ethics of wing clipping

[JacinLarkwell]

I don't care about my chickens flying, but I have several ducks I have to clip wings on while they're free ranged. Muscovy and calls are both really good fliers, and I've had a scovy hen get lost on our property because she flew too far and didn't know where she was when she landed. Another scovy I have is blind on one side, and she follows the others when they fly, which could be bad for her If she got lost. They're safer in the long run if they have clipped wings in my set up, but every set up is different.

 

[SamLockwood]

I am posting to ask about the ethics of clipping my hens' wings.

I have 4 hens. They are currently 5 months old. Their coop is located within the goat pasture (2 goats) and their run is fenced within the goat pasture. I can open a chicken-sized gate between the chicken run and goat pasture and the hens very much prefer to hang out during the day at the goat barn and in the goat pasture. The four hens are all friendly and happy and laying eggs.

Within the last week, the Golden Comet and the ISO Brown have been flying over the pasture fence and roaming around. I can easily pick them up and carry them back to the pasture. They often come towards me, actually. If I'm working in the orchard, they come down there. If I'm up by the house, that's where they come. Very cute. But a little annoying.

My preference is that the chickens can live their most natural life, and if I clip the wings they lose the joy of flying. Of course, I understand that they could also lose their life if they get predated upon (or unlikely hit by car where I live, or whatever). I'm not willing to keep them in their run all the time. I like having them in the goat pasture by day, and it being a quarter acre, I can't put a cover over the pasture.

Do hens get depressed if they are unable to fly? Or other negative effects?

Yes, I searched the previous posts, but my answer is not posted.

They won't get "depressed" but they will be less able to evade predators.

 

[SourRoses]

I once had a neighbor new to chickens who actually cut his roosters wing, like a surgical operation. Clearly that was ethically wrong because of the pain and suffering, the danger of infection, and it wasn't necessary.


Regular ole wing clipping is not an issue. If you change your mind, just wait till they molt and let them keep their next feathers.

I have an unspoken agreement with mine. If the fence hoppers can get themselves back over on their own, and if they stay close like in the grassy yard, I let them keep their wing feathers. 2 of our hens are good like this. Licorice especially likes to jump the fence a dozen times a day but she just looks for some bugs and goes back to the flock. She lands on the top of the wire fencing for just a second, it waves and jiggles everywhere but she doesn't care.

Pullets who jump for the first time and get stranded get a warning lecture on the way back to the yard. When they make me fetch them a second or third time we trim one wing before putting them back. That means 18 of ours are trimmed, because getting stranded seems to be the normal, lol.