How to extend the height of a chain link fence?

[perkolator]

Thanks, I need it with her! She just likes to do her own thing and wants to be the rogue chicken I guess. She randomly showed up at our place the week one of our hens died...because of timing and because she's ghost-white, she got named Ghostie. She's our only chicken who goes off exploring on her own and several times has started laying elsewhere on the property (including inside my truck one time when I left the window open for a few days - and 3wks ago I was burning our burn pile and found like 20 of her eggs underneath it!!!), and sometimes she doesn't like to go into the coop at night after free-ranging and I'll have to fetch her out of the pear tree nearby, lol.

 

[AmeliaBedelia]

View attachment 2553996Here’s the basic idea. This is my chicken run extension and I had extra t-post exposed to fix string to. Fence is about 5ft, so the extension gave it another foot. Other perimeter fence I did for deer deterrent and it’s the same concept - just with bamboo poles zip tied to the t-posts and 3 layers of string.

The chicken run height extension was working great until recently. I think the chicken figured out a new way to get out of the run, since my kids kept finding Ghostie out by herself in the middle of the day (the ONLY chicken I had to make the extension for keeping in) and my oldest mentioned he's seen her on top of the chicken coop's roof a few times. Well, sure enough this morning when I was tossing them some scratch, I saw her eyeballing the roof of the coop, as if she was getting ready to jump up there....well not even 5 min later when I come back she's magically nowhere to be found inside the run, lol. Roof of the coop is over 7ft off the ground where she must have jumped up! Guess someone’s gonna be getting her flight feathers clipped!

So the horizontal strings are at about 6 inches apart? I think if I found string in a less visible color, my spouse would be ok with this option. Low cost and low visual impact.

 

[perkolator]

Yes, somewhere in the 6-8" apart. I only used the orange because I couldn't find my roll of white, that I'd normally use (my thought is the deer would see it better at night). I like the mason line because I can make it nice and taught, it also seems to hold up to the UV exposure

 

[Thunder344]

Well, I have no idea. I see some other people know how to help you though. My suggestion would be become a blacksmith, forge some more links and add them to your fence.

 

[AmeliaBedelia]

Well, I have no idea. I see some other people know how to help you though. My suggestion would be become a blacksmith, forge some more links and add them to your fence.

I'll get right on that...know any blacksmiths taking apprentices?

 

[Vacman]

I had a couple that could fly over my 4' high electric fence, How come no one's recommended clipping the feathers. Wouldn't that be the most reasonable solution? As I understand it, you clip a couple of feathers on one side only and that makes them unstable in the air so they can't fly. If that's not a solution, then someone will correct me.

 

[AmeliaBedelia]

It is, I just prefer not to so they can fly up to perches easier, escape predators faster if needed, etc. But that is my back up plan.

 

[Thunder344]

I'll get right on that...know any blacksmiths taking apprentices?

Yep. His name is Mr. Invisible. You'll find him in the air.

 

[perkolator]

Quick escape from predator when free-ranging is the main reason I haven't clipped any of my chickens yet