What is wing clipping?
Wing clipping is the process of trimming the flight feathers in order to prevent your chickens from flying. There is a specific method which is shown at the end of this article. Chickens can’t fly long distances like other birds but they can use their wings to glide across the yard and hop fences.
Do you need to clip wings?
This answer is not going to be the same for every flock or every chicken in the flock. If your chickens are confined in a coop and secure run, you probably don’t have any reason to clip their wings. If your chickens are free ranging with a lot of land, you probably don’t have a reason to clip. But, if your chickens are behind a fence and are jumping over it into harms way, you might want to clip their wings. I have a few chickens who are extra “flighty” and tend to hop the fence just for fun. I have had stray dogs scare my flighty bird over a fence once and she was killed. Most of my chickens have never attempted to hop the fence. They tend to stick with the rooster and like the tree coverage inside the fence for protection. Also, I think they are too plump to make the jump happen! In that case I leave their wings alone. I do not clip wings unless necessary. Chickens use their wings to escape danger as well as hop up and down from roosting bars.
How often do you need to clip wings?
Chickens will go through a yearly molt after they are about 15 months old. During this fall molt, the clipped feathers will fall out and they will grow new ones you might have to clip again.
Does it hurt?
Clipping feathers is just like trimming hair. It does not hurt as long as you are trimming in the correct spot and the feather is fully grown. You don’t want to trim a feather that is still growing because you might knick the blood supply.
How to trim feathers:
Find a partner to help you hold the chicken securely. gather a sharp pair of clean scissors.
Have the person holding the chicken spread out the wing so you can see all of the feathers.
Count the first ten feathers shown below. These are the primary feathers which are used for flight.
Trim the flight feathers right below the primary covert feathers on one wing only. You can always trim the other wing later but sometimes trimming one keeps them off balance and does the job!
For a video watching me and my husband trim feathers, CLICK HERE.
