Cutting Wings

[Deer lane farm]

My girls are only 3 1/2 weeks but I'm thinking ahead. I don't think I want to cut their wings, but this is my first time with chickens.
I would love peoples opinions. God gave chickens wings for a reason, it seems cruel to clip them off.

 

[haleychickmumma]

Yes I was just about to ask the same thing. Our girls are 6 weeks and although we do have a high fence we are going to clip for their own safety as we live in a suburban area.
I am wondering at what age is best to clip? Is it better to do it before they learn to fly? Their confidence is gaining everyday and they are enjoying flying leaps and exploring more.

 

[sunflour]

Folks trim wing feathers on those who are escaping over fences. I looked at your previous posts, and you indicate you have welded wire on top of your runs. Not sure why you would want to trim wings.

Personally I agree with letting my flock be happy chickens. I wouldn't consider trimming wings unless it were to protect them from going over a fence into danger. If you do decide it is needed, please review descriptions of exactly what and how to do this.

 

[Deer lane farm]

I do how wire over their run but was going to let them out to roam once in a while when I'm outside. I have 7 acres and having a four foot fence put up. I guess they could wonder over to the road. Maybe I'll do one of those portable tracker things so they can explore other areas of the yard without the danger of cars.

 

[Deer lane farm]

If you don't clip their wings how high of a fence can they get over? I have 4 foot around the entire property. I really want to let my chickens free range. I would rather not clip. Also we have a lot of hawks around here so I'm not sure if this is a good idea. But I hate leaving them caged all the time. Their run is pretty big but it is not free.

 

[Citychick11]

I do how wire over their run but was going to let them out to roam once in a while when I'm outside. I have 7 acres and having a four foot fence put up. I guess they could wonder over to the road. Maybe I'll do one of those portable tracker things so they can explore other areas of the yard without the danger of cars.

I would recommend just supervising when they are free ranging. Mine got so comfortable with free ranging that they were going into the neighbor's yard. (I have 2 acres). Also, I lost 3 to coyotes and/or hawks because I wasn't supervising. If you would rather try a chicken tractor, that might give them some places to explore safely.

 

[collingwood]

All my chickens have clipped wings.

 

[Aphrael]

Personally, I don't like to clip wings on mine unless I have to. The ability to fly even a little could mean the difference between life and death if a predator got after them. They are contained in a huge yard by a 4' fence. However, there are a few trouble makers now and then that refuse to stay in and I have to clip a wing to keep them where they belong. It is usually youngsters, and I rarely have to clip them more than once. (The feathers will grow back when they molt.)

As to how high they can fly, it depends entirely on the breed. My heavy breeds can't even get high enough to get on the 4' fence, except when they are youngsters. My little d'uccles on the other hand, can fly REALLY well. They routinely get on top of the coop and on top of the barn. They could very easily get out of their enclosure. But they never do, once they learn where their allowed boundaries are.

 

[Deer lane farm]

I built a bigger run today off the enclosed run. I'll see how they do. The fence is 4 feet high and they can get back into the covered run very quickly. This way they can roam but only so far. I'm gonna try not cutting wings and see if they go over the 4 foot. Also I another problem. I have a window in the coop with a very small ledge. They have jumped on the ledge but because it is very small one has fallen off. So I covered it with wire so they wouldn't sit on the ledge and they tried to grab unto the wire and fell. I felt horrible. Any helpful hints. I don't won't to block off the window so they can't see out.

 

[Aphrael]

I built a bigger run today off the enclosed run. I'll see how they do. The fence is 4 feet high and they can get back into the covered run very quickly. This way they can roam but only so far. I'm gonna try not cutting wings and see if they go over the 4 foot. Also I another problem. I have a window in the coop with a very small ledge. They have jumped on the ledge but because it is very small one has fallen off. So I covered it with wire so they wouldn't sit on the ledge and they tried to grab unto the wire and fell. I felt horrible. Any helpful hints. I don't won't to block off the window so they can't see out.

Once they figure out that the wire blocks them from perching on the windowsill, they should stop trying to get on it.