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

[batty hen]

We need to fence off one side of our garden before the girls arrive and were just wondering how high it should be. How high can chickens fly/jump when they have had their wings clipped. Don't really want to go down the 6' panel route and wondered whether chicken net/wire/plastic fencing to about 2.5 to 3' would do. The garden joins our neighbour who would also like to see our chucks through the fencing.

[n2hec]

Hi there,

 

Even with clipped wings 2 of my girls can fly over our 3 foot netting. Fortunately we have a 6ft fenced garden so they can't go too far. I think it may well depend on the chickens - they have this idea that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence .

 

No matter what the size of our free ranging area - ours always try to escape

 

Maybe 4ft would be an in between option.

[SAB]

n2hec - do you find the 6 foot fence is enough to keep them in?

[Jaack]

I have six foot fences all around my garden, my chickens had no problem jumping them. As soon as i got a hold of them i clipped there wings and there is no problem now.

 

I read somewhere that a 1.5m/5ft fence is enough to keep them in, but i would always clip the wings as a precaution.

 

- Barabara

- Susan

- Margaret

- Cilla

[Chicken Lady]

bear in mind too that you're not just keeping the chickens in - you're keeping the fox out. I had 3ft fences around my chooks a while back and the fox came in broad daylight, nipped over the fence and slaughtered the lot (bar two traumatised survivors).

 

We have 6ft fences around ours but they're chicken wire - less obtrusive than panel fences and also much less easy for Mr Fox to get over as they wobble if you know what I mean!

[Olly]

sorry, but a 6' fence will not keep a fox out. If it's wobbly, then yes it will be harder for a fox to climb it, but I would not build your fences with a view to them keeping predators out - much better to rely on a secure run.

 

One of my chickens can fly on top of the Cube. The others can't do more than rapid hop with wings flapping. It does depend a bit on the chooks, and also whether there is anything (dustbin, compost bin) that they can launch themselves from. If you clip their wings, I'd have thought 4' would be ok.

[Chicken Lady]

yes I should add that we also have a completely fox-secure run which we shut them into at night. The 6ft wire fence is mainly to keep out any marauding foxes during the day - it does seem to work as we had terrible problems before we did this but none since.

[batty hen]

Thanks everyone. They will be in the cube run whilst we're not there and free ranging the rest of the time whilst being supervised (probably by loopy labrador who is most definitely going to be bottom of the pecking order). I think 4' is a great compromise. We're off to B & Q!

[craftyhunnypie]

Ours can clear a 4ft fence with their wings clipped no problem...the reason why hubby is putting up a 5ft one at this very moment.

 

Emma.x

[SAB]

We have foxproof run for when we are not around, but were going to build a larger area with 6 foot fence (weldmesh) for supervised outings. All of the info above is very helpful in this respect.