pull, clip or nature?

[6littlechickies]

Wondering what others do when their peacock's train starts to drop.

I know you can pull the train feathers (once they are ready) or you can let nature do it's thing and let them fall out on their own in their own time. DH and I got to wondering today though...I know there are folks that cut the train feathers to sell and so they stay nice they clip early, at the start of breeding season. Just wondering if anyone trims them as they are ready to drop? Wondering if this would be easier on the cock and save wear on the feathers. Any danger in doing this? To me, seems like it would preserve the quality of the feathers but not be quite as traumatic to the bird as pulling the feathers. thoughts?

 

[chickenzoo]

i would think that the feathers would need to be cleaned somehow before selling anyway. I would think that cutting them would leave harder spiked feathers that would be more itchy and hurtful... Most of the feathers I see for sale still have the points on them. I had collected all the fallen feathers from mine and put in a nice neat pile for me to pick up later that day............. got back to a hurricane of feathers everywhere again....... nosy destructive creatures that they are....

 

[animalbaby4everandalwyz]

i have never cut or clipped or pulled or anything on my peacocks ...we always let nature do its thing and usually the feathers are quite nice and pretty and not all nasty like you would think.... my grandfather never did anything to his eaither he just let them come out...