Will a red production hen jump over a 6 foot fence?

[bridgetchicken]

My backyard has a fence that is 6 ft high. I want to free range my red production hens but I am worried they might not come back to their coop. I recently built a coop and run and they have been there for about two weeks. Should I wait another two weeks before I let them free range? And could they fly over a six foot fence? Will they come back to their coop every sunset?

 

[sybonbon]

My backyard has a fence that is 6 ft high. I want to free range my red production hens but I am worried they might not come back to their coop. I recently built a coop and run and they have been there for about two weeks. Should I wait another two weeks before I let them free range? And could they fly over a six foot fence? Will they come back to their coop every sunset?

Free Ranging never guarantees the chickens will return. A predator could kill one or all. If you value your chickens, please keep them protected.

 

[David61]

yes and no, lol. They cant jump but fly. Train your birds with treats. I can shake a box of raisins and they all come running. I open the coop/run door and throw a handful of raisins in and get out of the way before i get run overed.
Fat laying hens don't fly good and you can alay clip some wing feathers. The only time my girls free range my yard is when I'm doing yard work. The dog goes around yard looking to see what they are doing.

 

[CaretakerCarol]

6 feet is a good height, but if they are really determined, they can fly up to it. You just have to make them not want to go to the other side. Definitely clip the flight feathers off one side. As they get older and heavier, they are less likely to go over. Is there a Rooster in the group? I find that roosters tend to keep the girls close by. My fence is only about 5.5 feet and when they were young, a few of the more flighty birds would go over (looking at you leghorns!), but at about 1 year, they were too heavy (except the leghorns) to get up that high.

With my birds, if one got over the fence, they would then spend the next hour worrying how to get back to the inside. Chickens are cute, personable, but not always the brightest..

They are more likely to exploit any gaps along the bottom fence line, so double check and make sure it is tightened up.