flying

[alliwalli]

I have 11 15 week old chicks. They are a variety of breeds. We haven't clipped their wings yet but are wondering if we need too. They can easily fly 4 feet straight up to get in the other part of the yard. Today they started flying from the top of the coop, 10 feet across their run, to the top of a 6 foot fence. Then they treat themselves to the rest of the yard or the neighbors yard. Biggest concern is that they run into a non-friendly dog.

Any ideas on how to prevent this? I can post pics of my run tomorrow if that would help.

Does clipping their wings, really solve all flying issues?

 

[Imp]

There are mixed reviews on clipping wings. Some people report that their chickens can still fly, and get over fences.
It is often recommended to clip just one wing, to keep them off balance.
I have found that mine have never gone over the fence, so not an issue. But they have gone under.
As they grow, large fowl get heavier and do not fly much at all.

Imp

 

[SouthernChicka8]

What about an enclosed run?

 

[Life is Good!]

I have an open topped run (6' high field fence with 1/2" hardware cloth around bottom and dug down). Our six Black Javas generally don't try to fly over the fence. However, our gates are only 4' tall...and one hen figure out how to get out. The others are too heavy to fly straight up like this nimble little hen does. They will all sit on the other side of the fence clucking at her!