new with chooks

[tracy]

i have a really big un fenced garden so i am planning to section an area off for my soon to be chooks my question is how high can they fly do i need a completly enclosed area ie roof etc or can i have say a 1 metre fence all the way round ,the actual coop is roofed and all for the night times but during the day i want them roaming around what do you suggest cheers tracy

[Glutton4...]

I have the regular electrified mesh 'Chook' fence, which is around a metre high, or maybe a little taller. One of mine flew over it when the power was off, so I clipped one wing of each of them, and I have to remember to put the power back on each time after I get back out of the run!

[tracy]

is clipping their wings something i can do and if so how do you do it

[RichmondHens]

Not all breeds bother to try and fly - generally the heavier the breed the less likely it is. Bantams fly all the time. Depending on what breed you get you may not have to clip their wings, but if you do, fan the wing out (you may need someone to hold the bird if you have not done this before) and cut the first 6 flight feathers (the longest ones at the end furthest from the body) back to the length of the others.

[Bramble-Poultry]

Bantams (thinking of Barbu D'Uccle here especially) will happily fly up and sit on your shoulder, so they are a no no, however, Pekin Batnams cant fly so they would be a possibility. they feathery feet would also limit the damage they do to the ground by scratching.

As richmond says, the heavier breeds are less likely to fly. Cochin and brahma are none flyers, as are some of the more traditional like light sussex etc. I would not however trust MArans as i was told these were none flyers and got a call fromthe farmer to get them back out of his fields!

Ex-batts are good as well, but some can be escape artists......

have fun trying to choose! let us know what you get!

[Flummery]

To stop them flying out is one thing. To stop a fox getting in is another! Foxes can get over a 7ft fence. My permanent run has a roof for just that reason. When they are in the fenced off bit of garden the fences are only about a metre high and only once or twice have they been bothered to fly up and over. If they can land on the top they can get over, so I've strung a wire above the fence top.

[tracy]

we dont have foxes here and as far as i know the only predator we have is egiptian vultures but i have been informed by a local that they will only go for them when they are tiny does anyone have cats and chickens cause thats my only other worry

[Glutton4...]

Hi Tracy, my friend lives in southern Spain and they have Vultures too - she had them worrying her Fox Terrier puppy a couple of years ago when it was small.

[TEB]

My Speckledy would sometimes get over a 6' fence when spooked, they would also fly to the top of the coop and use that as a launch pad, since shooting one as an object lesson the rest have been good as gold.

[tracy]

oh god glutton4 what do about my chooks then...just leave it to chance and hope for the best or what
TEB ohhhhh you didnt really shoot one pls tell me not true....as i dont own a gun ?

[TEB]

Nah well only with a water pistol, it helps when one gets a bit bossy

[RichmondHens]

Cats don't bother adult hens, only chicks. I have to let my chicks get to about 4 - 5 weeks before they get let out loose, otherwise they will be cat lunch!

[tracy]

does the water pistol really work and surley at 4 to 5 weeks they are still tiny? not that i know as i dont have any yet ....how big should they be at 5 weeks?

[DJ_Chook]

I've 1 girl can jump unassisted over a 6 ft fence. They have a rigid 4 ft fence and I often find them perched on it. Maybe an electric fence would allow a smaller 3 ft fence to be used.

[walldanzig]

My chickens are making a mockery of the electric fence they escape over it all the time I find them out more often than not