This year I started my first flock. I began with six chicks. I lost one pullet, BR, when she flew our of her fenced in area when she was about 12 weeks. I just lost my second BR today. We started with a three foot fence and quickly changed to a four foot fence to match our perimeter fence and clipped one of their wings. I only have had trouble with the BR. None of the other hens fly out. Can everyone tell me what has worked the best for them? What height of fence to keep them in even with clipped wings? She was the heaviest of my hens and yet she could still fly over the four foot fence even with her wing clipped. I just recently read from one source that he likes to clip both wings to keep them from getting air. Other than that book, every other source has said to clip just one wing. I am very distraught over losing this wonderful bird. Should I avoid that breed? Clip both wings? Obviously, I need to take the fence up to six feet and clip the wings. I am hopeful that will keep them in. All suggestions are appreciated.
I'm sorry to hear about your loss. With our escape artists we clip both wings and we clip hard, primaries and secondaries. I found really determined hens will still find a way, like clambering up the fence or finding things to jump onto to gain some height, before scaling the fence. So make sure there is nothing within a few feet of the fence that they can get up onto. I also make my fences at least 5 feet high and that's worked well for me so far.
I have fencing 6 feet tall that has kept all the hens inside the run. My yard has 4 foot fencing, but is 3/4 acre, so they may not be motivated. Chris