Clipped Wings & Fenced Yard

[RWise]

That is not proper way to clip wings.

That is what I have been saying!

 

[centrarchid]

Not entirely.. I clip close enough to be effective, but not so as to cause skin damage. You have I insisted all close clipping causes skin damage.

 

[RWise]

And as I have stated I only take no more than 3/4 of an inch off the tips of the feathers and it is effective.

 

[Lori J]

I have 4 chickens (2 months old) that I would love to let free range around my fenced in backyard. I live in a neighborhood, so I don't want to risk them getting over the fence & creating a problem, so my plan was to clip their wings. The fence is 4ft high....will they still be able to get over the fence?

I have several chickens which have lived in my backyard for three years and I have only had one incident early on where one was chased by my dog and flew over the fence. I don’t clip and find that my hens seem to have little interest and wandering outside of their little yard now, even on the rare occasions that the dog gets out and chases them. However my fence is 5 feet, so that one extra foot might make a difference.

 

[Lori J]

With the aforementioned video in mind, I'd think that chickens can overcome more fencing than they get credit for, it's just a question if they want to.

I don't have the best example, but I built a small fence around my yard just to keep my birds off of the concrete so they don't poop every where. All of my chickens can easily jump to the top of the fence, and when they were smaller, go through the fence. I have a raised bed garden that is the same height, and they all fly up there every single day. However, since I have two Pekin ducks that are the "alphas" of the flock, since the ducks can't go over the fence, the chickens don't either. Even though the chickens go into the garden when the ducks can't.

I put up a 2 1/2 foot barrier to keep mine off of the back porch and it’s surprising how the hens don’t try to fly over When they easily could do so (well, most of the time)

 

[ChickenRelatedUserName]

I put up a 2 1/2 foot barrier to keep mine off of the back porch and it’s surprising how the hens don’t try to fly over When they easily could do so (well, most of the time)

I have the same experience. Just the other day, I watched my EE jump from the back of a chair I left in the yard, to the ROOF of my house. I ran outside and coaxed her down. I KNOW that she, and probably all the others could find various ways to get completely out of my yard if they tried, but for the most part, they stay behind the 30" fence I built to keep them off the back porch.

 

[centrarchid]

Remember OP's intent is to contain a bird motivated and capable of flying over a higher fence. Those with lard butted birds and dead heads will not have such challenges in their chicken keeping.

 

[Natrgrl326]

Clipped just right wing of each hen 3 weeks ago....they "fly" by jumping and falling with style. Though they cover some good distance, they don't get too high off the ground. So far so good, they are thrilled to be out in the yard. Thanks for all the words of wisdom