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The great chicken escape that turned into a three hour chase
Honestly, I thought my run was pretty secure. Ngl, I was wrong. Last Tuesday, my little barred rock hen, Gertrude, found a gap in the fence wire I didn't even see. It was maybe an inch wide, near the ground. She squeezed out and just started wandering down the street. What I figured would be a quick scoop-up turned into a full neighborhood event. She'd let me get close, then dart under a car or through a bush. My neighbor's kid even tried to help with a butterfly net. It took three hours, a handful of mealworms, and finally cornering her behind the Smith's garbage cans to get her back. Has anyone else had a chicken that turned into a tiny, feathered escape artist like this? What did you do to really lock things down after?
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noah9172mo ago
My buddy's hen did that. @the_nina is right, check that fence.
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kai_west1mo ago
My white leghorn Henrietta once gave me a 2 hour runaround after she squeezed under the gate like a ghost. I feel your pain. Gertrude knew exactly what she was doing, these birds are way smarter than people give em credit for. After that I went full prison camp, buried hardware cloth a foot deep around the whole run and added a lock on the pop door. @the_nina is dead on, checking the fence daily catches the little sneaky spots before they become escape routes. Mealworms saved me too, but now I keep a shaker cup of em in my pocket whenever I let them out.
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