They're Flying The Coop!

[Kanthaka]

Ok, Fred. I remember you telling me at the Erie Co-op that it was certainly possible for my chickens to scale a 4 foot fence. I have a big backyard in the city with 6 foot fences all around except for one neighbor who has a 4 foot chain link fence. This neighbor also has two pitbulls.
Well the chickens have never even attempted to fly up to this fence. Until yesterday. And now that they've discovered the fence I can't keep them away from it. I also remember someone at the co-op chicken lecture saying that only bantams could reach any true height by flying and that once my chicks were full grown and heavy they would not be able to fly far at all.
I don't want my hens to become pitbull food! Is wing clipping my only solution?

[Fred's Fine Fowl]

It's certainly true that bantams of certain breeds are better high fliers...
Though there are also plenty of flying large standard breeds as well...

I'm not certain what breed of chicken you have, but once they have discovered their ability to clear the fence... normally flying to the top rail/bar and then continuing on their happy way, it's hard to stop.

You may foil their efforts by clipping the flights on one wing only. It's very easy and doesn't hurt the chicken at all. Holding the chicken like a foot ball and spread out the primary flights on one wing splayed out like fanning a deck of cards... clip off at least 2/3 of those long stout feathers.... this unbalances them and wallah, pin-wheeling chickens. No more high flying adventures and you won't have problems until their normal molt. By then, maybe they will have forgotten their skills..

For the record, chicken breeds that I have found are terrible fliers:

Cochins
Silkies
Jersey Giants
any breed with small wings, frizzle feathers, heavy body with small wing surface area/length.


The following are practically unrestrainable without a top net:

Games
Leghorns
Sebrights
Rose Combs
and any breed that has large wings as compared to body type/size.

**Side note, African Guineas can take wing and fly a thousand yards or more effortlessly.

The longest recorded chicken flight was around 15 seconds?

I do hope that you don't end up feeding those rascally dogs!

Fred

www.FredsFineFowl.com

[Kanthaka]

Thank you, Fred! I can't tell you how invaluable your website, dvd and excellent advice on this forum have been to me!
So yesterday I was doing yardwork, supervising my chickens and debating the whole wing clipping ( is it cruel? will it affect their quality of life? blah, blah) when I heard loud panicked squawking. Turned to see a Cooper's hawk attacking my little red hen! I ran but the hawk jumped up on the (banned neighbor's) fence and only flew away when I got to be about 2 or 3 feet away from him. A that point the crows took over and it was a very loud half hour as they chased Mr. Cooper though the hood. Chickens hid quietly in the bushes for a long time.
Anyway that clinched my decision to clip the wings! Enough chicken stress. I have a neighbor who breeds parrots and she has agreed to help me. I believe I could do it but another set of hands should be useful.
Never thought that small of a hawk would even bother with a full grown chicken yet I have twice seen Mr. Cooper carrying seagulls so I should have known.
And yes, I realize I also should have known better than to get too attached to these chickens. I am only one generation removed from a farm family and can hear my grandfather laughing at my silly sentimentality even from beyond the grave. But geez...I raised them from one day old peeps!