If your chickens are escaping out of their fence or run then you will love this article. By clipping their wings they will no longer be able to fly out of that area! It is a super simple and easy way to get them to stop flying over their fences.
Is it going to hurt the chicken?
It is completely painless to the chicken! It is just like getting your hair and nails cut. So there is no harm done to the chicken. It only will hurt the chicken if you clip too far, which I have never done, and I have clipped multiple of their wings. If you were to accidentally cut too far then use some cornstarch to help clot it, which if you have read this then you will most likely already have it on hand. For some reason, chickens seem to bleed a lot if they get cut in that spot, so just know that it may take a little while to clot it.
How to clip their wings
To clip their wings you will grab the wing and spread it out so that you can see all of the feathers.
Next you will cut about no more then and inch of the primary feathers.
Now you have just finished cutting your chicken’s wing! You should not have any issue with them escaping again, well at least for now 😉.
How long till I will have to clip their wings again?
This can depend, but generally, in older birds, it will last till their next molting time. In younger birds, you may have to do it again in a couple of months.
Notes:
Only clip one of the chicken’s wings, because otherwise, they might still be able to fly which would defeat the whole purpose.
Be sure to not clip too much or else you may hit a vein and that would cause the chicken to start bleeding. It is like if you were to clip too much of your nail and it starts bleeding. If this happens just treat it as you would with any wound.
If your chicken figures out how to still escape after you have clipped their feathers then you may have to slightly cut their secondary feathers. Cut them as the same way you did with the primary feathers.
Look at your chicken’s wing and see if the shafts of the feathers are white and clear. If they are then you may cut them, but if they have some red then that means that they are not done growing yet and you should wait till they are finished growing.
If you have any other questions about clipping chicken wings, be sure to let me know in the comments below and I will try to answer them soon!
Other articles that you may like:
- How to keep your chickens cool in the heat of summer
- Treats to keep your chickens warm this winter
- Tips for winterizing your chickens coop
The 1912 Homestead 