When do i clip my chickens wings

If you're anything like me, you'll worry about whether clipping your chickens' wings is a good idea or not. I'm here to guide you through the process and reassure you that it's likely to hurt you more than it hurts your girls!

Before we start - is clipping wings really necessary? In the wild, chickens will use their wings for flying away from predators and getting into trees to roost. In domestic situations, though, it's a different story. Leaving a the wings intact can mean your girls escaping, angering neighbours, your own flower garden being ruined. I don't like taking body parts away from any living thing, and I love watching the tiny wing feathers grow on the smallest of chicks in the brooder.

I also love watching their flying antics from when they were only a week or so old and they first discover they can take to the air, even though it's for a very short flight! And I believed that leaving their wings intact would help them fly out of the way of any predators. What I didn't realise was that not clipping their wings would actually cause them to fly into more harm. Take some time to watch it, and then carry on reading for more detailed information about how to avoid problems and an update about which clippers work best.

They just don't have the capacity to lift their bodies off the ground - and they know it! But chicks develop wing feathers at a very early age and will test out their ability to fly from just three or four days old.

This is one of my Sablepoot chicks at only 7 days old. See how well-developed her wing feathers are already? So let me be very clear about this: not every chicken will fly, but many will give it a go.

After all, the grass is always greener on the other side of the coop! Some are great at it - Red Stars are known for it - some are too heavy - my adult Light Sussex hens would no more dream of flying than - well, flying - and some just don't want to. So there is no single answer for every flock. You need to know yours, and assess what is best for them. Again, you need to make this decision for yourself. Some people simply don't want to change their chickens' bodies.

That's fair enough, and I thought the same myself, until Well, take a look at Lulu's story and then make up your own mind. Lulu is one of my Red Stars , and she's lucky to be alive. You need to know how to handle your chickens in preparation for wing clipping.

The preparation entails getting hold of your birds, handling them as required and executing wing clipping without injuring them.

With all these factors at the back of your mind, you can easily perform wing clipping in a matter of minutes. But you will need the right materials and maybe some help from someone else. Materials A towel but it is optional Clean pair of scissors Pair of pliers for safety Gauze or rag Corn starch With these materials ready, you should be able to clip the wings of your free-range birds. Here are the steps to follow:.

Related Post: Chicken Runs. Feathers regrow after every molt, so clipping their wings is an ongoing task, typically twice a year. The frequency also depends on how many chickens you have and whether they all molt together. These 2 have recently started laying their eggs in the hay feeder. Which wasn't a problem until Dolly the donkey realized she could reach the eggs and has been eating them. So I had to clip wings today to keep the chickens from flying over the fence into the barn.

Never had a reason to clip their wings before…and did not expect it to be due to a donkey! However, chickens are habitual creatures. Once they become used to the idea that they cannot escape their enclosure, they become less likely to try.

I usually clip my whole flock when moving them to a new area, and then I only clip their wings again if they start to escape. Likewise, chickens that have their wings clipped young are less likely to be escapees. It is a comprehensive online course that covers everything you need, including what to look for in an unhealthy chicken and how to support your egg-laying hens to optimal health. All of their courses are really well structured and filled with vital information, which is why I highly recommend them to all of my readers!

Check out Chickenpedia today. As a member, you will also get access to the ALL of their chicken courses! Just click the Request Help button and fill in the form. Ask an Expert. Thank you for joining our mailing list! All Rights Reserved. Menu 0. Continue Shopping Your Cart is Empty. Ask for assistance! It is egg-stremely helpful and safer to have someone hold the chicken while you trim or vice versa as your feathered friend is apt to be wiggly.

Which feathers should you trim? You want to trim the primary flight feathers. The primary flight feathers are the longest feathers at the front of the wing.

Chickens typically have ten of them and they are often a different color.