Clipping Guinea Wings

[elevan]

Ok, what's the secret? I clipped my guineas' wings (just one side) yet they are still pretty good at flying. They used to be able to on top of the barn without trouble. Now they have to bounce off of things to get that high. But they're still able to fly over a 5' fence.

I've spent today constantly chasing them back to the field. They're going over the field fence into the back yard and then over another fence into the front yard. Last time they were almost on the road when I noticed that were in front again.

What's the secret to getting them clipped and preventing them from going over the fence?

 

[StevenW.]

I was told if you only clip one side it justs ruins that one sides balance, but if you clip both sides they'll be completely un-balanced.

Thats what "I" was told. Good Luck!

 

[PeepsCA]

The secret is... don't even bother with the wing clipping, if Guineas want to go vertical they will find away, clipped wings or not. I swear my birds would have enough strength to get lift by flapping hard enough even if they have NO feathers at all, lol. Best thing you can do is keep up with chasing them back in, consistently (I go out to mine and shake a feed sack at them and they immediately take flight back over the fence... but be sure swing it wide to get around them and make sure you are standing behind them and that they are facing/moving the way you want them to go when ya do this or you'll just end up chasing them father away

). If you do this enough times they will eventually learn that going over the fence is a no-no and that life inside the fence isn't so bad... mine have anyway. But you have to be consistent. I can't stress this part enough. If you can't be consistent until they have learned, then IMO it's better to leave them locked up on the days you can't keep an eye on them up rather than for them to be allowed to go over the fence, out in the road etc without being corrected. I have 3 separate flocks that have learned to respect fences, and this is the method I have used.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
The only way to keep them from flying is to pinion them right when they hatch. That involves amputating the tip of their wing that grows flight feathers.

I would go ahead and Clip the other wing. That way they can get away from predators easier. With one wing clipped they are unbalanced and clumsier when they land. If you want to keep them in the yard the fence needs to be higher and with an overhang so that if they go up to the fence to judge the height to go out they will see a ""roof"" that may or may not work. Ideally a complete net over the top of the run is the best choice.

 

[elevan]

Thanks for the help.

They free range with my chickens in a 4 acre field. And they seem to think that the backyard and now the front yard are tastier

Trust me they have no trouble flying or landing, they just cannot get extreme height. Before I clipped the one wing they could go from ground to the top of a 1 1/2 story barn easy. Now they can go upwards of 6 feet but then need to use something (like a tree) to manage the top of the barn.

The good thing is that all I have to do is open the gate and say "Piquaw - Piquaw" and they come right back into the backyard and then I go to the field gate and do the same thing. Then they get some scratch. Up until today that made them happy.

I think they're trying to train ME to give them more scratch

They are intended for the freezer, so it'll only be a little while that I have to continue this.

I'll look into pinioning next time as putting a "roof" over 4 acres isn't gonna happen and I won't be building any runs.

 

[1st_chicken]

Clip both their wings, and their tail.

 

[Rosecomb-Ryan]

Quote:
Tail??? I agree with peeps... waste of time.. lol...

 

[elevan]

3 of them will be going to the processor (along with our turkeys and some chickens) on Nov. 7th, so I'm not overly worried about it. The other 7 will go in about a month or so later.

 

[PeepsCA]

Just a tip since you are (or somebody is) going to eat them... I'd pen them up and feed them only corn/scratch to plump them up a little until they get processed... Free Range Guinea meat is usually pretty tough and dry. Guineas raised for meat are typically pen raised and then processed around 16 weeks of age

 

[Raybon Farms]

Why can't you pinion them when they are older? I have just got my first two guineas and I just love them. They are not as friendly as my baby chicks but they have their own way about them. I am getting 3 to 4 more in just 2 weeks.

Bonnie Frank, [email protected]