The Poultry Keeper

sasha.p · Joined: 04 Sep 2005 Posts: 479 Location: gwent

Help we constructed a new run new converted shed to give the old run a rest and because we were expecting some new ex batts so we completed it on saturday then saturday evening i carried each individual chicken over and put them in their new house for the night so this morning we let them out they seemed happy as anything but just gone to shut them in and well our feral chickens have decided to go back to their natural instincts of roosting in the trees only problem is its not anywhere in our reach and they have gone about 20ft up not a problem but the problem is what way they decide to come down will they fly out over the fence or do they hop back down branch by branch?because if it is over the fence on the wrong side mr fox will have a field day we can cut the trees down but then they will not have much shade they never done this in the other run with the trees and there are lots more in there but i think because there is a steep bank it has made things more awkward.this was the last thing i expected them to do as we made loads of roosts and a few shelters out in the run as well as the main shed for them with perches nest boxes etc.i think the sun has gone to their heads lol.any advice Shocked

Woodburner · Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 1:04 pm Post subject:

Ooh dear! A bit late for any advice even if I had any to give. Razz

How did you get on with them in the morning?

kated · Joined: 01 Nov 2006 Posts: 1845 Location: norfolk

Too late for last night - hope they made it safely, but can you chop off the lower branches as they probably wouldn't be able to fly up higher than about 8-10 feet?

mojo · Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:17 pm Post subject:

as kated says chop of lower bramches and clip their wings................ really

Henwife · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 3229 Location: Monmouthshire

Make sure there is nothing that they can use to give them any additional height to start from.

Invest in an extending apple picker to poke them out of the tree.

Pollard the tree rather drastically (OH wouldn't let me do this to the holly)

Don't wing clip except as an absolutely last resort. Chicken can fly, foxes can't & if they come down the wrong side of the fence they have some chance of escape. It won't stop them taking to the trees if they want.

They fly straight out of the tree to the ground, but go up in stages.