fencing in for chickens help???

[boykin2010]

ok i was actually thinking of fencing in my entire backyard which is probably 6 acres. What should i use to keep predators out. here is south ga we have almost all the predators possums raccoons hawks stray dogs cats fox bobcats coyote and on a rare occasion a black bear and panthers can be found. But i dont think i will have any problem except for racoons hawks fox and the cats and dogs. If i used that deer netting do u think it would work? Also what should i put on top to discourage hawks. If i kept turkeys in with the chickens would that discourage hawks from swooping down and getting my chickens???
If i fenced in 6 acres would that be enough room for about 30 chickens 5 or so turkeys and about a dozen ducks. Also here is the layout of the six acres to the left side there is these tall bushes probably 8 or 9 feet tall and it goes in a straight line all the way to the back. the right side is partially fenced in with electric wire for horses and the back is pine trees. in between is just an open field. and the front of the back field continues on to my house and front yard. thank you and all help is appreciated

 

[Bauk-bauk]

I too need help with fencing. My chickens keep flying over my fence (5 ft high) and I lost two girls last week. How high should the fence be before you have to cover the top?

 

[Sjisty]

Here's our situation -

We have 3 acres, all fenced. We also have large fowl chickens - Brahmas, Jersey Giants, Cochins, etc. They have wallowed a dip under one of the gates to come and go as they please to the front yard. The larger ones don't come out because they are too big or lazy, or they just don't want to be too far away when it's time for treats! I rarely have a chicken go over the fence, because it's just too much trouble for their lazy selves.

Raccoons and possums mainly come out at night, so no problems there as the chickens are all in their coops at night. We had a fox problem year before last, but he disappeared after a couple of days (probably the neighbor shot him). Hawks are a definite problem for us during their nesting time in the spring/early summer, so we don't let any babies run loose at that time. The hawks seem to leave the big guys alone. I once had a youngish hawk land on the ground in front of Big Bertha, my Jersey Giant. Bertha puffed herself up and growled, and the hawk decided chicken was not on the menu that day.

Hopefully your fence will keep out stray dogs. As far as enough room, I have 60 chickens on 3 acres. They all have plenty of room, but the grass is becoming sparse in their favorite areas.

Turkeys with the chickens - We tried that. Our tom killed 2 of my hens, so we ate him.

 

[boykin2010]

ok then i think about 5 acres would be PLENTY. If we raised the tom from a baby with the hens do u think there will be a problem?

 

[Sjisty]

My tom thought he was a chicken. He hatched with and grew up with some light Brahma pullets. The problem was when he tried to mate with his foster sisters. He was 30+ pounds. He stomped them flat. Maybe if you get him a woman of his own he will be okay.

 

[boykin2010]

well i was planning on getting hens

 

[Lbrad7]

You could keep hundreds of birds on 6 acres as long as you have housing for them at night and let them free range during the day. I have 6 acres myself and at one time had close to 500 birds. Once they scatter out over the fields you would never guess there were that many but evenings when the piled into the barn it was something to see! (and a tough job cleaning up the poop under the roosts.)