wing clipping – Chicken Girl

Recently I wrote a post about certain breeds of chickens that could fly. And in it I mentioned three ways to prevent your birds from taking flight. Today we’re going to look more closely at wing clipping. Because, if you’ve never done it, it can seem daunting. Also, I’ll explain how to clip a chicken’s wings. However, first, let’s find out whether or not you should clip their wings.

Reasons to Clip a Chicken’s Wings

This was our first raised garden bed, before we built the 4 1/2 foot fence dividing the yard. The chickens easily destroyed the garden, even with the chicken wire.

If you have pasture raised chickens, then you probably don’t have them penned in an enclosure all day. Which means you likely have fence line separating your property from your neighbor’s. And if you have one of those flighty breeds, they possibly frequent your neighbor’s yard. Therefore, the main reason to clip your birds’ wings is to keep them in their yard and on your property. And the other reasons to clip your chickens wings include:

To restrict your chickens from destroying your garden, if you have one
In addition, to keep them from getting mauled by a predator
And lastly, to prevent them from getting run over by any vehicles, if you happen to live close to any roads

On the other hand, if you keep your birds in the run, then you don’t need to worry about clipping any wings. But just having a fence won’t deter a determined bird. Because, as I mentioned in my last article, some breeds can fly over 10 feet!

Pros and Cons to Clipping a Chicken’s Wings

We had to clip this hen’s wings after administering first aid; she flew into a neighbor’s yard, and my husband rescued her from being nipped by their dogs. Thankfully they weren’t big dogs, or the damage would’ve been worse.

A couple of the advantages of wing clipping are that

It’s safe and painless if done correctly.

Compare it to a dog getting its claws trimmed; but NOT to declawing a cat. Or it can even be compared to a human getting a haircut.

In addition, your chickens will re-learn behavior.

If you’re new to this, you might be scratching your head, saying, What? But it’s true, chickens can be motivated and taught certain behaviors. I’ve witnessed it in my own birds. With each bird that needs and gets its wings clipped, they no longer need to be re-clipped, because they’ve learned not to cross those forbidden boundaries.

And wing clipping is temporary, since chickens molt.

Thus, new feathers come in.

The disadvantages to clipping chickens’ wings include

If done improperly, it can cause bleeding
Also, if birds are in open pastures, roaming at will, then wing clipping limits their ability to get away from predators
And finally, some people think it makes the birds look less attractive

When to Clip and When NOT to Clip

Believe it or not, there are actually better times and situations in which to clip your chickens’ wings, if that’s something you’re considering.

First off, don’t clip any chickens’ wings unless they have their adult feathers.

Chicks go through several molts before they’re finally considered adults themselves. And if you clip their wings while they’re juvenile, you’ll just have to do it again. And again. Also, when feathers are growing, there will be blood in the shafts.

Growing feathers are dark or black, while fully formed ones appear clear or white.

Another thing to think about is that they might not even be flighty. I agree with chickenskeepingsecrets.com, which says,

you can clip as soon as the birds have all their adult feathers and it becomes necessary. (Emphasis mine)

Therefore, if your birds aren’t showing signs that they’re flying over any fences, then there’s no need to do any wing clipping.

And lastly, I already pointed out that birds in open pastures, roaming at will, would be hindered if their wings were clipped.

The BEST time to clip your chickens’ wings is when you have adult backyard birds that are repeatedly being a nuisance, getting into the neighbor’s yard, your garden, a busy road, or trying to get mauled by some animal. And most, if not all, sites recommend you first catching your birds. Forget that. Who wants to chase around a bunch of chickens all day?

Rather, here’s the alternative: Before letting them out in the morning one day, have someone help you clip their wings, one bird at a time.

Materials Needed to Clip a Chicken’s Wings

Partner to help you

Having someone assist you with clipping your birds’ wings will make the job easier and go faster.

