[Yudster]

Especially if you want to use the diagnostic machine.

[Boboff]

That would be random, thanks by the way, "you have a Jesus Style Avatar inserted in your cave" please step away from the counter.

How are your tits this morning ?

We have chickens in the back garden, which are young and need there wings clipping, not really done it before, any advice anyone ?

[Yudster]

My advice would be don't, if you clip their wings they will be unable to fly, and hence unable to exscape from predators by flying into trees - and so they will consequently have to be kept enclosed and they won't be as healthy or happy and the eggs won't be as good because you'll have to give them a higher proportion of processed hen food rather than just let them scratch around and eat bugs and worms and stuff. Just make your garden boundaries reasonably secure, and they'll be happy enough. Give the option of an enclosed roost, but if they are like my hens, they'd probably rather sit up in a tree and laugh at the foxes. They won't fly away, at least, none of mine ever have. They can all fly, but they only do it if they have to!

The tits are now both Blue and Great. All I need now are Coal and Long Tailed, and I'll have a full set. I don't count Bearded, we're too urban here to have any expectation of them!

[Boboff]

Ow, that makes sence but the problem is putting them away, one has already "escaped" never to be seen again, they are young bantom types, mummy and 3 little ones remain, we have them shut in a stable at the minute, the boundaries are impossible to fence as they consist of Woods, a public footpath and a big River !

I don't really want to run the risk of letting them have free range???

Anyone else got an opinion on that ?

[Yudster]

No. nobody else, just me.

Mine wander around at will, but they always come back to the place they consider to be their roost site, as long as they have such a place. Hence the option of the enclosed coop - mine don't actually sleep in there, but its where they lay the eggs, so they don't wander far!

Why don't you just fence off a run for them? Make it a reasonable size so they've got plenty of scratching potential, and put a hutch or a coop in there for them? That way you wouldn't have to worry about rounding the little blighters up!

Mine are Buff Oprpington/Rhode Island Red crosses, so bigger than yours - and I understand bantams have a different take on life to most chickens, so maybe you can't be quite as relaxed as I am with mine!