How to Trim Chicken Wing Feathers

Backyard chickens have become very popular in recent years. Fresh eggs from your own backyard have a great appeal, but there are problems with raising a chicken in limited space, most notably their ability to fly out of their containment area and into a neighbor's yard. Trimming chicken feathers isn't particularly hard, however, and will ensure the safety of your bird. Trimming feathers does not harm the bird in any way and can be done quickly with a good pair of kitchen shears.

Things You'll Need

  • Kitchen Shears
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Instructions

    • 1

      Determine if your chicken needs to have its wings trimmed. Some breeds do not need to have their wings trimmed, such as Pekin Bantams or Orpingtons.

    • 2

      Find a comfortable place to sit where you can balance the chicken on your lap. Have your shears nearby, and tuck the chicken under your arm with the shears in the other hand.

    • 3

      Spread the wing of your chicken out. With your shears, trim four to six inches off the longest feathers, generally the first 10 that are much longer than the rest of the wing feathers. These will grow back within a few months for a young chicken or may take as long as a year for older chickens.

    • 4

      You may trim the other wing if you like, but it is unnecessary. The objective is to throw the bird's flight off-balance, and only one wing is necessary to achieve this goal. The trimming will cause the chicken to be too off-balance to fly out of its containment area, but the trimming will not be visible when they are walking about.

    • 5

      Repeat trimming upon the next molting, or when the chicken sheds its feather. Trimmings only last from molting to molting.