Hi guys! ! I wanted to know if you guys trim your chickens feathers after the winter because this is my first time with the hens during cold weather. My Grandma has a bunch of chickens and she loses a couple every spring. she said its because the hens have to many feathers from staying warm during the winter and since they don't moult tell fall they die because of the heat. last winter she lost 1 rooster and 3 hens. so what should i do? should i cut off most of their feathers? have you guys had this problem before? or is just because my grandmas chickens were old? well please post what you guys think i should do thanks!
No, you should not cut off your chickens' feathers. There are many appropriate ways to manage a flock in summer heat: provide plenty of shade and cool, fresh water to drink.
don't bother trimming they're feathers. they aren't poodles! chickens have they're own ways of staying cool and will do fine with plenty of water and shade.
At first I thought the subject was training.... There are two common reasons to trim chicken feathers. To prevent flight, trim the long feathers on ONE wing. To prevent messy butt on extra-feathery chickens, trim some of the feathers by the vent. Never heard of trimming to prevent overheating. My birds just fluffed up their feathers and let them air out last summer. None of them seem to have a winter coat like a dog or horse.
Please no. Please do not cut your chickens feathers off. During summer, or whenever it gets warm where you are, provide a nice shady erea for the birds. UNLIMITED & FRESH drinking water. Refill the water twice daily. You could do all sorts of things to help, like freeze watermelon, ofcaorse after you and you family are finished with it, and stick it in the run for the birds. they go CRAZY over it.
