Clipping Wings/ Chickens Still Flying?

[rhoda_bruce]

I consider my left side trim as a partial brand. If I stay trimming to the left only and say....some of my birds turn up missing, then I might be able to ID them if they happen to turn up someplace else, esp if all the left wing feathers are trimmed. Sometimes I'm trimming wing feathers and I grab a bird and they are still trimmed from last time, although all the other birds needed trimming. Right now I have my birds cooped, so it doesn't matter, but when I let them loose to pasture my gardens, I need trimmed wing feathers.
My personal preference would be to always stick to the left. As I stated before, sometimes one trim last 2 seasons, if they didn't replace their feathers, so going on the right would have evened things out for me and thats not a good thing. You might prefer the right. Or you might not care about having all your birds trimmed on the same side, so long as you just did one side on each bird. By sticking to the left, I don't have to examine each birds flight feathers on each side.....I just extend the left wing and DD cuts off the feathers.

 

[bubba1358]

Couple of questions about your chickens......well, maybe more than a couple.
How old are they and what breed(s)? Sometimes young pullets don't have their adult body weight, and can fly much more easily than they will be able to when they mature a little. I had one that flew with clipped wing feathers, too, but I don't think she could now.
What are they flying away from, or to? Do they escape during the day, or disappear at night? If they are being frightened to the point that they fly up in a way they normally wouldn't, perhaps you could reduce their level of fright. Big dog running around the coop terrorizing them, maybe? Raccoon coming in without you seeing it?
Is there any way you could cover the top of the yard with plastic netting? (Would only keep hawks out, and chickens in)
Or, as an alternative, adding a little extra wire to the top may be the answer. Just a couple lines of plain wire would help give the illusion of a taller fence, to the chickens.

Sorry, missed this somehow. :/

They are 16 weeks, and a mix of Rhode island Red, Black Australorp, and Jersey Giant. I can't add any more netting - I have a movable elctro-net system.

The don't seem "spooked" or anything. They just hop on over and continue pecking around. It's between 1 and 4 at a time.

 

[so lucky]

Tape weights to their ankles?
I really don't know what you could do right now, since they are accustomed to hopping over a 4' fence. I have a 4' fence around my garden, which keeps the chickens out, but then a 2' fence keeps them out of one of my flower beds. I'm sure it is a different matter trying to keep them IN, as opposed to keeping them OUT. :/ Maybe someone else has some ideas.

 

[bubba1358]

Tape weights to their ankles?

LOL! That has crossed my mind several times.

 

[~gd]

I don't know what went wrong, but if you did one side one week and then the other side the next, I'm thinking you might have balanced them out and might just have to wait until they regrow to be able to get them uneven again..

Sorry - I meant to say it was six weeks. Is it better to just always do one side?

There is another way [required by law for some waterfowl] it is called Pinioning. It is the act of surgically removing one pinion joint, the joint of a bird's wing farthest from the body, to prevent flight. The pinion is the "flapper" that is never served up with chicken wings because there is very little meat there. It can be done at home but goes best on birds younger than 10 DAYS old. On older birds a vet is suggested. All that is needed is sharp shears. septic powder or other to halt bleeding and the guts to do the deed. Frankly this is not your answer. Many vets wont do older birds due to animal rights concerns [like those that won't dock a dog's tail]

 

[bubba1358]

There is another way [required by law for some waterfowl] it is called Pinioning.

That's funny because I had thought about doing that when they were lil' chicks. I hadn't looked to far into it, and just decided to clip. I am now regretting that decision, apparently. :/

 

[Beekissed]

Could you possibly post a video of these birds going over the fence? It could give us a point of reference on solutions for the problem. To every problem there is a solution but sometimes a good visual is worth a thousand words.

 

[bubba1358]

Could you possibly post a video of these birds going over the fence? It could give us a point of reference on solutions for the problem. To every problem there is a solution but sometimes a good visual is worth a thousand words.

I wish I could, since I have not yet actually seen it. I'll just come out, and 3 of them are hangin out on the other side.

 

[Hinotori]

I have a bird that I think I'd have to clip all primaries and secondaries to keep her in. Mom won't do the uneven wing clip on her parrots and they fly all over after clipped so she cut the secondaries as well and they couldn't get enough lift. It doesn't look very good and she's given up clipping them at all now.

 

[Beekissed]

Could you possibly post a video of these birds going over the fence? It could give us a point of reference on solutions for the problem. To every problem there is a solution but sometimes a good visual is worth a thousand words.

I wish I could, since I have not yet actually seen it. I'll just come out, and 3 of them are hangin out on the other side.

I would take some time and observe this escaping...could be you will find the source of your problem. Most birds of those heavy breeds and at that age don't just fly over a fence...usually they hop up to something to gain some height first, so there could be something in their enclosure that is aiding in this escape..even something you wouldn't think is a likely place from whence to launch flight.

I'm also wondering how in the world chickens that size are going through the spaces on electric poultry netting..are you sure you aren't using the netting designed for larger livestock, like the sheep netting? I made that mistake when I purchased my electric netting and the birds could go through, yelping as they got shocked..but the smaller squares of the poultry netting shouldn't let a bird of that size and age even squeeze their body through, let alone slip through.

Might be time for a stake out to see where and how your escapees are getting out.