Author Topic: What to do with feral chickens?! (Read 2774 times)

Wellieboots · « **on:** August 22, 2009, 08:47:39 am »

Help!

After getting another 4 chickens a couple of months ago & introducing them to the hen house etc...etc...all was well until a couple of nights ago. Now the newbies don't go to bed to roost, they stay in our paddock and I think roost in the trees! Hen house is fine, no red mite or anything & the 3 older ones go in fine. No bullying that I know of as they had all been fine & mixed well.

Any ideas why the "feral" ones won't return to the house, its where their pellets & water is as well - I don't think they are even going in for pellets as the rate of use seems to have dropped as well.

They are all black rocks (all 7 in total) and as said all seemed fine until a few days ago. Oh & they aren't at POL yet either (big ones are a year old, feral ones are about 20 weeks).

I'm blowed if I know whats up & main problem is that they are chicken chickens & run away at the slightest thing so trying to catch them in a 1 acre paddock is next to impossible!

Any help greatly appreciated

HappyHippy · « **Reply #1 on:** August 22, 2009, 09:55:46 am »

I'm afraid I can't really tell you how to get them back in line unfortunately, but if it's any consolation hubby had a few that did the same thing - chose the trees over the lovely warm, safe coop ! I believe this is where they would naturally roost, given that they originated in jungled areas, they probably feel safer. Like all animals though they'll come back when they get hungry, maybe keeping them closed in again for a time if/when they return will help ?

doganjo · « **Reply #2 on:** August 22, 2009, 03:30:09 pm »

Maybe you have a fox and they are wise to it? Do you feed ad lib or set times? Mine come running to the food cup rattling because I feed only twice a day.

Wellieboots · « **Reply #3 on:** August 23, 2009, 01:36:24 pm »

No fox, as no smell or any other trace of one & the 3 "grown up" chooks all are fine in the hut, laying & roosting. Feed (pellets) is there all the time (in the hut) & I give them grain once a day roughly. The older ones always come running when I rattle the grain cup but the ferals were/are too flighty to come near me.

I know the originate in the jungle but once imprinted with a home (the hut) they were fine until recently. I haven't seen them come into the garden for water or pellets at all. They have a 1 acre paddock that they have adopted as home but I'm struggling to work this out as they will come into lay soon which will be a pain to find & with the colder weather close by they are doing themselves no favours.

Catching them is also not an option as they have linford christie genes I think and are away before we can get near them!

doganjo · « **Reply #4 on:** August 23, 2009, 04:00:19 pm »

Can you set up an enclosed fence round the hut and scatter food inside it, leaving the adult chooks in there. And if that doesn't work try taking the adult chooks out or even shutting them in the coop for a bit till you see if the wild ones will come down. I presume you leave the pophole open for them to go in if they want at night? I think it might be a case of trial and error for a bit. Maybe even a nesting box in the open with a fence round it - need a cover of some sort against the weather of course.

The rain has been so heavy here today that I am thinking of draping a sloping tarp over part of the run. Just can't think what to pin it down with. Might go up to Focus to see if they have a staple gun. It's like a mud bath in there today!

harry · « **Reply #5 on:** August 23, 2009, 08:38:22 pm »

catching them is easy easy at night all you need is a torch and just pick them up, i have about 50 hens at present and 4 sheds, all mine roost in the trees and good job to as no fleas, mites etc etc to worry them at night, i think a far healthier option than sheds that i also dont have to clear out and clean.

Hardfeather · « **Reply #6 on:** August 24, 2009, 09:49:51 am »

Or you could make a live trap similar to a lobster creel.

You'd need some wire netting which can be bent over in a curve, netted at the ends, and held down by pegs, with a 'tunnel' made from netting leading into the catch area formed.

The tunnel has to be big enough to allow a bird to enter easily,and long enough to go about a third of the way into the trap. The end of the entry tunnel must be flush with the outside of the trap so that the birds are not impeded in their entry. Once in, they cannot easily find their way back out.

A bit of wheat scattered in and around the trap will get them caught fairly quickly.

It's a handy thing for wild pheasant harvesting too.

Wellieboots · « **Reply #7 on:** August 24, 2009, 04:22:08 pm »

well after much huffing, swearing, puffing, swearing, running, swearing etc..etc.. I have all 4 ferals now back in the arc with the door closed! Only problem is letting the big ones in to lay. The ferals are so flighty it is sad, but they will stay in the arc for a couple of weeks (it has a run) so that they get imprinted again & I can start to get them used to being around me.

Hopefully they'll calm down, if not then its chicken & potato pies me thinks!

doganjo · « **Reply #8 on:** August 24, 2009, 04:52:42 pm »

Perhaps not, they may come down to lay once they start. You might even get a broody one - then the fun will start - they'll all want a bit of the action!

Wellieboots · « **Reply #9 on:** August 25, 2009, 08:50:27 am »

oh yes, the older ones have done the broody thang, built me a fine little brood arc and managed to break the cycle in one down to only about a week, the other one hung on for the full 21 odd days!