Premier 1 electric netting and adolescent chickens... not working!!!

[Sazbaby]

I'm looking for reassurance for my frustrations here... We have a small coop by our house that we use for brooding mamas and their babies, they free-range during the day and then get closed up into the coop at night until the chicks are on their own and big enough to move out into a mobile coop. We use the premier 1 electric poultry netting and electrify it. We have a group of about 15 chicks who are 10 weeks old who we are trying to transition to the mobile coop/netting, and we're having practically no luck. They just squeeze through the openings and come back to the house and think they're just supposed to be there! The netting is hooked up to a fence charger that is wired into our electricity and packs quite a punch. I got zapped but the netting when I was setting it up yesterday and a portion of netting laid against the fence surrounding our orchard adjacent to the chicken area- it popped me good! But these chicks just go right through like it's nothing. Within minutes, out of the 15, there were only 4 still in. We managed to capture about 8 of the escapees and put them back, and they nearly immediately squeeze through and come back. Despite putting them out several times and removing the food source at the house, only 2 remained in the netting at the end of the day. The larger chicks (around 3 months old) are staying put fine, except for one who I imagine must be flying over the fencing... or at least that's my guess... Anyhow, I don't recall having this much trouble before, with chicks this age, and I'm getting sick of having them by the house with all the poop and destruction! I have read that most people's chickens do get zapped by the fencing but mine don't seem to feel it at all/!?!?!?!

Any suggestions on how to get these rascals to stay put in their new location??? I'm trying to reinforce that the food and treats are only served in the new area, but don't know if that's enough. It's a pain to relocate that many birds up the driveway every night... hoping someone might have a good suggestion for me??? Thanks in advance!

 

[centrarchid]

I use electrified poultry netting as well and can not confine flightless birds until they cannot fit through openings. The zap does not work through feathers well when fence charged as I do it. Fence still zaps predators just fine and larger birds are confined.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If they touch it with comb or wattles, once they are old enough to have combs and wattles, they will get zapped. But the feathers do insulate them.

My suggestion is to house them on a coop or some type of enclosure in that area for a week or so until they decide that is home. Right now they figure that other coop is home and where they are supposed to be. This may not stop them from going through the electric netting until they are bigger, but they should go back to the new coop when they go to bed.

 

[Sazbaby]

I use electrified poultry netting as well and can not confine flightless birds until they cannot fit through openings. The zap does not work through feathers well when fence charged as I do it. Fence still zaps predators just fine and larger birds are confined.

In your experience, how old are they once they stop getting through? I even have an adult hen (English game I think...) who have learned tricks to getting through, she ALWAYS escapes. Happens to be the surrogate mother of these chicks in question... maybe she's taught them too well!! Doh!! These little ones are about 10 weeks old now and squeeze through the bottom openings with little trouble... Hope it's not months to go...

 

[Sazbaby]

If they touch it with comb or wattles, once they are old enough to have combs and wattles, they will get zapped. But the feathers do insulate them.

My suggestion is to house them on a coop or some type of enclosure in that area for a week or so until they decide that is home. Right now they figure that other coop is home and where they are supposed to be. This may not stop them from going through the electric netting until they are bigger, but they should go back to the new coop when they go to bed.

Thanks for the input- these guys do have significant combs +/- wattles, but they don't seem to get zapped- I think they get their head through cleanly and then start touching the wires when they get through to their shoulders... argh. Locking them in the coop for a few days might help matters, at least so they start to think that is home. Might go that route- thanks for the suggestion!

 

[centrarchid]

In your experience, how old are they once they stop getting through? I even have an adult hen (English game I think...) who have learned tricks to getting through, she ALWAYS escapes. Happens to be the surrogate mother of these chicks in question... maybe she's taught them too well!! Doh!! These little ones are about 10 weeks old now and squeeze through the bottom openings with little trouble... Hope it's not months to go...

Ability to go though fencing is more a function of size which means age interacts with breed and gender. My first cohort of American Dominique just lost ability to get through yesterday while American Games will likely be able to get though for another month or so. Both groups are about 14 weeks old now. I will weight them tonight and see where there weight is for size measurement. Frame size may be more important but that is harder to measure.

 

[Sazbaby]

Mine are mostly buff orpington cockerels, just over 10 weeks old now. They certainly look big enough to be held in by the netting, but clearly they're more fluff than substance... I dread the thought of them free ranging around the house for another 4 weeks!!! ugh... There should be a poultry netting made that has more plastic strands in between the electrified strands to cut back on young escapers, since the electric is not what really keeps them confined so much as not being able to squeeze through! Premier 1 is now selling non-electrified "chick" netting which is essentially expensive deer fencing, like the green plastic stuff at lowes, maybe nicer quality, I dunno... but geez, it's mighty inconvenient to have to wait until they're mature size before having the option of portable housing with the netting!!! Guess I'll have to find it in me to be patient... will be hard to do... funny though, the surrogate mother of these particular chicks is STILL brooding over them- she still helps them find feed and hangs out with them, including defending them throughout the day!! And 10 weeks later, she's not laying eggs yet EITHER. She's a great mom but this is a bit of a stretch... I like when they quit around 4 weeks and go back to being a regular hen again...

 

[centrarchid]

I am kind of liking the size of holes in fencing because it makes me delay somewhat when juveniles stocked into pen. Smaller birds than I put would be exceedingly vulnerable to snakes and Coopers Hawks. The smaller birds are also more vulnerable to heavy rain events which like to hit while I am at work.

 

[APPA Member]

Much of your problem with young birds is that they are more interested in going beyond the fence than staying inside it. I suspect you aren't using much netting. We use 200 ft by 200 ft of netting, and keep the mobile coops, feeders and waters well inside the perimeter. As such, the young birds do not feel the need to breach the perimeter.

 

[Eggcessive]

This netting is not meant for young chickens, but for almost grown chickens. I have used it for a couple of years with good results. Most of the time my electric is off, and I use it basically just as a fence. I agree that when you move young chicks to a new coop, they need to be placed inside for up to a week so that they know that is home. Then put them out into their ranging area. Most young chickens don't venture very far from the area near their coop, but it is confusing when they are placed in a new home.