Escapee chicken!

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Brenda Babes

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Escapee chicken!
« on: October 01, 2010, 16:27 »
Is it okay to clip a chickens wings or is this cruel? One of my chickens can fly over the 7 foot fence I have round my garden and I'm a bit worried that she gets lost or gets stolen! Any thoughts or ideas???

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joyfull

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Re: Escapee chicken!
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2010, 16:30 »
it's ok to clip their wings but remember to only do one wing (this will unbalance them) and after their moult clip the other side to ensure their muscles stay even. Even with clipped wings some chickens can still fly a little and also launch themselves off their coops or anything else. To be extra sure they don't escape the only real way is to put a roof on their run  :)
Staffies are softer than you think.

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henamoured

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Re: Escapee chicken!
« Reply #2 on: October 01, 2010, 16:33 »
Clipping a wing doesn't hurt them - it's like clipping nails for humans. Some people prefer not to so that hens can fly up and away from predators.
Clip just one wing to unbalance them.
I've found escapist tendencies in my chx have diminished as they come into lay - they're literally not so flighty! :)

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Biguba

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Re: Escapee chicken!
« Reply #3 on: October 01, 2010, 16:51 »
I clip the feathers each side of the central quill along the feather. Less stressful if you're worried abut hurting the bird and they don't look too mutilated when they're folded up.

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Brenda Babes

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Re: Escapee chicken!
« Reply #4 on: October 01, 2010, 17:07 »
Do I clip through the quill or just the feathery bits? I know this sounds stupid but I'm new to this! x

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Biguba

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Re: Escapee chicken!
« Reply #5 on: October 01, 2010, 17:14 »
Clip through the feathery bits on the first big feathers so the quills are still intact -  it doesn'yt have to be neat. Literally a 10 second job. When she folds her wing back you won't notice and you can forget about horror stories about bleeding to death and all that.

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themagicaltoad1

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Re: Escapee chicken!
« Reply #6 on: October 01, 2010, 17:19 »
I googled chicken wing clipping and found lots of helpful diagrams before I did mine, it was a doddle and obviously doesn't hurt the birds, bit like clipping our nails.

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daisy1990

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Re: Escapee chicken!
« Reply #7 on: October 01, 2010, 18:00 »
I found a video clip on you tube which show someone clipping a wing which made it look vert straightforward.  In the end I didn't need to do mine because they are so spoiled they dont try and go anywhere!
3 dogs, 8 chickens, 4 rabbits 2 guinea pigs, 10 quail, 2 fish and a demanding daughter who has gone to uni and left me with 29 animals to care for!!=)

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Foghorn-Leghorn

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Re: Escapee chicken!
« Reply #8 on: October 01, 2010, 19:07 »
A tip I was told by the breeder when clipping wings is to leave the two outside feathers intact - this gives a nice neat line when the bird's wings are folded and you can't tell their wings are clipped.
"The chicken came first—God would look silly sitting on an egg."

— Author Unknown

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Heathcliff2

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Re: Escapee chicken!
« Reply #9 on: October 02, 2010, 11:29 »
Must admit I was a bit scared to clip in case I hit the vein at the base of the feather next the body, but a good tip I heard is that wing clipping is a 3 man job if you've never done it before: one to hold the bird, one to hold the wing and one to cut the feathers! It's a fool-proof way to avoid accidents and the bird is much calmer if it's properly restrained. My Buff Orpington pullets can fly even though I read that orpingtons can't!


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