WING-CLIPPING: CRUEL OR NECESSARY? ~ Open Poll~

[SBFChickenGirl]

I’ve never been in the situation where I’d need to, but I’d be open to it if I needed to, if done correctly then it doesn’t permanently alter them right ? Those feathers grow back the same as any busted feather would when molting?

Nope! Doesn't hurt them at all!
Though I'm pretty sure you'd get DQ'd if you tried to show a bird who's feathers had been clipped so make sure that you're not clipping wings of birds that you plan to show.

My opinion:
I've given up on clipping my bantams' wings. They fly too well and I leave it so they can get away from predators.
My chickens have the "three strikes and you're out" rule. The third time (and by the time that I've figured out how they are escaping) they get their primaries on one wing clipped.

 

[shaila]

At the time each of my adult chickens had been going through their flighty teen phase, they had access to my whole backyard and clipping was necessary to keep them out of neighbor yards. I have my chickens limited to a large dog kennel now, so newer chickens are less likely to need any clipping.
I really wish the people a street over from me would clip the wings of their chickens, which are hopping their fence and hanging out in everybody else's yards. It's only a credit to the intelligence of those chickens that they haven't been killed yet, because there are plenty of dangers even in an urban environment.

 

[ILoveDaffy]

I have never needed to. mine are not any trouble for us.

 

[LaFleche]

@LaFleche did you vote option no. one? Just curious!

No, I did not vote at all.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

To my knowledge there are two methods of wing clipping:

One is performed mostly on guinea fowl, geese and ducks at a very young age amputating part of their wing to prevent them from flying away and join wild geese when migrating.
I do not approve of this method as it is mutilating the bird.

The second method is to just clip the bird's wingfeathers on one side to prevent them from escaping and putting themselves in danger.
If correctly done, this method will not harm the bird and the bird will regrow the lost feathers when moulting.
I sometimes perform it on volatile and/or very curious and adventurous young individuals in their first year. As soon as they start to lay their behaviour changes and it is not longer necessary as they will stay with their flock/rooster.

Same. I clip the wings of all my birds when they are little and any that keep trying to get keep getting there wings clipped after eatch molt but the ones that don't get to keep ther feathers. You can tell the birds with wing feathers are the stay-inners and the excape artists are the birds with no wing feathers

 

[Cinnamon11]

I have to. My coop fence is low enough for the trouble makers to jump right out unless clipped!

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

I am in the same boat^

 

[Trisseh]

It totally depends on the individual bird and situation in my opinion.

Not many things about keeping animals in confinement is anywhere close to natural, and clipping feathers that grow back with the next molt really doesn’t seem like a horrible situation to me, it’s non painful, not permanent, and often generally done to prevent injury or death if they get out of where they’re supposed to be contained.

pinioning as mentioned where the joint at the end of the wing is completely removed is an entirely different procedure and must be done on young birds, and is a much more complicated subject. (Similar in my opinion to tail docking and dewclaw removal in days old puppies)

That being said, my call ducks all have their flight feathers clipped on one wing when I first get them because they fly far too well and I don’t want to lose anyone that isn’t sure where they’re supposed to return to! So they get one clip, they get homed into where they belong, and no more trouble.

I haven’t had to clip any of my chickens so far, and I’ve had some pretty flighty breeds (sebrights, Icelandic, Norwegian jaerhon...) I had netting over their run when I put the first group out and nobody has tried to escape, or if they do, they put themselves back and I’m none the wiser. the jaerhons and icelandic like to hop up on top of the fence (pallets) and on top of the coop to soak up the sun, but they don’t go anywhere.

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm pondering clipping Chipotle's wings because she flies over the fence any time she feels like it and is a bad example for the others (California White).

When I had cockatiels I always clipped their wings for their own safety because my house had too many ceiling fans, windows without blinds, and pots simmering on the stove to have a bird flying around. With their wings clipped they stayed on my shoulder or my desk where they wouldn't get hurt.

In another few months most of my ladies other than Chipotle will probably become too heavy to really fly anyway. The main reason I haven't done her wings yet is that it will be a 3-person operation -- one to hold her, one to clip her, and the other to hold the light.

Whether I decide it's worth the effort or not will depend on how much trouble she gives me by flying.

 

[JaeG]

Our Muscovy ducks have one wing clipped. We live right next to a major state highway so it is necessary to keep them safe.