Chickens escaping

[karint]

So a few of my new chickens keep literally flying the coop. Not their actual coop as it’s completely enclosed but the garden area they free range in which is enclosed with a 4foot fence. I tried clipping their wings but that doesn’t seem to be enough as a few are still getting out. It’s a huge area so I can’t cover it is there any other suggestions. Is it possible I maybe didn’t clip their wings enough? I was so worried about hurting them so I took about an inch and a half off.

 

[nuthatched]

Can you raise the fence with wood and wire another 3 feet? 4 feet is nothing for them or predators

 

[Alaskan]

Is it possible I maybe didn’t clip their wings enough? I was so worried about hurting them so I took about an inch and a half off.

The thing to watch for with wing clipping...

Is if the central shaft has blood in it or not. If there is NO blood in the central shift, then it is just like a hair on your head. So it doesn't hurt if you cut it,does hurt if you yank it out.

So.... try cutting more of the flight feathers on both wings.

 

[Alaskan]

Can you raise the fence with wood and wire another 3 feet? 4 feet is nothing for them or predators

Also a good idea.

 

[JaeG]

You need to clip the primary flight feathers right back to the next layer of feathers. As long as there are no pin feathers which still contain blood (make sure they are fully open before cutting) it doesn't hurt them. Only clip one wing as that unbalances them. Some birds can build up enough strength to fly just enough to get over the fence if you clip both wings.

This is a good diagram:

This should be enough to keep heavy bodied chickens in but lighter breeds can be a bit trickier. It depends on the bird and whether they think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.