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

[Lulabellx1]

Hi All

 

I have got three Light Sussex chickens currently living in their new coop in the garden. Once they have got used to it for a bit and once they get to 20weeks I am planning on letting them do some supervised free ranging.

 

I am going to clip one of their wings to stop them properly flying but I wanted to know if anyone has had experience of a clipped chicken getting over a 6 foot fence? Really my question is, is six foot high enough??

 

I know Mr Fox can scale a 6 foot fence no problem, but they will be supervised when they are out. It's more that I dont want one getting into my neighbours garden or out into the big wide world catching it again would be a nightmare!!

 

Lu xx

[Christian]

As long as you don't have anything close to the fence that they can jump onto and over, 6' should be ok with a wing clipped.

[Lulabellx1]

Egg-cellent, thats just what I wanted to hear.

 

The only thing they could jump up on would be their coop. But we are planning on moving that up against the house so they wont be able to jump on it. I wont be able to watch them from the window though so looks like I'll be wrapping up warm in the winter!!

 

Lu x

[Laura & CTB]

6ft should fine for them. They have also had plenty of time to settle in so wont be as nervous or jumpy as they may have been when they first arrived.

 

Have fun, chickens are such great time wasters oh yes - and get yourself a nice hot water bottle, gloves and a woolly hat for the winter watching too!

[Lulabellx1]

Thanks. It's hard to imagine what it will be like in the winter. Usually I dont venture into the garden from November until March!! It's gonna be different this year

 

Lu x

[Guest]

If you really want to be able to see them while in the house why dont you put chicken wire around the top of the coop so they cant jump on it.

 

Our friends did this and it worked.

 

We were goign to do it btu we finished the WIR so but it works.

[midori]

I have 3 1/2 ft fencing on one side of my garden and also between the lawn and patio. (the second fence was supposed to keep dogs off lawn and seperate from the chooks, but the chooks can get through that fence onto where the dogs are. Luckily we have managed to train the dogs not to chase the chooks) The chooks have one wing clipped each and haven't tried to escape our garden, although our naughtiest pullet, Mable, (our light sussex) did jump onto the patio fence, just on her first day out. She hasn't tried it since though.

 

My friend has a 3 1/2 ft fence all the way round her garden and unclipped hens, two of them are light sussex and she's kept chooks all her life, but had these ones a couple of years. They have never tried to jump out and she lets them free range all day, even when she is out.

 

I am lucky, I can sit in my kitchen and see the chooks in the garden. The back door is open now, but I think come winter it'll be closed...

[sjp]

I've got 2 six foot fences and a five foot fence 7 hens one with a clipped wing (brought her like that) 6 without, none have tried to get over the fences. I know at least 3 could get over the 5 footer but they don't now that they can

[poppers77]

Hi there,

We too have 3 sussex girls ( plus 1 boy but that's another story)!. They have been FR in the garden for about 4 weeks & i've even left them all day while at work. They'v had a fab time & i never get the impression they'd like to escape even if i wander off watering the garden & leave the gate wide open. They have their wings tentatively clipped ( i'm new to this!).

However we did have problem with one of our 2 new girls ( who are significantly smaller than our original girl even though they are the same hatching) as Gwinnie got chased by a cat ove rour 6ft gate last week! She dissapeared for 2 days but was thankfully returned fine, all be it now rather nervous about going far from the coop!

 

I started originally with a low fence ( 3 ft) & gradually got them used to having the whole garden - now i feel confident they won't try & escape unless chased. I'm keeping the new girls in the run under the copp while i'm out until they are big enough to fight the cat off!

 

Best Wishes,

Pops

[Lulabellx1]

They're lovely girls poppers. How old are they? Mine are 17 weeks old and Im really struggling to tell the difference between them!!

 

Lu x

[Blue-DiamondChick07]

My Sussex nearly went over my fence a few days ago, I just caught her - she jumped onto the roof of the coop

[poppers77]

Hi Lu,

About 18 weeks, however the new 2 are half the size of my original girl! Something about back garden cossetting me thinks! Looks like i have to take back my remaining lad tommorow as his sporadic rather socialable crowing ( after 9am) got going at 6.55 this am only 4, but i don't think the nieighbours will tolerate it!

Poor Barri he's such a lovely looking lad!

[Lulabellx1]

Oh dear, poor Barri (love the name).

 

I just know that my neighbours would not be happy either. So we just got the girls for the time being. Maybe one day when we can move out to the country we'll get a cock!

 

Lu x

[JulesL]

We've been having difficulty with one of our new hens. I have an original Omlet Pepperpot who has never tried to get out of our WIR which does not have a roof. The sides are 4ft. However, a few weeks ago we got 2 newbie chooks, a cuckoo maran and a blue haze. The blue haze is a big girl and she jumps onto the top of the 4ft fence with ease. I have clipped one wing. Today we have made the sides of the WIR up to 6ft with netting etc so hopefully it will keep her in! I will soon let you all know if she gets out as then she will be up to the main fencing around the garden and into next door's garden!!

 

Oh and the reason we haven't put a cover over the WIR is that we have 3 trees within the WIR so it makes it very difficult for the girls to get out anyway. There is just one area in the run where there is enough space for her to get lift off. We shall see whether she manages it tomorrow!

[yogiwoods]

I also have three light sussex (although they are bantams) and was exactly the same, worrying about them getting over the fence. They are only 16 weeks, but have had them since they were 11 weeks old.

 

Although today is only the second day that they have FR, I think that there is enough to keep them occupied in the garden for them to want to go anywhere else!

[Thalia]

My two have been getting bolder these last few days and my Sussex Star, Aphrodite, discovered that if you hop onto the rosemary bush by the back door then there's a way to get over the 4ft fence. So my OH spent this afternoon screwing a 3ft trellis to the top of the fence so that there will be no further escape plans. Up until this, I'd have said a chicken (with a clipped wing) standing on the ground would have had a hard time getting over the 4ft of fence (with a slightly taller hedge on our neighbour's side) that we have, but if they have anything to stand on then it's game on as far as they're concerned.

[JulesL]

Well it has been our first day with the added 2ft on the top of our WIR. Our blue haze has still managed to get out She is getting on top of the Eglu run and then getting out but I'm not quite sure how yet as I haven't seen her do it. She can't possibly land on top of the netting and doubt she can fly straight over She was most put out this morning when she realised what we had done! They are free ranging in the garden this evening but tomorrow during the day I will do nothing but chook watch to see where she is getting out. Our only other plan now is to put some tough garden wire across the top of the run, between the trees, to see if that stops her. I don't want her to injure herself though.

 

I feel guilty for shutting them in the WIR if she is so desperate to get out but it is plenty big enough. May be I need to put more things in there for them to entertain themselves with? Not sure what though.

[Guest]

My girls are in their WIR all day.

 

It is covered over the top as well.

 

My Marsh Daisy's keep trying to escape in the garden so they don't get to go out that often but their run is huge so it is fine.

 

So long as they have enough room to run around and enough activities they are fine.