I have noticed before any leave the yard they will fly up and sit on the top rail of the fence. I was wondering if running a hot wire across the top would discourage this, if it would keep them on the inside. OR, could they just fly over in one swoop and having gotten out would be reluctant to return? Now they return with no problem.
Since last spring I have lost two during the day to foxes outside the fenced area so if they stay within they are pretty safe.
Should I just figure that is the price of doing business or would a hot wire help?

I've heard that chickens don't generally fly over a fence, but fly to the top, then down the other side. If the top seems too flimsy to hold them, they are reluctant to try. So, you might add a section of visible, but unsupported wire, like cheap hexagonal chicken wire to the top and see if that stops them.

 

[hyzenthlay]

Just wanted to update you all that my Polish girl, Buttercup, that got attacked by the Cooper's Hawk on Friday is doing well!! Her wound is totally scabbed over and I haven't been able to see any signs of infection, etc. She has been living in the basement since then, but seemed very unhappy. She seemed bored and was making a lot of noise--she has a very unusual (to me) call that is a very loud, rapid fire cackle, that made our new neighbors from WV ask if we also had guinea fowl!--anyway, she was doing that a lot in the basement, seemed like she was calling out for her friends. So I moved her outside this afternoon. The blukote just arrived in the mail, so I gave her a couple spritzes of that and put her in the dog pen inside the coop, so she can see her friends but they can't touch her. I'll probably leave her in there for at least a couple more days, and then let her out over the weekend when I can watch to see that she's not being picked on.

Thank you so much for your great advice on Friday! It's amazing how resilient these birds can be, and I'm so glad my funny little Buttercup seems like she'll be ok!

We are definitely going to have to work on the covered run asap. I'm calling around for quotes to put the fence in, to see if we can get it done reasonably (DH and I are still in the middle of other projects, not enough time to do everything!). Hawks (Cooper's and Redtails) have been loitering around here for sure, more than I ever noticed them before. I've been giving the ladies treats multiple times a day to ease the monotony of being cooped up, and have tentatively let them out for an hour here or there, but that's not the life I want for them. :/

 

[BullChick]

 

[fisherlady]

@hyzenthlay

Great to hear!

 

[dekel18042]

I've heard that chickens don't generally fly over a fence, but fly to the top, then down the other side. If the top seems too flimsy to hold them, they are reluctant to try. So, you might add a section of visible, but unsupported wire, like cheap hexagonal chicken wire to the top and see if that stops them.

Thanks, your idea of running a plain wire seems much easier than running a hot wire, and you're right, the chickens fly to the top rail and sit there before deciding which side they want to come down on. Before it got dark I looked out and there were five sitting in a row on the top rail.

 

[dheltzel]

Thanks, your idea of running a plain wire seems much easier than running a hot wire, and you're right, the chickens fly to the top rail and sit there before deciding which side they want to come down on. Before it got dark I looked out and there were five sitting in a row on the top rail.

I wonder if you should attach the wire to the outside or inside of the fence. I could see them liking to fly up on the rail and perch there, if there was another 2 ft of wire that had nothing to sit on, they would see that and maybe not even try. If the wire was on the inside, so they couldn't reach the top rail, I imagine them trying to fly to the top rail, clinging to the wire, then beating their wings in a panic to go up until they went over the top. Then they would never want to try to get back in the same way. So, I don't know which is better, but my logic tells me to let them perch on the rail, inside the wire extension.

 

[Lelanae]

I've heard that chickens don't generally fly over a fence, but fly to the top, then down the other side. If the top seems too flimsy to hold them, they are reluctant to try. So, you might add a section of visible, but unsupported wire, like cheap hexagonal chicken wire to the top and see if that stops them.

How about wing clipping? I am a big fan of that, ever since my poodle grabbed my only Rhoade Island White hen, Trillium when she hopped my 4 foot fence. My son and I check wings every month or so and no body has made it over since--although Dennis's clever Pennsylvania Blacks look to see if they what they can hop up on.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

 
Interesting.  When I was leaving for her I heard one of the girls screaming the danger scream.  It was the broody one, something scared her off the next.  But as I was checking the coop, I remembered how last week how there were a bunch of her black feathers where she sits.  At first I thought she might have been injured, but I dismissed it.  Now, it makes much more sense.  Here's hoping she stays put for a while.  It will be much better now if one of my girls goes broody now, because I have a large enough coop that I can section it off if they raise chicks.

You said that the midget whites you gave me are brother and sisters right?  Will I get a turkey with 3 wings if I hatch some of their eggs?   I assume Midget whites can breed with other turkeys if I raised different poults?

The MW's are siblings, but their parents were unrelated, so you will be fine inbreeding for several generations. Poultry is much more tolerant of inbreeding than some other animals. I've heard of numerous flocks that were interbred for decades without any new member added and the resulting birds are better and healthier than at the start. That happened mostly because of heavy culling of any with undesirable traits.

I have had strains that I suspected were too inbred and the birds lacked vigor and/or laid poorly. I can't say for certain that it was inbreeding, it may have just been that they were poorly adapted to my particular situation.

So I say go ahead and hatch the MW eggs. Later in the season, you will find a ready market for the poults, you might make enough to pay for some of the feed they eat. Letting your broody hatch some and raise them will be an easy way to increase your flock and give you a little "insurance" in case any more of your breeders die.

That's great about the MWs, that I can safely raise some poults for a few generations. I would definitely love to raise some poults and sell them later in the season. The broody was still stuck tight in the coop tonight, although she moved to a nesting box with a lot of eggs. I was able to collect the eggs with my fingers still intact. . So I just keep a few turkey eggs on the counter for about a week and then put them under her all at once correct?

Can you hatch turkeys and chickens together? I know turkey eggs take about 28 days, but could you put some extra chicken eggs under her on day 7 or 8? Has anyone here tried that before?

Just wanted to update you all that my Polish girl, Buttercup, that got attacked by the Cooper's Hawk on Friday is doing well!! Her wound is totally scabbed over and I haven't been able to see any signs of infection, etc.  She has been living in the basement since then, but seemed very unhappy.  She seemed bored and was making a lot of noise--she has a very unusual (to me) call that is a very loud, rapid fire cackle, that made our new neighbors from WV ask if we also had guinea fowl!--anyway, she was doing that a lot in the basement, seemed like she was calling out for her friends.  So I moved her outside this afternoon.  The blukote just arrived in the mail, so I gave her a couple spritzes of that and put her in the dog pen inside the coop, so she can see her friends but they can't touch her.  I'll probably leave her in there for at least a couple more days, and then let her out over the weekend when I can watch to see that she's not being picked on.

Thank you so much for your great advice on Friday!  It's amazing how resilient these birds can be, and I'm so glad my funny little Buttercup seems like she'll be ok!

We are definitely going to have to work on the covered run asap.  I'm calling around for quotes to put the fence in, to see if we can get it done reasonably (DH and I are still in the middle of other projects, not enough time to do everything!).  Hawks (Cooper's and Redtails) have been loitering around here for sure, more than I ever noticed them before.  I've been giving the ladies treats multiple times a day to ease the monotony of being cooped up, and have tentatively let them out for an hour here or there, but that's not the life I want for them. :/   

So glad Buttercup is making a comeback! They are tough critters! e