How high can chickens jump or fly?

[NikSmith]

Hey all,
I'm getting my whole garden and this tree area fenced this week for my chickens. The fencing will be 6ft tall, and the bottom starts out smaller (holes) than the top.
My questions:
1) Will chickens still be able to get over that? I have ameracaunas, some rocks, wyandottes, a silkie and a polish top hatter. The area will be oh, 3-4000 square feet, probably more. So i'm assuming that they won't get bored in their large area and try to venture to the 'greener' side!
2) Should I put chicken wire along the bottom to keep any skunks, coons, etc out? The bottom squares in the fencing are small and then get bigger the higher up it gets. Sort of similar to the picture attached.

Thanks!

 

[countrygirl345]

They will be able to get out, but regardless, you need wire on top to keep predators out. Also, the predators will be able to dig underneath.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Given the space you are enclosing, I understand not covering the top and as long as you are okay with the accepted risk of losses from above there is no reason you *have* to cover it.
As to the bottom section of the enclosure - it appears the "fencing " you are using is plastic, is that true? If so, then you will need to reinforce the bottom section of your enclosure if you wish to keep anything out (this fencing seems sufficient to keep birds IN, but not much of anything OUT) - this can be done with using wire (not poultry netting, but a heavier gauge wire such as hardware cloth, etc), use of electric fencing, etc. The addition of a "no-dig" skirt is also common for prevention of predators digging in/under the fence - this is typically done with heavier gauge wire that "skirts" the perimeter (on the outside) extending approximately 2 feet from the base of the fence and out, either weighted on the edge or buried a bit below the surface.
As for the flight question - It depends on the breed of the chicken - the heavy breeds are less likely to clear high fences than the lighter breeds. You can take steps like clipping just one wing one wing on each bird.

Really, the extent and expense to which you go will depend on how much risk you are willing to accept when it comes to bird loss and how much you can afford to spend.