Conflicting theories on if chickens will fly over my fence

[newchickmom]

Two of my Black australorps just flew over the 4ft run fence yesterday.

I wasn't home, but my DH was. He called me to tell me he had to catch one and put her back,

and while he was closing her in the coop, another one flew out, Then the rooster tryed to get at him for messing with the hens!!
I just wish I could have seen that, I bet he looked really funny chasing those hens around!

 

[CoyoteMagic]

One of my RIR's few over my 4ft fence.

When I built it up to 6ft, she few up to the lower end of the coop roof (4 1/2ft) walked over to the other side and flew to the ground!!!

Had to put up another 2 ft of fence on that side of the coop. I have her confined for now but it's just time until she figures it out

 

[GwenFarms]

I have four foot fencing around a goat pen and my free range chickens will fly up on it an perch. You may need to add another foot, or two to the top.

 

[airmom1c05]

I don't really think you want to lose even a couple to predators. I know this real tough guy who saw hawks carry away two of his hens. To this day that tough guy tears up at the memory of it. He was right there with them while they were free ranging, but there was nothing he could do. Now he has tops on his newly expanded run and his birds are never allowed out of the pen except in carriers! Brandy is the only bird I allow out of the pen because she flies very well and she's fast as lightning. I never leave her unattended when she's out of the pen, and I'm seriously considering enlarging the pen so she won't need to get out in the first place. She can easily fly up to her 6 ft. perch. She generally only flies about 3 ft. high on longer horizontal flights, but if she wants to go up, she has no difficulty. My young Ameaucana flies really well and I believe if there were no top on my pen she'd already be gone! The Serama bantams have trouble enough getting up onto their roost which is only 2 ft. off the coop floor! Serama bantams would probably not be able to fly over your fence, but any flying or climbing predator would consider them to be a tasty snack. My best advice is cover your run!

 

[silkiechicken]

Thing is with predators. They will remember where they got a meal... so as soon as you lose one... you just may end up losing them all because they will keep coming back.

 

[Charlie Chicken]

Yep, silkiechicken has that one right. If you loose one it is almost guaranteed that whatever grabbed it will be back.

 

[schmism]

ill admit to skipping to the end.... to post...

Gertrude will "hop" my 4' fence on my temp pen.

she may decide to stick around on any given day depending on weather and how board she is.

 

[BaronRenfrew]

I gotta toss my two cents in here.

1. I once watched a Japanese bantam hen fly 30 feet straight up to a beam on top of a barn. It was at a bird club auction and two guys spent a couple of hours tossing stuff at it to get it back. Darn thing flew like a pigeon!

2. If you want to use a 4 ft fence, put a one or two foot strip angled in to the yard. Birds likely won't fly up and then back. Don't underestimate a motivated chicken.

3. Chickens can learn and be taught. If one gets out, expect copycats to quickly follow.

4. Clipping wings work. All you need to clip is the primary wing feathers (the big ones at the end of the wings). This puts them off balance. I've had to clip wings with a 6 foot fence.

5. Dogs work partly because they leave a scent around the yard. I took this to the next level by leaving MY scent around the yard. (Yep, my wife married a redneck.) (In the following 15 years lost 1 bird to a falcon and two chicks to crows. I did manage to shoot one of the crows. Fine for the farm but I wouldn't recommend shooting things in the city.)

6. In the city, night critters are probably worse than day critters. One night I had a racoon kill ALL my birds in the shed. 25 dead, one eaten, all heads removed. After that it was war. Live trap cages, dog, the works.

 

[KrisRose]

My hens can clear a 4 ft fence. Some better than others. My 6 week old chicks are clearing 3 ft.
I don't know why you don't want netting over the top. Its almost invisible.

 

[mangled]

A quick note on hops: my chickens LOVE hops and will gorge on them. There are hops vines covering an old outbuilding on our property, I would say the building is 8x10, maybe 12 foot at roof peak, and it is COVERED with hops vines. They discovered and cleared all the vines of hops in one afternoon, and were daily visitors until the hops no longer grew.

Your neighbor could have an unhappy surprize one afternoon.

Oh - and the chickens had no trouble flying up to the roof to get the hops up there.

Good luck.

Em