Fence Height

[TysonDSMIowa]

Hello everyone, I am loving the forum so far. I have learned so much already. I am butting together plans and going to build my coop/run next spring. I would like to let the chickens free range in the backyard a little though. How high would my fence need to be in order to keep the chickens in my yard? I have the standard 48 inch tall chain length fence. Will this be sufficient enough? Thanks for your help.

 

[eleaserek]

I would definitely recommend a 6'. I do the same, let the chickens out into the back yard. And I know they would go over a standard 4' fence without a thought. As it stands, my Easter egger can fly to the top of my 6' fence when she's spooked.
I suppose if they were supervised, and if you clipped one wing, you might be ok. I guess it just depends in the hazards on the other side of the fence!

 

[wamtazlady]

The new 3 month old pullets I have can clear a 4 foot fence with no problems. However, my 6 month old hens can't fly that high anymore. The smaller breeds like my Leghorn used to be able to fly high. The larger ones such as the Buff Orpington and the New Hampshire Red never seemed to fly. They are just too heavy now and are so used to their space that they never try to fly anymore. My fence is 4 feet.

 

[marktoo]

I have 4 Wyandottes approx. 30 months old, one of which insisted on flying over a 42" plastic fence & into the garden. She did it so often that rather than have me chase her around, she would meet me at the gate so I could pick her up & place her on the other side. I recently replaced the plastic fence for a 4' wire fence & she hasn't flown over it yet. As young pullets they could all clear 6' though.