Fenced yard?

[BlazeJester]

My setup is an open 8'x8' run with water, food, laying boxes and roost enclosed by hardware cloth. No walls.

My girls, who are coming up on 5 months, free range frequently and used to stay in the yard, mostly near their run. Now every time I let them out they make a beeline for someone else's property (anyone's, doesn't matter). About a month ago they started wandering during the evening... now it's whenever they're outside.

I cannot have them wandering off my property. My front yard is mostly enclosed by a 2-foot brick fence, which the chickens seem to respect quite well. I have not seen them going over it. I'm thinking of fencing in the open spaces to try to keep them in. My plan was to buy a roll of garden netting, which is black and plastic with 1" square holes. It would also be 2 feet high in the places where there are currently gaps.

Does anyone have any idea whether this will work? I don't want to spend the time or money if they're just going to start hopping over the fence (any fence).

 

[sharol]

My girls stay in a chain link (4') fence that several of them could easily fly over. That said, 2' isn't very high, and they are birds.

Sharol

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[Ksane]

I don't think 2' will work for most chickens. A 4' fence would work if you clipped their wings. They've got that plastic stuff you're talking about in 4' also but it would get pretty expensive depending on how big your yard is.

 

[hemet dennis]

I would put up 6 foot chicken wire, not from home depot but from a fence supply place. Here i can get 150 feet for about $100. with that you can make a run for more then 100 chickens.
Good luck

 

[Alethea]

I'd make it higher than two feet. Ours is six. I think the two feet of brick works because they can't see through it.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

My bantam araucanas (EEs) flew over my 10 foot high fence when they felt like it. Well they were just following along with the other chickens who were doing it. But the heavier breeds that I have had flew over 4 foot high fencing easily (Orpingtons etc.) when they wanted to.

It all depends on whether they want to go or not.

Two feet high is only if they are in the mood to stay in, lol.

You could try clipping the flight feathers of one wing?? But even then they can easily hop over two feet.

 

[Patricia Jane]

I would go atleast 4' with a top. Even with clipping wings won't always stop them from going over. I clipped my leghorn and she still made it over a 5 1/2' fence.

 

[P-Funk]

There is 4' 2x4 wire around an acre of the driveway now. It won't really keep the chooks in or the foxes out. It does, however, keep them in the same area as the guard puppy. They are smart enough to know that if they leave they could be eaten.

 

[BlazeJester]

Quote:
I'm not even going to think about taking measures to keep my bantam araucanas fenced... They'll do what they want

Sounds like my suspicions were correct that it's not worth the time or money to put up a 2' fence. I have about 75 feet of fencing to close off the front yard (25 in one area and 50 along the driveway). Mostly I'm concerned about run-ins with the neighbor's dogs on the neighbor's property.

 

[FarmGirl01]

I have a 4ft woven wire with two strands of barbed wire. A few would fly over. Those few were soon given away.