Good pair of scissors

You need sharp scissors to cut through the shafts; alternatively, you also could use sharp wire cutters

And styptic powder or alum

In the event you cut too short, and a feather starts to bleed, dip the feather in some styptic powder or alum, until it’s coated.

Instructions for Clipping a Chicken’s Wings

Tiny Nuts already had his wings clipped, as you can see by the straight edges.

Get your partner and supplies; and without letting any birds out, (if that’s possible) set-up shop for wing-clipping

Since we can stand up normal in our run without trouble, that’s where we usually take care of things, like wing clipping. However, your coop and run may be different. If it’s smaller, you’ll have to get creative.

One person needs to hold the bird firmly, making sure one chicken wing is held securely against the chicken, so there’s no flapping, while the other person will clip the free wing
Next, have the person with the scissors locate the primary feathers; are the shafts dark or clear? If they’re clear, then they’re safe to trim
With a steady hand, only trim back the 10 primary feathers about 50% of the way; (unless you know your bird is a flyer, start small)

Notice the primary feathers.

Now, it’s at this point that a lot of sites suggest you’d be finished, because supposedly having one clipped wing would unbalance a chicken. And I also tried that approach my first experience with wing clipping. However, all of my Ameraucana chickens can fly with this unbalanced design. Hence, we clipped more. And when that didn’t work, we clipped more, and jaggedly.

Thus, you can trim only one side, but if you have one of the flighty breeds, like me, you just might have to go back and trim more than just the primaries and make it look ugly; remember to check the shafts, and if they’re clear, you can trim them.

Digital Art Courtesy of Sarah Smith

Again, most sites adamantly advise against trimming the secondary feathers. But obviously they’ve never had Ameraucanas; otherwise they’d never suggest such a thing. Though there are a couple of sites that are familiar with the more determined flyers. So, if you have birds like I do, and you want to protect them, then you need to clip more than the primaries. It’s that, or risk them getting into trouble.

Conclusion

We’ve only had to re-clip this hen’s wings one other time after her molt; she learned her lesson after that.

Wing clipping, if done correctly, is a safe and painless way to prevent your chickens from flying from the safety of their enclosures. Whether a few chickens or the whole flock like to get out, clipping wings can offer some respite.

Clipping a chicken’s wings is only temporary, and many sites suggest repeating the procedure annually. However, I disagree. Just like waiting to see if wing clipping is even needed, wait and see if repeating the process is necessary.

For example, I have only had to repeat the procedure on one hen after her molt. The whole idea for me is to re-teach my birds, because they are teachable, contrary to what anyone might think. When their wings are clipped, they’re grounded for that time frame. So when their molt is ended, and their wings are in and they’re free again, hopefully they’ve learned not to go where we don’t want them to go. And that’s just what I’ve personally discovered happens with my own birds.

What do you think about wing clipping chickens? Have you ever done it?

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When we were younger we learned that feathers and hollow bones allowed birds to fly. You may be curious to know that chickens also possess those traits. And yet, can chickens fly? Well, yes and no.

When chickens are only a few weeks old, they can fly or flit around. And that’s the closest they come to resembling flying around like other birds. But when they’re older, they don’t fly so much as use their wings to propel up and over objects. So they don’t cover much distance. That’s because not all of their bones are hollow.

Chicken Origins

Photo by Paul Harrison on Pexels.com

Modern poultry descends from the Red Jungle Fowl, which has the ability to take off and fly away from danger. However this amazing bird isn’t suited for long flights. And present-day chickens have had this capability bred out of them with heavier body mass.

But still, there are backyard birds that have maintained this talent.

Chicken Breeds that can “Sort of” Fly

Megatron, the rooster boss.

The following is a list of breeds that can manage the art of flying better than their counterparts.

Heavier birds, like Wyandottes and Black Sex-links, can’t even get off the ground. Although, why would chickens want to fly in the first place?

