What's your stance on wing clipping?

[dragonshiner]

Okay, I've just started to raise some Muscovy ducklings and recently purchased a pair of pastel calls. Now I know that most domestic duck breeds don't fly, except for these. I'm worried I may have to clip their wings to keep them around the farm if I let them free range. I'm a little apprehensive about the idea though. What does everyone else think about it?

 

[Jades Chickens]

Well I have never had ducks. Though I have had plenty of chickens and clipped a lot of chicken feathers. They will just grow back. I really do not think it is a problem. If you do not want them to fly or are thinking they might try to fly away I would definatlly clip there wings

 

[angelmarie]

well its necessary 4 me to do it. If they fly out of the preperty they will for sure be stolen of eaten by neighbors or animals I don't like to do it because I love it when the animals can fly and jump on the roof lol but it needs to be done

 

[Alaska animal lover]

I don't see a problem with clipping the flight feathers. Pinioning is an entirely different thing for me though. Clipping the first joint of the wing off just seems wrong.

 

[dragonshiner]

Okay, I am TOTALLY against pinioning that just seems cruel, at least to me, I realize others may feel differently about it.
I live on five acres and have really fantastic neighbors who own the surrounding cornfields so I really don't mind letting them fly around a bit, I just don't want them to fly away completely. The adult pair of pastels I purchased might do that but I don't want to keep them penned up inside either, unless that's what they decide they want for themselves. I love watching my ducks free range during the day and then come inside for the night for some well earned feed and bed time.
I'm thinking I can clip the flight feathers on this first pair and then any subsequent offspring could reasonably be trusted to stick around the farm on their own, you think?

 

[DuckLady]

Whenever I get new ducks in that might be able to fly, even just over the fence, I clip one wing on each so they can't wander. That way they know where home is and will be most likely to stick around once they go through a molt. After that, I don't clip the wings. They might need them to get away from something.

 

[sugarbush]

So how is the call duck wing clipping working out. Have they showed you how well they can fly yet