Contain the chickens or lose my husband!

[lanaschix]

Our eight chickens live in a nice chicken tractor with an attached small run underneath. However, we let them free range most days. We Live in a city on a pretty big lot that corders a nature preserve full of predators. Even though they have 2 acres of woods that they could happily traverse, they choose to walk all over the driveway, poop everywhere on our walkways and kicked out all the wood chips from our landscaping. My husband is done. It's either him or the chickens! Anyway, I could just let them use only the run that is attached to the tractor but that just seems like they will not be very happy. Does anyone have experience experience with an easy to move mobile containment system maybe like electric fencing system that I can move every couple days? I am assuming I will probably need to clip their wings if I do to keep them in but electricity should help keep predators out except for hawks of course. Please help me find a way to keep both my chickens and husband

 

[Pyxis]

Sounds like you want something like the electric poultry netting that Premier1 carries, which is exactly what you described

 

[lanaschix]

Great idea. it says the fences are 48 inches high. Do you think I will need to clip their wings? I do have one Bantam

 

[Pyxis]

They could definitely go over that if motivated, especially the bantam, so you may end up needing to clip wings.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

They could definitely go over that if motivated, especially the bantam, so you may end up needing to clip wings.

X 2 - it all depends on how motivated the birds are to reach the other side -- clipping one wing on each bird will stack the deck in your favor!

 

[thomasboyle]

I use both their 42" and 48" fencing, and my chickens never have the desire to fly over either one. They have all been shocked by it when I first set it up, and I am thinking that impression remains with them and they don't want to go that close to it and fly over it. As suggested by others, if you have repeat flyers, you can clip one or both wings. You can also feed them more - fat birds fly less!

The fencing is very easy to setup or take down and move. I remove mine once every 2 months so I can mow the fence line, and it takes 15 minutes to take down and set up a 1/4 acre yard. I use the PoultryNet Plus with double metal spikes. Works very well, highly recommend it.