5/31/11

Chicken Proofing Your Yard



If you have decided to let your chickens be able to roam around your yard then be sure to remember this: chickens are notorious for messing and demolishing the yard from all their scratching around. I definitely recommend putting fencing around your beloved flowers/plants or gardens. If you have a patio in your backyard, I definitely recommend fencing that off too. They will poop all over it!
the extra foot of chicken wire added
I use 3 foot high chicken wire (but I definitely recommend it be at least 4ft high for standard breeds) and staple it to sturdy posts spread a few feet apart. Make sure the wire is touching the ground so the chickens can't escape. They will try to dig under the fence. If you are in an area where bobcats, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, or other critters are known to come out in the day and have access to your yard, then you should definitely use 6 foot high fencing or more and possibly with an electrical wire around the perimeter to deter them. And always keep an eye on the chickens.
Naughty chicken!
One of my hens (Henrietta:), would constantly fly up onto the fence (and coop!) between our yard and the neighbor's driveway-not good! To discourage her from doing this, I added another foot high of chicken wire on the fence. This worked for me. I think it's because the added wire confused her because she couldn't see a surface for her to jump up on. I haven't had any problems since.

(click on pics to enlarge)

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