Chicken orchard?

[jemma_charlie]

Hi

I have recently taken on an allotment and would at some point love to have some chickens, I go up to the allotment most days and would be prepared to go everyday to let the chooks in/out.

The center of the allotment plot has 10 fruit trees, I was thinking of putting a fence around the trees and adding a coop so the chickens can free rangwe under the trees.

This would obviously mean no more weeding under and around the trees, the trees would be fertilised and we would be using the space that would otherwise be unused/left empty.

What i would like to know is how high does fencing need to be to stop foxes?
Has anyone tried this combination and if so does it work?

Many thanks

[Flummery]

Foxes can dig too. You need at least 7ft high and another foot or so sunk down. Suechooks will advise you - she has hers at an allotment.

[RichmondHens]

We have a couple of orchard areas and run chooks in both - it's perfect for them. If you don't want to put permanent fencing round then what about electric netting? Or is this not possible at the allotment? As Flum says, ordinary wire fencing needs to be high to keep foxes out.

[Suechooks]

I have covered (part wire netting pat Onduline) runs with wire dug into the ground. One of my runs is round a big apple tree and I've stapled wire netting to the tree so no predators can get in that way either.
My electric fencing is run off a leisure battery and gives off a good belt! Its around 5000volts when the battery is just charged! Obviously not as good as mains powered but effective. I use it at night as we have all sorts of predators 2 and 4 legged!
It can be quite a committment having hens on an allotment particularly in the winter when the days are short. If you work its nigh on impossible to get there in daylight at either end of the day. You need to be sure you can see to them even if the weather is bad. I live a 5 minute drive from mine and its a mile to walk, and I'm retired so can get there whatever. Make sure you have a back up plan. If there's anyone else on the allotment site with hens maybe you could share the work in winter?

[grenhouse]

i had hens at my allotment and was very lucky as my uncle had one with chucks next door. He would lock them up and feed them for me so I didn't go down every day. They are a real commitment if at an allotment and I have got rid of the lottie hens and now just have 7 in my garden. The snow of this winter would have made it nigh on impossible for me due to work. You also have to think of water freezing etc. I knwo a few people who have hens at the lottie in the summer and then sell them in autumn on a yearly basis to avoid the winter. Better than having them suffer at any point in the winter, but I am way too soft and wouldn't be able to get rid of them!

Steve

[Hilary B]

Failing electric fencing, and where a 'roof' is impractical (ie around trees), you need the top foot or so of the fence to NOT be tensioned. If it sags when foxy tries to scramble up it, he will give up and go find some easier-to-catch ones. Alternatively you could have the top leaning out a bit (like you see around military establishments, but without the razor wire). You can buy posts like that for chainlink, add a couple of strands of barbed on the angled bit.
DO NOT rely on 'chicken wire', foxes can chew through it! Chainlink is much better, but it WILL need to go down a fair bit (as has been said) to prevent digging under. Paving slabs around the outside may help.