[Mrs Snoodles]

I've decided tmove my chickens inside as I am fed up with the mulchy slippery stench of wet food and mud in the fields and really not looking forward to de-icing drinkers etc.   I have a big open space, about single garage size alongside part of my house, that I will move them into.

There will be a 5 bar gate holding most of them in, but some of them are going to wander up the side track into the meadows and others may head the other way, near the road.  It's basically next to their 'area'.
 
Now, I have never seen chicken roadkill. Everything else, but not chickens.  Do you reckon they will be OK?

[doganjo]

Mine don't have any road sense nor do my dogs, which is why I keep them fenced in.  How about chicken wire fixed to the gate?

[chrismahon]

They have great spacial awareness but are also curious. You need to be sure they can't escape Mrs Snoodles.

I've seen chicken roadkill.

[Mrs Snoodles]

Guess I'll have to net them in. no huge problem - Ive just taken down a whole load of pheasant pen netting I can use.  I just liked the idea of them having a bit of access to the track and not just being kept on a brick floor.

[in the hills]

We live on a very quiet single track lane ...... we get excited if we see a car    but my neighbour along the lane has lost the odd one to traffic and a nearby farm (on a slightly bigger lane) seems to have them run over fairly often. I don't think they have much road sense  . We use chicken wire to prevent most of ours venturing out ..... apart from the Friesians, who I have to admit I can't keep off the lane unless I prevent them from having any free ranging .... you'll understand why!!!!!


Round here, most peoples hens, peacocks, guinea fowl and just about everything else gets on the lanes .... even found a tortoise crossing on one occasion  . Not sure if it's the same everywhere or just here.

[jaykay]

I live on a straight bit of a B road and I had quite a number of chickens (as well as three young cats  ) killed on the road. I had to chicken-wire the gate, including a 'hoop' on the top, to prevent perching, to stop them going out there.

[FiB]

We live on a very quiet single track lane ...... we get excited if we see a car    but my neighbour along the lane has lost the odd one to traffic and a nearby farm (on a slightly bigger lane) seems to have them run over fairly often. I don't think they have much road sense  . We use chicken wire to prevent most of ours venturing out ..... apart from the Friesians, who I have to admit I can't keep off the lane unless I prevent them from having any free ranging .... you'll understand why!!!!!


Round here, most peoples hens, peacocks, guinea fowl and just about everything else gets on the lanes .... even found a tortoise crossing on one occasion  . Not sure if it's the same everywhere or just here.

Ith - you must live in my valley!!!!!  Yep, chickens no sense of boundary.  I have to chase mine from road every now and a gain when I leave the gate open.  What ARE they thinking???  Grass. woodland, theyve even got the run of my raised beds (this year  )..?  mmm tarmac.

[Mrs Snoodles]

...and there was me thinking it'd be OK!   I even used to pass the chicken roundabout near Bungay and never see anything dead there. ITH.....love your comment about the Friesians and yes I do absolutely 100 percent know why!   You don't stand a chance!

[Bionic]

We live on a very quiet single track lane ...... we get excited if we see a car    but my neighbour along the lane has lost the odd one to traffic and a nearby farm (on a slightly bigger lane) seems to have them run over fairly often. I don't think they have much road sense  . We use chicken wire to prevent most of ours venturing out ..... apart from the Friesians, who I have to admit I can't keep off the lane unless I prevent them from having any free ranging .... you'll understand why!!!!!


Round here, most peoples hens, peacocks, guinea fowl and just about everything else gets on the lanes .... even found a tortoise crossing on one occasion  . Not sure if it's the same everywhere or just here.

Ith - you must live in my valley!!!!!  Yep, chickens no sense of boundary.  I have to chase mine from road every now and a gain when I leave the gate open.  What ARE they thinking???  Grass. woodland, theyve even got the run of my raised beds (this year  )..?  mmm tarmac.

FiB, mine are the same. Still, see me with bread they can't get back fast enough. silly 

[cleopatra]

we sometimes see hens on the country roads here, never seen a dead one tho.
when we put our 20 hens in a 14x28ft barn/stable they taught themselves to eat their own eggs, i presume out of boredom, we couldnt cure them even 6 mths of being freerange afterwards so make sure they still have a good nest box.