How to Clip Flight Feathers

Coop at Night and Clip Flight Feathers to Prevent Tree Roosting

How to Clip your Bird's Flight Feathers

If you allow your birds to free-range, you will still want to be sure to keep them in their coop at night. The coop is a safety zone for the birds, it's their home and it's where they feel comfortable.

Securing your birds at night will also prevent unwanted loss of birds to night predators and pets that may be gallivanting about in undesirable areas while you are unable to keep an eye on your birds. In addition, owls will frequently target roosting birds.

Most, but not necessarily all chickens, will happily return to their coop at night. Other fowl such as ducks and guineas may be less inclined to do so. It's not unusual for these birds to try to roost in trees. Once this happens the only answer is to try to get the birds out of the trees and into the coop. This can be a very time consuming and frustrating task, so preferably it's best to never allow the birds to learn they can do this.

From the time your birds are ready to free range, clip their flight feathers to prevent them from roosting in the trees. Clipping wing feathers is easy and it doesn't hurt the bird. Use a large pair of scissors or small pruning shears to cut the feathers. Wearing long pants, long-sleeved shirt and gloves helps being clawed by a struggling bird.

When clipping wings:

Grasp the chicken around the body for a moment to calm it. If your birds are used to be handled, you may be able to squat on the ground and have the bird stand next to you during clipping. For more skittish birds, stand upright and hold the hen's legs between your knees. Or simple cradle the bird its chest in the crook of your non-dominant hand and use that hand to spread the feathers, being careful not to cut into the bird's skin.
Only the outer flight feathers should be clipped.
Only clip one wing so the birds will remain imbalanced. Clipping both sides allows them to get their balance again. Also, clipping only one side will allow the bird to gain a few feet of altitude to escape dogs and other small predators, but not enough to fly over a taller fence. Occasionally you may have to clip feathers on both wings of a hen who still manages to fly well.
Be sure not to clip the feathers too short. There should never be any blood.
Intervals between clippings will vary upon seasons and the bird's molting cycles. Observe birds closely to determine when the next clipping may be required. Three months is typical, but by no means a rule.