Vicky40 Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Hi We went to see a breeder at the weekend to "window shop" for chickens. We had a great time and all was going well until I asked about wing clipping. The breeder seemed to be against this unless we had a "very good reason" for needing to have this done. I am a complete newbie to chicken keeping and only found out about wing clipping from reading threads on this forum. I just thought everyone did it and was a bit taken aback by his reaction. Have I got this wrong, is it not always necessary? We do have a 6 ft high fence around our garden so the breeder didnt feel it was necessary at all. Although he did say there would be some breeds to avoid if we were worried about them escaping over the fence. Just wondered about your thoughts on wing clipping ? If it doesnt do any harm wouldn't it be a wise precaution to take anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyReckless Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 I always do it and view it as no more serious than cutting fingernails. There are no nerve endings there as far as i know. Just the ends of the flight feathers on one wing, and repeat after moulting when the new feathers are in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenanne Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 I don't bother, I don't think it's necessary. If you don't need to (i.e. 6ft fences) then personally I don't see why you would. if done right, it won't hurt them, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoice Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 If it doesnt do any harm wouldn't it be a wise precaution to take anyway? Exactly. It doesn't hurt them and I don't know about anyone else but when I got my 18wk old birds they were pretty 'flighty' even WITH wing clipping so I hate to think how high they would've got without it. I'd do it if you are worried about any escape attempts. Never heard of a breeder against wing clipping though TBH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Sometimes I clip the wings of a persistent escapee. It does, I think, somewhat reduce their chances of getting away from Monsieur Reynard if he pays a call whilst they are playing out. Like most things.....it is a question of weighing up the odds and doing what seems best for your particular set of circumstances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 I've never had the nerve to clip my chickens wings Now we have moved into the country I would like to think that if a fox came after my girls they could at least have a chance of flapping out of danger with unclipped wings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 our BHWT girls came with their wings feathers already trimmed as the BHWT do it as standard. They've never really shown any inclination to want to take off anyway so we haven't bothered retrimming them. However, our new girls seem very flightly and it's all very well for the breeder to say don't do it but they don't have garden chairs and tables etc that madame hen can jump onto and then be off over the fence! Our 2 new girls have been on the garden chair, then the table and have been espied eyeing up the top of the fence so we may have to trim their wing feathers. We only let our girls out to free range under supervision so if a fox did appear, I would hope we'd be on hand to chase it! I think the chances of our new girls ending up in next door's garden are higher so we shall monitor the situation. When they come into lay, maybe they'll be less flighty, we shall see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superjules Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 My hybrids have had their wings clipped but my bantams haven't. This is so that they can get away from the big girls, if they feel the need to, and wing clipping does slightly spoil the way they look. Only once have 2 of my girls have ever bothered going exploring further than our garden and both of them had clipped wings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mostin Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 We weren't going to bother clipping our newest two girls as we never had any trouble with the other two. However on day 3 they cleared the omlet netting and flew 15 ft . They were both clipped straight away and I don't feel bad about it at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 The Omlet delivery man asked me if I wanted to have the girls wing clipped and did it on the day of delivery. He did 3 chooks and then held another and I did the last one. A month later we got a new chook. I didn't clip her wing as she would fly up onto garden furniture when the other chooks bullied her badly. Once that settled down, she would clear the 4 ft fence into the veg patch all the time. So I did clip her wing (and it didn't make a lot of difference). Now they are much older and bigger all of mine rarely get over a 4 ft fence now, unless they have a convenient launch pad handy (like a compost bin near the fence etc.). So you can just take your time and decide once you have got the chooks home in your setting. It is really really easy to do yourself if you need to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welsh sarah Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 i have never bothered and havent had any problems, i think if you have big fences (i have also) then it isnt a problem sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angels4 Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 I have chosen to not clip my girls wings. Our yard isn't fenced, but I am always out with them when they free range around the yard and have not had any problems. I chose not to because of the harsh New England weather. I figure the added length will help keep them warm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jools+6 Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 we were told to clip only one wing but nugget and now dipper have had both clipped . nugget was still clearing a six foot fence with only one clipped so we did the other wing and it hampered her a bit then when she came into lay she calmed down a bit . dipper is still not in lay and is showing no signs at the weekend she decided she was going over the fence !! we have clipped her other wing but it's made