Fence for Chicken yard

I have 20 chickens in an 8x16 foot coop, and they free range all day. This means they get poo all over my porches, dig at all my landscaping, and get into my cat food if I don't guard the cats while they eat in the morning. It's been fine until I start having guests over, and I'm tired of tracking it inside all the time. At any rate, I will build a covered run/tractor at some point and start to let them out of the run just for a few hours in the evenings or move the tractor every day. Until then, I am building a 50x100 foot fence around the coop.

I am using green metal t-bars for the stakes and 1x2 inch welded wire for the fence. The chickens will have access to the coop and shade from trees, the goal of the fence is just to wrangle them into a yard so I can plant successful landscaping and keep my porches and sidewalks clean.

1. Is that a decent fencing material?
2. If the chickens fly out of the yard often, do I have to clip their wings or can I get a taller fence (currently 4 months old, haven't clipped wings yet, but they do get on top of the 10 foot high coop...)
3. Would bird netting be sufficient to keep the chickens from escaping the 5 foot tall fence if I cover the fence with bird netting like a covered run?

A 50’ x 100’ fence made out of 5’ high 2x4 welded wire and T-posts should work well. You might need to use something else for corner posts though to keep the fence from sagging. You’d be surprised how much wind can affect it. But T-posts driven in about every 10’ should work well for intermediate posts. You can try corner posts made out of T-posts but personally I’d start out with something more substantial to start with at the corners. You may want something more substantial for gate posts too.

I use 4’ high electric netting to make a 45 x 90 area that keeps anywhere from 8 to 45 chickens in, depending on time of year. Most of those are young growing to butcher size when I have a lot. The older ones would have no trouble clearing the 4’ high fence and the lighter younger ones can fly even better. Still, it’s rare for them to fly out.

Occasionally a chicken does get out. It’s practically always a young cockerel that gets in a fight and is trapped against the fence. To get away he goes vertical and may come down on the wrong side of the fence. That can also happen if a hen is trying to get away from an amorous rooster but that is really rare. Try to avoid narrow areas and tight corners if you can. A 50’ x 100’ should be fine but with some narrow configurations with my movable electric netting my escape rate goes up quite a bit. Right now it is practically zero with a wide open shape and slightly rounded corners.

Baby chicks can just walk through my netting until they are maybe 3 to 4 weeks old. You might see that with 2x4 fencing if you have a broody hen raise chicks with your flock.

With your fencing you are avoiding a leading cause of chickens getting out of a pen. Chickens like to perch. If the top of your fence looks like a good place to perch they are highly likely to fly up there just for the joy of perching. Who knows which side they will come down on? Avoid top rails to a fence that look like good perching places. Also watch corner posts, gateposts, or the gate itself. Those might look like good places to perch. As long as the fencing is a few inches above the top of the posts you should be fine.

Bird netting will work if you can figure out how to attach it to a 50’x100’ run. If you cover it you need to be able to walk under it. You’d only need it right next to the fence, just angle it in a few feet. You’d have to have some pretty good supports to accomplish that. In South Central Missouri you can occasionally get snows or ice that can pull the netting down. A trick I’ve used to make a 2x4 welded wire taller is to take a five foot high piece and add it to the top of your fence. Attach the bottom of the new piece about 2’ below the top of your fence, then attach it again at the top of your fence. It is stiff enough to stand up so you have an 8’ high fence. I don’t think you‘ll need that but it might be good to know, especially if you build a smaller pen.

Your climate isn’t a lot different from mine. Your grasses and weeds are probably pretty similar too. You’ll find that during most of the year the grass will stay green (you may need to water a bit in most summers but not this one so far), but during winter that fenced in area can get pretty bare. I find that once the grass starts growing in the spring it helps to keep the chickens off that for a week or ten days, just to let the grass get a head start. Your coop may be big enough to do that but I have another run area that helps. You’ll also find that they don’t eat every kind of green stuff that grows in there. The stuff they don’t like can take over. You will need a gate to get your mower in there a few times a year to knock that bad stuff down and give the good stuff room to grow.

I think what you are talking about will contain the chickens very well. Good luck with it.

