Should I clip a White Leghorn rooster

[bobbieschicks]

So far Foghorn is my 1st escapee from the fenced in area. I wouldn't mind except he's the lead rooster and every time he gets out the others start acting up and looking for their escape plan. I had one Lavender Orpington pullet jump over the fence after him a few days ago - otherwise they just wait for me to catch him & toss him back over the fence.

In the past week he's been caught hopping/flying up to the 7' high beam over the gate to jump out and he's hopping/flying to the top of the coop then jumping to the beam.

Yet another knock/peck at the back door alerted us to his escape this morning. So, I'm considering clipping him. Is it wise or okay to clip a rooster? Since he's the lead rooster would that be a problem with the younger rooster causing him to attack the older one after? Should I clip both of them - the younger hasn't tried to escape & is a LO so his size is almost double that of the WL.

 

[StarLover21]

I don't see why not.

 

[Bullitt]

Can you cover the run so the chickens can't get out?

If not, you can clip the feathers on one wing of any chickens that could possibly get out. This will make them unbalanced if they try to fly.

 

[bobbieschicks]

I just don't want to hurt his leadership role or his free spirit. I guess if he jumps again today I will clip him. I have a conference in a few days and I know my DH will not be as tolerant of his repeated escapes. I'll return to Foghorn stew.

 

[bobbieschicks]

So he got out this morning. I found my best sharp scissors and put a towel over his head, stood him on the shelf and clipped his wing feathers on one side only. No one wanted to help but the towel made it easy. Hoping I did enough.

 

[bobbieschicks]

That didn't help. He flapped harder and still got out. And AC my Ancona followed him. My WL pullet tried but was too afraid to fly up this time.

What could I have done wrong? Maybe I clipped the wrong feathers? I clipped the long ones in the back about three inches off.

Looks like I will need to clip all three older birds.

 

[1 lucky dad]

Here are the feathers you need to clip. You should not need help, cradle him in your arm with his head under your arm pit and open his wing with the hand of the arm your holding him with and clip with the free hand.

 

[bobbieschicks]

I figured out what I did wrong when I watched a Youtube of someone clipping wings - I didn't finish the whole row. I took only a portion of the wing feathers and clipped those off. I need to complete the row - so I'll probably go try that in a few minutes when we take a break from homeschool.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I have a flier too. She's an EE, named Muffin. Though we should have named her Houdini because she can get out of just about anything Anyway, she's a light-bodied bird just like your Foghorn, and was using various objects as a launch point to get herself over the 6ft fence. I didn't want to move those things away from the fence, so I decided to clip a wing. Well, she just flapped harder and still made it over the fence. The only difference was, during all of her furious flapping she made a HUGE spectacle of herself. So when she jumped the fence, everyone else jumped up onto the launch point and went right along with her. The only way I was able to contain the little turd was to move everything she was able to use as a "step" away from the fence. And what I couldn't move, I tented with tarps so she couldn't continue to go up once she was on top of them. Its worked so far, she's been in the run for the past 2 days. I've seen her pacing the fence searching for a way out, so I know its not for her lack of trying. Good luck.

 

[Hinotori]

I'd get something to cover the top. I have a small EExSilkie cross that, as long as she can keep herself upright, will walk right up the fencing like a ladder.