New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Too young to clip?

post #1 of 5
4/16/12 at 3:40pm
Thread Starter 

I took my baby chick, Biddy, up to the feed store I got him from and the man up there suggested that I clip his wings to keep him from flying all over the place. I don't feel comfortable clipping his wings myself since I'm scared I'll cut too much and he'll bleed. Biddy is only a little over 2 weeks old. Is he old enough to start clipping his wings or should I wait? I've seen a lot of things online about waiting until they are older. Is it necessary to clip their wings? To me he's just a little baby and isn't really flying that far but he has managed to make it about 2 feet or so with a good flap. 

Reply
Reply

Featured Stories on BackYard Chickens

Join Our 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-A-Long
Raising Chickens on a Shoestring
Poll: Why raise backyard chickens?
post #2 of 5
4/16/12 at 4:16pm
It's not essential to clip a chicken's wings, unless you're worried about it flying over a fence and going out of bounds.
Clipping the wings won't hurt the chick. I suppose you could do it young, it's like getting a haircut really. Here's a link that might help.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-clip-trim-the-wings-of-your-chicken-to-prevent-flight

ETA: Some people also express concerns that the chick might have reduced ability to run from predators.

23, westerly winds.

"You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." - Amelia Earhart

 

4 years!!! So awesome... (I am keeping this account alive in OPS just for that. lol.)

Reply

23, westerly winds.

"You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." - Amelia Earhart

 

4 years!!! So awesome... (I am keeping this account alive in OPS just for that. lol.)

Reply
post #3 of 5
4/16/12 at 4:56pm
Thread Starter 

I read that how to article and I still didn't feel confident in doing it myself. Biddy moves around a lot and I'm afraid I'd snip too close and cause bleeding or something. I can have someone more experienced do it though. My babies are indoor chickens. I'm more worried about one of them flying into a ceiling fan than anything else. I've been around chickens before and never seen them really fly up that high but after doing some reading I've noticed some breeds fly higher than others. 

Reply
Reply
post #4 of 5
4/16/12 at 5:01pm
Yes, having someone else doing it might be a good idea if you're nervous, or you could get someone else to hold the chick still (a towel over the head works well for this purpose too. They think it's night, and fall asleep!). If you're very worried about bleeding, you could keep some flour on hand to put on the wing if you do accidentally snitch it.

23, westerly winds.

"You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." - Amelia Earhart

 

4 years!!! So awesome... (I am keeping this account alive in OPS just for that. lol.)

Reply

23, westerly winds.

"You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." - Amelia Earhart

 

4 years!!! So awesome... (I am keeping this account alive in OPS just for that. lol.)

Reply
post #5 of 5
4/16/12 at 5:06pm

I was told that as long as we don't clip past the first row it's ok, but I don't know that much sooooo that's just heresay. 

Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Raising Baby Chicks

Featured Stories on BackYard Chickens

Join Our 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-A-Long
Raising Chickens on a Shoestring
Poll: Why raise backyard chickens?