How high of fencing for coyotes?

[Hinotori]

We lost 11 birds today to coyotes. Suckers did it about 9am on a sunny day. Dogs were inside and apparently don't hear well over a loud fan. I'm really irritated since they got all my silkies, two EEs, and a brahma. One rock had her tail ripped off. She's been treated and is hiding in the coop. When the girls started calling to me when I went out, another rock I couldn't find started calling. Her feathers are all over. She's missing all her back feathers and you can follow the trail out into the marsh and grass to where she was hiding. She's doing ok.

So since fencing the whole property isn't feasible through the marsh, I'm thinking of just fencing off a large pasture. I have some sheep fencing we were going to put in pasture with, and think I'll just fence off a large area for the chickens right now.

How high is best for a fence to keep out coyotes? The sheep fencing is only four feet, but I was planning on running barbed wire at the top. The grass grows really fast, so to keep it off a hot wire near the ground, I'd be mowing twice a week.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Hot wire on the top might work.

Coyotes are really fond of going under fences. They are great diggers.

I've got a 6 ft chain link fence with large rocks along the bottom, that so far has kept them out. My son has a 7 ft tall game fence with skirting that has kept them out.

Friends in town with 5 ft tall board fences have reported that the coyotes just walk along the top of the fence.

There is a contraption called a "coyote roller" that stops them from climbing over fences. A bit spendy if you have lots of fence, but probably possible to duplicate at home.

 

[Hinotori]

I'll look up the coyote roller and see what we can do. I may need to start hauling all the rocks I dig up around the fence. The soil is heavily rocky and that should slow them some.