TIL: Fence top roller bars - do they keep chickens in?

[BigBlueHen53]

Let us know how it works. I'd love to have a garden but my inly area has a 4-foot fence they can easily scale.

 

[NatJ]

I thought about that, but it’s hard to imagine a chicken flying to the wobbly fence top, and then clinging on while squeezing through the gap.

But these are chickens, so of course anything could happen.

Either the roller is just a little bit higher than the wobbly fence, so it is easy for the chicken to just fly over both.

Or the roller is quite a lot higher than the wobbly fence, so it is easy for the chicken to fly through the gap.

Either way, I just don't see it making much difference.

Of course it depends on the individual chicken, but since she is already so good at getting out, I think she will keep finding a way unless you completely cover the run. Unfortunately it sounds like covering the run may not be practical.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Either the roller is just a little bit higher than the wobbly fence, so it is easy for the chicken to just fly over both.

Or the roller is quite a lot higher than the wobbly fence, so it is easy for the chicken to fly through the gap.

Either way, I just don't see it making much difference.

Of course it depends on the individual chicken, but since she is already so good at getting out, I think she will keep finding a way unless you completely cover the run. Unfortunately it sounds like covering the run may not be practical.

It’s a movable yard-ranging area, rather than their actual run, but yes, I’m beginning to agree.

We had aerial netting over this particular area and let it slide with the fencing changes, but I think it’s time to bring it back. (There’s a lot of natural cover in the form of rhododendrons and azaleas.)

 

[Penpal]

They only land on the fence if they are looking for a roost. My chickens used to fly right over the 4 foot electric netting. Heavy birds aren't supposed to be able to do that, but the Australorps, Rhode Island Red, and Plymouth Rocks all did. The Brahmas do not fly out.

 

[NatJ]

They only land on the fence if they are looking for a roost. My chickens used to fly right over the 4 foot electric netting. Heavy birds aren't supposed to be able to do that, but the Australorps, Rhode Island Red, and Plymouth Rocks all did. The Brahmas do not fly out.

It seems to depend on the chicken.

I've had some chickens that go straight over fences, but more that would fly up to hang out on top of the fence and later decide to come down on the other side. I sometimes wondered if they just wanted a break on the way, or if they really couldn't think well enough to realize that going over the fence was the way out!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

It seems to depend on the chicken.

I've had some chickens that go straight over fences, but more that would fly up to hang out on top of the fence and later decide to come down on the other side. I sometimes wondered if they just wanted a break on the way, or if they really couldn't think well enough to realize that going over the fence was the way out!

When we had a gate with a solid top bar, they used it as a way to touch base on their way out. Fly up, perch a second, hop down.

When they tried this on a floppy top, they would clutch franticly at the top, swaying back and forth, trying to figure out what to do. If nothing else, it made it easy for us (if we were around) to run out, detach them, and plop them back down on their own side.

 

[Fluffy_Butt_Hutt]

I think the easiest solution is trying to do a non-permanent chicken wire cover over the run. All my barred rock pullets (around 4.3 pounds) clear 5-6 feet daily