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Clipping wings - oops

Sunflower

Songster
12 Years
Apr 10, 2007
128
0
139
Berryton, KS
My chickens are driving me crazy - the four leghorn mixes LOVE to roam around and always fly over the fence. SOOOO I remembered (incorrectly) about clipping their wings and clipped off the wrong ones. (kind of the middle section - instead of the first flight feathers.
Now I have to go back and clip the correct ones. Has anyone else messed up and clipped too much - what could go wrong with clipping too many feathers off?
 
Not sure, I think they will grow back eventually. Just know they will bleed if you cut too short. On white feathers, you can see where the hollow part is, on dark feathers, be real careful!
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Could you cover their run? Tarp or net? Keep them where you want them.
 
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Were they still flying real well when you clipped the middle feathers? On the farm in GA we always clipped the middle feathers. We wanted them to get some lift in case of predators, but they certainly couldn't fly as high or as easily as they had before. Also, we only clipped one side so they flew couldn't fly straight.
 
As long as the feathers are not pin feathers, you have no worries of them bleeding. If they are pin feathers, just don't cut the part that still has the sheath around it. I had a leghorn fly real bad... cut off all the primary and secondary feathers on one wing... and the sucker still made it over the fence!! Granted it was only a 3 foot fence. Don't worry, no harm done.
 
We have a covered pen set up for them, but we hate to keep them "cooped up" all the time. (I made a funny!) LOL
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Thanks motherhen.
I did not see if they were flying well or not, they were in the front yard and heading for the busy road practically as soon as I let them out of their run.
We went back and snipped off the "flight" feathers and they have not left the backyard, so it must have worked.
Thanks for all your help and advice guys.
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