To clip or not to clip.....that is my question

[keljonma]

And remember that if you clip so they can't fly, they won't be able to fly AWAY from a predator. So make sure your area is completely predator proof.

 

[Grass]

i love watching my roos dance around with the one wing extended ....mine free range so i'm not clipping ours

 

[DottieMarie]

Well now I'm really unsure of what to do. Here's our scenerio:
The run is approximately 100' x 70' so it's rather large to cover plus there's a pine tree in there so I don't know if I go that high. We could cover some it but not sure if we can cover the whole thing. We're having electric fence installed so I'm not too worried about other predators but hawks and owls are plentiful. Currently I'm just letting them have their coop and a covered dog kennel until I figure out what to do.
Any more input is welcome

As you can guess....I need all the comments I can get.
Thanks to all!!

 

[Beekissed]

Clipping does not hurt the birds and it really helps while they are in the run. I've had birds roost in the trees when they weren't clipped! I free range most of the time but have them confined to a run while the garden is growing. I don't have to worry about the whole predator aspect, so this is best for me.

I have a couple who do quite well flying, even with one wing clipped...with these birds I give what I call the "prison cut"....all flight feathers trimmed short on both wings. On a fat hen, you can barely tell unless you look hard. I have a total of three jailbirds that have the "prison cut", as of last night. Noone went "over the wall" today!

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

My fence is also six foot in their run and my hens have tried but never could fly over it.

 

[SandraMort]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Free ranged ones shouldn't be clipped, right?

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[HenMamma]

I have a 5Ft tall fence and no one has tried to escape, so I don't clip. Sometimes I take them out to the garden and they run back to the coop trying to find a way in! The only time I see them "fly" is when they jump out of the coop in the morning. My neighbor has a 4ft and clips because they are always getting out. It all depends on the chicken.

 

[swtangel321]

at walmart I bought this netting stuff (used for covering berry and garden plants) It cost about $10 I dont remember how big it was but it works good !!!

 

[girlsnboys]

Four of my hens, black australorp and golden comets (the delinquents), daily fly over my 4' fence. I have their wings clipped (only one side) and they just flap harder and go over lopsided. I don't think they'd make it over a 6' fence, but not sure because they are determined. I'd wait and see if you have any escape artists and then try just clipping their wings.

 

[KierBri]

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i was thinking of that for my new run, how does it hold up to a snow load?