[longbow]

I am thinking of letting the girls have a daily roam of the garden. My main concern is that my fences may not be high enough to contain them if they are determined enough to escape. I haven't clipped their wings and would rather not if it can be helped. What should be the safe height of our fences assuming all launch pads are removed? Most of them are 6' but is that high enough to keep all potential escapees in? What is the highest your birds have got over?

[Roughlee Handled]

.......What is the highest your birds have got over?

With or with out a launch pad?

My chickens can with a run up fly out of a six foot fenced area.

With a launch pad they can get higher.

Why do you not want to clip there wings?

It does not hurt the chicken and is very quick and easy to do. 

Last point is in a recent survey by the RSPB on wildlife in gardens "1 in 4 gardens in the UK is visited by a fox. "

[longbow]

Regarding clipping their wings. It feels like unnessesary mutilation to me (totaly irrational I know). So I would rather keep them intact and highten the fences if possible, which is why I need to know how high the girls might be able to clear with a following wind. We do get foxes passing through but the girls would only be allowed in part of the garden for a couple of hours a day and under supervision.

[Roughlee Handled]

Without a mesh roof you will not stop them going over the fence.  There are also planning laws and your neighbours to think of if you are going to build high fences.  Any objects can be used as a launch pad to get over objects.

You need not worry as I have my hair cut every month and I am not mutilateded though the wife sometimes disagrees. 

Traditionally you clip the left wing - no idea why - perhaps it's so they all fly round in circles in the same direction  :roll:

Just clip the 8-10 primary freathers and make sure not to cut them down as far as the blood vescles.

[weedo]

Hi . With a bit of a launch pad in the middle of the garden (which I thought was plenty far enough away) my very determined escapee managed to launch herself onto a hedge that is at least 8/9 feet. That is with a wing clipped!!! My other 2 hens never have the inclination to try though.

[longbow]

Looks like clipping is going to have to be done.

[kitkat]

It doesn't hurt them honestly, i've done it and i wouldn't do anything that hurts my chooks

[browntrouty]

The first night I had my 4 hydrids I caught them jumping up on my 6 foot fence, no launch pad. I ran straight out with my 12 year old and clipped one wing of each hen, it was so easy and the hens co-operated and didn't seem to mind one bit. Mine also have free range of my garden all day adn cope well with any cats! my poor garden is a real mess, but they have fun. We have only had them for 3 weeks.

[viettaclark]

OMG Mine have been freeranging in a big garden with 6' fences all summer. Although they get up on chair backs, the run etc and launch themselves down the garden, they have showed no interest in escaping. They have their heads down most of the time, foraging.
I'm hoping and praying they know when they're well off and it must be scary if you don't know where you might end up....the fencing hasn't got a top edge so it's too narrow for landing on and I can't see them jumping right over.....

[SMD66]

try fastening black pond netting (or similar) around the top of the fence, you will just need a few upright posts sticking out at the top of the fence to fasten it to.  This should deter them without clipping wings.  They are more likely to fly uo to something they can land on i,e, the top rail of the fence, the netting will deprive them of this and they then would have to fly right over, something they don't generally do.