Help! chickens keep escaping! :-) How do I clip their wings?

[Wilmer Gehman]

Three of our chickens,(Henry the rooster) and Michigan and Cheyvannah keep escaping! My neighbor and I clipped their wings but they still fly over a 4 foot fence! Which wings of the chicken do I clip? How far down should i clip them? I think they are jumping on the side of a small canopy we have in the run and then flying out. Please help.

 

[cavemanrich]

Here is a link to clipping chicken wing feathers. I have done it in the past. It is also possible to just do one wing. Chicken cant fly with one wing clipped. If the chickens are jumping from one elevated surface to another, move the said item farther away.
https://poultrykeeper.com/general-chickens/how-to-clip-a-wing-to-stop-chickens-flying/
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,

 

[aart]

I think they are jumping on the side of a small canopy we have in the run and then flying out.

Well then, you need to eliminate and launching places.

 

[Wilmer Gehman]

Thanks for the insight! What i think happened is that we clipped the chicken's wrong wings. We clipped their outside feathers, but maybe those aren't the flight feathers.

 

[aart]

Thanks for the insight! What i think happened is that we clipped the chicken's wrong wings. We clipped their outside feathers, but maybe those aren't the flight feathers.

Did you read the link that @cavemanrich posted?
It has excellent details and illustration.

 

[Chasingcars]

I’ve spent 14yrs clipping one wing, just those flight feathers...worked a treat for all of my gang until last year...and peach the buff Orpington raised with Cochins, thinks she’s a Cochin arrived...after trying everything I finally clipped both wings..defies logic as one wing off balances etc but has worked in curtailing her visits to my veg patch so don’t be afraid to try clipping both if one wing doesn’t work..worked for my wandering peach

 

[Margaretlumley01]

Three of our chickens,(Henry the rooster) and Michigan and Cheyvannah keep escaping! My neighbor and I clipped their wings but they still fly over a 4 foot fence! Which wings of the chicken do I clip? How far down should i clip them? I think they are jumping on the side of a small canopy we have in the run and then flying out. Please help.

All you have to do is cut the front half of their wing feathers. It will grow back in about a year so be prepared to do it again!

 

[cavemanrich]

In my experience,
I clipped the wings.
The chicken would figure out it cant fly.
When the feathers grew back chicken still thought it cant fly over the fence, so did not attempt.
I never had to re-clip a chickens' feathers a second time.
Could be chickens learn and adapt to accepted limits.
I have a small flock. If you have a larger flock and newcomers arriving start the flying show, your current resident chickens may decide to join and follow.

 

[Chasingcars]

In my experience,
I clipped the wings.
The chicken would figure out it cant fly.
When the feathers grew back chicken still thought it cant fly over the fence, so did not attempt.
I never had to re-clip a chickens' feathers a second time.
Could be chickens learn and adapt to accepted limits.
I have a small flock. If you have a larger flock and newcomers arriving start the flying show, your current resident chickens may decide to join and follow.

Wow such well behaved chickens! but I think as you said all flocks& birds are different....my old ladies are happy to potter..younger ones more inquisitive, legbars potter..dorkings very nosey..& one Orpington thinks it’s Dora the explorer despite wings clipped ..they also seem to remember what’s going on the other side of the fence we have farmland over the low drystone wall...they don’t seem interested in that ..but the higher fence into my vegetable patch seems much more interesting somehow ...

 

[Chasingcars]

All you have to do is cut the front half of their wing feathers. It will grow back in about a year so be prepared to do it again!

But as everyone has said...works for some not for others ..this is a good start..then I do two wings..then I give up