New Chicken Owner

[livestrong456]

Hello everyone.

I am getting ready to bring some chickens onto my property and get them set up in the chicken coop/nesting box we made. Our yard is fenced in, but I've heard it's kinda pointless, that they still escape. I don't want them cooped up (no pun intended) all the time, so I intend to let them have a large area to roam. The fenced-in area is pretty large and I just need to know how to keep the chickens in my yard. If they have a quite large backyard will they be content to stay? I just don't want to get some chickens and then immediately lose them. I still want them to be able to roam around a little though.

Thanks for your advice.

 

[chick123600]

I say if they start jumping the fence, then clip their wings. I did that with my black sumatra hen because she jumped the fence, she hasn't done it since.

Unless you want to show them, then I don't know what to tell you.

 

[moetrout]

I have 6 full grown chickens on about a 1 acre fenced in back yard. The fence is 4 foot chain link and I have only once had to go retrieve one chicken that went over. I think they stay put because they know where home and the food is.

 

[MuskokaChick]

I guess it depends on their personality?

I have only had chicken for 2 weeks now and I have a big run area with 4 foot fencing and the other day I saw one fly over the fence, even though we are on 40 acres of land with a bit of bush, I am still worried about the foxes and other predators. Anyway...this chicken was in a panic trying to get back into the run, so I think if I wasn't home and this happened I am sure she was have stuck around.

Again...only two weeks of experience talking here.

 

[ARose4Heaven]

As long as they have what they want on the inside, they are not likely to go outside the fence. UNLESS something scares them. A frightened hen will go over just about anything. I had one fly clean across the cornfield when she saw a hawk land on the ramp of her coop!

 

[Micklemoose]

How are you on predators? Chickens that are free to roam all the time make easy pickings for a whole host of animals.

If you have it all thought out then just ignore me, but this site has some good info on chicken predators.

 

[GreenGables]

I know here in MA my big concern is hawks. I have had 2 attacks but was able to save the chicken who, unfortunately, was the target of both attacks.

 

[Donner]

My fence is 5 feet tall enclosing maybe 1/2 acre. I have 30 chickens. The rooster is the only one that has ever gone outside the fence, and he squeezed under a open spot under a gate. Otherwise, I have not seen any of the chickens even attempt to leave the yard. I have a pair of collies that live in the same yard. Rarely they will chase a chicken around for a minute or two, although it the hens did not run they would not get chased (ie the dogs think it is a game), They also try to help get them back into the coop, when we try to get them in before they are ready. It seems like the chickens might understand that the dogs keep away predators. When the dogs are just lying around on the grass the chickens have a tendency to congregate nearby.

My current worry is that I saw a bald eagle take off from near the property one morning. Not sure the dogs would deter that big of a bird. And, other than keeping them cooped up, not sure there is much I can do to deter a bird that big.