Fence round chickens

H

Herdwick sheep

Member

Location

Cumbria

• Dec 17, 2020

• #1

We have 25 free range hens in 3 separate houses and have just decided to buy a larger hen hut for all of them rather than mending again the original huts. But as we are at work we tend to leave them in until we get home and then let them out to give less chance for our friend’s Mr Fox and Mrs Badger to snack on them. When we get our new hut I was wanting to put a fence round them and then we can let them out into a fenced area while we are at work and then when we get home we can let them out to roam out of the fenced area.
Question is would a fox get through a 6ft normal stock fence or would it need to be chicken wired to the top?
Thanks

 

twizzel

Member

• Dec 17, 2020

• #2

I think you’d need more than stock fence to be honest. 6ft chicken wire would be safer but also bury it a good foot into the ground or fox will just come under the fence and his dinner will be easily caught as it can’t run away. From previous experience !
We have rentafence, but the most vulnerable sides are all buried 1-2ft underground. Called a favour from a friend with a mini digger to do it.

 

Paddington

Member

Location

Soggy Shropshire

• Dec 17, 2020

• #3

We have had a fox scale a 6ft poultry fence to get to our hens, we put about 18 inches of fence at the top at 45 degrees (just like Colditz), which seemed to stop them. A quicker way could be an electric fence, say 2 strands a couple of feet outside your stock fence. We use a hefty mains energiser to power 2 strands outside a 4ft electric poultry mesh fence, as badgers are a problem round here and can easily rip holes in stock or poultry fencing to let Mr. Fox in.

 

F

farmerm

Member

Location

Shropshire

• Dec 17, 2020

• #4

Are you aware due to presence of bird flu in the country it has been a legal requirement since the 14th December to keep all poultry either inside or behind bird proof netting...

 

Grassman

Member

Location

Derbyshire

• Dec 17, 2020

• #5

Herdwick sheep said:

We have 25 free range hens in 3 separate houses and have just decided to buy a larger hen hut for all of them rather than mending again the original huts. But as we are at work we tend to leave them in until we get home and then let them out to give less chance for our friend’s Mr Fox and Mrs Badger to snack on them. When we get our new hut I was wanting to put a fence round them and then we can let them out into a fenced area while we are at work and then when we get home we can let them out to roam out of the fenced area.
Question is would a fox get through a 6ft normal stock fence or would it need to be chicken wired to the top?
Thanks

Click to expand...

We use electric netting. I have never had a fox go over it in 20 years. Get the taller version.

 

H

harrow

Member

• Dec 17, 2020

• #6

Foxes will scramble easily over 6 foot fence panels, so it either needs to be high or mesh over the top

 

H

Herdwick sheep

Member

Location

Cumbria

• Dec 17, 2020

• #7

farmerm said:

Are you aware due to presence of bird flu in the country it has been a legal requirement since the 14th December to keep all poultry either inside or behind bird proof netting...

Click to expand...

I am aware, and is one of the reasons that we have decided to get a new hen house and hence, ask the above question on the farming forum.

 

britt

Member

BASE UK Member

Location

leics/warks border

• Dec 17, 2020

• #8

Poultry flexinet. Charley learns to associate the smell of chicken with a whack on nose and should then avoid chickens when they are outside the fence.