Chicken Help Please Please Please

tryingtobegreen

Dnd i no what u mean about the food confusion!
After reading previous posts i gave my chookies some grass toady, as theyre on stone at the mo. They loved it! they aslso had porridge, loved that as well!
I really must have their wings clipped and then something doing with my privet hedge so they can freerange.
Any ideas gardening buddies on how to errect chicken wire for the hedge which is 8ft high but not leaving it an eyesore? also need to cut it in spring etc

tryingtobegreen

Also nearly finished my new chicken house!
Got a friend round to help, power tools at the ready, need to but a roof on but the house is on stilts, nest box finished, chicken exit door done just needs hanging then tom if i get a chance the rooof to make and put on then all done. Ill have to make another run tho but hope it not going to be permanent
HEHEHEHE my 1 and 3yr olds think theyre fab.

mum_of_4

Well done on the house.

I needed to do something with one of my fences i felt it was two low so we bought that reed screening stuff from wilko's. I can't remember the size, I think it was about 5 foot high and 10foot wide. Something like below

http://www.yorkgardencentre.co.uk/acatalog/Bamboo_Slat_Fencing_And_Screening.html

tryingtobegreen

my fences will be fine i think. To the right and at the bottom theyre about 5ft but to the left its the privet hedge. The height of the hedge is not a prob but the people next door that share the hedge have a dog.
The dog has been known to push its way through the hedge, mainly in summer when it can smell the barby!
I do like the hedge, it stops alot of the noise from the neighbours and they cant see into my garden.
So, wil the 5ft fences be high enough?
will i be able to put chick wire up at the hedge, an it be safe enough to prevent the dog but not restrict the maintenence of the hedge?
also will it look an eyesore?

moo2moo

Its not all fun fun fun though. Despite having a fox proof enclosure and wing clipped chucks and no problems for the past 6 years yesterday a townie walking an unleashed dog managed to get onto my property and break wings and puncture lungs on 2 hens which I had to kill instantly. The owners attitude was its in the dogs nature. Not I'm trespassing and my dog has forced its way through a hedge and into a private garden where its mortally injured livestock. He then went on to offer me £5 by way of compensation as thats what they cost in Tesco.

mum_of_4

tryingtobegreen wrote: »

my fences will be fine i think. To the right and at the bottom theyre about 5ft but to the left its the privet hedge. The height of the hedge is not a prob but the people next door that share the hedge have a dog.
The dog has been known to push its way through the hedge, mainly in summer when it can smell the barby!
I do like the hedge, it stops alot of the noise from the neighbours and they cant see into my garden.
So, wil the 5ft fences be high enough?
will i be able to put chick wire up at the hedge, an it be safe enough to prevent the dog but not restrict the maintenence of the hedge?
also will it look an eyesore?

I think you would be ok just using the chicken wire, my chickens go through the shrubs and hedges so with out the wire fence my would have gone into the next garden.

My chickens have never tried to fly accross into the other gardens even though at times they could have being that we hadn't cut their wings,(which you need to do more than once a year).

dora37

moo2moo wrote: »

He then went on to offer me £5 by way of compensation as thats what they cost in Tesco.

That is unbelievable! :eek: - Sorry to hear about your chickens.

dND

Oh moo2moo as dora said that is totally unbelievable. Legally he is responsible for the dog's actions, sadly if it went to court it's the dog that would be put down not the owner.

hugs from here and I do hope the other chickens weren't too traumatised as they can be very susceptible to shock.

shirlgirl2004

tryingtobegreen wrote: »

my fences will be fine i think. To the right and at the bottom theyre about 5ft but to the left its the privet hedge. The height of the hedge is not a prob but the people next door that share the hedge have a dog.
The dog has been known to push its way through the hedge, mainly in summer when it can smell the barby!
I do like the hedge, it stops alot of the noise from the neighbours and they cant see into my garden.
So, wil the 5ft fences be high enough?
will i be able to put chick wire up at the hedge, an it be safe enough to prevent the dog but not restrict the maintenence of the hedge?
also will it look an eyesore?

5ft won't stop stop your banties escaping if they want to but they'll be fine they know where they are well off! I don't clip wings because in the event of a dog or fox attack I know my chooks will have a better chance of getting away. You will need to put wire up at the hedge because they love nothing better than rooting around around and under hedges etc.

tryingtobegreen

moo2moo thats so sad.
some people are just ignorant, 'its a dogs nature', i dont condone violence put the tescos bit would have sent me over the edge i think.