How to free range chickens?

[Lenny loves chickens]

I have some orchid plants that I do not want the chickens to nibble on. What type of mesh screening would prevent them from pecking on it, but will allow sun to pass through? Should I use galvanized hardware cloth, plastic poultry netting, or thin nylon garden netting?

I just use chicken wire lol

 

[Emmyjim]

The only thing I dont like with hardware cloth is that its difficult to cut.

Would building something like this cage with nylon netting sold on Amazon be sufficient enough? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01608CXOG?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_19TF9P1DAGY6NCDK3ZYS

 

[Debbie292d]

I want my standard sized chickens (when they are old enough to be put outdoors) have free range of my backyard. My backyard fence is approximately 6 feet tall and my backyard is roughly 25 feet x 25 feet.

1) How likely are my chickens able to jump over my 6 foot fence?

2) Is wing clipping (one or both wings) necessary to keep them from jumping over the 6 foot fence?

3) What is the training process for having chickens return back to their coop? When my chickens are fully feathered and old enough, do I keep them locked up in their coop for a week and after a week, I leave the door open and they will instinctively know to return back inside before sunset? And will they always know to return back to their coop?

4) What happens when it rains? Do I still open the door for my coop in the mornings so they can come out? Or will they know not to come out because its soaking wet?

5) What determines how many chickens I can keep in my coop and backyard? My coop is 6x6x6ft and the backyard is 25 x 25ft.

For 5-6 yrs we've had free-range silkie chickens on 2 acres, no fence. No chicken I've ever had was great at flying but some of these will jump up on a wooden garden wall we have to perch and that's near 3 feet.

We open the coop door in the morning, and they put themselves to bed before sunset, then we lock them in so nothing can get in there. Rain doesn't stop them from coming out usually unless it's heavy. High wind will cause them to go back in the coop though. They know where to go and do it by themselves.

If you have a preference where you'd like them to make a dust bath, then dig them a spot or build like a "sandbox" for them. Otherwise, they will make one or a few of their own. Maybe it doesn't matter, but we do that so they stay out of my flower beds.

Size: I recall looking it up when we built our coop for how many chickens. Here one guideline I found: The minimum rule of thumb is about 2 to 3 square feet per chicken inside the chicken coop. We can have up to 16 but keep a few less because in the winter they stay in their coop for a few months.

I hope this helped a little.