*groan* Flying over the fence...

[HorseFeathers]

Our two adorable beautiful 8 week old Welsummer chicks keep flying over the fence! We really don't want to get another fence (it's about 2' high), but there are dogs next door and I'm a bit worried. We put them back in whenever we catch them outside the fence, but otherwise they don't seem to know how to get back in! Our heavier Delaware chick doesn't do it... We're hoping these two little gals will be as big and fat as our grown Welsummer hen and stop they flights, but what can we do until then?

 

[bulldoggin74]

I just started having this problem 2 days ago, too! We have a 4' fence. They are in a fenced off section of our fenced yard. (i hope that made sense!) 1 side is the outer perimiter, and luckily the 1 Red Star that just started getting out is only getting out into the main yard. (i have to be careful not to let mt bulldog out unitl i check to make sure she is in "her" fence.) I have clipped wings to na avail! Waiting on responses!

BTW...she is 1 year old and heavier than the WCBP that are flighty but never seem to get out!

 

[ColoradoMike]

We have a similar setup, bulldoggin74. We have a 'chicken yard' with a 4 foot fence that is inside our backyard, and the backyard is surrounded by a 6' privacy fence. Our California White hen has been the only one to get out of the chicken yard thus far - luckily our golden retriever has been very gentle with the chickens and hasn't displayed any aggressive behavior towards them at all. It's only an annoyance since there is a high likelihood that left unattended, the chicken(s) would shred our nearby vegetable garden...

I'm hoping that as the hen grows and fattens up, that flying onto/over the fence will be less likely...

 

[scooter147]

Horsefeathers, if I am reading your post correctly you are stating your fence is 2 feet high, if this is correct you will have to build another fence. Even with clipped wings any chicken can go over that height.

Pullets can fly well and clipping wings doesn't always stop them, many times they learn to walk/flap up a smaller sized fence wiith clipped wings.

Age usually stops most fly overs, they become bigger and fatter and can't fly as well.

 

[RunningChicken]

Seems like every day now I am going to our pen and trying to raise the fence. It is presently 7' high. I have one EE that is flying over it - ARGH- and I do not want to clip her wings. I'm hoping that she'll gain weight and lose interest.

Anyway, my experience is that a 2' fence would not work for anybody. Even my big australorp was able to fly over a 5' fence.

Or maybe I just have motivated chickens.

 

[scooter147]

My EE are excellent flyers, not as good now that they are about 18 months old but man up to about this April or so there was not many places they couldn't fly to if they wanted.
One thing I noticed about them is look at their wings and flight feathers both are much bigger and longer then a regular standard breed chicken.

 

[Chickenaddict]

Is it possible to put a chickenwire top on that 2 ft fence until you can get a higher fence/run put up? That would keep them in. My little handicapped japanese hen flew to the roof of our 2 story house once, talk about a good flyer

 

[HorseFeathers]

Thanks for your replies. Right now they're a bit wild, but I hope that soon they will calm, get fatter, and stop their flights of fancy. One of them actually figured out how to get back in as well, so I'm happy about that. Maybe she'll tell her sister.

Also, we plan on letting them free range either this fall or next year (they stay in the covered run during the winter) so hopefully they won't feel the urge to flap.

 

[substandardtim]

we have a 6 foot fence and the leghorn roosters we had temporarly would jump half way up then crawl/flap the rest of the way over. aside from the fact that we wanted no roosters and if we had to have one it would be a BO, those leghorns went on craigs list as soon as they started to crow.