How To Clip Chicken Wings

When it comes to raising chickens, there is one question that many chicken owners ask, how to clip chicken wings? After all chicken wings that are left unclipped can allow the chickens to escape out of the chicken coop. While chickens cannot “fly” per say, unclipped chickens can flap their wings enough to get off the ground and rise over fences. Here are some tips on how to clip chicken wings so that they stay safely in the coup and lay plenty of eggs.

Supplies

• Sharp shears

1. Pick-up the chicken and hold them firmly against your body. Using your non-dominant hand, pick up the chicken under their rib cage and hold them firmly against your body exposing one chicken wing.
2. Inspect the chicken wing feathers. In order to properly clip chicken wings, you have to determine which wings are the “flying wings.” These are quite easy to spot as they are a different color than most of the wing coat, and they protrude out from under the top layer of wings.
3. Grab hold of the section of chicken wings you wish to clip. To clip chicken wings, grab hold of them with your non-dominant hand. (Now using your forearm to secure the chicken under their rib cage.)
4. Clip chicken wings with shears. Using your dominant hand, make one cut along the base of the flying feathers completely removing them.
5. Repeat the process on the other side. Clip chickens wings on the other side of the chicken by simply turning them around and performing the same task.
6. Re-evaluate the chickens to see if they need clipping. Every 12 weeks or so, the flying feathers will begin to grow back. Clip chicken wings as they again grow and expose themselves.

Tips

• Clipping chicken wings does not seem to hurt the chickens in any shape or form.

Resources:

Backyard Chickens