[Feathers]

Ok my beloved chucks - henrietta, popcorn, and ginger have been roaming quite nicely around my fair sized garden.  They did however start to roam into the neighbours garden and the neighbour eventually complained about the poop.  We put loads of chicken wire around and about to stop them roaming and it seemed to work - now the little blighters have been getting out the front of our garden and walking around to her property.  We blocked that access off and they then found a route throught the bracken .  Now I dont know what the blinking appeal is but she has not a spot of grass - it is all concrete (i have some driveway so it is not like i am depriviing them ).  I am at the end of my tether and it looks like they will have to go back into a run - I really wanted free free range hens but they are too free.  I feel bad for them as they have had so much freedom and now I am going to lock them away again.  It is a fairly decent size run but I want a really good size - so what size would you recommend for 3 gorgeous (if not a little mischevious) average size hybrids.  By the time I have finished building runs - buying houses and putting up chicken wire these will be the most expensive eggs ever.

[joyfull]

sorry but whatever size of space you give them the grass (or concrete in this case) is always greener (or should that be greyer  ) on the other side. Mine have half an acre but they still insist on going down the bridleway and into the farmers fields - especially after he sowed his winter barley. The only way to stop them is to fence all the way around or use electric fencing. If fencing just remember they can dig so may get underneath 
By the way my first 2 eggs cost over £100 pounds each to produce 

[treacleminer]

As joyfull suggests, electric fencing or moveable fencing (look at the omlet website) may be a way to go.  You can also get 'run panels' which link together and can be moved easily allowing you to move where they are.  I think there is an old thread showing some someone made.  Found it

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=45853.msg541097#msg541097

[ehs284]

Yup, Joyfull says it all. Mine will go next door, down the lane or go off to join the sheep. They have been brought back so many times that now they just have to see you coming and they run for home - they're like naughty children; they know they shouldn't do it, but can't resist the urge. They're also devious. If I'm outside and they have been walkabouts, they will move from cover to cover like the SAS until they get into the yard whereupon they jump about as much as to say, 'Look we've been here all the time'. They will fly over obstructions or imitate Blondin, but so far they haven't dug out, so moveable mesh panels have turned out the most adaptable and cost effective restraint. Electric fence used for foxes etc; they soon found that the bottom strand was not live and (I think) realised that if they kept their heads away from the wires, their feathers were good insulation. I'd suggest making some 2400mm square panels and then you can alter the runs and reuse the panels again and again.

[compostqueen]

  they're little tinkers aren't they 

[Feathers]

yup little tinkers but oh so lovable 

[alisonwo]

We made some fencing too with 2 hooks each end and use 'fencing pins' to hold them together - these are the big steel rods that have the shepherds hook on the top, I belt them in with a brick or lump hammer, they are brilliant and much better than the bamboo canes I used initially, we then move the fencing around the garden wherever we want to corral the girls, high enough that they can't jump over and light enough for me to move on my own.  Just take a bit of time to make them. 

[ehs284]

they're little tinkers aren't they 

OH!! Tinkers they are - and another reason to control their walkabouts:-
This morning, working outside so let them out of their run for a change of scene. Suddenly lots of noise. Went to look and half of them lined up against the fence/hedge looking into it. Thought it must be an animal but nothing there. Looked on other side of fence and there's a bird not moving just visible in the ice covered sheep drinking trough. Grabbed her, towelled in garage and into house for hair dryer treatment. She's fine now, but if I'd been at the back of the house she'd have been a gonner.