I don't know if this will reassure or even be true for you but my Roadrunners are real fliers and could easily clear the fence of the new garden area that I am creating outside the Chicken Palace.I weighed that worry too. We clipped both sides, and not all the feathers. I've witnessed them since still getting waist high lift (vs over the head heights).
Frankly, I'm surprised they could get that high at all from the ground (watched on security cameras after the fact to assess). Perhaps bc they are not at full weight yet... wing clipping may be a 1x event only if these wild girls realize the charmed life they live
But they don't.
I think it may be because it is deer netting so there is no top rail to perch on (just saggy netting) so they haven't even tried.
I did make sure it extended a good 30' past the Chicken Palace because they do fly from the roost at the top of the hill out to the garden when I open the people back door and could easily overshoot a 4' fence just by accident (just like Minnie sometimes crash lands after hitting my back by accident).
So it could be as they grow up they get less interested in flying away and as you say realize they have it pretty good at home!
she sure showed you!
