Fence Height for Chicken Run

[meoddone]

Hi All

I'm new to chickens and want to get this right with as little cost as possible. I know chickens can jump 4' fences easy enough. I have planned to build a 6-7 foot fence, but would like to save the cost if possible. I have planned a 2400 SF run for 10 chickens.

I've heard if you only clip one wing that the chickens wont even attempt to fly because of being off balance.

1) Does clipping one wing have any other adverse affects?
2) Will this keep the chickens inside of a 4' fence enclosure?

Thanks, I've been reading BYC for a month or two now and have benefited from all of the knowledge/experience, please continue to post your experiences for all to learn.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

A lot of people do it but IMO clipping wings makes them more vulnerable to predators.
They will fly in circles a bit if one wing is trimmed. However, I've heard of chickens with both wings trimmed and could still get out. They'd flap and climb the fence. A lot has to do with the breed and how determined they are to get out.
I had a Jersey Giant that knew there were tomatoes on the other side of the fence and would go out of a 6 foot fence. Other breeds would too.
I now raise Penedesencas and even though they can fly, they'll stay inside a 3' fence.

 

[Alaskan]

I have had a GREAT deal of predation from flying predators......


after a few years of some high losses, I have finally just covered the entire run...


I know one lady who has NO covering over her run (lives in the same area that I do), but she has some large trees over most of her run.


Anyway, I would want to have a very predator proof tall, run.... and then try shorter fence for mobile pasturing of poultry... or something like that





As to wing clipping.... experiences with it are HIGHLY variable.... I had fully flighted chickens, with access to HIGH perches, get themselves ALL killed by a dog...

and my ducks, the only two that I have lost have been the only two that were best at flight....

so... I am all for no flying, and wing clipping, I do a full cut on both wings, just enough flight to hop up 1.5 feet, and no more (for my ducks... my chickens now live in Fort Knox)

 

[Hokum Coco]

Hi All

I've heard if you only clip one wing that the chickens wont even attempt to fly because of being off balance.

My run is about 4 ft high. If you clip the feathers on one wing of each bird it will help.

Make sure there is no blood in the shaft of the feather before you clip or your bird may bleed to death.

On some birds you may even have to clip a few secondary flight feathers.

One wing throws the bird off balance and is more effective than trimming equal amounts off both wings.

 

[meoddone]

I appreciate the advice. I live in a community of 2 Acre farms, and everybody has dogs. As I've looked around most of the dogs seem chicken friendly, but I don't want to find out the hard way!

I think Alaskan's advice may be the route to go for me. Maybe I'll build a 'Fort Knox' run, and just let the hens out to pasture when I'm working the garden.

Thanks for your help! I'm sure I'll be asking more questions in the future.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I’ve had various experiences in fences with chickens. Whether or not they get out has a lot to do with motivation. If they really want out they can perform feats of magic. If they don’t want to get out it doesn’t take much to keep them in.

Even if you know all the neighborhood dogs are safe a stray can come by at any time. Chickens are prey animals. When they are not in Fort Knox they are at some risk to digging, walking, climbing, or flying predators. Some people can go years totally free range and not have any predator attacks. Others are wiped out almost immediately. You are dealing with living animals, the chickens and the predators. No one can tell you what will happen, just that something might.

The bigger the run the harder to make it totally predator proof. You can make them pretty predator resistant though. Covering a 2400 square feet run could be challenging, especially if you have to consider snow and ice load.

Chickens like to perch. If the top of your fence looks like a good place to hop up to and view the world, they just might hop up there. Who knows which side they will hop down on? That’s one way chickens often get out of a run.

I’ve seen chickens do some pretty impressive fence climbing. A hen trying to get away from an amorous rooster and trapped against a fence can climb up really well flapping all the way. When my adolescent cockerels get in pecking order/dominance disputes the loser will often go pretty high straight up if it is against a fence and cannot run away. They just might come down on the wrong side. I use 4’ high electric netting and have noticed that when I set it up in a long narrow configuration I have more escapees but with a fairly wide configuration I practically have none. Adolescent cockerels can be a pain though.

One trick I’ve learned to make a fairly tall fence without it costing a fortune is to build the bottom out of 5’ high fencing materials and use some strong posts. Then I attach a second piece of 5’ wire fencing onto that, overlapping the top by about 2’. By attaching that wire at both ends of the 2’ overlap, top and bottom, the wire is stiff enough to stand up and give you a fence 8’ tall. The top is wire too so the chickens don’t see a convenient perch up there. In theory if a raccoon, fox, or bobcat try to climb over that he fence is limber enough to bend back over the animal, making it really hard for them to climb in. Corners and such can be weak points but maybe it helps.

I get really good containment with my 4’ high electric netting. I know my full sized chickens can easily fly over that if they so desire but they hardly ever do, just when something strongly motivates them. I don’t clip wings either.

I have no idea what will actually work in your situation. I wish you luck figuring it out.

 

[meoddone]

Great advice here, thanks! What about coop doors? If I build a 100% enclosed coop including underneath, do I still need a coop door?

 

[bucky52]

Take my advice and make your runs 6 foot tall.you will always have the need to go in to your runs.if you have a injured or sick bird.or for cleaning purpose.My husband made the mistake of building a 4 foot high run.Because of $$$ and he felt there was no need for a taller runs.I can't tell you how many times we have busted and bloodied our heads.going in and coming out of the runs.Same goes for a coop.Sore knots and bloody heads.and lots of swearing and cursing.We have since added additional runs in the last 5 years.and our runs are 6 feet in height.and we have roofed half of the runs for rainy weather.and the other half has wire on the top to stop any Ariel predators.I have a total of 7 man doors on my runs.and two coops and man doors on them.

 

[HighStreetCoop]

Great advice here, thanks! What about coop doors? If I build a 100% enclosed coop including underneath, do I still need a coop door?

That's a personal choice. Plenty of people (me included) have gone that route.

 

[Alaskan]

I made my bantam coop with run predator proof enough that I never have to close up the pop door.