Wing Clip

[wendy]

I think you are right there Mo. It is a balance and we all have different thoughts about these things. Some may think them silly, others may not.
Clipping my dogs toe nails does not stop them performing natural behaviours.
Perhaps we should end this here.
I will agree to differ.
Wendy

[Verity]

Well, we clipped our girls yesterday, but only because it's getting harder to keep them in the coop at feeding time, and I'd hate for them to fly off over the hedge. It was remarkable easy, and in the long run, for us, a good plan.

[Richard]

Hi,

I always clip one wing of new arrivals, but saying that, the one's who have got out usually do so with a large jump and chaotic flapping - I';d say up to about 4 feet.

Certainly it does them no harm - but watch they haven't got something inside the pen to get over the fence in two jumps!

Always beats me that the new one's have just spent a year in a cage and still aren't satisifed with a Pen almost the size of a tennis court!
What I've also noticed, be interesting to know if you have, is that you only need clipping most of them the once. They seem to give up after they realise they're on a lost cause?

Richard

[Mo]

Yes Richard, and if you decide to let them have the whole of the garden (and never mind Jim's veggies), then they decide they're not satisfied with that, and they go next door to the tidy garden they will NOT be welcome in.

[wendy]

Obviously never clipped, and never had any escapee's
Wendy

[Richard]

It all depends on where you are keeping chickens and whether you want them to roam etc.
I've had a chicken who used to venture into the Pub up the Lane and countless others have wandered off to I don't know where.
Becuase of the large dog over the Lane (who will get anything that moves), I keep mine in now (also because of silly people walking down the Lane who may think they'll catch bird flu etc).

So, back to clipping. It is personal choice. For myself, it appears not to harm the chickens and if (it's a big if) they do get out by means of something in the Pen, they won't get back in that's for sure. I've lost a couple this way.

I guess there are many things where we interfere with nature - sometimes good and sometimes, when you look back on things, bad.

[Richard]

I've been thinking about this and I'm pretty sure that with the last 5 who came here, I didn't clip, but waited to see what happened.

One of them kept on getting out 'over the top', so I clipped hers.
I certainly couldn't affordt to heighten the fence, so this was the option.

Up til then, I think I clipped all new ones, but the Pen and structures were different to what they are now.

Richard

[wendy]

My fences at 6ft and are on 12" baffle boards. That has got to be a mighty jump LOL
Wendy

[Richard]

The 'fosby flop' :mrgreen:

[nichbri]

I'm feeling rather jealous! My fence is 6ft high, and the top of our coop is about 5 1/2 ft - my girls manage to fly onto the the roof of the coop and jump over the fence. As the run itself is rather large, extending so they can't reach the fence from the coop isn't an option - and I'm not too keen on clipping them.

And you're right - it doesn't matter that they have all the food they could wish for - they think the other side is greener - or browner in my case!

[Richard]

Hello,

Nice to meet you and welcome.

If you look at the pictures of my Pen, it'/s actually done like it is for eactly the same reasons.
The Main house used to be inside the main pen, but they somehow got up onto the roof and jumped over! So I moved the fence so the House is now on the outside!
Also, the newer smaller house is erected right in the middle of the Pen for that reason!

I must have spent a year of my life geting it right !!!!

Richard

[nichbri]

Yes, I saw the pictures of yours - it looks great, very chicken proof! I need something like that, they're certainley craft little so and so's!

[wendy]

Hi.
My hen house now has a wire fence panel on the top of it, to stop them jumping up and over into next door. I put it up in the morning and take it off when I close them up of a night time.
I will try to get a photo and send it to Richard to put with my other photo's
Wendy

[Jodi]

Wow, some interesting comments..........

We are having a similar debate in our house. Scott's family (hubby) had chooks for many years and they are all on my back to clip my girls wings, my family have commented that the run is a bit of "over kill" re: size and height of fences (about 12'), but then also ask when I'm going to clip their wings.

The fences are this height because I didn't want to clip their wings, the run is large because I wanted to give them enough room to "flap about" and be a chook.

But, yes, it is definitely about balance. I would like to create as "natural" an environment as I can for them, but yes, they are very interested in the "other" side of the fence. I'm going to "landscape" the run with rocks, some bushes etc. (They already have a gum tree) I'm hoping that this will encourage snails and other insects - give the girls some incentive to stay in the run.

I would never give them cooked food, even though they would probably love it............but I know alot of people do.

We can never fully give our pets an environment that meets their instinctive needs, but I think the wing clipping decision comes down to a basic risk assessment. Weigh up the impact of the chook getting out eg., potential death, injury, or just inconvenience of having to chase it back in - against the impact of clipping the wing eg., can't fly, a bit off balance.....maybe.

So if the chances of your chook getting eaten by the dog next door are too high, clip the wings.........if I was a chook, I'd prefer the latter.

(Hope this doesn't come across as a lecture........... )

Cheers
Jodi

[Phil Black Rock]

Hi Jodie, a nice post, shows you love your chucks.
)chu: