Clipping Chicks Wing!!!!!!

[GrayChickens]

Hi. My brooder is spacious but the walls arnt that high. Last night one of my chicks was trying to fly over the walls. She was successful . I raised the walls about 5 in higher but she just keeps scaling them! Will have to clip her wings her wing feathers are fully formed. How do I go about this ? Same as older birds? (I just want to clip one wing to keep her off balance )

 

[DobieLover]

How large is your brooder? I wouldn't clip a chicks wings. I'd cover the brooder with a piece of chicken wire or old window screen.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I bought the largest adjustable window screens my hardware store had. . I had to put a 2x4 across when they got around 5 weeks. New coop was damaged in shipment, had to wait for a replacement wall. GC

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I too would not clip wings on a chick. dIMO, you want them to be explorers because they are chickens.
I don't even clip wings on adults. adults can get out if the want to. They can continually flap and climb with their feet. and they have escaped.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

(I just want to clip one wing to keep her off balance )

That doesn't stop them from hopping and flapping, it only stops them from being able to fly in a straight line for very long distances.

Your birds are wanting to roost... give them something to roost on and cover the top of the brooder to prevent escapees.

One discussion on wing clipping...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...n-containment-with-perimeter-fencing.1261276/

 

[GrayChickens]

They have a

That doesn't stop them from hopping and flapping, it only stops them from being able to fly in a straight line for very long distances.

Your birds are wanting to roost... give them something to roost on and cover the top of the brooder to prevent escapees.

One discussion on wing clipping...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...n-containment-with-perimeter-fencing.1261276/

They have a roost inside the brooder. But thanks for caring . R u sure the wire won't catch fire under the heat lamp?

 

[GrayChickens]

I too would not clip wings on a chick. dIMO, you want them to be explorers because they are chickens.
I don't even clip wings on adults. They can get out if the want to. They can continually flap and climb with their feet. and they have escaped.

What does dlMO mean? Do you think i would hurt her by clipping the wing?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I don't know what dMO means but clipping chicks wings may not hurt them but it is potentially a problem.
Birds in their natural environment don't need augmentation.
When they are flying out of the brooder, you need to lose the brooder, not the chickens' wings.
Most people aren't prepared for how fast they grow and how much space they need.

 

[rosemarythyme]

They have a roost inside the brooder. But thanks for caring . R u sure the wire won't catch fire under the heat lamp?

Metal wire won't catch fire (window screens aren't metal mesh) but for safety reasons the heat lamp shouldn't be touching or resting on the cover. You can use hardware cloth or even bird netting as long as the holes of the cover are small enough that a chick can't somehow get themselves stuck or tangled in it. Back when I brooded in a bathrub I used a piece of hardware cloth and taped cardboard around the edges so there weren't sharp bits sticking out everywhere.

All brooders should be covered IMO mainly to keep chicks from popping out but to also keep any household pets (or predators, if outdoors) from getting to them.

 

[50-45-1]

if they are fully feathered, do they still need to be in a brooder with a heat lamp?
maybe its time to move them outside to the coop.