RE: Clipping Chicken Wings-How And Why You Should
Nice tutorial for how to do this! I agree, starting it young stops a lot of problems in the bud. If they never get over the fence, they don't want to as bad, and don't try very hard to get over, if at all.
From my own personal experience, I have had to clip both sides. I have heard that one side puts them off balance and stops them from flying, but this has not worked well for me. I have to trim both wings. Usually, just clipping the primaries works well, but if you have lighter breeds, like game chickens, you will have to do both primaries AND secondaries to keep them grounded.
Like you said, this does not hurt them at all. Might leave them looking a little stumpy from clipping off all the wing feathers, but if they need them all off, they probably deserve to look stumpy, haha!
We did both sides and our dumb chickens still flew. I'm starting to think I was too conservative in my clipping and I need to clip off more than I did. I'm so glad to have you guys as such a great resource!
I think some chickens are just more inclined to fly than others, especially if they are used to flying around and getting into trouble. I find these hens need their wings cut REALLY short. After a while, they get used to not flying, and in the future, you dont have to cut them as short anymore.
That's good to know. We're going to start the bantams young after reading this article and others' experiences.
Yep. Its best to start young, I think. Especially if you have lightweight birds that can fly better anyway,like game chickens or bantams. :D