Wandering chickens

[CrazyChooks]

Looking for ideas please…

We usually let our chickens have free range around our land (field and garden), however they have taken to popping next door too for a play. Next door are into gardening so, quite understandably, they aren’t keen on their visitors.

We would like to keep them as free range as possible but can’t put chicken wire around the field. This wouldn’t work anyway because they sit on the fence post so could pop over quite easily.

So I’m thinking some kind of pen, but I would prefer it to be moveable. Currently have them shut in their run on the Omlet but they look so miserable!

Does anyone have any ideas for some way to contain them??

Any ideas welcome, thank you!

I've got an electric fence, 14m x 6m so it's a nice decent size for them, their Omlet cube with enclosed 4m run sits inside the fencing, door open. They could in theory fly over it (112cm high) but they don't.

You could just have the fence non-electric though, I have foxes nearby so it gives me peace of mind!

Thanks @Ohwowza
This is what I am veering towards really. Is your fence easily movable? Or is it fixed? I like the idea of moving them around the field a bit so they don’t trash one particular area. But I’m not sure what fencing moves easily! I know about electric fencing for horses and big animals but don’t know about smaller holed stuff.
Could you tell me more about the fencing tape (or whatever it is!) that you use? Is it made from little squares like chicken wire?
Thank you!

Yeah some kind of electric fencing will help also have you clipped one side of their wings so they can’t fly up onto the post? ( obviously if it’s a low post then they can just hop onto it ) but if it’s a tall post get one set of wings clipped if not already done and see how that goes, failing that, it’s higher or electric fencing unfortunately!

We had ours in our field and garden and luckily our neighbours loved them but chickens are little “characters “aren’t they 😆

It's VERY easy to move, each post has a double spike that just burrows into the ground.

It has netting narrower at the bottom so chooks don't get into trouble. I'll find the link...

One thing is, I did buy extra poles otherwise it sagged a bit. You'll just need an energiser and battery for it, I got a fab energiser from Ebay I can give you the name of.

This is the non electric version
https://www.electric-fence.co.uk/poultry-netting-50m-x-112cm-voss-farming-classic-16-posts-2-spikes-chicken-net-non-electric.html

They also do an electric one, and you can buy a gate as an extra too.

Happy to PM you pics of mine set up!

Our fence is about 3- 4 feet high. Wings are clipped and they cannot get over it.

It wasn't even very sturdy until we got a dog and the sturdiness is just to keep dog out.
So I'd be inclined to do temporary fencing around different areas and wing clip

I had that fence, making a good big run. Did you have weed membrane under the netting or just keep mowing under the fence? I had a decent energiser, though battery rather than mains, but the grass used to stop the current from being any effective deterrent either to the hens, or - this time of year especially - to a fox with a growing litter to feed.

Sorry not that fence obvs, the electric version. It was expensive and I was disappointed with it.

What joules was your energiser?

The current is definitely ample, and we have long grass where the chooks are at the moment!

I have a Wolseley Midge, 0.15-0.20 Joules. What are you using on yours? Mains or battery?

That does seem low?

I've got Balfour Duo 3000 2.0J, I touched it to test it and I won't be doing that again!! It runs off a battery.

Quite a difference in output. If I start again with a new flock I’ll certainly upgrade the energiser (this one is probably 30 years old)!

Would an electric fence deter badgers too do you think?

Yes - I read that they'll approach and investigate with their nose, so a short sharp shock of touching an electric fence with their nose means they stay clear.

Ah yes! It needs to be a decent J, as you've encountered, grass/vegetation can interfere and if it's a 50m+ fence, the current has got to get the whole way around it.

I should say I'm not affiliated with electric fencing 😂 just did a lot of research as I've got a lot of foxes nearby and wanted my hens safe.