Chicken Coop Plans

Wing clipping is where you clip the primary flight feathers on one wing with sharp scissors. Clipping one wing puts them off balance but still allows them to fly a little. You may need to do this if your chickens are likely to be able to fly away over a fence, but bear in mind that it will also make it harder for them to fly away from any predators.

The primary flight feathers are the farthest away from the body. There are usually 10 primary flight feathers and it is those ten that you clip on one of the wings if you want to stop your chickens from being able to fly too high. The 10 primary feathers of the wing you are clipping should be cut just beyond the edge of the next layer up. If the feathers are not completely grown (i.e. they are still pin feathers / blood feathers ) then you should not cut them yet.

Here is a video showing how to clip your chickens wing. I have included it to illustrate how it is quite easy to see the difference between the primary flight feathers and the others. It also demonstrates that wing clipping does not hurt the chicken.