Reasons Chickens Might Fly

In this picture, Tiny Nuts just flew back over the fence, while some of his hens stayed in the front yard. And one hen is on the fence, about to cross over to the other side.

The Grass is Always Greener.…

Chickens love to explore and will go in your neighbor’s yard, because the grass and bugs are way better than what’s in your yard! Or maybe they just think the fence is some cool obstacle they’re meant to cross, and your yard and your neighbor’s yard just belong to the birds.

Henhouse Bullying

Introducing new birds, chicks figuring out the pecking order, and 2 adult roosters can and will cause some birds to seek out new territory.

I noticed that’s what Tiny Nuts has been doing with his harem, while it was raining yesterday, and he wasn’t allowed in the run. I figured out that he just wants his own place where he and his girls can live in peace.

Predators

And the last reason backyard birds will fly away from their own yard is if there is a threat, such as a predator.

How High can Chickens Fly

Our neighbor’s 6 ft tall fence. (The yellow yard stick isn’t truly a yard stick, as it measures 48 inches. It’s for comparison purposes.)

A four foot fence is not a deterrent to the breeds I listed above. For example, on separate occasions, both my Ameraucana rooster and his hatchery mate flew over my neighbor’s 6 foot fence. While their dog attacked Soundwave, Megatron slept in their barn overnight. But both were recovered and are fine.

Since having Megatron, I have seen some amazing aerodynamics. Also, his genes have been passed to all of his offspring. In addition, he inspires the other chickens to take risks as well, even if they can’t quite fly. They’re convinced the grass is greener.

How to Prevent Chickens from Flying

I have seen material that suggests building a covered run or a taller fence as the right option. And though neither is bad, they just aren’t going to stop your backyard birds from flying over your fence if you have one of those “flying” breeds. None of mine have ever “flown the coop”. But when they’re approaching adulthood, they fly over the fence all the time. Further, you might not want to build a 10 foot plus tall fence all over your yard. And if you have a very big yard, it could be cost prohibitive.

Rather than building a bigger fence, another option posed by cleverpetowners.com is to trick their eyes with stakes and fabric. You can find their suggestion and instructions here.

And the final option is wing clipping. Despite being somewhat controversial, if done properly, it is not painful to the birds at all. Furthermore, it isn’t permanent. The controversy stems from the idea that it promotes irritation, feather-picking, starting a vicious cycle. And that the birds whose wings are clipped are hindered from exercise and can’t get away from fearful situations.

From my own experience of raising chickens on an acre for 7 years, I can say that none of that exists. The birds whose wings we clip just seem to be expanding their territory. And usually it’s their rooster leading them into danger. Once the wing clipping has commenced and is finished, the only thing the birds find is that they can no longer go where they wish to go. So they have to be content in their own yard. There’s no feather picking and no irritation. And they certainly aren’t hindered from exercising, because they can still walk just fine.

As far as the fearful situations go, we only live on an acre; and the only predators that lurk around us are dogs or hawks. And the dogs can’t get to our birds with our sturdy fence. Additionally, our birds know to run to their coop at the first sign of danger. Or they use burst flight to get away, unless their wings are clipped. Therefore, if you live on a lot of land, you might not want to clip your chickens wings. I don’t think my in-laws do, and they live on 40 acres. Thus, they get a lot more predators. So, in that case, wing clipping could put the birds at a disadvantage.

In Conclusion

Can you see Tiny Nuts fly vertically? It’s not the best picture, but none of my birds need a running start to fly. And he was never in danger from Sophie.

We learned that chickens descend from Red Jungle Fowl, which can fly. And many chicken breeds can still fly vertically. We also learned that they fly to get to greener pastures and to avoid conflict and predators. In addition, most backyard birds that fly can easily clear 6 feet, while some can fly over 10 feet. Further, the suggestions to prevent your birds from flying include building a taller fence, tricking them with stakes and fabric, and/or wing clipping.

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