Stop flying over the fence!

[troyle]

my chicken keeps flying over the fence so he’s trapped coop all day until 8:30 is when I let him out. If I let him out in the morning or any time of the day when it’s sunny out and not sunset he won’t last one minute before flying over the fence to explore. Should I clip his wings? Bad thing about clipping his wings are hawk attacks and aggressive chickens chasing him. He won’t be able to run from a hawk without his wings. Lost 2 chickens to hawks because the flew out the fence and got caught. What should I do?

 

[Sasha-chickens]

my chicken keeps flying over the fence so he’s trapped coop all day until 8:30 is when I let him out. If I let him out in the morning or any time of the day when it’s sunny out and not sunset he won’t last one minute before flying over the fence to explore. Should I clip his wings? Bad thing about clipping his wings are hawk attacks and aggressive chickens chasing him. He won’t be able to run from a hawk without his wings. Lost 2 chickens to hawks because the flew out the fence and got caught. What should I do?

i clipped my hens wing because she was doing the exact same thing but i love my girls and i don’t want to take a risk of them getting attacked so i just sit outside and watch them and or i have my dog outside so he can scare the hawks away. i read up on how to keep hawks away from your flack and you can set up something that moves in the wind/breeze near your chickens or you can also tie CD’s together and the reflection makes the hawks stay away. and if you don’t want to clip the wings you can spread seed or corn around a area and the hens will learn to stay on the safe side of the fence.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

How many chickens do you have and how big is the run he's flying out of? Sounds like he is flying out to escape aggressive chickens. Clipping his wings is not the solution, in my opinion. You may have a crowding problem, or he is just being bullied for some reason. He may need a new home. Or you may need to take corrective measures against the bully. I'm falling asleep now, perhaps we can discuss this tomorrow if you are interested.

 

[NatJ]

I've been studying the reason he keeps going out is to look for places to burrow. Might install a higher fence as I seen on google. Never wanted to clip his wings.

You could cover the run to keep him in.

You could also provide a place to dustbathe inside the run--maybe just a few scoops of dirt would be enough to make the chicken happy.

 

[rosemarythyme]

How tall's the run fence? Covering the run with netting would both keep this bird from flying out, and keep hawks from getting in.

 

[aart]

Need more info @troyle
Knowing more about your goals for keeping chickens,
-your flock size(numbers, ages, genders),
-your coop and run(size in feet by feet with pics),
might offer clues to if there is a solvable problem.

 

[KiwiandPeachthePigeons]

Well if they’re getting caught bevause they fly out of the fence I would clip.

 

[troyle]

I've been studying the reason he keeps going out is to look for places to burrow. Might install a higher fence as I seen on google. Never wanted to clip his wings.

 

[Jemimapuddleduck]

I would clip its wings

 

[Jemimapuddleduck]

yes that sounds good