Is a 3 foot high fence tall enough for bantams?

[MiniBeesKnees]

I tried a six and a half foot fence. Didn't stop any of mine. I've found my D'Uccle rooster on top of my real house...OK, the low part, but still higher than the fence. I've watched them...they can all fly straight up like helicopters.

Terry in Tennessee

 

[bubblebean11]

I have a 3 ft pen for my bantams and they stay put for the most part. I have a group of bantams in a pen 6 ft high and one of my cochin bantams flys out of the pen so go figure! They will do what they will.

 

[anthonyjames]

I would clip one wing to keep them down. My large girls Austrolaps get up as hight as my Mille Fluers. I had to clip 1 wing on each bird to keep them from getting over my 4 ft electric fence.

 

[teddiliza]

Go for the 6 foot for sure! My little japanese bantam and even my standard heavy breeds could easily hop the 4 ft chain link. Then if they still try to fly over it, Go for the net on top! It may be ugly, but it keeps them where you need them to be. Those d'uccles can fly well! One morning, one of my d'uccle pulletes flew out of the coop and onto it's roof 10 ft up because she was startled. If you have silkies you'd be okay with the 4ft fencing. The one silkie roo I've had never went higher than 3 feet on purpose. I did have some cochin bantams and 4 ft was easy as pie for them to jump on and over. My neighborhood has lots of dogs that I didn't want to feed chickens to, so I finally figured out how to add the welded wire to extend the height of my fence (with zip ties no less). I actually ended up rigging some 4ft welded wire fencing to extend the height of my chain link around the chicken run. They haven't hopped it since I made it 8 feet tall LOL.

 

[Jmurcks]

I had thought about just building a whole other pen for them but I have an "L" shaped house and the yard itself is 30'x30' and has 6 foot high fence on the opposing side so I can add a fence on the far end, making a square, and hopefully tack some deer netting or something off the side of the house to reach the 6 foot fence. That would, however, leave a "hole" on the new fence where the netting comes down at a slant.
I just hated to do the netting thing because I was afraid it might look bad and the neighbors complain. But I really see no other option!
Also, we have hawks so better safe than sorry I guess!
Thanks!

 

[QuailHollow]

I find that our fencing keeps things "out" rather than keeps birds "IN".

 

[Bookworm chick]

I'd go with covering the run. Our run is about 4 ft. high and covered with poultry wire on top. Those bantams can sure fly if they get the notion.

e

 

[txchickie]

Definently cover it with a net!

Our bantams get high up in the trees, on our roof, up in the rafters of the garage and barn, etc....even a 6ft fence wouldn't start to keep them in.

 

[Andora]

I made the mistake of thinking that my standard sized chickens wouldn't get out of a 4 ft. fence if they had one wing clipped. Turns out the ones who want to get out will still easily just hop right over. Nothing has ever been more frustrating in my life! We finally got a 10x10 ft. dog kennel and put it against the second coop. That's the chicken jail, for the naughty ones who refuse to stay in my yard no matter what I do. One of the Faverolle/EE mixes could still climb out of the 10 foot high dog kennel with one wing clipped! She had to go to a new home...