How long will it take for clipped feathers to grow?

[Joe n Jess]

Hello, a quick question and a short story. I bought three cute chicks from a guy in Craigslist which I found out I really was saving this girls.. they were living in a really bad condition and worst their wings were clipped super short.. they struggle to get on everything.. so far they’ve been doing well gaining weight and giving us delicious eggs but her feathers seems to not grow.. is anything I can do to help them grow? Here are some pictures. Thank you in advance.

 

[DobieLover]

View attachment 1928237 View attachment 1928233 Hello, a quick question and a short story. I bought three cute chicks from a guy in Craigslist which I found out I really was saving this girls.. they were living in a really bad condition and worst their wings were clipped super short.. they struggle to get on everything.. so far they’ve been doing well gaining weight and giving us delicious eggs but her feathers seems to not grow.. is anything I can do to help them grow? Here are some pictures. Thank you in advance.

When she moults this fall she will replace the clipped feathers. Chickens replace their feathers annually in the fall starting in their second autumn.

 

[Acre4Me]

Feathers won’t grow like hair. We cut out hair but it will grow longer from the same hair follicle. A chicken, as @DobieLover indicates, will molt and actually lose the entire feather and will completely regrow a new one. Once cut or damaged, it stays that way until another molt. Some molts are hard and the chicken has bare patches with new pin feathers poking through, some molts are lighter leaving you to wonder if they molted. You will know yours molted bc they will have full wing feathers!

 

[PirateGirl]

I agree, that new feathers will grow at molt time, but probably not much before. Also part of her poor feather condition however could be due to poor nutrition and I would give her a higher protein feed. This should help feather condition, maybe help her come back into lay if she isn't laying, and help her gain some weight. Also make sure she has access to a good dust bath.

 

[PioneerChicks]

I remember when I first got chickens my mom helped me clip their wings because they kept flying over the fence. We, not knowing any better, clipped both wings, and they could still fly! They were pullets so they didn't only that year and we had to wait for the fall after before we could clip their wings again.