Although chickens aren’t very adept at flying it is still possible for them to fly over the fence and wind up in a place with nothing but danger. Owners usually deal with this by trimming their feathers in order to impede flying despite the appeals from animal-right fighters to refrain from doing it. The procedure itself is pretty simple and straightforward. Nevertheless, it demands a lot of concentration and practice. This is how to clip your bird’s wings painlessly and successfully.

Capturing the bird

Chickens are not very keen on being groomed. They become uneasy and stressed which is why we have to please them during the whole procedure in order to make it as bearable as possible. Grabbing them before clipping itself is maybe the toughest part. If you don’t get hold of it rapidly enough you’ll probably end up playing an endless game of tag with them. Therefore, try to capture the bird as quickly as possible. This will be less stressful for the chicken and you’ll save the energy that would, otherwise, be wasted on chasing after it. Having a co-worker who’d apprehend the bird and hold it during the following steps would be an even better option.

Easier chicken catching

We have to stress again that first-timers at clipping are very hard to seize. It is as if they know that only one mistake during this procedure could mean the end of their lives.  However, there are some tips on how to ‘’abduct’’ it effortlessly.  Subdue the bird to a small space where it doesn’t have many chances to escape. The other way to go about this is to throw a towel on the bird’s head to slow it down and facilitate catching.

How to hold the chicken during the process

Unlike some other cases where you usually hold the bird facing down, this time the bird should be on its back. Additionally, have its chest be on your arm while its legs are between your fingers. The free hand should be used to pin down the top of the bird and do the clipping. This might seem complicated for a single person to do and that is why it is suggested that you have a friend help you. Then you should pick up its wings and gently apply pressure to them or grab the bird by its ankles.

Calming the bird

The more docile your bird is, the easier it will be to proceed with clipping.  Using a mild, placid voice will surely be helpful as well as petting it softly and inserting it upside-down.

Knowing the right feathers to cut

Birds usually have 2 sets of feathers: primary and secondary. The primary ones are also called ‘’flight feathers and they’re the most responsible for birds’ air traveling while the latter are the ones overlapping the longest feathers. When you start clipping your chicken’s feathers look for the primary ones and start from the tip toward the body. Cutting 5 of them on one wing would be enough. This will inhibit their balance when they start flying.

Blood feathers shouldn’t be touched! These are the newest feathers that have a lot of blood circulating through them, which means that cutting them will put the animal’s life in peril. The easiest way to recognize these is the pinkish color and dark fluid in the quills. Should you happen to accidentally cut the blood feather, get it completely out using pliers and put direct pressure on the place to stop the bleeding. You can follow this up by some appropriate medication (corn starch) but if the hemorrhage doesn’t stop seek doctor’s advice immediately.

How long should the feathers be cut?

You shouldn’t cut your bird’s wings too long or too short. When you leave too much, the whole process won’t have any purpose as the wings will grow out too soon and you’ll be forced to go through that hassle again earlier than you want. On the other hand, if you clip the feathers too short you’ll probably hurt some of the nerves that do exist at the very bottom and this could cause your chicken discomfort.  Cutting 6 centimeters should be the right length, just slightly below the level of secondary feathers.

When does the chicken need harder clipping?

There are as many different types of chicken as you can imagine and they all have different flying skills. Some of them do amazingly well at this such as Leghorns and Bantams. Therefore, according to the breed, there are different methods of how to cut a chicken’s wing. Ordinary chickens usually need 50% of their feathers to be cut but with the flighty ones, we are allowed to go even shorter. Just bend up the primary feathers one by one, check if there isn’t any blood and cut it below the point of covert feathers. This is how you’ll keep the aesthetics of your bird in check while helping it not to get in danger by flying too high or far away. The folding up of feathers is not really necessary but it helps you a lot not to cut the covert feathers and generally keep the straight line of a wing.