no difference so we are now watching her like a hawk . trust her to pick the neighbours we don't talk to side , and because they don't bother with the garden at all it's weed paradise . sure she has seen the tastey weeds and will keep trying to get over now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little chickadee Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 we were told to clip only one wing but nugget and now dipper have had both clipped . nugget was still clearing a six foot fence with only one clipped so we did the other wing and it hampered her a bit then when she came into lay she calmed down a bit . dipper is still not in lay and is showing no signs at the weekend she decided she was going over the fence !! we have clipped her other wing but it's made no difference so we are now watching her like a hawk . trust her to pick the neighbours we don't talk to side , and because they don't bother with the garden at all it's weed paradise . sure she has seen the tastey weeds and will keep trying to get over now I'm afraid that by clipping both wings you will have actually allowed her to take off better than with one wing clipped! It's the fact that they are unbalanced with uneven wings which hinders them I've been told (although I may be wrong ) We have our hen's wings clipped as they free range behind poultry netting to keep them away from our chicken eating Greyhound. They are still able to propell themselves if they really really want to, as our newbies have taken to roosting on top of the cube rather than going inside the cube run and up the ladder (we then have to go and get them - 2 of them have got the message now) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milly Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 I'm squeamish and don't like clipping wings, even though I know it doesn't hurt if done properly. But if it's going to stop them leaping over the fence and getting lost or foxed, it's worth a try. If they are reasonably fluffy birds it doesn't really show. However, having said that, we clipped one wing of our Andalusian who kept flying over the electric fence and up into trees and it made no difference at all. In desperation we clipped the other wing as well - I understand the theory that you only clip one wing to put them off balance, but it seemed to be enough to make a difference, probably because both wings were shorter and so she didn't have enough lift. Or maybe she has calmed down a bit. But I'm not convinced wing clipping works that well - I think settling down and laying eggs is what does the trick! Milly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamebird Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 My girls are enclosed behind 50m of electric fencing to protect them from the several foxes who visit our land. The fencing does stop foxes getting near the chickens 100% (the fencing has to be kept electrified 24/7). However, 3 of our girls have decided that the grass is greener on the other side and have flown over the fencing. So I have clipped their wings and so far they have behaved themselves. My other chickens have unclipped wings but if I find them over the fencing then I will clip their wings too. Basically, unless they need to be clipped then I see no reason to do it as a matter of course. It all depends on your circumstances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abwsco Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Our exbatts haven't have their wings clipped but when we got our first two new girls in June they had their wings clipped by the breeder for us as they were free ranging there and flying around all over the place. As yet we haven't clipped our 20 weeks old as they are now behind fencing with netting on top. Don't think we are going to either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkysmum Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Hi, When our hens (ex batts) arrived we asked our vet about clipping their wings. He was totally against the idea. He said that if they did try to fly they would probably crash land and hurt themselves. We accepted this advice and didn't clip. They have shown almost no inclination to fly. Allison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodcat Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 We had no choice about wing clipping because when we got them and let the free range for the first time one of them lept and managed to fly over my shoulder and i'm 5.9 it really depends on where you are and perhaps more to the point who is next door. There is a jack russel next door to us so we can't afford any escape attempts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve. Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 We've clipped the wings of all 8 to keep them less bouncy whilst they were going through introductions. A fence at the bottom of the garden is only 4 foot. Actually, we clipped both wings of all 8. It was easy. One of them managed a 4 foot hop onto the Cube ... I think those days are past now she's laying. Very funny to watch as when they run and flap their wings they don't get off the ground at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 we only ever did one of ours - Sugar the white leghorn, who was a persistent escapee for a while. but I echo what others have said: 1. its really easy and comletely harmless to do 2. easier with 2 people - 1 to hold chook, 1 to wield scissors 3. only do one wing 4. they stop the harrier jump jet thing once they are laying and have put a bit of weight on and/or become more sensible (unless they see something amazingly attractive and possibly edible) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cordelia Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 we havent clipped ours....as we were scared to !!! LOL fingers crossed they havent escaped the garden yet.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 My original two Omlet hens had their wings automatically clipped, so I did the next two because I thought it was essential. But I have not clipped the wings of any of the ones after that, and wouldn't clip a hen's wing again unless she was particularly flighty. I tend, however, to go for the heavy breeds which have difficulty getting off the ground anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
