I got my wrought iron look alike aluminum fence for the hillside (above where BooBooBear can roam) from them and my neighbor got his 350 feet of 6 foot high chain link fencing from them. They'll be contained on two sides with the 6' fence and two interior sides with a 4' no climb fence. Did this fence continue to keep your chickens out? To install the fence, I pounded 2′ wooden stakes into the ground around the perimeter of the garden and then secured the fence to the stakes with screws. using scissors, trim all feathers off the edge, far enough back that most of the feathers along the back edge of the wing is gone, yet not so short that you cut into the part of the feather that still contains blood. Forget the banties or those near feral chickens. This is to keep any flying attempts to be lopsided, and therefore fail. Typically, chickens can't fly, and what they can do is very limited. And the same applies to heavyweight breeds when faced with a 4 foot fence. I love the color. I've got a six foot welded wire fence around our acre and a mutt of a dog that likes to chase things. I’ve given presentations through my local Extension Center and Master Gardener chapter on how I take advantage of the benefits of having backyard chickens (free fertilizer and pest control) and at the same time protect my gardens from their foraging frenzy! I've got a silkie rooster who has figured out how to roost on the top of a stall (at about a 6-foot height). If you use a second wire, put it about 10″ off the ground.You wouldn’t think such a low wire would work, but it does. The side of which is facing a street. Forget the banties or those near feral chickens. I had a Black Sumatra that nested in my garden and she flew over the four foot tall wire fence to go eat and drink once a day and then she would fly back into my garden. See video and pics of it here (warning: one video shows a coyote jumping over a fence with a cat in its mouth). Foxes are actually a species of dog that are adapted to tackling obstacles. Heavy bodied predators are reluctant to climb things that feel incapable of sustaining them. It’s been 4 months now and the chickens have not attempted even once to enter the garden! The deer was heading up a steep fence, so it might have been higher than 7 feet from the deer's point of view. I have using “rabbit fence” to chicken proof the veggie garden. hold the bird still while stretching out a wing. Cute, aren't they? I usually start with the right wing for no good reason. What stain did you use? Rarely do any of them even look interested in flying over. Below: Yes chickens can easily get over a 4 or 5 foot fence if they want to. A well fed meat bird can barely walk let alone jump. Sure enough, Rusty got over it. The fence should be a minimum of five feet high (some say four, but I've seen a fox jump that - six feet is even better. The extra foot of chicken wire is bent over to lie along the ground on the inside of the pasture and Mark screws an old rotten board or log to the chicken wire at intervals along the bottom The height of the fence you need to prevent flying over depends on the breed and density of chickens (see those topics, below). Repeat every month or two as needed. We've been preparing to get some, have got an ark, but want to free range them a bit around one section of the garden. A low picket fence won't work for some breeds--some backyard breeds like Leghorns or Hamburgs are pretty good fliers and will jump fences like they're not even there---and range far! Time to add a couple of feet of chicken wire to the top of the fence. We have got 6 foot walls or fence all round but the ground goes up in a couple of places so the drop is only in effect about 3-4ft. In order for you to see this page as it is meant to appear, we ask that you please re-enable your Javascript! Tamp the dirt down firmly. Although you can clip a chicken's wings or make the fence higher, I prefer to figure out the reason the chicken is trying to flee the coop and fix that. Place the fence in the trench and brace it upright (or have someone hold it) while you fill the dirt back in around the fence base. Hog Fencing. Chicken wire is also useful when temporarily plugging holes at the fence baseline to keep chickens in the run. Yes – the chickens have never attempted to jump on or over the picket fence! Host plants are the specific plants that each species of butterflies will lay their eggs on. To protect my vegetable garden I purchased decorative 4′ metal fence panels from my local hardware store. A picket fence, however, lacks a good perching spot and they’re leery of jumping over anything if they don’t have something to grab onto. Now to figure out where they’ve been hiding the eggs…. This is brilliant and charming. You have to make sure though you always have the fence on. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. They're not very graceful, either. Writing Contributions, Link Sharing, Advertising, or Product reviews, Mora of Sweden’s model 11863 Companion MG Guest Update. it depends on the type of chicken you get... we have two or three types and the big, heavy ones don't jump much at all but the lighter ones can jump well over six feet. Material. She can jump pretty high but I think 4 foot would contain her. About half way through the staining, I thought that a spray paint might be faster…, A Home Grown Turkey For Christmas Dinner (and the hard way we got there), How To Keep Your Chickens Safe This Winter, 5 Ways to Cool your Chicken Coop this Summer, Farm Fresh Eggs: 7 Things to Tell Your Customers. I think when the fox recognizes the electric fence they wont even try and jump. Choosing your chickens’ fencing is not to be taken lightly. why not just build the fence with 8 foot wire then you could use it as a treatment pen for a sick deer in the future? Although this isn’t a normal practice, you can clip one of their wings if it becomes a problem. Oops! Actually –  anything under 4 foot and they’ll probably find a way to jump on and over. I used Olympic Elite exterior stain – color: wendge. We had a month and half old fawn jump a five foot fence. I did find bundles of cheap picket-like fencing at Lowes, but