Chickens flying over fence...HELP!

[LeahOregon]

Posted this on coop design, but hoping for better response over here...

We have 4 full-sized hens who are pretty regularly getting out of their fenced-in area. The offending fence and gate are 4'8" high, and the surrounding fence is 6'. We tried clipping one wing on each bird...no luck. We then clipped both wings, and were feeling pretty proud of ourselves until we found them out wandering the yard again.

We plan on adding a panel to the top of the fence and gate to bring it up to the same 6' level as the other fencing. Do you think that will be enough?

Any other ideas of how to keep them in their area? We're getting really sick of chicken poop all over our patio and lawn. We have a nice 200 sq. ft. area for them to roam, so it's not like they're cramped.

Thanks,

Leah

 

[feathersnuggles]

Give them nothing to "land on" at the top of the fence. Run a strip of hardware cloth at the top or something narrow that "waves" like thin plastic fencing. To be able to spring to the other side, they need a ledge or something they are able to land on at or near the top of the fence. Make sure garbage cans, etc are not near your fence. Otherwise, I've seen people tie long, thin red plastic strips (that flutter in the breeze) along the top of the fence... they claim that it scares the birds from landing on the fence and thus, they can't get to the other side.

If your panel is sufficiently narrow and the birds can't figure out how to land on it - because they can't see where it "ends" - you might be in luck, too. Also, the heavier the bird, the less air born it can get. My EEs can really get elevated, but the Wyandotte can not.

 

[LeahOregon]

We actually did the hardware cloth trick yesterday...just stapled some sticking up about 6-8" with no border at the top. We thought we were being really clever, and that the girls wouldn't want to land on something like that. Well, I'm not sure how they did it, but they got out.

 

[Jen71]

You've clipped both of their wings and they can still fly that high?
Strange.
I wish I had an answer for you, but I think I am going to have the same problem.

I know it seems obvious, but I had to mention it - are you positive they are not landing on anything else as a launching pad? Or maybe they're squeezing through a small spot in the fence and not going over the top at all.
I would probably set up a surveillance - sit and watch them get out and see how they do it. Haha! Chick escape TV.

 

[chicks4kids]

Feathersnuggles is absolutely correct! If they have something to land on, it gives them a "goal"

I had this one hen that was constantly getting out and I found out it was because of the top rail on the gate. At first I used chicken wire, but when she flew up, it kinda just fell over (like a ledge) and then she just would climb over. This is what I had to do....