Good fence type between property lines

[Jennyhaschicks]

I think we are going to have to put up a fence to keep our chickens on our property rather then have them get over to our neighbors back lawn.
We don't have a ton of money to spend on fencing. They don't want a fence up and I don't know if we should tell them our plans and see if they want to go half and half if they want beautiful fencing...
Can anyone recommend a decent type of fence for property borders?

 

[birdsofparadise]

You might try 5ʻ t-posts with 1" chicken wire. It sounds really flimsy, but it holds chickens just fine. The upside is that visually it is almost invisible unless you are really close to it, so your neighbors canʻt complain. Plus, its cheap, goes up fast, and can be taken down and moved with minimum struggles. Please note that if you have snowmobilers in the area cutting across your property, you MUST hang some sort of flag from the wire or they will run into it, pull it down and injure themselves in the process. When I lived in Michigan, I saw this happen time and again on abandoned farm land with barb wire fences that were partially up and partially down.

 

[Jennyhaschicks]

Quote:
Hmm, we are checking into fencing right now. I will take a look at it.

 

[LynneP]

I wish I lived close to you because I have some 5' chain link, green-vinyl coated (aka pool fencing) that I would give you. I'd put the corner stakes in concrete and use a base wire through the mesh to keep it close to the ground, and straight. This kind of fencing is often advertised on internet bulletin boards like kajiji and ebay. Folks often have leftover sections. Somebody might even have a framed 'dog run' which would be useful when you're rounding up the chicks in the evening.

 

[speckledhen]

Livestock fencing has graduated sized openings and I get 330' of 4' tall fencing for about $120 at Lowe's or Home Depot. Add the green steel U-posts you just hammer into the ground and you have one of the cheapest fences you can put up. The openings are large enough at the bottom, however for small chicken youngsters to got through so you may need to string chickenwire over it a couple feet up. I perimeter fenced 2 of my 5 acres with it and believe me, we have no $$$. It is the cheapest way to go.

I agree, you're going to have to put up a fence; just be sure of your property lines.

 

[greyfields]

Chicken wire would be the cheapest way to go... however, you'd probably live to regret it once the weeds grew up into it.

Welded wire (the 330' rolls at 39" high) seems pretty optimal for most livestock uses. I run that with a high tensile hot wire at 48", which of course wouldn't be necessary for chickens.

The biggest mistake people make fencing is not using corner braces with wood posts. That will give you a lot longer lifespan for the fence.

One downside is that chicks can get through the field wire when they are small. In the past we have used cheap plastic mesh to keep the little ones in.

 

[Jennyhaschicks]

Quote:
I keep the smaller chicks in a smaller pen with smaller gaps between the wires until they are larger so I really don't need to worry about that aspect right now.

I forgot about the weeds. That could really become a pain in the butt quick.