Do you trim your chickens wings?

[Chicken Fruit]

We always did growing up, and I usually will trim just one wing a bit starting at about 2 weeks of age (when they start to fly into the brooder light and hurt themselves).

I was just wondering how many other people trim wings.

I dont trim my cochins or my roosters though. The cochins are so clumsy and feathery i feel they need the wings to help themselves along if running from trouble, and my roosters LOOK for trouble to protect their hens so I let them keep theirs- since they wont readily fly away from their girls anyway.

 

[Tweeza]

I clip one wing. I don't want them to fly over the fence. My thoughts were, if I clipped them from the start and they never get a taste of the other side they'll never go there. My girls were near 20 weeks when they started free-ranging and that's when they were clipped. So far, so good.

 

[SportTees]

Nope

 

[FarmerDenise]

I have in the past, and something got them. So now I rather let them be able to fly up a tree, even if it means that they can also fly over the fence.

 

[ChooksChick]

We're in the middle of town with a 4' chainlink around the 8000 sq ft yard- and one more 4' chainlink dumps into the alley, the neighbors who breed & beat pit bulls, a yard with no other fence (=busy street) or a yard with 3 other dogs.

None of those options keeps my babies safe, so I forbid them that choice. Trimmed wings it is!!

 

[redhen]

i havent..but it may be a good idea to clip the babies wings so they cant fly into the brooder light.(i think imay start doing this)...but when they are outside i would never clip them..its the only way they can get away from danger....

 

[debakadeb]

I've chosen not to clip the wings. So far, I've only had one fly over the fence. They got out once (I think a household member left a gate open) and my retriever decided to retrieve one. Now, when they see him out, they are pretty happy to stay in their own area. We provide a fairly large fenced area for them.