Questions about feathers

[whistlin dixie]

I have an americana 8 week or so old chicken, I use to have two, one flew the coop and my dog killed her, now the other one has been flying over my fence. I cant make a higher fence anytime soon so I wanted to know about clipping her feathers so I need help.
Does this hurt the chicken?
Are there any reasons why I shouldnt do it?
How do I do it?
Can I mess this up bad?
Can I use just plain old sizzors?
Will this work for sure?
Please give me detailed instructions on this so I can give them to husband so he can get this done. Please note, we dont have any chicken experience at all. Thanks in advance!

 

[janramsey]

Try here........hopefully more experienced folks will chime in......

https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-wingclipping.html

 

[Jsto]

I'm sure someone who knows more about this than I do will come along shortly. We used to raise birds and what you do is only clip the feathers on one side. If you do both sides, the birds can get their balance and continue to fly. It's best to have someone else hold the bird while you do the clipping. You just spread the wing out . Now, it's very important for you to cut the right feathers or else your bird will bleed out. This is where you need the help from another poster because, as I said, I have no experience doing this with chickens. You want to cut the feathers that have no blood supply.

If done correctly, then no, it will not hurt the chicken. You'll probably annoy them, but there will be no pain

You can use regular scissors, so long as they are sharp. Rounded is preferred so in case you slip, you don't end up stabbing your bird.

I've had birds that still managed to learn to fly, even with their feathers clipped, so it is possible.

Sorry I couldn't offer more guidance!