Advice please: escaping chicken

[jojo2910]

Our 3 ladies are in a large run surrounded by an electric fence, each night we remove their feeder and drinker to prevent rats etc going for the food.

About once a month one of our chickens escapes the fence into the garden and it takes ages to get her back in, esp as she always chooses the worst times to escape (usually when we are in a hurry to do something or go somewhere). All 3 have their wings clipped.

Unfortunately she hates being handled and hasn't learnt to follow me back into the coop to get to the food. Our garden is not secure and backs onto a major road which she is very intrigued by and would not be safe for her or drivers.

We think she escapes to look for food as all previous times, we hadn't put the food back in the coop yet. We thought getting an automatic feeder a bit like this might help resolve this, as the chickens could get access to food when she wants it.

Standard Chicken Feeder | Grandpas Feeders UK

I was after some advice in relation to this. Do these feeders work and would it help us in this situation or is there something else we can do?

Thanks,

Jo

[Suechooks]

It sounds as if you're not locking them in at night? If so you could try doing that and put feeders down when you let them out. Othewise you could try a peck spring feeder which would be much cheaper than the treadle ones. You can buy the spring from some of the online poultry equipment suppliers (I got one from Flytes of Fancy for about £3 or £4) and just attach it to the bottom of a lidded container. Richmond Hens uses these and I think Snadger mentioned he'd started using them. (I'm sure others do too!) The birds have to peck at the spring to release the pellets.

[RedThorn]

as to getting them back in, get them used to a sound to associate a treat... eg rattling corn in a tin, that usually works. Oh and grapes are also a choice fav of most girls

[its hilly]

I got a spring from my local agricultural merchant for about £3. Now all I need is a barrel, cos my lovely f-i-l pinched mine , but they do work well.
I'm with RT though, go every evening at the same time, take a treat (sweetcorn is very good, so are grapes and sultanas) and before you pass out the treat rattle something in a tin or plastic bottle. Give it few days and every time you rattle they will hurl themselves at you at very high speed Perfect for escapees.

[jojo2910]

Thanks all. We don't lock them in, as they want to stay up later than us (and they don't like being herded) and get up earlier than us. We thought it better for their welfare not to keep them cooped up longer than necessary.

They do get treats, ours love grapes and blueberries, but we have never tried associating them with a sound. Will try that and/or the spring.

Can someone show me a picture of how the spring works?

[frias]

I always whistle when I give them corn or other treats. They all come to the whistle now.
My lot fill up on pellets just before going to bed so if you are removing the food ealier they might be going to bed hungry.

[RichmondHens]

Mine come to the corn pot, even when it's empty! Just the sight of it makes them go berserk. In fact, anything I carry that looks remotely like it might contain food brings them piling in from all directions. And they have pellet ad lib all day.

[Glutton4...]

I have hoppers with the spring in too - far easier if we're away, and my Folks are in charge. The spring is coiled into a sort of cone shape, with a wide brim - think upside-down hat. This sits in the bottom of the container, protruding down through the hole, and held in place by the wide brim. Pellets go in the container and the lid goes on top, and 'Bingo!' (Oh, yeah, the container has legs, so the top of the spring is about a foot/30cm off the ground.)

Make sure you only clip one wing on each Chook - they can still fly if you do both.

Run a 'trip-wire' around the top of your leccy fence, about 6"/15cm above the mesh - this should keep Houdini in and Foxy out.

My only other comment is, yep, you guessed it; get an automatic door! I want my Hens to have as much daylight as possible, but I'm sure as h*ll not getting up at 4am to let 'em out! LOL

[jojo2910]

My only other comment is, yep, you guessed it; get an automatic door! I want my Hens to have as much daylight as possible, but I'm sure as h*ll not getting up at 4am to let 'em out! LOL

Ha ha ha . I posted another thread on this as we have a coop with a horizontal door and not sure one would work.

[Mowerman]

We've got a Standard Grandpa's Feeder, and are very happy with it. It could well answer your problem, as it will mean you can leave the food out, once your ladies have got used to it, as rats can't access the feeder. Chickens can open it so it should mean they won't have to go elsewhere looking for food. If it doesn't work, they do have a guarantee.........

[Glutton4...]

Ha ha ha . I posted another thread on this as we have a coop with a horizontal door and not sure one would work.

I bought the door and runners that went with it - seeeeemples!

[VirginVegGrower]

5am this morning the girls were going at it "where's mi food, where's mi food". Guess who chose not to shut the pophole leading into the run and it wasn't me. So this morning I woke up grumpy and he had to get dressed, measure out feed and give it to them in order to shut up their dawn chorus! :-)
We take all food in at night as a precaution. A pain but my daughter did want those big pink knockers from Omlet!

[jojo2910]

I bought the door and runners that went with it - seeeeemples!

Glutton, have you got pictures of your coop on here so I can see the set up?

[vicky]

The school chickens have a 'Grandpas feeder' one (rats...) and it works fine. I keep my food inside the house (it's a big shed so lots of room) and have an auto pop hole thingmy which suits us - although the 'wild' ducks now have to go into the house to help themselves!

[baldrick]

I shout chick chick chick every time i give them anything to eat. its very very handy for escapees as tins may not always be to hand, but your voice (hopefully) will. Problem tho. Mine will only come to female voices as himself flatly refuses to call chick chick chick preferring instead to mutter "gerrin there you" and other such niceties under his breath......