Wing clipping chickens

A friend posted on Selfsufficient-ish.com asking if clipping the flight feathers of chicken was still regarded as acceptable.

I don't know if it's acceptable or not, but I can say that we don't wing clip as we have the advantage of a very large roofed pen and lots of space outside that too.

Some of our chickens also like to perch in the rafters of the chicken house, and while clipping them would stop that they probably wouldn't feel as safe or comfortable.

But if you choose to clip the wing of a chicken to stop it from flying, then here's the advice I offered on the forum.

Wing clipping should be done to one wing only and you should use very sharp, heavy shears.

You cut off the first 10 flight feathers of one wing, and this unbalances most chickens (some learn to adapt and fly quite well with one wing short).

You'll have to remember that come the moult, the feathers will grow back and will have to be clipped again.

Also, some birds have problems moulting when their feathers are clipped, so you'll have to help by gently pulling out clipped feathers that won't shed.

Okay, now the how to…

The kit:

• Sharp, but round-nosed shears. You don't want to accidentally stab your chooks to death!
• An old towel or piece of blanket
• Pliers
• Cornflour
• Wound dressing/folded lint free and clean rag/good quality folded kitchen paper
• Humane dispatcher
• Iodine spray
• Low wattage light (you don't want to cook yourself and the chicken)
• An assistant who is comfortable with chickens and can handle a cockerel
• Sterilise your equipment and lay it out to hand on a sterile, flat surface

The method:

First, catch your chicken! This is usually best done at night while they're roosting - use a torch with a red filter to avoid disturbing them too much and take out one bird at a time.

Pick the bird up by the legs, then support the breast with your other hand so that your palm is holding her weight and your fingers are stuck through the legs (helps stop them wriggling).

Your assistant should now wrap the towel around the chicken to stop it from scratching you, but make sure they leave one wing free.

Throughout al this, you should be making cooing/clucking sounds and reassuring the chicken that she's all right.

Spread the free wing out to display all the feathers, first looking for old clipped feather shafts. Gently but firmly pull out any that you find.

Your assistant should now turn the chicken backwards, supporting its head and neck.

This will allow you to see the underside of the feathers and, with your light shining up from below the chicken, you will be able to see the feather shafts easily.

The feathers to be cut are the primary feathers, which are the longest ones towards the front of the wing.

Check the feathers for new growth feathers by looking for blood in the feather shaft. Do NOT cut these feathers. If you do, the shaft will siphon blood out of the bird and it can bleed to death very quickly.

Feathers without blood are like hair and fingernails and are fine to cut.

Use your sharp shears to cut away about 6cm of the feather, cutting each in line with the rest of the wing.

Keep making cooing/clucking sounds and gently talk to the chicken throughout to keep the bird calm.

When you have clipped all the feathers, put the shears down safely and securely, then have your assistant take the chicken back to the hen house.

Unwrap the bird and put her back on the roost or the floor. Then catch your next bird.
Now, the first aid…

If you cut a blood feather, you MUST immediately apply first aid. You will know if you've cut a blood feather as blood will go everywhere in a second or two.

Put the scissors down calmly and securely, then take the pliers and use them to pull the out the shaft of the bleeding blood feather.

Your assistant MUST hold the bird firmly - the chicken will be in pain and trying to escape. Pull the feather out in the direction in which it is growing.

Dust the wound with cornflour to coagulate the blood and then firmly apply the dressing/rag/paper to the wound with mild pressure to stop the blood flow.

Now, how much does this chicken mean to you? If you have plenty of birds, it's not a show bird, or you're just pragmatic, then take your humane dispatcher and kill the bird quickly and cleanly.

The first aid should have stopped the blood flow quickly enough that the bird was not slippery with blood, making it easier to dispatch.

On the other hand, if the chicken is a prize bird, you're a softy (and nothing wrong with that) or you have very few birds of a rare breed, you now have to get your bird to your vet or vice versa. Act quickly but calmly.

If the chicken suffers a minor nick during the clipping (ie little blood loss), then spray with iodine.

If there is a noticeable bleed, but not copious bleeding, spray with iodine, dust with cornflour and then apply pressure until the bleeding stops.

If it is a serious bleed, follow the advice given for a bleeding feather shaft.

If you've had the misfortune to cut a bird, then clean the area up thoroughly, disinfect it and do not resume clipping the other birds for at least 24 hours, unless you have somewhere else to do them.

They will smell the blood and panic if you take them to the same place

And yes, some people do just go and catch their chickens, cut the feathers off with a pair of old scissors and get away with it.

But, if you care for your birds then it is best to be prepared and do the job properly.