4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Lapinou]

We've now planned where our chickens are going, and have happily realised that it'll be big enough for the cube if we ever want to upgrade. We can go straight ahead with making the permanent area for them, and then order the eglu soon But we want to let them free range asap so need to get our fence on one side of our garden sorted. It needs wire at the bottom to stop up holes (how deep do we need to dig the wire in?) and also some of the posts need to be secured better.

 

Can someone explain the wing clipping/fence height thing to me please? Our fence is 140cm high. Do we really need to add trellis up a further 10cm (don't have much money at all to spend!) so they can free range (I've read somewhere, although can't find where, the figure of 150cm as a min height) or does the wing clipping mean they can't flap up that high anyway?

 

Thanks

 

L

[puffball]

i would make it higher if you can - i don't know the height needed but i should imagine if they really tried they could reach that height.

 

as for wing clipping it is supposed to unbalance them so that they cannot fly - it does work but they are still able to fly a little...

 

does that help at all?

[Couperman]

We didn't bother clipping our hens wings. The perimeter fences are all six foot high.

 

The fence around their free ranging area is only 3 feet high and they have never attempted to escape but they could if they wanted to.

 

I would just attach something flimsy to the top of the fence to discourage perching. Plastic garden mesh should do the trick and it is cheap too.

 

Kev.

[Hen Watch]

Agree with Couperman.

 

My girls can "fly" over 4 foot if they want to. So they made it over the netting into my hubbies veg patch last year. But they have never got over my 6ft fence panels. Just don't leave anything close to fencing either that they can hop onto, then over (like compost bin etc).

 

Mine now live in a dedicated area of my garden sectioned off with 4 foot Omlet fencing which they don't fly over. Maybe because it is unstable and they can hop over it easily.

 

Edit to say: Mine do have 1 wing clipped too.

[Abbey Road Girl]

I worried a lot about this but my hens don't even seem to believe they can fly (jumping is another matter). The most they've jumped is when they found a frog which freaked them all out simultaneously. We're talking a foot or two, no big deal.

 

But then of course there are chickens like Maisie!!!!!!!

 

The luck of the draw, mate.