Spring is finally here! Here's how I clip my chicken's wings & give them a little at-home health check...

Now is the perfect time to get outside and give your chickens a little health check! I popped out to the orchard with Coco and Neve to give the hens a little TLC.

I like to only clip one of my chicken’s wings. It’s all that is necessary to knock them off balance so they can’t try and escape to the other side of the fence. Thankfully this ensures that they stay nice and safe from the foxes that we do tend to have lurking nearby. 

We just take the primary flight feathers off. Gently open up the wing, and you will see where the feathers have been cut previously. Some may have grown back after last year’s clipping. 

Get some nice sharp scissors and give them a little tidy. Do not trim near the shorter feathers above the primary flight feathers, as these have a blood flow. Clip around 2/3 of the length of the first 10 or so feathers on the chickens wing. 

As long as you use the secondary flight feathers (the shorter overlapping feathers) as a guide and don’t cut further back than those, the feather is completely dead and the chicken will feel nothing.

After clipping, use the opportunity to check over your chicken’s claws, eyes, and general health. 

Once you’ve given them a good once over, place them down gently and reward them with some corn for being so well behaved!

Love,