Jonnyboy
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The textbooks lied!Silkies can fly, well enough to get over a four foot fence (when panicked by a 3 year old) anyway.
But, you'll be pleased to know that the upturned cardboard box, stick, string and birdseed trap a la road runner works really well.
Yours
Wylie Coyote.
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judith
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Re: The textbooks lied!
I keep peanuts in an old plastic milk carton for filling the wild bird feeder. One rattle of that will bring chickens running from all directions. Never failed me yet!
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dougal
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Re: The textbooks lied! | Jonnyboy wrote: | | Silkies can fly, well enough to get over a four foot fence (when panicked by a 3 year old) anyway. |
Textbooks tend to overlook the possibility of a favourable wind being combined with an onrushing 3year old...
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Treacodactyl
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I think it has something to do with the fact that chickens don't read the text books...
Our Buff Sussex's can fly about twice as high as books state. It's just a shame that they don't seem to give much thought to landing before they set off.
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Mrs Fiddlesticks
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our three were obviously the models for chicken run in terms of elegance and lift when attempting to fly. The effort involved in takeoff is impressive but the flight is shorter than the running up to it, all flap and waddle, - disproportionate amount of effort to result as far as we can tell.
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saffranne
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my girls has a treat of boil spaghetti early evening,you only have to tap on the bucket and they come flying as they think its white worms
they will simply come from all the hiding places, paddocks, field ,my only problem now is mr and mrs fox and family
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Jonnyboy
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Re: The textbooks lied! | judith wrote: |
I keep peanuts in an old plastic milk carton for filling the wild bird feeder. One rattle of that will bring chickens running from all directions. Never failed me yet! |
I'm going to do something similar from now on so they associate a particular noise with food.
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Andy B
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I always use their late feed of corn, it makes a good rattly sound in the tin, they all come running, and then you can shut them in the run. Easy.
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2steps
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same here. The rattle of food and they all come running
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Cathryn
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| Mrs Fiddlesticks wrote: | | our three were obviously the models for chicken run in terms of elegance and lift when attempting to fly. The effort involved in takeoff is impressive but the flight is shorter than the running up to it, all flap and waddle, - disproportionate amount of effort to result as far as we can tell. |
what you need is a garden on two levels with a drop of ten foot between them both.  You will then require a tenfoot fence and a conifer hedge to break the flight either that or a strategically placed compost bin for them to splat against
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Lozzie
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| 2steps wrote: | | same here. The rattle of food and they all come running |
My whole family is like that.
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2steps
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Kids, men and animals - they always come home once their hungry
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Chickpea
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Mine aren't silkies, but they can certainly fly! They land with a thud, but they can get where they want to be...
I find a few grapes will entice them into the run, I don't even know how they realise I have them, but they love them so much they throw themselves at me for them! Mind you, I only have to call them and they come running, but they don't always willingly go into the run, but at least I can see them all. At present there's an overgrowth of cow parsley in the woods which hides them, so I'm grateful that they come when called, I wouldn't be able to find them if they didn't!
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Jonnyboy
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Getting an egg a day per hen, the text books lied about their leaying ability as well.
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judith
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Don't worry. They will all go broody next week and you will have to buy eggs again
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2steps
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but then you can hatch out loads more little darlings 
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