Runaway Hen!

[hennypennysmom]

This is our first spring with our chickens. We have 7 hens, no roosters: 3 plymouth rocks; 4 cochins. We have a fairly secluded and big back yard - and many people have said (and these are "chicken folks")...."Oh, just let them out and they will come back to the coop in the evening.". We've been experimenting with letting them roam a bit - but are concerned about the neighbors being bothered. A few days ago, they wandered VERY far away from the house - nearly 2 houses down (in the woods). Dense underbrush, we thought they had totally disappeared. Finally found them and rounded them up. Today it was sooooo beautiful here, and I felt so bad for them - they were wanting to get out sooo bad. So I let them out.

This one ROGUE Plymouth Rock just TAKES OFF. And i mean - if this chicken could have a thought bubble over its head, it would say "I am SO frickin' OUT OF THIS PLACE!" and she RUNS up the hill towards the neighbor's house (dogs)! I had to chase her through all this underbrush and she kept going deeper and deeper into the woods til we were just in back of their patio (in the woods)! Thank GOD no one was home - or at least they weren't outside to see me swearing and chasing this stupid chicken through what i'm SURE was a field of poison ivy. ARGGG!

My husband is going to try and construct some sort of larger area that they can roam - but stay safe in our yard. We cannot afford to fence our back yard - it would be very, very expensive because of the size. So we are going to try this. We've had picking problems (they are bare butted and bare backed - the cochins much more victims than the rocks - the rocks seem to be the more aggressive and loud ones) and the Agway guys says "Oh, it's probably the combination of Cochin and Rocks - the Rocks are aggressive". Would have been nice to know that when we BOUGHT the chicks last May! I'm worried that we don't have enough room and that maybe they are picking because they are too crowded and wonder whether we should re-home the 3 Rocks (they ARE good egg layers)....but don't know if the cochins will become aggressive if the Rocks are gone.

The lowest chicken is a cochin - and she is really being bullied by the rocks. Today I noticed her comb was bleeding and the top of her head was being pecked too. The Rocks are going after her from what I saw.

(this is poor Petunia - my favorite - the one who is at the bottom of the pecking order)

Whaddyall think? Have you had this combination before? I love the cochins. They are funny and entertaining. The rocks are not as friendly, they are loud and aggressive (ok, maybe i'm a bit more biased towards the cochins!). The Rocks are the ones who are FREAKING out everyday, running back and forth infront of the run door to get out. The others get excited, but not like the Rocks who seem to be obsessed with getting out. The cochins are pretty happy-go-lucky!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated....

Kara

 

[chuckzoo]

I have two BRs and they are both friendly and come running to me. I handled a good bit when they were chicks. They do like to go out of their run and run around in my backyard but ours is smaller and fenced. They sound as if they are stressed somehow and maybe bored. Try hanging half a cabbage in their run for some entertainment. Get them used to you buy bringing them treats, i.e. sunflowers in a cup you can shake when they get used to the sound they should come running for the treat. I get them to follow me and then throw the sunflower seeds into the run to get them to go back in.

 

[hennypennysmom]

Thanks for the cabbage idea - I'm going to try that this weekend.

They have very different temperments from the cochins. It's not that they aren't friendly - they are inquisitive, and will come right up to you and eat out of your hand...we raised them from one day old, handled them alot....but even from then - they never liked to be picked up while the cochins would literally jump on your hand to be picked up. They've always been perchers....(shoulders, laps, heads, etc). Once the BRs are out though, they are near to impossible to catch - we've tried all sorts of treats, etc...they just seem to like to roam!

Kara

 

[MistyValley]

Kara, I feel your pain. I look out and mine are on the road in front of our house!

It's just a loop of the old road before they straighten the highway out. But ppl that live on this road think it's major highway they way they drive! Since I'm home now everyday I just keep an eye out and when they get to wandering too far I take treats out and call them closer to the house. Believe it or not they they tend to stay closer to the house and yard when I do this for them. Mine come to chickie! chick! when I call that they know there is treats. I did this everyday for a month when they were little, with treats so that they always came to me even while they were still in the run. It's to the point now that I can give that call and they come running even if they aren't treats. They will roam but not so far away. Just tonight had the youngest 3 looking in my back door for me.

 

[luvzmychickens]

for the pecking order, i know how you feel, Kimber my Australorp is at the bottom, and her cone was always bleeding or covered in fresh and old scabs

i finaly stoped it becauser i couldnt take it any more, i just felt so bad for Kimber. how i stopped it is when ever i saw them pecking her i would (gently but frimly) peck the one that was pecking on the head and say "no". after a week or so they stopped and now they all get along great!!!

 

[chuckzoo]

Quote:
I have also got mine to the point when I call them "Come Daisy and Sally Come" and it melts my heart when they come running, sometimes wings outstreched to propel them faster - it so gratifying, and all it took was teaching them with the treats. They also come to my back door and leave little presents which my husband invariably steps in and I have to clean up, but I do enjoy my two hens.

 

[gsim]

Quote:
I have rocks and they are very friendly towards us. I have black aussies too and they are a more shy bird. I have never had any pecking or bullying to speak of. I do have a lot of space for my flock tho. I have 23 pullets and they are housed in an 8 x 16 coop which is inside of a 1900 sq ft run. I think space has a lot to do with it. If you have a bloody chook, isolate her until she is healed. Chooks peck at anything red, which is why auto-waterers usually have red nozzles. You can also use a product whose name escapes me just now. It is blue, maybe called blue kote? It stops bleeding and repels at the same time usually. Never put a chook with any blood on her in with the others. Never, never, never!

 

[En Plein Air Farms]

this was 50 years ago, but my mother raised chickens, 500 at a time, and if pecking happened she'd coat the skinned up ones areas with blue food coloring. It really did work. Just in case you don't have any professional stuff at hand.

 

[chuckzoo]

Quote:
That sounds like a very good idea, you could mix some Neosporin with blue food coloring and apply it where she is getting pecked. Apparently anything as gooy as vaseline will also stopp them from pecking 'cause they don't like it on their beaks.