# Fence height & design



## pinkforestcalling

Hi I'm new here and new to chicken/guinea keeping. I have a chicken coop that is about 10 x 15 x 9 ft tall. It has a run inside. I am trying to decide on fence requirements for the fence I want around the chicken yard.

The chicken yard will be 65 x 115 ft.

My questions are as follows:

How tall should my fence be to keep chicken and guineas in? 
How small of wire squares or rectangles should the wire fence be to keep chickens in (including bantams like silkies)
Should I also dig a trench and bury wire around perimeter?
Should I have netting or wire across the top?

The biggest problem..is deciding height and then size of wire mesh fence to keep chickens inside.

Any help is greatly appreciated. The fencing companies are acting like this is very involved and complex.


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## robin416

Welcome to the forum and the world of poultry.

I had four foot stock fence with my flock of Guineas. But that didn't mean they didn't fly up in to trees or the roof of the house. Without a net top of some sort you will not keep Guineas in when they don't want to be. Mine had 20 fenced acres so they rarely had a reason to go over the fence.

The next thing, how many birds? That coop looks tight for having both chickens and Guineas. I don't recommend keeping Guineas with chickens because Guineas can be vicious at breeding time.

This is Head Tuck, see how she holds her head? She was nailed in the head by a Guinea.








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## 8hensalaying

Welcome! Just wanted to say I LOVE your coop! It is gorgeous!!!! No answers for you and I am a chicken newbie and know even less about Guineas!


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## rosco47

first, welcome to the forum! second, that is a really nice coop you have there.
now to your questions...
fencing- as long as it is tough enough to keep birds in and preds out, it boils down to budget and preference. i think 4 foot is adequate, but as Robin stated, it will not keep birds in that want out. keep in mind that if you plan on spending any amount of time inside and you have netting across the top, 4 foot fence will SUCK. you will nee at least 6 foot. do yourself a favor.

welded wire (HERE) fence may be something to consider since you will have sucha large area. it will be more rigid. i personally wouldn't like any gap larger than 2x4 in the wire. in fact you may consider running a 2 foot strip of chicken wire or hardware cloth along with the first 2 feet of welded wire. Chicken wire (HERE) or hardware cloth (HERE) could also be used to fence perimeter, just reinforce it well. again, whatever makes you sleep better at night and fits your budget.

as for the bottom of the perimeter. my recommendation would be a hot wire...or two. Burying fence around that perimeter will be some work and i personally don't see that as the best option for that large of an area. another option is outlining the bottom of the fence with a layer of concrete- 1-2" deep and about 12" wide. again this would be pretty labor intensive...

as for closing in the top, i would recommend bird netting. i assume since you are concerned with securing the bottom of the perimeter, you should also be concerned about preds coming over the fence. bird netting at a minimum. i feel like chicken wire is more than adequate though for covering the top...maybe overkill. wait, we're talking about chickens...overkill is heresy!

watch this video when you get a chance. this guy has some really good ideas that address a couple of your questions- top covering and securing the bottom of the perimeter. 




this is simply my 2 cents...im sure others have different recommendations or experiences. im sure others will be along to help. again, welcome! hang around and ask lots of questions. go post in the intro forum if you haven't already. nice havin' ya...cheers


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## pinkforestcalling

Thanks Robin, the guineas and the chickens are still babies. My original plan was to let the free range during the day once they were bigger. Now, I have changed my mind..and want a fence for yard that is 65 ft x 115 ft. I think that is good information regarding when the guineas are mating. Before I got guineas or chickens I spoke to several people who said chickens and guineas can coexist fine especially if they are raised together. The guineas are three weeks older than the chickens. I am hoping it works out.
I see your wire looks like 2x2 inch squares. What is the biggest square that you think would keep a silkie IN? 4x4 inch? Is that too big?


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## pinkforestcalling

8hensalaying thank you. It is from Urban Coop Company based in Austin TX.


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## pinkforestcalling

Rosco47- thank you for all the information. Very helpful. I was thinking an 8 ft high fence...so when I walk in I don't feel like something is hovering directly over me. I'm 5 ft tall. I originally was going to put netting over the top...but the fence companies act like it needs to be welded wire just like the sides so it is sturdier and does not sag. They also say posts need to be every 10 ft a rounds the perimeter and within the rectangle and crossing boards to attach wire to.
So basically creating a big box and framing the top and inside like a house. The fence guys act like this is so incredibly elaborate. I'm hoping we can keep the cost at 10K or below.
So 2x4 inch rectangles you are saying to keep bantams IN? 4x4 inches is too big? Just want to make sure. The biggest issue is finding the right type of wire that is 96 inches tall that comes with the correct square or rectangle size. Think running a smaller wire around the bottom is a good idea.


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## zamora

I'm a newbie when it comes to keeping chickens but I will tell you this, fence companies are not necessarily chicken experts so take what they tell you with a grain of salt. My coop uses 4x2 welded wire and the first 3 feet high of the attached run is also 4x2 welded wire. We constructed a PVC frame over the yard and attached poultry fence. Is this enough? Time will tell. There are pictures of my coop and run under The Chicken Ranch's Humble Beginnings. I'd put the thread link up but am having a bit of a time with my computer this morning.

I LOVE your coop! Welcome and keep us posted on your progress please?


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## robin416

You don't have to go that small with a Silkie, they are a large bantam. But if you have chicks they will fit through anything bigger so running a smaller wire around the bottom is a good idea. Except they can fit through poultry netting so the smaller hardware cloth is needed.

When the Guinea hit head tuck, it was hatched and raised by a Silkie. Guineas have a totally different mindset than chickens. They are very much genetically wired to their genetic origins. I ended up putting my Guineas in their own coop and until my flock of Guineas grew to about 8 could not safely allow the chickens out to free range. Once it got to that higher number and the boys had sparring partners they never bothered by others out free ranging. 

Guinea males are compelled to spar and to chase. As long as it's another Guinea the chase is a riot to watch. The sparring is vicious, doesn't cause much harm to another Guinea but is brutal to a chicken. 

To me, and it might take more than a couple of people, if you did the netting and pulled it snug the sagging should be minimal. And if it goes over the top of the coop shouldn't be an issue at all.


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## rosco47

pink, to echo Zamora, do not take chicken advice from a fence company. also you will likely not find 96" welded wire. you will have to use stacked 48". if you can afford a 96" welded wire fence and canopy by all means do it. it will be bomb proof. but that might be cost prohibitive given the size of the area. here's my recommendation...4 or 6 foot welded wire fence. run smaller wire along first 2 feet of the fence as well. now, make your posts/poles that are going to be support for the canopy 8 feet. take and run your canopy material from the top of the perimeter fence up to your 8 foot support posts. will save you some major coin on welded wire. for securing the bottom of the fence, i would either run a hot wire or bury a foot of fencing- since you are using smaller wire fencing at the bottom of the fence, just buy 3 foot tall fencing and bury the first foot of it...
that's just my recommendation. an 8 foot all welded wire cage just seems a bit absurd for chickens and guineas...


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## pinkforestcalling

Thank you rosco47- makes sense. That was a nice summary. I'll post pictures of the finished product. Thank you so much for everyone's advice.


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## pinkforestcalling

Thank you robin416...I'm sure I'll have more questions about the Guineas in the future.


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## pinkforestcalling

Thanks Zamora! I'm still trying to find your pics on here..........


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## rosco47

Here is Zamora's post...
http://www.chickenforum.com/f16/chicken-ranchs-humble-beginnings-9335/


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## zamora

Thanks buddy.


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