Houdini hen

[pickledtink]

There are dog balls you can fill with treats that keep dogs amused for hours, I'm sure that'll drive a hen nuts given time. I have a Hen gym see here
Grow Your Own - Growing, How To Grow Tomatoes Growing Fruit & Veg - Recipe Advice, Organic food Gardening, Chickens, Seeds for Sale
Also area's they can scratch about dust bathe in things to go under, in, through, out, and of course the best hen toy imagineable..................

A Mirror...................

Honestly they've got more than enough space, leaves, dirt etc to scratch about and logs , scrub to go in amongst, under over etc.
The others seem pretty much fine and spend ages poking around, exploring under the logs, dust bathing but not her.She was a nightmare when we bought her. They had a real job catching her and when they tried to put one of the others in the box with her she exploded out of it like a cannonball. She's been a big personality since the start. I would put a mirror in their enclosed outer area and other thing to avoid, boredom but I don't think anything will stop her trying to escape.

[pickledtink]

I have a feeling this one isn't going to be interested in distractions. She just believes that 'the grass is greener on the other side of the fence'.
You could try attaching a hen-sized 'ball and chain' to keep her within bounds? (no, not really, but I bet you've thought about how handy it would be).

That's what I think. When I put the others in with her just now she was out between my legs like a shot. I'm now scratched and grouchy from chasing her through scrub, thorns and logs to get her back in.

Ball and chain? You must be psychic. I was just thinking that very thing.

[Nicos]

She's not being picked on by one of the others is she?
Other thought could be she's trying to find somewhere more private to lay her eggs??? ( my Betty kept flying out from the electric enclosure to lay under the shrubs- so we put a load of half squashed cardboard boxes around the place for her to hide in to lay..that's done the trick for now....as well as having 8 babes to look after!!!)

[HayleyB]

Ball and chain it is then, does anywhere do chook leg weights?

[Nicos]

does anywhere do chook leg weights?

Cor that's an idea!!!!.....imagine the drumsticks after a few months!!!!

[Hilary B]

Cor that's an idea!!!!.....imagine the drumsticks after a few months!!!!

Yeah, TOUGH!!!

[HayleyB]

cor that's an idea!!!!.....imagine the drumsticks after a few months!!!!:d

rofpmsl.............

[Nicos]

These would slow her down- esp if you added weights!!!!

http://www.toonhound.com/boots4.jpg

[pickledtink]

She's not being picked on by one of the others is she?
Other thought could be she's trying to find somewhere more private to lay her eggs??? ( my Betty kept flying out from the electric enclosure to lay under the shrubs- so we put a load of half squashed cardboard boxes around the place for her to hide in to lay..that's done the trick for now....as well as having 8 babes to look after!!!)

Pretty sure not. she's been the queen and firmly top of the pecking order since they all came together.
As for egg laying. She was one of the first to start and chose the box they all lay in and has done ever since. She never even had a few 'accidents' at the beginning like the others. All in all she's the leader in everything.
I made the extra height fencing more secure yesterday and think I need to get that side more free of things to clamber up. Meanwhile they are safe in the covered big run and I'll make that as attractive and entertaining as possible.

What titbits can I hang for example? I'm about to search out some old CDs for now and put in some higher twiggy logs.

[HayleyB]

These would slow her down- esp if you added weights!!!!

http://www.toonhound.com/boots4.jpg

Brilliant, I can imagine my little Fiesty in those.

[MaureenHall]

Think I'd like them for all my lot!!! It'd stop the s*** getting under their toenails in the rain wouldn't it

[pickledtink]

I'm being subjected to shameless emotional blackmail now!
Whenever I go anywhere up their end they cluster hopefully at the door making mournful sounds.
This is dreadful. I feel like a prison camp guard. I've tarted it up with lots of twisty logs and branches. Fed them all sorts of goodies throughout the day but the cause of all of them being kept in the enclosure actually turned her back on me and stalked off into the coop when I came in once she realised she wasn't getting out.

Pity those booty things are not for real. It'd bring her down a peg or two if she had to stomp about in them!

[RichmondHens]

2.5 m square is not very much space for 5 birds in my opinion, I'm afraid. I think you mentioned you are going to try and increase the run size. Try to do that asap and see if their behaviour changes.

[pickledtink]

2.5 m square is not very much space for 5 birds in my opinion, I'm afraid. I think you mentioned you are going to try and increase the run size. Try to do that asap and see if their behaviour changes.

It's actually only 4 birds but it was never meant to be the only outside space they had. At least it's human height size too. Until the much larger area which can't be covered is made more secure I think I'd rather keep them in there safe from the foxes than see them dead. Their coop is huge too as it was converted from a shed. I've got a guy I pay coming in the next day or two to spend the day getting more fencing and wiring up but it can't be covered above without chopping down the plum tree.
Increasing the run would cost me hundreds as it was several days pay for it to be built and dug 3 foot under with wire to stop foxes.

[pickledtink]

2.5 m square is not very much space for 5 birds in my opinion, I'm afraid. I think you mentioned you are going to try and increase the run size. Try to do that asap and see if their behaviour changes.

It's the free range area she keeps trying to get out of not the run. That's secure for safety. The bit I'm talking about is where I've fenced off the whole end of the Garden where the fruit trees are. The farm where I got them said everythiNG space wise was more than enough for just 4 hens.