Official BYC Poll: Do You Clip Your Chickens' Wings?

[Lacy Duckwing]

I never wanted to ever clip any of my birds wings, but I had to with the Church Birds. Because their run was so big and the way it was set up, I couldn't (and didn't want to) cover it with netting. Well, some of them loved to fly and was flying out just about every day. These hens were Copper-Amber (Top flyer), Victoria, and Lupine (Lupine would climb to the top of the Church and fly to the top of the Hay Barn, then down. That was her escape method.). I just clipped one wing on the Primaries.

 

[1muttsfan]

Never. All my birds are trained to come running when they hear the scratch can shake, ,even the flightiest. They need every opportunity they can get to be able to avoid predators when out. And when in, the run is covered with heavy-duty poultry netting, both to keep birds in and predators out.

 

[LaurEliz]

I let mine free range so I don’t see much of a reason to clip their wings. I figure they’ll have a better chance of survival if a predator does come around.

 

[Fintechie]

No I don’t clip my chickens’ wings and they are free ranged. In last 20 months , that’s how long I have kep, only one leghorn flew over my six feet tall fence. We got her back. I sew a local ( world famous) farm having only 2 feet tall fence for movable station, I bet they don’t clip wings either. Btw, I can’t imagine I would declaw a cat if I have one. Same thinking applied here

 

[DaisyBuff]

I never clip my chickens wings. To me, It is cruel. When Clipping, it may hurt the bird. The back of my yard comes to an end with a big forest. All sorts of animals come out of there. I have even seen a fox. I think my chickens are prettier without clipped wings. If God wanted them to have clipped wings. They would of hatched with clipped wings. I like my chickens just the way they are. I let them out of the pen to free range even though I put a fence around my yard, Bigger wings would help my chickens to get away from a stray predator.

 

[Cleetus777]

Yes, I clip the wings of my flock. On my roo, I tried clipping one but he was still able to get out, so I had to clip both. On my hens I only clip one.

 

[tcfoster]

I clipped a few of my newest pullet's wings (just one side) because they were flying over the fence and one of them was killed by my neighbor's dog. It's worked like a charm.

 

[arishoks]

I haven't had to as of yet. My rooster doesn't fly outside the chain-link fence, and so the girls don't either! If something happened to him and they started flying outside the fence I'd probably clip one side at least. But they free range in my backyard and I would worry about getting away from predators.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

I would never ever clip my chickens wings.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I've had to clip wings on a few birds who wouldn't stop flying the coop. They learned to stay with the flock after that.