clipping wings

[twisted troy]

How many of y'all clip your chickens wings? I'm going from total free range to a large fenced off run. I'd rather they didn't fly over the fence. I may let them out occasionally and I was a little worried they won't be able to escape predators if
can't fly.

 

[Delilah1337]

I have been clipping my girls' wings for a few months now and so far it works great. The girls free range when I’m home and don’t have an issue getting away from my dogs when they don’t want to play yet they stay nice and safe in their fenced area when I’m away from the house. Every now and then I noticed one of my hens had escaped, she learned how to hop and climb when she wants more free time. To solve that I just loosely hung some chicken wire from the top of the fence, now when she tries to escape the wire is flimsy enough that she can’t get a good grip to climb over.

 

[twisted troy]

Thank you, I just finished clipping all my young chickens wings. They seem a little confused at the moment but none the worse for wear. It was very simple to do and didn't take long at all

 

[bj taylor]

i'm glad for this thread. i've got a large run & part of the fence is 4'. do you clip one wing so they're off balance for flying or clip both? how much do you need to clip to slow them down.

 

[Delilah1337]

Yep you clip just one. Here is a great link with Terrific instructions.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-clip-trim-the-wings-of-your-chicken-to-prevent-flight