The right break-out protection
Chickens’ loyalty to location and thirst for exploration
Chickens are quite fixed in their location and remain loyal to their home once they have settled in. They return to their henhouse at dusk at the latest and, depending on breed and temperament, move within a radius of approx. 100 m around the henhouse during the day. However, most breeds are happy with a much smaller territory as long as there is a suitable obstacle – preferably in the form of a fence – to stop their urge to explore. Since most of us don’t live on an outlying farm and the neighborhood is often not thrilled about chickens visiting the vegetable patch, you have to make sure that the dear poultry stays where it should. In their own garden or run.
Chicken fence – the right fence height
Regardless of whether you let the chickens run freely in the garden or in an area specially fenced for them, the height of the fence should be adapted to the breed you want to keep. Although clipping their wings can take away some of their ability to fly, particularly light chicken breeds can gain quite a bit of height by hopping and flapping even with clipped wings. Our feathered friends can develop unimagined strength, especially in stressful situations such as rank battles between new chickens or fright.
In our breed overview, we have indicated the flying ability of each chicken as a percentage to give you an approximate idea of the fence height.
 | Fence height |
|---|---|
| up to 15 % | 80 cm |
| up to 30 % | 100 cm |
| up to 50 % | 120 cm |
| up to 90 % | 170 cm |
| over 90 % | 200 cm |
The right fencing material for keeping chickens
The appearance of the fence is also an obstacle for chickens. Chickens can’t see very well at long distances and also have a problem with three-dimensional perception. With fences made of bar mats or wire mesh, the poultry have a harder time with spatial assessment than with fences made of wooden planks or stone walls, which stand out more clearly against the sky and provide a nice visual landing point. This is why poorly assessable obstacles are less often overcome.
While you often already have a fence around your property, there is still room for maneuver when it comes to purchasing a suitable enclosure fence. Our tip for enclosures is to use bar fencing or mesh fencing. These are quick to erect, inherently stable and, if you do it right, quite versatile in terms of enclosure design.
Fence mats – flexible and easy to assemble
Mesh fences are available in different designs, although fence elements made of double bar mesh are too heavy and too expensive. 3D mesh fences are perfect for enclosure construction. They weigh less because they are made of thinner material.
In order to still achieve a high level of stability and torsional rigidity, these 3D fence panels have two to three horizontal bulges for reinforcement. You can get the panels from a fence builder or DIY store, although professional fence builders usually sell 2.50 m panels, whereas DIY stores often only sell 2 m long panels for the same price. Fence builders often also have leftover stock that you can get at a lower price. It is therefore worth taking a look in the Yellow Pages.
Depending on the shape of the enclosure, no or only a few fence anchors are required, as corners always give the construction a certain stability. Connect the individual elements at the corners with thick cable ties or binding wire, place a circle or a square and you have an enclosure that can be moved or dismantled or converted at short notice with little effort.
For larger enclosures where two fence elements meet at a very obtuse angle, it makes sense to stabilize the connection with an additional post. If you want to remain flexible, do not use a concrete foundation here, but a hammer-in sleeve, which can be easily removed from the ground with a little shaking and pulling.
The enclosures built in this way offer good protection against the escape of normal-sized chickens. For chicks, a finer mesh barrier must be installed below knee height to prevent them from slipping through the bars. Outdoor enclosures built in this way are also not predator-proof because foxes, for example, can undermine the fence. The coop door must therefore be closed at night so that the chickens are safe.