How to Remove a Metal Clip on a Chicken's Wing

Baby chicks often receive wing bands -- sometimes called clips -- to identify them. The bands may contain a serial number and indicate when the chick was hatched. This helps poultry growers identify individual chickens when they are grown so they can be pulled from egg production. It also helps sort out the chicks' parents when raising show birds. This allows for brooding several chicks together at once and knowing later which chicks came from which genetic line. You can remove the wing band by following simple guidelines.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 pair of needle-nose pliers
  • Antibiotic ointment
  • Assistant
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Instructions

    • 1

      Find the place where the wing band penetrates the web of the wing at the elbow joint. Have a second person grip the wing. This person should handle the wing firmly to prevent the bird from flapping and injuring itself.

    • 2

      Grasp one side of the band with a pair of needle-nose pliers. Grasp the other side of the band with a second pair of needle-nose pliers. Try to seize the band near the points of entry where it pierces the wing web.

    • 3

      Pull on both sides of the band at once. You will see the two points pull out of the wing where they had punctured the skin. Pull upward and the band will clear the wing.

    • 4

      Apply antibiotic ointment to the puncture wounds left by the band. Some bleeding may occur, but it should scab over and heal quickly. Check in one or two days to make sure there is no infection.