Contained free ranging

[ehoneybee]

Is there such a thing ;-)? I have an acre for 4 chickens but I don't really want to grant them access to every square inch since I have some lovely perennials in a few spots and a septic tank that takes up a pretty big portion. Also, I'm in town and we don't have a fence on one side to neighbors. My husband and I (not knowing the behaviours of chickens) thought we could just let them out with a fence around them and they would stay put - ha! Before we had time to get back in the house they were completely out of the enclosure and heading into the brush between our yard and the neighbours'. They flew up over the fence and the coop. I know they always come home to roost, but is there any way to keep them in the yard? I planned to put fencing around where I didn't want them to go but the neighbours' side is hundreds of feet long. Right now I have them in the fence with chicken fence over top but it is quite small, maybe 20 square feet? We also have hawks...

 

[rjohns39]

you might want to consider a portable shelter/run for them. I have them from 2' tall to six foot tall depending on purpose and age of bird. This is way bigger than you need but a scaled down version would probably do.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Fence them in .

Good luck

Gary

 

[ehoneybee]

Fence them in .

Good luck

Gary

Ok. Sounds like we won't be able to free range. We plan to put wheels on the coop and wheel it around to where we want them to do damage . The fence is portable and we plan to put a tarp over top in inclement weather.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Ok. Sounds like we won't be able to free range. We plan to put wheels on the coop and wheel it around to where we want them to do damage . The fence is portable and we plan to put a tarp over top in inclement weather.

Maybe an electric fence.... Just post and wires....

 

[ehoneybee]

Maybe an electric fence.... Just post and wires....

Well I have 3 young children...

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Well I have 3 young children...

They will learn fast, likely before the chickens do. I imagine its like the woodstove, my kids tested it once then not again.

Gary

 

[ehoneybee]

They will learn fast, likely before the chickens do. I imagine its like the woodstove, my kids tested it once then not again.

Gary

Oh no! There is a dog next door and some cats - I would feel guilty.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Oh no! There is a dog next door and some cats - I would feel guilty.

DOGS AND CATS! all the more reason to keep them out. I think you would feel guilty should the dogs eat your chickens and you had not put up the fence....

Good luck

Gary

 

[wamtazlady]

To keep the birds from flying over the fence you might consider clipping the flight feathers from a wing. It doesn't hurt the bird at all. Most suggest doing just one wing. I haven't had much success with that. I do both wings. By observing the chickens I discovered there was just one leading the pack. Once she couldn't fly over the fence, none of them went over the fence.

I use electric poultry netting so my birds can free range in a safe area. It works well. You'd have to make sure the children know not to touch. My boy friend who is 76 moved to this ranch when he was 9. He told me he learned all about electric fences when his brother told him to pee on it.