Espacing Chicken - Help!!

[gillian62]

We got a couple of new hybrids about 5 weeks ago at POL.

One has settled in with the rest of my chucks, but the other seems to want to be 'Ginger' out of Chicken Run. She is constantly escaping.

In spite of clipping wing on one side she seems to be able to jump up and escape whatever we do. We have 6 foot fences around the garden and I haven't had this problem with any of the other chickens I have.

I don't want this to be a nuisance in the neighbourhood so would appreciate any ideas on how to control her escaping. I know that I could put chicken wire around the edges of the fence, but this seems a lot of work and expense that I would like to avoid if possible.

Any ideas would be gratefully recieved. Thanks.

[Mikey]

Are you able to keep her penned in for a while.

I've had some attempted escapees lately, but it was due to me leaving them out too late in the day, and they were trying to find somewhere to roost.

I hope you find a solution.

[gillian62]

Yes, I have got her in a cage at the moment until I find a solution.

The 2 coops are open all day so the chucks can go back in whenever they want to. They often rest in the shade in the garden or on top of a small run.

[Mikey]

What type of bird is she, two of my birds are quite flighty. The White star especially, perhaps she is just a more chicken chicken are prone to flight.

[Suechooks]

My worry would be that if the chicken can get out then foxes and stray dogs can get in. Sounds like your only solution is to build a run with roof.
Maybe someone will have a better solution but that's what I do with mine.

[evvy2]

I have 2 hens that keep escaping so I know how frustrating it is especially when they dig up my garden.

[chris]

I'd shut her in for a couple of weeks (roofed, as sue says too), hopefully shell realise where home is then.

[BUFFS]

i would clip the other wing as well,make it harder work to escape ,we all seem to have one escaper,mine runs up an old branch ,put there to give them somewhere to sleep in the sun,and they do, and at a run launches herself up to get over the movable fence,i had to move it back a yard and after 4/5 failed attempts she seems to have given up ..for now..

[baldrick]

i would clip the other wing as well,make it harder work to escape ,we all seem to have one escaper,mine runs up an old branch ,put there to give them somewhere to sleep in the sun,and they do, and at a run launches herself up to get over the movable fence,i had to move it back a yard and after 4/5 failed attempts she seems to have given up ..for now..

but doesnt that just even things up and make it easier to flutter? thought it was the imbalance that makes clipping one wing work? Snowflake our white leghorn was a real pain. I should have realised she'd be trouble when she escaped from the carrier at the farm and it took 3 of us to rugby tackle her back in! I did the usual wing clip and next morning I was chasing 20 quid's worth of flying chicken in my jamas! This continued until I lost my rag and cut all of the long feathers off one wing, not just the flights, plus I trimmed all of the remaining feathers on that wing. It looked a bit odd, but it worked. Now she just gets the usual clip of the flights on one wing and my strawberries are safe...ish!