This is how you’ll keep the aesthetics of your bird in check while helping it not to get in danger by flying too high or far away. The folding up of feathers is not really necessary but it helps you a lot not to cut the covert feathers and generally keep the straight line of a wing.

Clipping primaries and secondaries

This is a very extreme case. You can do this with chicken breeds that are terrific fliers and often make use of this skill to go over the fence and escape. It has to be noted that cutting secondary feathers is allowed as long as you’re cautious about the blood feathers that, again, are required to be unscathed. If trimming secondaries is joined by cutting the flight feathers, you should also take care of the evenness and outlook of the wings as the covert feathers could get in the way and be cut, giving the wing a shabby and unsightly look.

Don’t forget the treats!

If you want your chicken to be more and more complacent with each trimming try to give it some treats after each procedure. You want it to trust you and relate the good behavior during trimming with being rewarded.

What are the right reasons and what’s the right time for clipping?

Clipping bird’s wings, in general, is very hotly disputed among vets and owners. They all give both legit and unjustified reasons for doing the trimming. Flighty chickens who escape their fenced area are in danger of predators, especially when it comes to rural areas that have a lot of woods where there are foxes and wolves lurking.

However, prey-driven animals are not hidden only in the woods. They could be in your own backyards such as dogs and cats. On the other hand chicken’s wings can be helpful in the same situations. They can just fly off to the area that is off the limits of predators should they find a way around the fence. Also, flying can be a good exercise for fat chickens which is essential if we want to keep them healthy.

The frequency of clipping depends on the type of chicken you have. Owners usually check once a month by observing the length of the wings If it seems as it was before it is time for another clipping. If you feel insecure about this, hire a professional to do this because clipping chicken wings is not a piece of cake.

The process of clipping a bird’s wings at home is a very touchy procedure which calls for a lot of care and gentleness. It is stressful for both the pet and the owner. While a bird is hard to control in this situation, the owner has to fully concentrate on not hurting it. Some people take a rather hateful stand toward this and claim clipping is one of the cruelest things you can do to your bird. On the other side, vets and birds specialists state that this is sometimes imperative for bird’s safety.

Firstly think about whether your bird really needs clipping!

Although it may seem painful to do this, trimming your bird’s feathers is necessary for several situations. Training your bird to stand-up on your hand or come out of a cage is surely not the time when you need your bird flying around as this will significantly slow down the process.  Some people choose to do this so as to prevent the bird from sliding through the house too much and leaving its coat all over the place.

Finally, if your home is full of dangers for your bird such as open windows, doors, mirrors and ceiling fans, clipping your bird’s wings may be your best bet.  On the other hand, there are some occasions when you shouldn’t do this. If your pet is overweight, for example, flying will make a good exercise for it to lose weight and get healthier.

Other pets in the house such as dogs and cats may harm the bird so, obviously, it will need its wings to escape. Independence is also something your bird appreciates a lot. It loves being able to move from place to place on its own and explore the environment which is why you should better close the windows and doors while it’s investigating the house.

Preparation for the trimming

When you’re clipping your bird’s wings for the first time, it is the best to have a professional do it. He/She will explain you the whole process, what to pay attention to and all the do’s and don’ts. When you decide to do it on your own the next time, try to find the right environment. It has to be a place with a lot of light so you see well what you’re doing.

Also, try to provide a calm atmosphere for the bird as this procedure naturally puts it under a lot of pressure and distress. After deciding on the location, gather all the necessary supplies such as sharp scissors and a thick towel. You’re also advised to ask a friend to give you a hand in this.

The bird will probably resist trimming so you’ll have to use the towel to restrain it but remember not to press its chest as these animals don’t have diaphragms.  The bird might get combative so make sure that your helper (if you have one) holds the head between the thumb and forefinger with one hand while holding the body with the other.

Look for the right feathers to clip!

Birds have 2 main types of feathers: primaries and secondaries. The 10 primary feathers are the ones responsible for flying which is why some people choose to cut them in order to impair it. To be more precise, the 5 outermost primary feathers should be cut below the level of primary covert feathers. Avoid trimming the secondary feathers as the sharp edges that are left after this could irritate the bird.

