Free range chickens with fence?

[donnavee]

My heavier girls stay in with a 5ft fence, but we have 2 Golden Campines that jump out with no problem. Clipped their wings last year which worked, but now they are coming out of a molt and have new wing feathers - so jumping out again. Also, when they are teenagers, many of them can fly pretty well.

 

[dirtsaver]

A4' fence keeps our chickens in but when they do decide to "fly the coop",an 8' fence is not tall enough to hold them! As a poster above pointed out,some chickens roost in trees and I have seen chickens roosting in the rafters of tobacco barns(as tall as a 2 or 3 story house!).

A lot depends on the breed and some by the individual chicken.

 

[Johnboy78]

I've got a 6 foot fence. My seven month olds flock of eight consists of 4 pairs,
in order smallest to largest there are 2 Hamburgs, 2 Yokohamas, 2 brown sexlinks and 2 Rhode Island Reds.
I've seen all of them sitting atop the fence except the RIR's at one time or another during the past month.

A few months ago Ruby, my flightiest Hamburg, had gone over the fence into the next yard and was evading the
neighbor's Labradors. I was watching as the two of them closed in on her and she went airborne.
She cleared the fence by at least 3 feet, mavbe 4, as she escaped back into our yard.

I think most chickens can get over a six foot fence. They just don't know it, have no real desire to escape,
and would prefer to hang with the flock. Ruby is the only one who has actually gotten out and when she
was, spent the whole time cackling and trying to get back in. Except that she is too stupid to realize she
could fly in, just as she flew out. So she cackles unhappily until I show up with the bucket of scratch and her
flockmates and lure her back in through a little gap in the fence.

I think they just like to flap every so often and sometimes they surprise themselves at how effective it can be.
I'd put money on them getting over the 6 foot fence in time.
4 foot is not a fence for them, it's a jungle gym.

 

[smalltownchicks]

Well, I just put up a 4 ft fence because my girls were getting too brave and going too far. I've seen them get up on the neighbors hedge so I know that they can get up atleast 4 feet or more. I was very worried that since they are used to being out that they would fly over right away. Well, they have all stayed in. I make sure that the minute I go outside I go and give them their snacks and lovin. Once they've lost interest in me, I continue with whatever I'm doing and they are fine. I hope it stays the same!!

 

[welasharon]

My polish never go over the three foot picket fence.....I think they can't see the top! The araucanas easily clear an 8 foot fence from a standing start.