Clipping Chicken Wings

My chicks….well, my chicks ESCAPE. I know this because my neighbors have come to me from time to time and said, “Hey, Ivory, there’s a chicken in my yard and I think it might be yours.”

So, here you go…

1. This is a wing:

2. This is a wing that was already clipped, but as chickens are living creatures and all that…they grow back. See those first two?

Mmm-hmm. Rudeness. That’s what it is. I’m trying to protect them from the dogs and bad guys and whatnot, but do they listen? No, they just keep growin’ them flight feathers and just HAVE to see what’s on the other side of the fence.

Anyway, enough about my domestic problems. Here’s the deal. The first ten feathers are flight feathers. You cut them back with sharp scissors. Doesn’t hurt the bird anymore than cutting bangs hurts your head. They do jump when you do it, though, cause feathers are a little stiffer than bangs and the vibration scares them, but there’s no pain. Tell them nice things and give them something yummy. All better.

Oh, and for a clearer picture and explanation, click here. Holding a phone and a chicken and a camera at the same time is not easy. Trust me.

And clipping chicken wings seems like a really big deal, but I’m here to tell you, cutting your bangs is a bigger deal. I did mine today. It didn’t go well.

Ivory