What you should not do at any cost is cutting the blood feathers. These are the ones that are still young and not fully matured. They still do have blood in them and are heavily attached to the nervous system which means their trimming could cause life-threatening bleeding.

Beginning the clipping

Once a bird realizes it’s going to be groomed, it will probably try to fight and hurt either you or the person helping you. Therefore, the one who is going to be holding the bird has to grab it quickly in the towel and turn it to the back while trying not to impair its breathing at the same time. The purpose of the towel is to protect the helper’s hands from the bird’s raging beak. Once it is on its back you can take one of its wings and spread it gently.  Again, look only for the flight feathers which are the first line of long feathers you’ll see on the underside.

Once it is on its back you can take one of its wings and spread it gently.  Again, look only for the flight feathers which are the first line of long feathers you’ll see on the underside.

The cutting

You need to give this your full attention. Once you constrain the bird and find the primary feathers, proceed to cut them. Trim them one by one from the tip of the feather toward the body. Cutting all of them at once might be too stressful for the bird and you might end up doing shabby work as you didn’t devote yourself to each feather respectively. Remember, in this procedure speed is not really your ally!

The secondary and blood feathers should stay intact.  Some owners choose to leave only 2 flight feathers for aesthetic reasons which you can definitely do. However, be aware of the fact that clipping only 5 is enough. The fewer primary feathers you leave doesn’t necessarily mean longer time without flying for your bird!

In case you injure the blood feather

This is potentially lethal for your bird but, don’t panic! Gather all your inner calmness, take pliers and gently remove the feather. Meanwhile, the person helping you should press the wing on both sides and put some styptic powder over the follicle the feather was pulled out from. The bleeding should stop quite soon after you have applied direct pressure to the wound but if this doesn’t happen, take the bird to the vet.

Balance

Bird’s wings need an equal number of feathers trimmed. If you do not pay attention to this, your bird might have problems with landing but also flying afterward. An additional thing that has to be stressed when it comes to landing, you want to clip enough feathers so your bird doesn’t fall like a rock to the floor if it accidentally falls. After the procedure, it should also be able to glide through space easily without taking off into the air. These reasons should be enough to warn you of the importance of the number of feathers being equally balanced out.

Check-ups

Birds usually need trimming once a month but it still depends on a lot of the species. Therefore, once the wings seem to be of the same length as before you’ll have to clip them.  The way you can help your bird feel better and better about each trimming is to give it a lot of praise and treats. That’s how it will feel secure and will know that its wings are in the right hands. Remember that if you’re not sure how to clip a bird’s wings at home, seek vet’s advice because this is not something that can be done by someone who doesn’t know the ropes of the procedure

Having a parrot as your pet can be very entertaining.  They’re one of the most common house pets after all. These birds always amaze us with their ability to learn to repeat human words and not so rarely we make use of this skill and teach them nasty words so that we can mock people. Unfortunately, many parrots end up being locked in their cages for life. This is how to train a parrot to fly and come back which will provide them with much-needed freedom.

Building a trusting relationship

This applies to almost all pets. If you want their training to go without a hiccup, you have to make them believe you and feel secure in your presence.  Baby parrots can lie on your chest where you should put a towel. This way you two will create a beautiful bond resembling the one between a parent and a kid from the early stage.

Why is this important? In their natural habitat, fledgling parrots are trained by their parents in the fields of hunting, telling the friends and enemies apart, looking for a shelter etc. Therefore, if your little friend sees you as his ‘’mom/dad”, it is very likely it’ll be more obedient when you start training it.

Additional ways of bonding include having your parrot eating from your hand. Petting is also a nice way to tell your parrot to trust you. Some of these birds don’t really like being touched. In such occasions, start clicker training. Touch the leg first, use the clicker and then a treat.

