To clip or not to clip that is the question

[MyShunshyn]

We are getting our chicks soon and the coop is almost finished so now we have a question.....

We plan on allowing our flock to free range during the day and we have a large open pasture behind the house and on either side of our property, so we are wondering if we should clip their wings or not. Would it be better to leave them au'natural so that they have a better chance of escaping any random predator that might wander by? Or should we clip their wings?

Any thoughts on to clip or not to clip?

 

[chicmom]

I personally don't clip my chicken's wings for the very reason you mentioned--they can escape predators. None of my hens, and I have several breeds really fly very high or far....If something scares them, I think it gives them a better chance of escaping or running to safety......

I free range mine too daily, and we've got some hawks and such around here, so I like to let them have their wing feathers.

Hope this helps!

 

[jasonm11]

I don't clip mine, they can and do fly every one in a while. They always stay in the yard close to the food.

 

[aggie9296]

i do not clip mine and they have not tried/wanted to fly over 6 ft privacy fence. I think it does give them a better chance of escaping a predator or the swimming pool to have all the wing feathers.

 

[MissTurkey4]

I have done both ways, but found wings did not keep anyone from a preditor. Everyone gets there wings clipped to keep them where I need them. Mine will hop 6 foot fences to nest and will get killed.

 

[annep]

We clip..They get into our neighbor's yards and into the front yard if we dont. We have a pyr who's our guard dog, so we dont have to worry much about attacks.

 

[schellie69]

I clipped mine when they where young and would fly on top of the run which is right by the fence I did not want to play chase the chicken down the street. i live in town to many dogs and cats run at large I don't know since they stay in yard near the food.

 

[JustClucky]

How early can you clip? Mine are still pretty young and I was wondering if it might mess up how their feathers grow later on. Dumb question but I don't want to hurt my gals.

 

[Red&Yellow]

The feathers will be molted out. You didn't say just how young your birds are, but if they are younger than about 15 weeks or so, they will keep (most) of those feathers till thier first adult molt. Before that age, they are pretty much in a continous 'molt'. I don't consider it a real molt, because they only lose a few feathers at a time as they grow.

 

[WhetzelMomma]

I clip until my birds get to be full grown. That way, they grow up to a heavier weight and flying isn't so easy. They don't realize they CAN because they couldn't... and getting up and over high fences is more tough once they are at full grown weight. My smaller birds used to fly up and over fences with they were little. Once I started wing clipping, they stopped, and now they don't try.