4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Chickabee]

I have a 12 week old cream legbar. She escaped from the run today, whilst I was trying to let another hen out. She is a really good flyer. I know she's too young now to clip her wings, but I can't Rememer what the best age is.

[Chickabee]

Have just read that if you have high fences, as I do, there's no need to clip. Anyone have an opinion on this

[Jenthelibrarian]

The farm where we got our girls strongly advised against wing-clipping, although they did kindly show us how to do it

 

They said it puts hens at a great disadvantage if they do need to try to get themselves out of trouble.

 

We have high fences and have had no escape attempts [fingers Xed] but you need to watch out for things like a wheely bin near the fence so they can't make freedom-bids in hops and jumps.

 

Our chooks have got our fairly fierce ginger cat firmly put in his place by kind of flying 'at' him, and do long flapping runs the length of the garden if chased, or if they see us coming and think we might have treats, but very low on the ground and not near real take-off velocity

 

I'm sure other hen-keepers with flightier chooks will advise equally strongly in favour of clipping, I guess it depends on your particular girlies and your own garden

[Patricia W]

I did this in the beginning but found it really wasn't necessary. So I don't bother now on the grounds that I've never seen a flock of hens overhead. Our fences are between 5 and 8 feet. Now they have gone UNDER the fence.....

[good_egg]

Don't think there is a minimum age - the feathers will just regrow if they are still to go through a moult... I did my girls when they were little and flighty but haven't bothered since and they show no inclination to escape... I like the fact they could fly if a problem...

[Chickabee]

I won't clip then. Thanks for your replies. Have just realized I've never re-clipped my older hens, and they don't even try to fly