This will gradually make it relate accepting the touch with rewards and will feel more comfortable. Progress up to the head until your bird is totally OK with physical contact between you two.

When to start the training

Closely observe the development of the feathers on your bird. As it is more and more covered with feathers it’ll become more vigorous and curious about its surroundings.

When it’s half-covered, there are usually going to be some outbursts of activity which will tire the bird quickly and it’ll fall back to sleep. At this point, it still might be frightful especially if you put its cage into a new environment. Put some card-box with an opening of an appropriate size in its crate so it has a ‘’shelter-place’’ once it feels scared. It will eventually get out on its own in order to further investigate the ambiance.

This will fill it with the feeling of control that is crucial for its confidence.  While getting older by the day it will start its own flights, usually towards you in order to get a treat or some attention. However, it still isn’t ready to be trained now.

You should keep socializing and be playing with it with its toys on the floor and give it time to mature both physically and mentally. When the shaft of the flight feather loses the dark fluid, the feather is mature.  At this moment, they fly around the room on their own with no clear destination but always end up where they started. This is an indication that they have enough self-confidence and you can start training sessions.

Perch training

Once your parrot has enough confidence and strength, you can start him on the target training. Put 2 perches parallel to each other. You can use a stick as a target.  Begin from having it to simply touch the stick. Then go on to making your parrot move its head to reach for the stick. Move the target farther and farther away so that your pet has to move along the perch in order to touch the target. Each time the parrot does this successfully, click and reward the bird with a treat.

The goal is to teach the bird to hop across the gap between the perches to reach the target. You can also make the gap between the perches bigger so that the bird has to use its wings to do the task. Alternatively, you can use your own arm as the other perch and teach it to fly to your arm.

Flying from the owner to the perch

At this stage of training your bird, you two should try to establish a cue that will show your bird that it should come to you. It could be just calling for it or raising your hand. Offer some treats to the bird once it is with you and then have it go back to the perch where it can actually eat them. This way, not only will your bird have a purpose in flying to you but will also have a reason to fly back to the perch.

During this phase, your bird will sometimes come to you even without a cue. However, at the beginning, this should be reinforced too as you want your parrot to make a connection between being treated and flying to you. You could even make little experiments by hiding behind a wall and calling for the bird so you see its reaction.

This is very important when your parrot happens to fly off somewhere besides its room. In these situations, you’ll want it to be able to find the way back to you upon hearing your voice.

Specifying the cues

This means that not every recall response should be reinforced. This is what you usually do with parrot’s slow reactions or non-cued responses. This is a step forward from rewarding your bird for every flight. This way it will know that only specific cues and responsiveness of an accurate speed will get it the treats.

Outdoor flying

Imagining yourself outside with your parrot flying back and forth to you must seem very alluring. However, this is a much different situation compared to the closed space your parrot is accustomed to. The dangers lurking in the outside world are numerous.

First of all, the likelihood of your parrot flying away and never coming back is very high. Strangely enough, this is not due to the fact that it doesn’t want to come back. It just doesn’t know how. Sometimes it happens that they fly too far away, get exhausted and land somewhere unsafe. At such moments they are not threatened only by other predator birds but also dogs, cats, and neighbors.

Yes, people can sometimes be very hostile towards your parrot, especially if they’re irritated by their sound which is why there are many cases of parrot poisoning and shooting. A drive for nesting can also be a great hindrance, especially when it comes to female birds.

All in all, prior to going outside with your parrot, hire a professional to teach you about how to train your parrot to fly and come back. Operant conditioning, i.e. the rewarding trick is sometimes not enough.

You have to enforce strong cues and connection with your bird before letting it fly outside and this is not possible by simply following the Internet recommendations.

Most accidents during outdoor flying actually do happen because of the owner being ill prepared by merely seeing videos on YouTube that give him/her the false impression that it’s an easy task.

