Uh Oh... What did I get myself into?

[MontanaMomma]

First time Urban chicken owner...
So, yesterday I went to the feed store. And it is important to note that we've had our coop ready for months and we have been counting the days till chicks come to town. So, anyways, I go to the feed store and they have chicks. But they did not have the types that I had wanted- Orpingtons, Ameraucanas and Rhode Island Reds. They had two other kinds I had never heard of, and they weren't sure when more would come. So I, in all my disappointment, made a spur of the moment decision and bought 5 White Leghorns. Now that I have had time to read about this breed, I realize White Leghorns may not be the best breed for "city folk". They can FLY?!? We were hoping to let them roam our fenced back yard. Should we even attempt that? Or will our neighbors end up with chickens in their trees? I'm glad to hear they are good layers, and the flying aspect isn't all bad since this will give them defense agains predators, but, ummmm... hm. Any thoughts?

 

[lisahaschickens]

Leghorns are supposed to be a bit flighty... but all chickens can fly... it's just that the heavy breeds like opringtons eventually lose the desire to fly very much. There are exceptions to every rule, though, and you could get any breed and end up with fliers. With the leghorns, you will get tons of eggs, though. I think you'll be fine

 

[agnes_day]

all of the breeds i have had could fly so i just simply clipped their wings

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

My leghorns occassionally fly up to and land on the roof of their 6 ft. tall run, but have never attempted to land on or get over our 6 ft. block wall that surrounds our property.

 

[hinchbug]

As a fellow Montana backyard chicken raiser I have found that having cold hardy layers (like Buffs and your girls) is more important than a little flight. I agree go online and figure out how to clip their wings. My Buffs (who I heard don't really fly) ended up walking down the street more often than I would have liked til they got snipped. Have fun!

 

[flakey chick]

And share the tons of eggs you're going to get with your neighbors to stem any bad feelings.

 

[TXmom]

I got 2 white leghorns just for the egg production (I got other breeds for looks and personality). I really didn't expect them to be very friendly, but to my surprise my leghorns are the friendliest of the bunch! If we sit anywhere near them, they fly into our lap, or onto our arms or shoulders. They are great! They are 6 weeks old today, and we have handled them daily since we got them...our brooder is in the living room so they saw and heard us all the time. Now they are outside all day but they still love us

All of our 6-week old chicks can fly. If it becomes an issue, we'll clip the feathers on one wing. I heard you're only supposed to clip one wing so they'll end up flying in circles and can't get away.

Best wishes for you and your leghorns!!!

 

[MontanaMomma]

Thank you all so much for your input. I grew up with chickens in a very rural area. This is my first in-town experience so I'm a bit nervous about it. I'm worried that they will bother the neighbors, get hit by a car or eaten by dogs or something. We have a good sized yard with a 6 foot fence around it, and before we put them outside we will test the fence's security, but I'm still worried. They are so little!

 

[Momma_Cluck]

Your neighbors shouldn't notice as long as they are only hens..
AND if you clip their wings- and either use a run, or fence the yard!

ALL chickens roam & FLY... and do not recognize boundaries that aren't fenced!

We start clipping wing feathers as soon as they totally feather out
(I just spent the morning dealing with 2 little ones who now fly our of the brooder!)

Offering eggs to the neighbors once in a while once they start laying never hurts either!

 

[sandypaws]

yeah.. just keep their wings clipped.. youll be OK
i have minorcas (like a leghorn) in a 5 foot fence,, they were flying way up in the trees to roost at night... now that their wings are clipped they cant even get to the top of the 5 foot fence.. so they are forced to roost with the other chickens