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

[Bill752]

I pinion our chicks while they're young because catching them when they're older is more difficult. We tried clipping their wings & later they'd fly over the fence into our neighbor's yard. Now they have 5 Great Danes that have the run of their fenced property & I pinion our chicks to prevent them from becoming dogfood. We have 5 roosters with 2 of them with the hens & the others guarding the perimeter Plus a spayed Lab to spread her scent around as another precaution plus she spooked a raccoon so badly that it didn't think to grab a chicken to go.

 

[Annabellarose]

I never have, but, right now, I just have the 1 covered run, but I am seriously thinking about building a much larger uncovered run of 6 foot high fencing at our farm across town and I might trim wings if I find have repeat fence hoppers.

 

[wolfinator]

Clipping a wing is not only a matter of choice or convenience but at times may be necessary with one that constantly escapes and could be in grave danger. But remember the ability to "fly" even a short distance could mean escaping a predator and getting to a sheltered area.

Very rare for me to clip a wing on my chickens, ducks and guineas. I had in the past with new comers but stopped years ago. I live by woods with different land and air predators so they need both wings intact. In 2016 I had a hawk attack a banty hen, my mixed RIR/Silkie hen (both passed from age) "flew" over and attacked the hawk as it was trying to fly away with the banty hen. The hen survived with a punctured artery, once bleeding was stopped, she was alright. The next day she was limping a little but eating, drinking and out with the rest of the flock. I now have a mixed poultry flock, they only have a 3 1/2' - 4' fence on 3 sides and a 7ft to the back against the woods for the main pen that's 2,025sqft but enlarges to 3,050sqft after garden is done which includes a main coop, juvenile coop and 2 smaller coops for just in case needs. Plus an additional 15 x 30 (450sqft) grassy run (used only a few times a week to allow grass to grow). I have a fully enclosed pen, now down to 4 guineas, 2 roosters and 5 hens (1 rooster and 2 hens were integrated with main flock over last couple months) that's 260sqft including coop. Every once in a while I'll have the occasional escapee(s) but they stay next to the fence waiting for me to put them back in. My last escapee was a 2 yr old rooster named Baby Boy - was supposed to be my last one but there's 5+ behind him. I use old beach or patio umbrellas to deter overhead predators and even painted a pair of "eyes" on some to make it look like a large animal looking up in their main pen and additional run sections. They do work when opened up, sadly I lost a female Runner duck a few months ago possibly to an owl, after forgetting to put an umbrella up in an extra run area (now enclosed guinea area). I was exhausted and thought I'd closed off the section but hadn't, the umbrella wasn't up either. Using the umbrellas not only give protection from sun but air predators too. For land predators, a pair of brother dogs kenneled next to them works great and the boys finally learned not to bark at every deer that comes through.

My main coop, pen and garden. Their dogs are to the left with a 4' high welded wire with 7' deer fencing over it with an 18" path in between them and poultry pen.

To be garden area being prepped for tillering with natural fertilizer. We enlarged our garden by 50% this year, it needed fertilized and grass gone. Building and area in back is now enclosed as a guinea coop and pen.

 

[pinewoodacres]

I don’t clip them. I would rather put netting on top of their run than prevent them from flying. I try to give them as natural an environment as possible, including being relatively hands-off with our interactions.

 

[MarkButcher]

I've found that at least one wing clipping (both wings), ends up being nessesary when they're young, and maybe again later when those feathers have grown back, for my set up. When they're younger, they seem to enjoy their flight abilities and will use them, but once they're mature, and been discouraged in their inability to fly, their inclination and adult weight seems to be about 100% eliminated. If I have an individual hen who'll fly up onto their inside parameter fence for whatever reason, I'll then go back and clip that individuals wings, and that seems to do the trick on a permanent basis after that.

 

[Borders3]

I've found that at least one wing clipping (both wings), ends up being nessesary when they're young, and maybe again later when those feathers have grown back, for my set up. When they're younger, they seem to enjoy their flight abilities and will use them, but once they're mature, and been discouraged in their inability to fly, their inclination and adult weight seems to be about 100% eliminated. If I have an individual hen who'll fly up onto their inside parameter fence for whatever reason, I'll then go back and clip that individuals wings, and that seems to do the trick on a permanent basis after that.

I was under the impression that you only need to clip one wing as it then unbalances the chicken and prevents it flying.

 

[Ascholten]

I was under the impression that you only need to clip one wing as it then unbalances the chicken and prevents it flying.

it'll still fly, just not as inclilned to do so or go as far. Ive learned this with my cockatoo, even when clipped HARD, they can still get up and go if they have the urge. Doing one wing, things don't balance right for them, so they want to land faster.

Worse case, she flies in a circle and comes right back to you

 

[3KillerBs]

I was under the impression that you only need to clip one wing as it then unbalances the chicken and prevents it flying.

It depends. I start with one wing. Then if the problem bird is still flying I clip the other too.

 

[Ascholten]

Birds can and WILL fly with clipped wings. If they are scared OR motivated enough, they WILL fly. The one wing thing is to hopefully cause them to not fly correctly, and hopefully say, oh screw this and just stop trying to fly. But DO KNOW, if something scares it, or motivates it enough to fly, it WILL.

My cockatoo with 10 feathers clipped on each side, made it straight the hell up and OVER that shower door, soaking wet, the moment I reached down and said, ok now the tummy gets washed too.

He pretends to HATE showers, yet, once he does get wet, he'll scream like I poured lava on him, yet run thru the water stream, and dance in it, in circles, over and over again, instead of staying under the chair where it's dry.....but I think Im not supposed to notice that

Aaron

 

[Chickengirl2671]

I used to but the day before I clips my last flocks wings I looked out the window and most of them were on the fence and a fox was jumping at them, one was even on my roof!