I would like to actually see, from other chicken people how to clip my hens wings (feathers) so they can't fly up and out of their play ground. I understand the idea, but can't bolster up the courage to actually do it. I learn well from seeing or watching (meaning photos or video). Anyone clipping soon that wouldn't mind having someone take pics for us .... chickens... about clipping our hens feathers??
Here's what you need! https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-wingclipping.html The keys to remember are simple: 1. Don't cut down too far. It's better to cut too short and trim again than to cut too short and have bleeding bird. It's like cutting fingernails past the quick. 2. Cut just one wing. this puts them off balance and doesn't allow them any control of their flight. Trimming both wings will allow a symmetrical lift and a determins bird will get up, up & away. That's it.
Got this off of youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLaGpczNhEI It's called Feather Barber and isn't bad. Video makes it seem pretty easy, but I've never done it and would be pretty nervous, I think.
I was scared to do this to my turkeys, but once I did it 3 times to 30 turkeys, it got easier! Basically, I had to first catch the turkey, then someone else held it securely while I stretched out the wing out so I could see the "flight feathers," like in the link above. Then I trimmed with a sharp scissors just the longest feathers. You can kind of tell where to stop because there's the really long feathers, then kind of a line where a second row of shorter feathers is -- don't cut there! Anyways, it's not hard. Twice I cut too far, and the quill part of one feather bled which I felt bad about, but I got a good sense of how far up to trim. The feathers just grow back in a month or more, so I had to do it again. Just stretch the birds wing out, and you'll see. Dont' cut the actual flesh and bone of the wing, and don't cut the heavily feathered area. Just cut part of the very large "flight" feathers off. Hope this makes sense. I printed out the diagram from the link above and set that on the ground when I did my first one, just to make sure I was doing it right.
