LETTING THE GIRLS OUT

[king4]

I have 5 reds that are almost 1 year old and they are all very healthy. My question is about letting them out in the yard. I live in a little neighborhood on a corner lot and my yard is enclosed with a 6 ft privacy fence. Right now they have a decent size run of 10x20 but I would like to let them out to have a bigger area to run in to have access to more grass and insects. I know that clipping a wing helps to keep their flight down but how much? If I clip their wings will I still have to worry about them clearing the privacy fence? Any info will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Judy]

There is a better chancre it will stop them from flying out if you only clip one wing. You won't really know until you try.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-clip-trim-the-wings-of-your-chicken-to-prevent-flight

 

[mmch618]

We have a shorter fence then that and our chickens run free range. We just clip one wing and keep it trimmed down and they cannot fly over the fence. They are large chickens though so that also helps. I hear smaller chickens can fly over fences much easier.

 

[roostersandhens]

I think wing clipping is a bad idea, only because of predators. Chickens can't easily get away from a predator if they can't fly. So I personally would never clip my chickens wings. I think they should stay on your property if their is the fence. Because 1 bird probably won't leave due to the risk that she may be alone if nobody else follows.
Good Luck!

 

[FrozenWings]

I cannot speak for your breed of bird. I have roughly the same size run and a 6' privacy fence. I allow my birds out in my yard to free-range on occasion. I have 6 birds and 6 different breeds. I have a wyandotte, EE, jersey giant, orpington, brahma, and a leghorn. My leghorn is the only bird that will fly up onto my 6' privacy fence. My leghorn is also my smallest bird and weighs about 4 lbs. To date she has not left, however I keep a close eye on them when they are in the yard as they are very vulnerable to hawks, stray cats, and other daytime predators. My experience is that if the birds have proper space, food, water, attention, and safety, a 3' fence will keep them confined.

I will also note that my birds beg to come out as soon as they see me. Even if I feed them treats, 4 of the 6 birds will leave an open enclosure with treats for the yard. None will leave the yard even with the gate open (accident) for a short period.

-Frozen Wings

 

[FrozenWings]

I forgot to mention non of my birds' wings are clipped...

-Frozen Wings

 

[mmch618]

I didn't want to clip my chickens wings but had to when i came out one day and saw the three of them pecking around in my neighbors perfectly manicured lawn! Lucky i caught it before they did! I have noticed that when a hawk flys by, the girls take cover under one of our thick pine trees or their coop. Your right though, they probably would be better off with their wings unclipped.