Are My Chickens Actually Flying?!

[DogAndCat36]

I think that my mixes can actually fly! Not just gracefully glide. One jumped and started to glide down but he aimed upwards and actually went higher, like two extra feet! They have been jumping ever since they hatched and they are very muscly, they hang out in the trees the entire day, jumping, they are a bit feral. Could they actually start flying soon when they build up their muscles more?

One bantam, Oddball, just yesterday flew to the top of the garage, about two stories high or more, from the bottom of a slanted slop so add about a foot also no boosted hight.

Though I must admit that it was pretty traumatic to get him down, he got frostbite in the end... but... anyway, he still managed to get that high, which is pretty impressive.

Closeups on one of the roos. (from a few months ago)

 

[JacinLarkwell]

It's either risk that and clip their wings, or don't and risk them leaving on purpose oflr mistake and not being able to get back

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

Quick, clip their wings!

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

How do I clip their wings and why? I heard that clipping them just causes them to get hurt and not be able to properly evade predators because of the misbalance.

Your chickens may be In a different situation than mine, but I clip my chickens wings because if I don’t they will fly out of the pen and stay out all night and get eaten. Clipping my birds wings helps me keep them safe. If you have a covered run this is not necessary. Do you let your chickens free range?

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

Also, clipping their wings does not hurt them.

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

It’s like cutting hair.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Plus clipping is only for a molt. Pinioning is a permanent fix that has to be done when the birds are young

 

[CanadaEh]

of course they can fly upwards if motivated enough, just not far. The solutions are if it is a problem:
a) trim their flight feathers
b) have netting or fishing line over their entire enclosure or at that edge of the roof
c) block the things that they might consider to flight onto with materials they would not want to land into such as a loose roll of chicken wire
d) convince them somehow it is safer to spend the night in the coop rather than on the roof

 

[DogAndCat36]

Quick, clip their wings!

How do I clip their wings and why? I heard that clipping them just causes them to get hurt and not be able to properly evade predators because of the misbalance.

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

Plus clipping is only for a molt. Pinioning is a permanent fix that has to be done when the birds are young

I haven’t heard of pinioning.