BBrady said:

I have 20 chickens in an 8x16 foot coop, and they free range all day. This means they get poo all over my porches, dig at all my landscaping, and get into my cat food if I don't guard the cats while they eat in the morning. It's been fine until I start having guests over, and I'm tired of tracking it inside all the time. At any rate, I will build a covered run/tractor at some point and start to let them out of the run just for a few hours in the evenings or move the tractor every day. Until then, I am building a 50x100 foot fence around the coop.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Ridgerunner

A 50’ x 100’ fence made out of 5’ high 2x4 welded wire and T-posts should work well. You might need to use something else for corner posts though to keep the fence from sagging. You’d be surprised how much wind can affect it. But T-posts driven in about every 10’ should work well for intermediate posts. You can try corner posts made out of T-posts but personally I’d start out with something more substantial to start with at the corners. You may want something more substantial for gate posts too.

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What about something like this on the corners to strengthen the T posts there? I think there are a couple of versions out there.

http://www.t-locksystems.com/

For the same reasons, and to get more shade this summer, I have a similar temporary set up now for my chickens, about 300 sq feet, in my backyard around a tree. They access it through a wire chicken tunnel (3 foot welded wire with 12" high sides, in a 'U'), from the free range door in the run.
Depending on your set up, if you install one 8-10' 4x4, securely in the middle (this involves digging a post hole and some Quikrete, of course), you can run coated wire from the T posts up through a large eye hook on top, and down to another T post on the other side. (You may need more than one center 4x4 depending on the size of your fenced area). Netting will attach to the welded wire fence and stay up nicely with this network. I did this (for now), using the tree as my post. I plan to set up a more permanent arrangement for the long run.

Thanks for the advice. That's a great idea to use a length of the hardware cloth vertically installed for added height as needed. What would you use to support the extended height above the t-posts though? Maybe 1x2" wood? As well as avoiding frame and post details that look like attractive perches! My barred rocks are terrible about perching very high.

I will look at reinforcing the corner t-posts with braces. I like the idea of using the netting just around the edges, I may be able to rig something of a light frame for the netting with some stakes that look like 1/2" dowel rods and some nylon twine, like a tent awning but along the whole inside perimeter of the fence.

BBrady said:

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Thanks for the advice. That's a great idea to use a length of the hardware cloth vertically installed for added height as needed. What would you use to support the extended height above the t-posts though? Maybe 1x2" wood? As well as avoiding frame and post details that look like attractive perches! My barred rocks are terrible about perching very high.

I think if you overlap it with the base wire with a good 2' overlap, and zip tie it securely, you may not need additional post support. ( the top wire will overlap the T posts too)

I use 6' fencing with T posts for everything except the corners. I've learned the more floppy the fencing is the less likely your chickens are to try and fly over as most like to perch up then hop down. I have several trees enclosed including several that the chickens can roost in if they prefer (and many do). Just be sure the fence is far enough away so when they fly out in the morning they won't literally'fly out'. I also only find it necessary to clip their wings once to discourage them. I do the right wing on everyone to make it fair.

To add credibility I have Phoenix which are super light as well as many other oriental and game breeds in addition to traditional layers. Some of my chickens roost so high its almost frightening but in a way it makes me happy knowing they get to be happy even though I have to keep them up.

Cherie1n2 said:

I use 6' fencing with T posts for everything except the corners. I've learned the more floppy the fencing is the less likely your chickens are to try and fly over as most like to perch up then hop down. I have several trees enclosed including several that the chickens can roost in if they prefer (and many do). Just be sure the fence is far enough away so when they fly out in the morning they won't literally'fly out'. I also only find it necessary to clip their wings once to discourage them. I do the right wing on everyone to make it fair.

To add credibility I have Phoenix which are super light as well as many other oriental and game breeds in addition to traditional layers. Some of my chickens roost so high its almost frightening but in a way it makes me happy knowing they get to be happy even though I have to keep them up.

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What length T posts do you use, Cherie1n2?

lynnehd said:

What length T posts do you use, Cherie1n2?

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I use 4' posts. Like I said, I like the fence floppy. It's not pretty but it works. Before this I tried 6' kennel panels linked together 30'x30' but even the layers would fly up and perch on the top especially at night and then fly out the next morning.

Cherie1n2 said:

I use 4' posts. Like I said, I like the fence floppy. It's not pretty but it works. Before this I tried 6' kennel panels linked together 30'x30' but even the layers would fly up and perch on the top especially at night and then fly out the next morning.

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It makes compete sense to have the fence floppy!

What kind of fencing do you use?

lynnehd said:

It makes compete sense to have the fence floppy!

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Here are a few pictures. You can see in one I've even used pvc to alternate.. Mostly to save money.



In this next photo I just wanted to show how everything you see is within the fence.. That in the front is the 14 nest laying box I started this weekend. A few of the chickens helped by being in the way.. I'm sure you can make your chicken yard a lot more appealing.. In the end it's all about what works for you and them!