Wing clipping nightmare

[Casey3043]

but successful! Out of 30 chickens (29 hens, one roo), I had 3 persistent escapees who flew over the 5 foot fence surrounding their yard. They have plenty of room, but seem to want to go into the woods, or my neighbor's property, or (eek) my garden.

All was well until this spring when it was time to plant. After having the run of the garden (which is next to the chicken yard) all fall and winter, they were not about to give it up. I HAD to get my seeds in the ground, so......it was time to do the evil deed. I've never done it because I never had any that were so determined to get out until these Speckled Sussex started the trend, joined by one Black Australorp.

I caught Blackie in the garden by cornering her and took her in the workshop and clipped both wings. She was easy to catch and not panicky. The Speckles were not so easy. Not used to being handled and flighty as heck. With no one to help me, I had my hands full needless to say. I waited an hour after they went in to roost, so that they could be really sound asleep. Holding a small flashlight in my mouth (not having a miner's hat) I snatched them off the roost at night and clipped. There was much squawking, flapping, screaming like they were being killed. Drama queens, every one of them. Rooster clucked in sympathy, but really wanted them to shut up so he could sleep.

Got three the first night. Next day two were out again. Tried to memorize their tail feather patterns and head markings. That night grabbed three more off the roost, one at a time. One was already clipped. Did the other two, and YAY! Next day no one was out. Got my seeds in and all is well. Huge sigh of relief. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to have a garden at all.

 

[spotstealer]

You may still have some escapees if you clipped both wings. They just flap harder. By clipping one wing, they are off balance.

 

[goldeneggtees]

It's funny but I have the very same thing happening over here. Speckled sussex and australorp are the ones who keep getting out. I've clipped both their wings and guess what? The little turds still get out every day. UGH! They are such a pain in the you know what. They keep making huge messes in the driveway and pooping everywhere. So annoying. Good luck with yours though. My buff orps never tried to get out by going over fences. But should I accidentally leave the fence open, well, that's another story!

 

[goldeneggtees]

Oh, one more thing. I tried clipping just one wing and they flapped well enough to manage to get out. I thought by clipping both wings, they'd be out of luck but nope, they get out more than ever. It is really frustrating.

 

[Casey3043]

Not one has been able to get out since the clipping. I guess I thought doing both wings was better---not enough feathers to lift those chubby bodies off the ground. After doing Blackie, she stayed in, and the same two speckles were out. The problem was identifying the guilty parties when they were all on the roost. I knew it wasn't the two that were molting, and I had done a couple of the others when my son was here to help. That left two that were the bad girls. Finally got them, because they were out every day, all day, and haven't been out since the Big Clip.

Howlinggood, maybe you didn't take off enough length of enough feathers. How high is your fence they are going over? I didn't think they could clear five feet, and never have in four years, not till I got these doggone Speckles. Troublemakers! And they led my BA astray.

I would check around for things they could climb on to get a boost over. I had to move my composter and the water hose connection, one of those ones you put in the ground and run a hose to. It gave them a jumping off place next to the fence. But when they wanted out, they just flew straight up, landed on the top, and hopped down on the other side. Come evening, they would come back over.

 

[goldeneggtees]

Hi again, sorry it took me awhile to respond. The fence isn't very high, maybe 3.5-4'. It's made of recycled pallets and while really cute to look at is probably not as high as it should have been. There's no changing it now. It took a lot of work to build.

Maybe I didn't take enough off but my friend who is a vet helped me so not sure. I'll ask her to look at the wings next time she comes over. How have the been for you now? Still getting over your fence?

 

[Casey3043]

Maybe if you added a couple feet of chicken wire along the top....kind of floppy-like so it won't look like a secure perch for them. Put some thin vertical stakes up from the top of your fence, but don't put a top rail on it. If you get the green coated kind it would be almost invisible and might discourage them since they can't really see the top of it. Chickens like to see what they're going to land on when they take off.

Mine are staying in now. The Speckles spent the first few days pacing the fence and looking longingly at all that green stuff outside their yard. I hated to spoil their fun, but I NEED my veggie garden. It supplies most of our food for many months.

Good luck with yours.