Is clipping feathers necessary?

[NewPoultryMom2019]

So I have read online a lot of mixed reviews about clipping chickens feathers, and I'm not sure what to do. I am very much against altering my animals for my own convenience. (For example, I refuse to declaw my cats, no matter how much they scratch my things). However, I recently read a story of a woman who's chicken got over her fence and then was attacked by a neighbor's dog.
So I guess my question is, is it necessary to clip their wings for their safety?
I have a security fence, not sure of the height exactly but I think it's a pretty standard size, right? To the left of me, the neighbors have a dog, to the right is honestly a crazy lady who I would not put it past harming my girls if they get in her yard, and directly behind my fence is woods and probably a lot of predators.
I don't want to have to clip them if it's not really needed.
I have 2 white California's and 2 Black Sexlink, if that makes a difference?
Thank you!

 

[sylviethecochin]

I don't think trimming feathers is cruel. I very nearly have to do it to the Leghorn pullets, otherwise they would completely destroy my garden.

Feathers grow back, and their absence doesn't exactly stop any essential functions. They can still jump pretty far, they can still smack me upside the face while flapping and leave red marks, and they can still keep warm.

EDT: My hens can get about five feet up without trouble. The Leghorn pullets can go higher, but the heavier breeds are a little less able.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

If your birds start to fly up on the fence than you may need to consider clipping. Covering the run is the other option.

Clipping does have it's downside. Birds can't get up on roosts as easily, they can't fly to escape, and they can take harder landings when coming down off a higher roost. So generally clipping shouldn't be done unless you have no other choice. The feathers won't grow back generally until a molt.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I don't want to have to clip them if it's not really needed.

It all depends on the individual bird... if they insist on going over, clip them as they will teach others to follow. Monkey see, chicken do! My side of the fence with clipped wings is FAR safer than the other side unclipped.

Out of hundreds of birds (many breeds including leghorn and others) I have only ever had to clip 3 to keep on my side of 4 foot stockyard fence. Two were Easter Eggers and the 3rd was a rooster trying to get to hens from the stag pen.

In some cases, clipping won't be effective anyways as they jump well... but electric fences are (in my experience)!

Interesting thread...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...with-perimeter-fencing.1261276/#post-20243847

I would only clip if behavior indicates need. Good luck!

 

[kmom08]

We had to clip our Silver laced Wyandotte for her own safety. She thought it was fun to leave our fenced in yard when I let them out of the run to range.
For us It wasn't necessary to clip any of our other hens.

 

[NewPoultryMom2019]

Okay! I am going to try and hold off and see if I can avoid it, but if it keeps them safe then it is what it is. Though, it seems that clipping wings is not the equivalent to declawing, which is good to hear!

 

[Sungrove Farmstead]

I don't really think it's "altering" much, it's not like declawing cats...and for their safety, worth it -- but I honestly haven't done it, ours are free range, but some of them will fly up 8 ft on top of the truck or the shed roof - so if you want to keep them in a short fence it might be the best bet

 

[Ridgerunner]

The chickens you have don't really make any difference. My full sized fowl hens and rooster can fly a lot further and higher than many people give them credit. I don't know how high your security fence is but your chickens can probably fly over it if they want to. Most of the time they don't want to but that doesn't mean they never will. I keep mine inside a four feet high electric netting they can easily fly over. They have no problems flying up to a five feet high roost.

Once chickens learn they can fly over a fence, some will just because that is their personality. Aggravating critters! I once had three hens, a Delaware and two Australorps, that would regularly fly out of a five foot high run. I think they learned when trying to avoid an amorous rooster. Once I ate the ringleader the other two decided to stay in the run. Their personality wasn't quite as adventurous as their former buddy. So if you have some that want to get away from an aggressive chicken they might go vertical and come down on the wrong side of the fence in their panic to get away.

Another way that is common for chickens to cross a fence is that they like to perch. if the top of the fence looks a fun place to perch they might fly up there for fun and fly down on the wrong side. If this becomes a problem one way to handle this is to make the top of the fence not a good place to perch. Put some mesh wire fencing along the top of the fence, sticking up 6" or a foot. Most mesh fencing is stiff enough to stand on its own enough to accomplish his. I don't think this is nearly as unattractive as you might think. I've done this.

I've seen some pretty nasty debates on here on how to clip them. One wing or two, which feathers to clip and how much to clip off. I don't clip wings, I have no experience with that, so I don't have an opinion based on experience.

I do have experience with various animal husbandry practices. It depends on what they are but most animal husbandry practices are not cruel. Under certain circumstances they can be a way for animals to live peacefully together and they are better off that way. I don't know how you feel about spaying and neutering your cats or dogs. On the face of it how cruel and inhumane is that? It's just horrible until you consider the consequences of not spaying or neutering them, especially if you keep a bunch together. Clipping a few chicken feathers that will grow back is a lot less invasive.

 

[DobieLover]

I agree with pretty much everyone's input.

The need to clip is based on the individual bird as well as what they have grown accustomed to. Here is what landed me the the "clip camp".

I used to free range my flock. When they started going way too far from home for my comfort and spending entirely too much time at the neighbors house with the 2 large GSDs that were only confined to a 3' high chain link fence, I decided to put a stop to it. They birds had been free ranging daily for 7 month by that time.

On their first day in their electro-netted pen, 80% of them flew up onto the wood gate top and over to the other side. I started clipping at this point. It took 3 days of various severity of clipping combinations to keep them all in the pen. I lost one of my EEs on day 2 to the one of the GSDs.

It took my flock some time to adjust to their new life behind bars in their 1/4-acre pen with lots of plantings (poor babies) but they don't even think about trying to fly out any longer. My hope is that they will not need further clipping once they molt their wing feathers back in.

Nothing has ever gotten at my flock while they are in their pen. I hear fox rather regularly and coyote occasionally. Another neighbors dog took a nice zap to the nose (hee hee hee ) when he got too curious about the chickens.

 

[jreardon1918]

To clip or not to clip... it depends. My small flock almost never fly over the 5 foot fence. I guess they are content in the fenced area. Two escapees in the last year. Too dumb to figure out how to get back into the fenced area. I had to assist. So I have never bothered to clip. I would say see how it goes. But don't stress over it. Clipping wings is not comparable to declawing. It is closer to nail clipping. IMHO.