[craig1981]

ok ive had my hens 8 hens 4 months now and 2 more were added recently but as yet i havnt let them free range the garden . At present they have a 10ft ish by 20ft ish run attached to a 6ft by 4ft shed all fully enclosed with a mesh roof and so on yet im considering letting them free range in the day when im around but im TERRIFIED one will escape or maybe even all of them . Our fences are 6ft tall on 3 sides so i cant see them jumping that . Am i panicking for no reason

[SMD66]

They can get onto something 6' high if they can land on it, i.e, like the top of a wooden fence.  If there were mesh or wire along the top making it an extra foot high they probably wouldn't bother.  They are generally more likely to find a way under the fence though, check for any gaps.
Just a word to the wise before letting them out.  once they have had the run of the garden, they will want it all the time and will spend their time in the run pacing up and down waiting to be let out again.  10 hens will also poo a lot all over it!

[Roughlee Handled]

Have you clipped there wings?  Only clip one wing, the idea is to put them off balance when trying to fly.

[iwantanallotment]

Also be aware of any "launch pads", anything they can jump onto to help them over the fence!

[AmandaH]

I can definitely back-up SMD66 on his comment about how, once they've got the run of the garden, they'll always want it.  My ex-batts free-range the garden all day but, on Sunday, we left them shut in the run all day as we had my daughter's 3rd birthday party and didn't want one of them run over by a rampaging toddler.  They made their displeasure known, believe me.  They grumbled and tutted all day!  Clearly, they spent all day Sunday being extremely p'd off!

[SMD66]

SMD66 is a lady!  .  Stupid user name really, The S stands for Samantha!

[AmandaH]

Apologies Samantha!  SMD66 didn't give me much of a clue  

[SMD66]

I know, I would change it but I can't now   

[nzdunn]

im the same, i was worried also about letting them out cause wot they have is more than big enough but i did cause our garden is massive, full of trees and shrubs for them, well i have to let them out now, they wait by the gate its a nitemare        Nickyx

[chasechicken]

We've recently moved and as the new garden is very enclosed (the old one just backed onto paddocks) we thought we'd let them out free ranging every day.

One week later, and one trashed garden, we're going to keep them in the run most of the time and just let them out for the occassional supervised garden re-designing session...

We have three, but you'd think we had 50 hens the mess they've made of the borders, lawn etc.  They weren't this bad at the old place...

Anyway, the other thing is, having kept them in this weekend at first they paced up and down all day... but, yesterday they resigned themselves to the fact they were staying in, and spent the day scratching around in their run...

I'd say give it a go but they will mess everything up.........

[grumpydad]

mine trashed my wife polyanthus border the other day while i was putting their photos on this site, how ungrateful.
just called at home for a drink on my way to work, opened the back door which they can see, and my oh my, what a noise, they want to come out, but cant.
fence off any borders you want to keep.
mine is a 5' fence, no problems so far

martyn

[andreadon]

we just put loose chicken wire around anything we don't want them to touch: as it's loose, they take one look and it and go "i'm not chancing jumping on that!" and leave it alone.

[viettaclark]

My girls have been allowed out for weeks now.
I've just spent hours chicken wiring round the loganberries,currants and rhubarb. They've recently taken a liking to rhubarb leaves (thought they were poisonous but they don't seem affected) and I can't manure the fruit bushes because they scratch it up.They also discovered the raspberries and leap up about 3 ft to get them, bringing the cane down as well! My rockery didn't seem to interest them but now that they've exhausted the borders and the wild area down the bottom they've started demolishing it. I've given up there! Maybe get some prickly plants next year! Anyway....don't get upset when your annuals and perennials are trashed. Grow more shrubs! Chuck down bark! Also make sure your pots are raised or wired!
I have 3 hens in a garden 120x40 ft. with 6 ft fences. Make sure there's nothing to hop up on near the fence or within flying distance. Yes! They can fly for more than 10 ft and 4 ft high!!!(wonderful sight!)
I have to poo pick the grass every night and chuck it in the compost because it's really acid. Then I have to sweep and rake back all the earth, stones and leaves they scrape out.(This is NOT done every night!) Chickens are supposed to eat weeds but mine don't! In fact, most of the reasons for letting them out AINT TRUE! I do it because they love it, it keeps them fit and they get a balanced natural diet.
Mine are also now limited to just the afternoon freeranging which means they have to eat their pellets and lay before I let them out.

[death of rats]

I read somewhere that chickens are unable to fly.
Obviously whoever wrote that had not kept chickens. matilda my feisty bantam used to come out of the henhouse like a missile out of a silo over my shoulder.

I read also that silkies cant fly because of their feathering.
One flew across the small pond yesterday so that aint true either.
They are about as aerodynamic as a brick and flutter a lot.

Watch "Chicken Run" and be afraid.

[iwantanallotment]

 

Mine got on top of the greenhouses too, and it certainly wasn't by jumping!
(and each has wing clipped)