it was only 2′ high. How is the wire twisted to secure the pickets. Also notice I only trimmed ONE wing. Standard 4 foot stock fence is not really any good for keeping chickens in a run. I allowed my hens in while I was prepping the soil. Even if I could protect the plants, the flock still made a mess of the mulched paths throughout the garden…. Unfortunately, this also leaves the bird more vulnerable to predation, so again, be warned. Agricultural fencing: Used on farms and ranches. I cannot afford a taller fence, so the next option is to eliminate the birds ability to clear a 4 foot fence. For example a monarch butterfly will only lay eggs on milkweed and this is the only plant the monarch caterpillar will eat. FloridaHillbilly 25 Years Later – Where is He now? Want one of your own? I put up 5' fence around the garden. These are common chicken-keeping questions, and although you may think there is a clear-cut, suit-it-all answer… there isn’t. I figured a 4 foot picket fence would be the solution to my gardening woes, but I didn’t want to invest the time or the money on installing a permanent fence around the garden. I cannot afford a taller fence, so the next option is to eliminate the birds ability to clear a 4 foot fence. Can chickens fly over a 6 foot fence? One of the hens did not like being locked out when I planted and figured out how to fly over. Share the post "Preventing chickens from flying (or jumping fences)". As expected, the material that is used when making a poultry netting is crucial. It isn’t always predator proof. Rusty is my RIR rooster: big, strong, and 2nd to Mr Handsome, the Alpha male. You are focusing on keeping the chickens inside. (15 Posts) Add message | Report. For instance, while some light chicken breeds may be able to easily fly over 6 foot fences, others may not. My chickens used to jump over our garden fence, our next door neighbour was hardly there which is just as well cos they loved exploring his garden! Will chickens stay in a 4 foot fence? Good luck! This is dependent on the breed and the condition of the bird. They were easy to install and have worked well for several years to keep the girls away from my harvest. How high can chickens jump? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Most times I don’t mind…much, but in truth, I’d prefer they’d just stay in the yard. We've been raising chickens now going on four years. Silkies aren't going to "jump" anything. Coyotes are naturally fearful of humans, but they lose caution and fear when they … All but the largest and heaviest (or “fluffiest”) breeds of chickens are surprisingly agile and can easily make it over a 3- or 4-foot fence even as they get older. Small or juvenile birds will slip between pickets or wires. Donna at the Zone 5b Small House Big Sky Homestead, SW Michigan. Notice the much shorter wing feathers. It’s not a perfect structure, but it’s an affordable solution . This kind of electric fence, with just one or two wires, we developed over 60 years ago. It would appear the RIRs are excellent jumpers. Using Bulk Stored Goods – Taco Seasoning and Corn Bread, catch a chicken (the most difficult step usually). We can arrange that, but for now, we need to cover website costs. Wire hardware cloth: Available in different sizes. You can either plan to clip their wings so they can’t fly, or build your fence tall enough that they can’t make the jump. This deer jumped the fence into our backyard. Told you it was easy. I am thinking electric fence is what I need to do now. I'm not so sure a deer would be inclined to jump that high to get in. How did you secure the fence to the ground? Even though there are some plants that the flock are not that fond of, I’ve come to the conclusion that the only way to truly protect your garden from the chickens’ constant scratching, pecking, dust bathing, nibbling – is a fence. Another attractive, simple and … It appears that you have disabled your Javascript. recent fence consists of four foot tall metal fenceposts driven in the ground about fifteen feet apart with five foot tall chicken wire run between them. Anyway, for this fence, I used pressure treated 4 X 4 as posts every ten feet. They don't though - they jump up into the tree but never seem to want to jump over the fence which is waaaaaaay smaller. I cannot afford a taller fence, so the next option is to eliminate the birds ability to clear a 4 foot fence. And I think it adds a vintage charm to a country garden…. foxs dont like to jump if the can't see where they are going to land properly, I have a similar situaltion on one of my runs, I think I have a gap about 3 or 4 foot and its fine. Silkies aren't going to "jump" anything. Apr 2009. Most heavy breeds prefer to stay put but are quite capable of getting over a 4 foot fence. It’s sturdy, and is usually in 4″ oblong openings. For our chickens, we have a 100 foot by 100 foot fenced in run that we use when predators are about. Most as in birds that have less of a tendency to fly over 4 feet high. We have a few Rhode island reds ,Ameraucanas,Buff Orpingtons,Barred Rocks and leghorns,as well as Silkies and bantams. AGAIN! Now, that was a frightened deer looking to escape. Will my hens eventually realize they can easily jump into the forbidden garden? Apr 23rd 2010, 07:20 AM #4: CurtisLloyd . Even with a 6-foot fence, they have claws that are able to climb. This year I had a new idea – which is really an old technique used by chicken keepers for generations  – a picket fence! Since then I’ve stained the fencing and my husband made a gate to match the picket theme. My chickens like to stray from time to time, jumping into the adjacent lot. Most as in birds that have less of a tendency to fly over 4 feet high. You can either plan to clip their wings so they can’t fly, or build your fence tall enough that they can’t make the jump. Make a more permanent fence repair as soon as possible. They're not very graceful, either. And a regular 4 foot fence won't stop many predators, either. Another attempt I had was to place chicken wire directly on the soil and plant young bedding plants within the wire openings. 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