In article ,
"doug" writes:
| "jay jay" wrote in message
| ...
|
| on the subject of chickens, I'm thinking of getting three - can anyone
| tell me what flowers/vegetables in my garden might be of serious risk
| or maybe this is a rather naive question?! (I'm at the very early
| research stage and yet to convince somebody else what a wonderful idea
| this is) I would like them to be as free as possible, though obviously
| inside at night.
|
| They must have an area fenced off with wire netting sixfeet high to stop
| them flying out on to your cherished flowerbeds. It is cruel to snip their
| wing flight feathers. Those are the big long feathers on the outer lengths
| of their wings. Within weeks their compound will be a sea of mud and nary a
| blade of grass in sight. ...

Unless the compound is VERY small, that won't work - they can fly
above 6', you know. If you are to keep unclipped chickens, the
run must be netted on top as well as all round. And the reason
that your compound is a sea of mud is because it is very small,
which can be cruel.

And exactly why do you think that clipping flight feathers is
cruel? Feathers are dead tissue, just like hair.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.