How to contain "free ranging" chickens

[jacdobe]

I am posting for my best friend who has a pair of chickens. I think they are Cornish Bantams but not sure. I rescued the chickens from a cock-fighter in NYC and gave them to my friend because she has always wanted a bantam rooster and hen. She has had Rock and Rhoda since February and decided to let Rhoda raise a clutch. She hatched out 10 chicks and all has been going well for 2 weeks. They are housed at night in a horse stall converted to a luxurious chicken coop with access during the day to the half acre fenced horse pasture. My friend is allowing Rhoda to care for her chicks naturally and things have been going well.

Prior to laying, Rock and Rhoda ranged all over the half acre area but did not leave it. For the first week and a half after the chicks hatched that didn't change, but now the chicks are becoming a bit more independent and have started hopping through the fence into the wooded area surrounding the horse pasture. When they do, Rock and Rhoda fly over the fence and join them.

The problem is this...The wooded area is their property but borders the neighbor's yard and the neighbor is notoriously anti-animal. They have been seen shooting squirrels and stray cats that wander through their yard and my friend is worried that her chicks and chickens will be the next targets.

What is the best way to keep the chicks from going through the fence and remain contained in the half acre horse pasture? Is there any option other than building a fenced run?

Thanks in advance.

Jean

 

[tinydancer87]

Clip the wing feathers of the adults so they cannot fly over the fence. Maybe this alone will keep the babies on her side, but I wouldn't count on it. You could buy some of the 18" or 24" chicken wire and zip-tie it along the bottom of the pasture fence.

Here's what my husband and I did--we had to move the coop due to the neighbors calling zoning and animal control on us because one of our chickens got out, ONCE. Chicken was kidnapped and held hostage by our hag neighbor until I could get AC to get it back. So, when we moved the coop, we built a fence around it with goat fence, 4"x4" holes. Some of the bantams just waltzed right through. We didn't have any money and the deadline was approaching, chicken wire was too expensive for the amount of fence we had to do. So we ended buying a 1/4 mile roll of 17g aluminum wire (used for electric fences) from Tractor Supply and a bunch of zip ties. We wove the wire through the squares, cutting them in half, and zip-tying every other square. Did this on the bottom three rows. It wasn't too bad, and it was pretty cheap, about 40 bucks.

If the neighbor doesn't shoot them, he can call animal control and your friend will get cited for animal at large. Happened to me.

 

[jacdobe]

Zoning and ordinances in the area makes exceptions for chickens and cats (its an agricultural area and they recognize that it is tough to contain those two animals) so they're not worried about animal control but the neighbor shooting them...definitely worried. The 24" wire wouldn't work because the chicks can fly to the top of a hay bale, which is about 2 feet high, so they'd have to get at least 3 feet tall wire (probably taller so they stay in as they grow) and that would be expensive. To get enough chicken wire to fence in the 1/2 acre would be at least $500-$1000 so not possible. I will try clipping the adults' wings and see if that helps. If not I guess we will have to figure out some sort of run until they are old enough to clip their wings.

Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[applegal]

This spring, I had a problem with my new batch of chicks getting through my fence into my garden and wrecking havoc on the my seedlings and becoming separated from their mom. I took what chicken wire I had in the outbuilding and cut it into smaller strips - maybe 6-8 inches..taller than the chicks and tall enough to cover any holes at the base and zip tied it to the existing welded wire fencing. By cutting it into strips I was able to make it go a little bit further and save a few bucks.