How early do you clip chick wings?

[Wynette]

Folks, PLEASE consider that when you clip wings, it makes it extremely difficult for them to get away from a potential predator. Consider providing an area with a fence high enough so they can fly & not escape....it's good exercise, and gives them something to do. They ARE birds, after all....JMO.

 

[coopdujour]

Predators..hmmmm - If I was not on a 100 x 100 lot with a fenced yard and a Aussie, I would be not clip their wings, but having neighbors all around and one neighbor in particular that would like to clip my wings!!! I need to keep my chickens protected from her. So clipping the chickens wings might save their lives in more ways than one.

To date, I have not clipped the wings and think they like the yard and the freedom and have not shown signs of wanting to hit the road. We'll play this one day at a time.

This is really a great forum.

 

[Skamaghetten]

Today I found one of my 8 week old girls 12 feet up in the tree. Maybe time for me to clip. I didn't find a ladder, so she must have flown.

 

[Nanpl123]

Hi All, I'm new to forum and to raising chickens... we have 4 - 21 day old girls. They are in a cage, inside. I want to move them outside, but to do that I think I need to clip their wing. Are they too young at this point to clip or to move outside. Temp usu. low 50's in AM and up to 70-80 during day. I read to be careful not to clip near blood supply. How do I know where that blood supply ends?

Any suggestions, knowledge will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[briteday]

There is an excellent diagram in the Learning Center on this forum...look for the link at the top of the page. If you follow the instructions you'll be fine.

Since our girls' run borders a fence with renters on the other side (and they don't appreciate that they chose to live in a rural district) I choose to clip the chickens' wings, just one side makes them off balanced so they can't get off the ground, otherwise they might turn into stew.

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

However, it is not like there are flocks of chickens flying through our sky trying to get away from The Colonel.

Do most people clip their chickens' wings?

Never occurred to me that I should do so.​

 

[OrpingtonManor]

We clipped the girls' wings (one each) when they were a few months old. That was last year. It slowed them down a bit, but they still can easily fly over a 3 foot fence. One of them still clears a 4 foot fence, but the others have to land on the top first. I like to let them free-range, but got tired of retrieving them from the neighbors' yards. Their new pen is 6 feet tall, and they haven't escaped yet.

ETA - When they molt this year, I doubt I will bother to clip them again.

 

[MomOf15]

Well, I have yet to clip them. They are pretty well behaved and really don't wonder far. They love to hang close to the deck and go under it when they need to get out of the sun for a bit. They can fly a good 3'+, but only to get over what they need to get over and then back down they go so it's really not been an issue. We don't have the fence up around the coop yet. I have placed a baby gate in front of the coop door and leave it open. My Buffs, BRs and RIRs can get over the gate and roam as they please, but the gate keeps the meat chickens in so it's working out well.

 

[Kelsey Cathy]

If you clip their wings how do they get up to their roosts? Do I build a ladder to them? Mine fly up to theirs each night. they also fly to the top of their shelter during the day...approx 4'

 

[MomOf15]

I think most people that clip them are because they are free-range. If yours aren't then you needn't worry about clipping them. As I said with mine they are free-range, but I haven't bothered with clipping cuz there hasn't been a need to.