net to catch them

[janeyo]

I need a net to catch one of my girls so I can regularly check her baldy bits. She came to me a bit bare and hasn't recovered yet. I was wondering what sized fishing net is best?

Thanks

[Suechooks]

I've only seen someone else using one but it was quite big in circumference. Not sure how they size fishing nets - best get the one that'd fit the "one that got away"!!!!

[chris]

I have one that doesn't care to be handled, and I have to regularly chase her around the garden - until one day I realised that if I hold my arm out and above my head at an angle (almost like the nazi march - if you see what I mean?) she squats.

Admittedly, you do look a bit of a plonker, but now I can do this and within a few dashes, she squats... that may just be mine though!

[Nicos]

Have you tried picking her off the perch first at dusk????
tis much less stressful for her

[RichmondHens]

I have a big landing net for catching the odd bird up in the daytime (either escapees or the occasional ones for sale) but generally when I need to do any inspections etc I do it at night when they are all sleeping. As Nicos says, it's far less stressful for the hen and also less hassle for me.

Without going out to check I can't tell you the exact dimensions of the net I have, but it is large enough to comfortably go over our biggest birds.

[janeyo]

The troublw with getting her out of the coop, is that then I can't see her properly to attend to her bald and bleeding bits. I don't want to have to wander up to the house with her in the dark (it's a loooong way, lol, and figured that would be stressful to her as well!)

have ordered one off ebay, it looks like I could catch a large cockeral, and I only have average sized girls... Pics to follow of us in the act of catching her!

[RichmondHens]

I wear a powerful head torch for inspections at night (have we had this conversation before?) and that seems to work for me, but a net is always worth having anyway. We have a domestic rabbit who is fond of tunnelling out of her run and I can only catch her with the net!

[Glutton4...]

I bought a Fishermans' Landing Net, very cheaply on eBay, less than �20 including p&p, which I thought was a bargain. It has a fibreglass handle, so is very light. It is around 2m long in total, and the net is large enough to catch two fully grown Geese at once. The bigger the better, as it makes it far easier than a small one, as you don't have to be either as accurate, or as quick, to be able to catch them. I imagine, if anyone watched me trying to catch any of mine they would wet themselves laughing. Luckily, we have no near neighbours! LOL

The other plus point with it is, as it is designed for catching fish, the mesh is very soft, and doesn't harm the birds' feathers, unless they struggle, but most of them calm down immediately they are caught.

Except Asbo, obviously - he just wriggles, and hisses like a snake!

[BUFFS]

only having 10 birds,i have taught mine to come to the shaken corn tin,i put some in my hand and they are so busy eating that i can lift a selected one after dropping a small amount of corn on the ground,have a check and put her down,a few more bits of corn and on to the next ,but i must do the awkward bu**ers first or i would never manage on my own,watching their silly run as i shake the small tin would make anyone smile and really makes my day...

[Hilary B]

I devised a hen-trap made from a wire-mesh crate (a bit like the plastic-covered wire type of cat cage often seen at the vet's, but without lid) which is placed upside down, and a strong string attached by which one edge can be raised. Using the string (over a handy branch/pole etc if necessary) hold up the edge and throw food under. Because it is fairly open looking hens will happily venture underneath, then you let it drop... voila one or more hens in trap. However often you catch them this way, they will still go under for food. Once the hen is in, you may need to move fast, depending how heavy the cage is.
For catching a rabbit, the same system, but with the crate held up on a prop, and the string fastened to the prop, so you can then pull the prop away when bunny is inside. I got this one from a children's book, made the adaptation for chook catching. I never tried the bunny version, but I can't see any reason it shouldn't work!

[Glutton4...]

What a great idea Hilary - I would never have thought of that. The basket out of our old freezer would make an ideal Hen-trap!

[Hilary B]

Hope the typos don't cause too much confusion!