wing clipping/pinioning

[Akane]

So our biggest problem with our first batch of guineas came when we first let them out of the coop. We tried to round them up but half the time they flew in to trees or on to buildings where we couldn't get them. The owl was soon attracted and started making off with them. The ones that learned did move to the coop but that owl now stares at the coop every evening to see if any guineas will roost outside. We are getting more guineas soon and I'm thinking about clipping a wing or even asking the place we are getting to pinion them since they pinion all their own stock to keep them in the pens. I think if they couldn't fly when we first start leaving them out of the coop they would be easier to round up and they wouldn't be as likely to try to roost in trees or on buildings rather than in the coop. I know pinioning is probably a highly debated topic but if it might keep more of them alive I think that outweighs the negatives so I'm not interested in starting a debate on it and I will not participate if you do. The only thing that makes me rethink pinioning is they wouldn't be able to fly away from predators. I've seen our remaining 3 (the rest kept trying to roost on top of the coop and became owl food) up in trees when there was danger around. The clipping would be temporary just until they learned what the outside world was about and that they should return to the coop at night or when I wanted to pen one to collect eggs for incubating.

Do you think this would work to keep more alive long enough to learn?

Is clipping one wing effective?

How often do you have to do it?

Is pinioning more effective than clipping or the same? I won't do it if there's no gains since my guineas won't be penned all their lives so I won't need to keep clipping them all forever.