The most inexpensive option for a rabbit fence is a product known as chicken wire or poultry netting.
How high should a chicken fence be.
I am fencing off a corner of the garden to keep chickens.
Most foxes can only jump around 5 feet so it is safe to suggest that you mark your chicken wire fence at the six feet mark to at least deter them.
When you select your chicken fencing there are a few things you should take into consideration to make sure your new fence is serving its purpose.
I ve tried our local mitre10 and bunnings in christchurch but the highest size available is 0 9m high before jumping up to 2m high fencing which is just overkill and expensive.
You should not only have a solid perimeter fence but also be vigilant.
There are exceptions some light breeds can fly extremely well leghorns for example are very flighty but the average hen can be kept behind a waist high fence and the odd escapee can have a wing clipped.
The reason why chicken wire fence is so popular now is perhaps due to its cost effectiveness and easy.
Fencing is a deterrent to predators but it isn t always foolproof.
Fencing is extremely important especially with free range chickens because it provides a perimeter for your property and garden landscape.
This needs to be at least 6 foot high and i say this because i have seen a fox leap up and scramble over the top of a 5 foot high chicken run fence when i found him inside one of my runs one morning.
A regular picket fence if the pickets are close will do to keep many adult large fowl chickens enclosed.
How to fence chickens.
At the moment there is 1 2m high wire fencing around most of it with just a 25m wide gap to fill.
Poultry netting is available in plastic stainless steel wire galvanised wire or high quality low carbon steel wire.
A low picket fence won t work for some breeds some backyard breeds like leghorns or hamburgs are pretty good fliers and will jump fences like.
This is made of thin galvanized wires that are woven together to form 1 inch hexagonal openings.
But that said a picket fence is probably not going to help you very much for a few reasons.
It should last for a long time and protect your chickens from wandering and the many predators in the outside world that is your yard.
It sets a boundary that keeps things in and things out.
Separating chickens ducks or geese usually only needs low fencing.
The best way to determine the height of your chicken wire fencing is to determine how high you think a fox or other predator can jump.