The Pros and Cons of Clipping a Chicken's Wings

Like many of my neighbors, I've joined the ranks of the backyard chicken farmers and now have a nice little flock of White Leghorns that have been keeping the family well supplied in eggs. While they spend their evenings and nights buttoned up in the hen house, during the day they run loose and fly around the grounds.

When we had chickens back on the farm, clipping their wings was how we prevented our flock of chickens from flying over to the next county. This harmless method of grounding a chicken involved nothing more than cutting several inches of the primary flight feathers on one of the wings. By clipping only one of the wings, the chicken was thrown slightly off balance and unable to get the lift and speed she needed to fly.

Clipping a chicken's wing doesn't hurt the chicken at all and really is no different than trimming a shaggy tail on a horse. If interested, here's a great link showing how it's done.

The "Pros" of wing clipping

If your chickens are housed in a chicken run or enclosed yard, or if you live in close proximity to a bunch of neighbors who don't groove on chickens flying into their flower beds, then clipping the wings will keep them grounded and contained where they are supposed to be. Grounded chickens stay closer to home which results in those farm fresh eggs being easier to find. This is the "pro" side of clipping your flock's wings.

The "cons" of clipping

However, they are a few "cons" or negative attributes to clipping. For owners who are timid, or aren't too good with handling a scissors, there is the risk of hurting the animals as the wings are being trimmed. If you've somehow managed to draw blood, then it's a visit to the vet for a little patching.

The most significant argument against clipping is the lack of protection, since a bird's main source of defense is the ability to fly away. By grounding the flock, they have no way to escape from predators such as foxes, cats, raccoons, and even dogs. For their protection, clipped birds they must be kept in a safe environment that can not be breached by curious cats and egregious coons.