Clipping your bird’s wings is not an easy job. If you are not attentive enough, hurting the animal is quite possible. Before you even think of trying to trim your bird’s wings, you’re supposed to know which feathers to clip, how many is enough, and what you need for the process. Light-hearted people who are afraid to do this on their own rather make an attempt at hiring someone. Here are some of the most common places where you can get your bird’s wings clipped.

Going to the avian vet

Going to an avian veterinarian, a doctor who specializes in treating birds is the safest place where you can get bird’s wings clipped. Try looking for the best local veterinarian on the Internet. Browse some official websites concerning this topic. They will probably provide you with a list of the best doctors among which you can see who’s the one closest to your area.

Each state, or sometimes even regions of a country, has multiple avian vet associations whom you can look up on the Web, find their phone number or e-mail and ask if they could provide you with the information about the best doctors in your vicinity. Sites such as aav.org offer you the option to search for your veterinarian by his/her name.

You even have the option to select the country and particular association that he/she is a member of.  This is especially useful when you hear of some doctor but want to find information on the person and check his/her credibility.

The ‘’free-lancers’’

The second most secure option is to find a well-known local groomer. These people have to have a lot of experience in doing this, probably from early childhood if they lived on farms Make sure you check with the neighborhood about his/her reputation.

If possible, observe him/her during the work, or take a look at the birds that have been treated by that person. You can also ask a veterinarian to recommend you, someone. These ‘’free-lance’’ bird groomers don’t necessarily have to be any cheaper or more expensive than your local vet, but may be more flexible with their schedule and even come directly to your home and save you much time.

Pet shops

Pet shops are supposed to hire people who are highly-qualified in animal care so as to be able to provide you with accurate information and suggestions on everything you’re buying for your pet, be it food, medicines or toys. Not so rarely, pet shops provide some services concerning grooming including wing clipping.

If you don’t have much trust in them, we advise you not to have the pet shop workers do the work.  They might lure you with discounts, especially if you’ve purchased the bird from them, but giving a few more bucks for a certified vet to ensure the safety of your bird won’t leave you penniless.

This doesn’t mean you should reject the idea immediately. If the pet-shop is renowned and received good comments for its services, you’re free to let them do the work and your bird will be in safe hands.

‘’Knowledgeable’’ friends

Having a friend who would do this job free of charge for you is definitely convenient but not smart. It is not unusual that in these cases, your friend does more harm than good. Although he/she might seem to know how to do this in theory, ‘’the practice’’ is so much more perplexed than any other ‘’how-to’’ video the person has seen.

It often happens that after a friend has ‘’operated’’ on your bird’s wing, the owner has to get the animal to the doctor’s in a very bad state. It is almost always because the blood vein was damaged or the wings have been clipped unevenly. Therefore, unless your friend has significant experience doing this, you’d better invest some of your money into the well-being of your pet.

Doing this at home

This is probably the most cost-effective way of going about wing clipping. The familiar atmosphere of your home will be helpful in calming the bird and providing it with a pleasurable atmosphere. However, doing this by yourself in the comfort of your home is a double-edged sword.

Unless you’ve been trained by a professional in this, you shouldn’t dare to clip your bird’s wings, especially if you’re a first-timer. There is so much that can go wrong: you can hurt your bird by cutting the blood feathers, stress it out if you don’t know how to communicate with it or hurt its wings while trying to seize it.

The cost of wing clipping

When choosing where to get your bird’s wings clipped, the price will probably play a major role. Doing this at home is, of course, the most economical. All you will need are some scissors, corn starch for eventual injuries of a blood vein and a co-worker who’ll give a helping hand by holding the bird for you.

If you’re willing to pay a professional so you can avoid the nerve-wracking experience, prepare up to 20 dollars. The price will surely vary from vet to vet, and it will depend on a lot of factors. The more high-tech technology a doctor uses, the more famous he/she is, the service fee will probably be a bit on the expensive side. The same refers to the free-lancers. The only difference is that some of them may charge you for coming to your home