Re: Will the hens cross the bridge?


"Sally Thompson" <spt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:0001HW.C452446B00FD51C8F0182648@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Some of you may remember I posted some questions here a few months ago
while
planning my new role as a chicken keeper<g>. I haven't got much further
forward but I have a particular question.

I plan to keep two or three hens in a decent-sized house with a good
fox-proof run (probably electric fencing) which they would be safe in if
we
are out for any length of time. Of course I would shut them in at night.

However, we have about an acre of fairly wild land which I would like the
hens to have free access to at all other times - ie, when we are around
during the day. One boundary has a 6 ft close-boarded fence, and two
others
have stock fence which is rabbit-proofed. I hope that will be sufficient
to
stop them wandering into the lane, the reed bed next door and so on.
However, our back boundary slopes down to a stream, which has a couple of
husband-made bridges over and then just stock fence the other side of the
stream (not our boundary). The bridges are both reached down some rough
steps. Are the hens likely to go down the steps and over the bridges do
you
think? If they go over to the other bank they can of course then wander
down
the opposite bank of the stream, possibly never to be seen again.

Sorry for the long posting but I hope I have explained sufficiently. It
is
not possible to fence off the stream, nor would we want to.

Depending how far it is from their houses, they probably will cross the
bridges. But they'll also come back. Chickens aren't looking to hitchhike
to Vegas (or Gretna Green) ;-).

-Amy


.

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