WTFreak/OMG Moment... Chick climbing fences?!?!?

[lissalischicks]

I have a couple 9 week old chicks that are somewhat escape artists but that is not the WTF moment. I was watching the girls go into the coop and then into the hen house like always. One of the little chicks was being a straggler and was just walking around outside the run. The run is covered by 1/4 x 1/4 gauge hardware cloth. All the sudden she jumps toward the hardware cloth and I'm thinking ... you dummy you can't go through the wire you have to go through the door. But then to my horror she starts climbing it ... like I've seen parrots, parakeets...etc. climb their enclosure. Then she jump onto the dividing wall and starts looking at my neighbor's backyard. I started freaking out because if she jumps over it's over! I enticed her down with treats just before she jumped over.

Question... has anyone had their chicken scale a fence?????????????????????????????????? It was over 10 feet!!!!! Do they grow out of it??????????? AHHH!!!! I need answers! It's so bizarre!

 

[CannedMonster]

Wow.
I’ve never heard of a chicken or chick doing that but I’ve only had chickens for less than a year.
I have seen my friends EE leap from a standstill to the top of a 6’ fence.

 

[lissalischicks]

Yea a lot of my girls, especially my EE can jump over 6' too. But this scaling a fence thing was crazy!!!

 

[azygous]

No, I have never seen such a thing. What breed is this Olympic wannabe?

At nine weeks, the chick is about half her adult size, so as she fills out she may find it not so easy to perform the Spider Man bit. But she sounds like a precocious one. She may grow out of this act, but she may be smart enough to come up with something else to amaze and confound you.

I have an EE hen who has learned to jump up to the shelf in the run where I keep treats. That's not the remarkable thing. She has figured out how to knock the treat containers to the ground so they spill open, and she and the flock all gorge on the spilled goodies.

Underestimate chicken intelligence at your peril.

 

[Chicken Whisperers]

Me too. My EE Ameraucana jumped up to the top of our 7-foot shed to get cherries from the overhanging branches of the tree. It's amazing how chickens can surprise us!! My 4-week old polish also jumped a 4 foot wooden wall, and I didn't think she could even fly up at all! You could keep her in a secure place or just keep an eye on her whenever she's out. IDK.. I've never heard of a fence-climbing young chicken either!!!!

 

[lissalischicks]

She is a mixed breed... i think part Spitz and part Easter or Oliver Egger. We use a 3 feet high doggie enclosure thing to keep the girls in their area. All the chicks can sort of climb on them and jump over but this was more than 10 feet. She used her feet to climb up and her beak to pull herself up and scaled it in less than a few seconds. It took longer to close my mouth when it dropped open!

Do you think it could be from boredom? But ... she was suppose to be going into the house to roost and sleep!!!

 

[townchicks]

Wow! That's a new one on me. Sounds like a cover for the run would be a very good idea.

 

[Taliasun]

My Australorp took a hike her first day in the yard so I have to assume she scaled the fence. She still really likes to hop on the ledge of the coop door when I come around to deliver snacks so that she can grab the tastiest morsels.

 

[lissalischicks]

Yea... the run is covered. This was outside the run. I did put up some netting on the side of the fence and wall so she can climb but not jump onto the wall.

 

[aart]

Yep, have seen it several times, both chicks and older birds.
It's often called 'clambering'.
Did she flap her wings too?

She used her feet to climb up and her beak to pull herself up and scaled it in less than a few seconds. It took longer to close my mouth when it dropped open!