VERY Soggy Chooks and more......

[lizzylemon]

Hello everyone, hope you're all OK with weather. I need your help please:

I have 4 very soggy ladies today. They completely ignored all the dry areas of the garden / run and were so wet by the end of the day I could see the skin on their soggy little heads - is this OK or do I need to do something - I gave them hot porridge with Hen Spice stuff in it to warm them up but I didn't dry them off before they went to bed for example.

Secondly, I currently have a 3 foot (1 metre) fence surrounding their coop which laughingly I thought would keep them in (wing clipped too) but they just hop over so wonder how much I need to do to stop them getting out. I read somewhere in the forum, it doesn't take much, but what?.....I can't put somethig over the top as it's a 3 x 4m area and the coops at the back so wouldn't have cleaning access if I did that....hmmmmm
Thanks

[lynda66]

get a piece of pond netting, then you can pull it back for cleaning, but they can't get through it by jumping ..... dunno if you can get it cheaper, somewhere else, but wilkies sell it

[Snadger]

get a piece of pond netting, then you can pull it back for cleaning, but they can't get through it by jumping ..... dunno if you can get it cheaper, somewhere else, but wilkies sell it

The trouble with that is Reynard will make light work of a 3 foot fence with pond netting!

[lynda66]

The trouble with that is Reynard will make light work of a 3 foot fence with pond netting!

yes, but they are currently in a 3 foot run with no roof at all

[Snadger]

yes, but they are currently in a 3 foot run with no roof at all

Agreed!!!

[Snadger]

Hello everyone, hope you're all OK with weather. I need your help please:

I have 4 very soggy ladies today. They completely ignored all the dry areas of the garden / run and were so wet by the end of the day I could see the skin on their soggy little heads - is this OK or do I need to do something - I gave them hot porridge with Hen Spice stuff in it to warm them up but I didn't dry them off before they went to bed for example.

Secondly, I currently have a 3 foot (1 metre) fence surrounding their coop which laughingly I thought would keep them in (wing clipped too) but they just hop over so wonder how much I need to do to stop them getting out. I read somewhere in the forum, it doesn't take much, but what?.....I can't put somethig over the top as it's a 3 x 4m area and the coops at the back so wouldn't have cleaning access if I did that....hmmmmm
Thanks

I just wonder have you kept the chooks in a 3 foot high enclosure without a top for long Lizzy?
In my neighborhood they wouldn't last five minutes without a fox preying on them!

[pipscariad]

Hello lizzylemon! My chooks also get themselves soaked, daft birds, but they've come to no harm yet - it must get pretty fugged up in their eglu later, I reckon! Just keep an eye on them for sneezes, but if they insist on standing out in it there's not much you can do

Re the fence, mine are kept in by a 3' odd green electric poultry fence - and I've not had any escapees since I clipped their wings. I'm not sure whether this is because they can't really see it very well so aren't sure where the top is? Or maybe they're just too scared to give it a go, having had a shock (literally, poor loves!) when it first went up? As far as non electric fence goes, I think you need to be thinking of at least 6 foot high, to keep Mr Fox out as well as the chooks in. I'm sure I read somewhere on here that hens can even get over that (and Mr Fox too ) though, so wait for more of an expert.

Hope all's well with you - I'm just waiting for some dry weather, as I can't wait to get on with some proper gardening!

[lynda66]

i assumed they were in a run in a fenced garden ???

[di]

I'd definately try to get a higher fence up I think...as for getting wet,until recently we only provided ours with smallish shelters from the rain & they always opted to ignore them & choose to get drenched instead!We've since covered nearly half their run with a tarp(or 2)...only a few pounds at B&Q...& finally they seem to see sense & for the most part stay where it's dry.

[lizzylemon]

Hi All, I dropped my laptop last nite so went into shock for a while. Anyway, the set up is, a coop and builtin run, with the run too small for much. The whole shebang is surrounded by the 3ft fence giving them an area approx 3x4 meters squared (or whatever the math) and a little gate for me to use, as apparantly humans are rubbish at getting over stuff thats doesn't faze a 2 foot chicken.

The idea was that they would hangout in their fenced area and I would let them into the main garden as a treat. Well now they just free range whenever as I'm surplus to requirements and they just hop over the fence as soon the pop/run door is open.

After dropping the laptop last nite, I'm not going to answer the foxy question directly as I'm feeling irrationally supertious(?). Only to say I copied my next door (by 0.5 mile) nieghbours set up: they've had their hens for years and our girls have been here since beginning of December.......but we have masses and masses of wild rabbits all around so perhaps they play a part in it all as I often find odd tuffs of rabbit fur on the grass.

[HayleyB]

You do need to get something higher or a roof. As for wet chooks, mine were soaked yesterday but enjoyed drying off in their woodchip on the floor,.