I didn't have my phone in my pocket, so no pictures but we came back from a shopping trip to see a chicken out. Then I realized that two more were out. Then I spotted the 4th.
Popcorn, one of the adults, is easy. I walk up to her, she squats, and I throw her back over the fence. She wanders sometimes but not so often I ever felt the need to clip her wings before.
Chasseur, one of the Ideal Dozen, was undoubtedly on top of the brooder/coop and managed to land on the wrong side of the fence when she came down, the little ones aren't going out on purpose and are fairly distressed when they get separated from the flock.
But the Lickety and the other Splits (I forgot to look at the band on the second one, but they've all done it), have been a real problem lately, getting out more than once a day. So when we called the 15yo out to help with the round-up we had him bring the utility shears and two black birds got their wings clipped. I took off all the primaries on each bird's right wing that were fully-grown-in and not blood feathers (a little tricky since they've been in their final juvenile molt).
I'm not going to clip the young ones, but I think that at this point any adult or teenager who is caught outside the pen when I have access to a pair of scissors is getting clipped.
Unless it's Chipotle, the California White. I don't bother about her because she can get back in when she wants to -- she flies like a helicopter.
Popcorn, one of the adults, is easy. I walk up to her, she squats, and I throw her back over the fence. She wanders sometimes but not so often I ever felt the need to clip her wings before.
Chasseur, one of the Ideal Dozen, was undoubtedly on top of the brooder/coop and managed to land on the wrong side of the fence when she came down, the little ones aren't going out on purpose and are fairly distressed when they get separated from the flock.
But the Lickety and the other Splits (I forgot to look at the band on the second one, but they've all done it), have been a real problem lately, getting out more than once a day. So when we called the 15yo out to help with the round-up we had him bring the utility shears and two black birds got their wings clipped. I took off all the primaries on each bird's right wing that were fully-grown-in and not blood feathers (a little tricky since they've been in their final juvenile molt).
I'm not going to clip the young ones, but I think that at this point any adult or teenager who is caught outside the pen when I have access to a pair of scissors is getting clipped.
Unless it's Chipotle, the California White. I don't bother about her because she can get back in when she wants to -- she flies like a helicopter.
