I have a decent little coop. I also have dogs. So I think I need to build a wire fence around the coop to keep chickens incarserated (ha ha) but wonder how high do I need to build this...do I really have to put a "roof" on the run too? I was thinking of a 6 foot fence all the way around it so there is a lot of room to roam (like a 10 x 15 foot area) but will they fly over this fence? All of the pictures I see have a roof....I AM putting a buried wire dog fence to keep THEM in a certain area but there would be nothing from keeping the chickens elsewhere if they were free range. Any advice? Needless to say I have no chickens yet....I wanted to post a photo but dont know how to do that yet.
As long as you are shutting your chickens inside the housing every night, you would probably do okay with a 6 ft. fence. Obviously, the safest bet is a covered run, but not everyone covers their runs, and some people even totally free range. Just be aware of the risks. A raccoon will think nothing of climbing over a 6 ft. fence though, so do make sure your pop door is closed at night...
It's unlikely the chickens will fly out with a 6 ft fence unless there is something for them to stand on to get higher, like going on a chair or box, and then flying out from that point. LEaving a run uncovered always leaves open a risk of predators being able to get in. Raccoons generally are active at night, but not always. They can come in during the day, easily, if so inclined. And of course hawks, which will love to seize and eat a chicken, can easily get in any run that's uncovered, if they should be in the area. I have a hawk that lives in my neighborhood who killed a few of my neighbor's chickens, as she didn't cover hers. I covered mine from the get go. NEighborhood cats, which love to go in other people's yards, have been known to kill chickens as well, I know someone else who lost several to a neighborhood cat as she let her chickens wander freely in her fenced backyard.
