Speckled Troublemakers Update--Painful lesson ***PIX***

[gryeyes]

Oh MY. They are GORGEOUS girls, and despite your tale o' woe, I still want one for my flock. I think if I continue to keep only one of each breed I add, I can keep the shenanigans down some. Ya think?

Right now I have two little horndog Silver Sebright roos and they are driving me AND the hens absolutely nuts. They're the only "twos" I have outside, currently. (Got some chicks in the brooder hatched from eggs and some more eggs in the 'bators, so...... we'll see about onesies and twosies.)

I still want a Speckled Sussex. Send one of 'em to me, please???

 

[verlaj]

They are beautiful!

My SS hop the fence, too, but they know how to get back in when they want to! They are among my favorites - I love their friendly nature!

 

[verlaj]

I forgot to ask...where did your SS come from? They are as pretty as any I've seen.

 

[Casey3043]

They came from Cackle Hatchery as day-old chicks. I ordered 20 pullets and got 19 pullets and an accidental roo. I have 10 adult hens, some 3 years old and some 1 year old.

It seems that last year it was the SLW pullets that were up on the top of the 5 foot fence, but they never jumped the wrong way and ended up in the yard. They haven't jumped up there since they matured. Seems to be a young bird thing.

 

[greenSearcher]

I love my SS, having a pair. Ordered more to start breeding them nest year. Should be an interesting adventure. Goldie is head hen, looks like your girls, and I got her from MPC. The roo is a character, quite gentile but an egg short of a full dozen. Will see how the roos I ordered compare, I am not sure I want to pass on slow feathering, early molting and stupid genes to the next generation. The pullet is a good solid layer, but is insatiably curious and will check out any changes in the yard, coop or run, especially new plantings or blooms. I will fence my herb and flower beds next spring, right now after the hordes of grasshoppers I have nothing but Passion Flower and Calla Lily thriving. I suspect she has less time for mischief because she is head hen and bossing the other girls keep her busy.

 

[Casey3043]

Maybe my SS pullets are really smart instead of really stupid. They are by far the most adventuresome, and the roo (a black Australorp) spends all his time trying to keep them rounded up (well, maybe not ALL his time. Maybe that's why they jump the fence.......).

Today, returning from walk, I found one SS in the yard. Tried to herd her back into the garden, and she went over the yard fence into the woods. The roo paced and called from inside the garden. I had to walk all the way around and herd her in through the other gate.

She showed no remorse, by the way.

Since I can't tell them apart, I don't know which ones are the bad girls or whether they take turns.

 

[tasymo]

Your Speckled Sussex hens are beautiful. I doubt that they are stupid, I'd say they are too smart for their own good! Perhaps you should run some chicken wire a foot or two around the top of your chainlink fence. As long as my Girls can see a top bar, they will jump up there. A 3' high chicken wire fence will keep them inside, because they can't see how high it is and assume it just keeps going.

 

[Casey3043]

I think you're right, Tasymo. Also, when I enlarged the coop, I forgot that the steps would now be much closer to the fence, giving them a nice takeoff spot a couple of feet higher than the ground. They get up on the silver fence which is around the garden, walk along the top of it to the green fence which is around the back yard, and then hop down onto that lovely green grass, not realizing that three voracious canines wait for them.

I'm a nervous wreck trying to make sure there are no hens in the yard before letting the dogs out. I have the stuff to put an electric wire around the top of the fence, just need the ambition. It's been so HOT this summer that I just couldn't face working out there.

 

[tuesdays chicks]

My naughty bird was my Brahma, she used to squeeze under the fence. Glad she grew out of it

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

They are very pretty, but I would put a wire top over their run...image them getting out and you NOT HAVING the dogs with you...it's slaughter time for them.