Incredible Escaping Chickens!

[FarmerFarthing]

Hi all,
Once again I have a question...all my larger breed chickens have had a wing clipped and they're in a large enclosure with a fence that's just over 4 foot high and yet my stubborn red head Ginger still flies over the bar and escapes into the main garden and she's quite a fatty!!

Now I have two little Silver Spangled Hamberg Bantams (Pip and Pop) who I've just built a separate enclosure for (I'm intending to get some more 'minis' to go in with them) but I'm really worried these two will do a Ginger on me and make a bid for freedom -they're flighty, skittish little things as it is!! I really don't want to have to put a lid on their enclosure as that feels like keeping them in a cage, albeit a big one!

Any advice??

 

[Moonkit]

Simply from the standpoint of being concerned about hawks, I'd put a lid on the enclosure. Plus there are more than one land-based predators that will climb a fence to get into a chicken enclosure. Hamburgs are a flighty breed that do not enjoy confinement, but supposeably do fairly well free-range.

 

[FarmerFarthing]

It's safe to say that I don't have to worry about hawks in this part of the world

They do get locked up in a safe coop at night, I just don't want them eating all my vegetables in the garden!!

 

[Cindy in PA]

I've had dual purpose birds fly out of a 6 foot fence. Bantams will have no problem doing that. Cover it with netting or make it taller.

 

[ChaoticCritters]

Fence off the garden with a 6ft fence.

I took 6ft wire mesh fencing and buried a foot of it all the way around my 50x50ft garden and added a gate. No chickens, goats, bunnies or escapee cows eating my garden again!