Official BYC Poll: Do You Clip Your Chickens' Wings?

[Missa4848]

I don't clip my hens wings I have an enclosed run but I don't want to take a chance in case they need to get out of harms way

 

[Borders3]

I used to but the day before I clips my last flocks wings I looked out the window and most of them were on the fence and a fox was jumping at them, one was even on my roof!

This is the very reason I don't clip mine, they need a fighting chance to get away from predators and nine times out of ten it will be a fox or a dog, at least that is the case here in old blighty.

 

[3KillerBs]

With my open-topped run, the ability to fly is the ability to get into danger rather than out of it.

 

[MarkButcher]

I was under the impression that you only need to clip one wing as it then unbalances the chicken and prevents it flying.

I'm not so interested in them flying poorly and crashing around, as much as I'm interested in them not flying at all

 

[Ascholten]

I have had hawks come close and mine scatter in all directions. A few of them made it over the fence and into the front yard, to hide in the bushes in front of the house. The first time I found them 'in front' i was totally perplexed until my neighbor across the street told me, a hawk circled, and two of them came over the fence.

It made her day when I kneeled down and said, BOTH of you, get over here NOW ! wiggled my finger, and both of them came out from the bushes, I scooped them both up, said Bad birdie, and plopped them back behind the closed fence She did not know I have them trained and I believe thinks I am the Chicken Whisperer or something

Aaron

 

[Mr Spot]

I never have had to yet but if they start trying to fly out of the six foot run I will .

 

[Suburban farm]

My Cornish X and Silkies can’t quite get over my 4 foot fences so I don’t worry about them. When the rest are small, I just clip one to keep them from flying over the fence. Once they are a little older I have to clip both because they only need a little boost from a wing to jump 4 feet.

 

[HipMystic]

It depends on the bird, I prefer to leave them be, but if I do have an escape artist I have to clip her wings to keep her from running in the road. Luckily most of my birds are heavier breeds now, and content to stay in their run
When I had EE mixes a few years ago they would not stay in for anything, they could make it over a 6 foot fence with both wings clipped

 

[wolfinator]

Clipping a wing is not only a matter of choice or convenience but at...

Update:
This year we enlarged the garden area by squaring it off which added another 337sqft. We allowed the flock to eat the grass and naturally fertilize it over several days before tillering. We still only use 3.5-4ft high fencing. I currently have 42 hens and 5 roosters (a Cuckoo Marans, a buff Brahma, an Easter Egger and 2 RIR's, soon to be 3 once friends take the 2 RIR's. There's now 13 adult ducks (9 hens, 4 drakes) and 7 ducklings (I have 2 broody Runner hens sitting on at least 15 eggs but could be more tomorrow). I lost a male guinea during the fall so I have 3 guineas now in their own pen (in the background).

The fenced area is my flocks current pen, the center fence going over to the right will be the garden area.

Here's a few from my flock.

Guineas

Runner ducklings hatched 4/14 by an Easter Egger hen.

5 Runner & Runner/Khaki Campbell ducklings hatched 3/26 - used incubator.

Adult ducks.

The chickens...

Ducks and chickens

Free ranging - one of my reasons not to clip a wing.

Kitty is on duty. Yes, she's a dog.

 

[Alderen]

I don't clip my chicken's wings however I'm not opposed to it if one day I should need to. Our girls pretty much stay where they're supposed to.