Guess I need a fense

[jbrianchamberli]

Beem free ranging 5 hens in the back yard but they're wandering too far and keep going out into a road. I hate to restrict them because they love the woods and stream but I might not have a choice. I don't want to cause an accident because someone tried to avoid one my chickens. So, any suggestions? I know a fense won't keep prey out but I need something to keep the chickens from wandering too far.

 

[BYC910]

Sometimes it's better to restrict them than lose them . But if you live in the country where a lot of people have chickens . Most will not be bothered by them. Maybe just put up a chicken crossing sign. If they area nuisance to your neighbors then make your run as large as possible .2x2 or 2x4 inch welded and T post wire makes a good fence . All mine are in runs and are covered and free range only when I can watch them which isn't often . I have several pens . But a couple of hours late afternoon early evening is plenty and they can get a long way out even then . You could also try a driveway alert . Mine picks up the wild turkeys that go past it . Set it low so the chickens have to set it off to get to the road and herd them back top a safe area .Harbor freight has one that will transmit to a receiver 200 feet away . Battery operated and it works pretty good .

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thanks for thinking responsibly. It’s not just the danger of the chicken being killed but the risk of them causing an accident by someone swerving to avoid them. I’d hate to get someone injured.

I don’t know how big an area you are talking about or what it looks like so I’ll be kind of generic. You may be able to get away with a barrier between them and the road or you may need to totally enclose them. I don’t know how pretty you want that fence to be either.

Chickens generally don’t like to fly over a fence and land on the other side. They can and sometimes will but usually not. A more typical way of them crossing a fence is they fly to the top of the fence to perch (they love to perch) and then fly down on the wrong side. So it’s important to not have a solid top rail on it, the fence needs to have a wire top so they can’t perch on it. That could be a wire fence or some wire sticking up a bit at the top of a solid top rail.

You need a mesh fence of some type so they can’t just walk through it. The size of your chickens will determine what size the openings can be. I have electric netting and my chicks can walk through it until they are maybe 6 to 7 weeks old. Also, if your ground is not level it’s really easy to have holes under it that they can just squeeze through.

The bigger the area the less likely they are to try to fly out. Also try to avoid really sharp corners or narrow areas. Occasionally a cockerel will get trapped against my electric netting and go vertical when losing a fight. They sometimes land on the wrong side of the netting. If yours is a mature flock this isn’t that big of a concern.

My full sized chickens can easily fly over a four or even five foot high fence if they want to. They have absolutely no problems flying up to a five feet high roost. Some game or bantams can fly up to roost in a 15 feet high tree or barn rafters. Yet some people keep chickens contained by a 3 feet high fence though that’s pretty low, I’d go higher. The trick is to make them not want to fly over it. Make the top out of something they can’t perch on and make the area as large as you can.

Good luck!

 

[Folly's place]

My birds do have a lot of space, and do respect my five foot tall horse or goat woven wire fencing, with hot tape on the top. My near neighbor is close to the coop, and the goat fencing keeps the birds away from their yard and dog. Once in a while a bird will get under the fence (not set to the ground) and visit, but it's not often. I also don't want them in the road, and the fencing tends to direct them away from it.
Breed selection matters too; if the description includes 'very active, excellent free ranging' or some such, be wary! It's never good to have your birds either in the road, or visiting neighbors. Mary

 

[jbrianchamberli]

Portable fence on order. It will have to do. I just don't have it in me right now to build something more permanent until Spring. Then I can take my time and build them a bigger area.