Clipping Wings

If you have chickens who tend to escape frequently from their designated area, then first check the run, or surrounding border, of their area to see if there are any places they can go through or get under. if there isnt, or they continue to escape, then most likely they are flying over the fence (chickens can "fly" up to probably 8 feet (if they really wanted to) depending on their size-the smaller the higher) the way to fix this problem is to clip their wings. this doesnt hurt then in any way, its just like cutting nails or hair. all youre cutting are feathers. there are 5 simple steps to do this:

before you start get: sharp scissors, a towel, and find a place to sit

step 1. hold the chicken that is the escapee, and sit down on a chair (or whatever)

step 2. hold the chicken so its head is in between your arm and side-if they starting freaking out you can cover their head and body with the towel. but if your chickens are used to being held then you shouldnt have a problem.
step 3. use you hand to spread the wing so the primary (outermost) feathers are sticking out.

step 4. while keeping the feathers spread out, clip the primary feathers from the outside towards the smaller feathers or visa versa. dont cut the smaller feathers, only the larger (primary) feathers,

(there are about 6-7)

step 5. after youre done clipping the feathers, tell the chook she's a good girl and and put her back with the others

thats it! the first time will always be awkward, but you'll get it after a while. remember that after the chickens molt, they will grow back their primary feathers so thats when you will need to clip them again. and you only need to clip one wing to make her off balance. but if the chook continues to escape then you will need to clip the other wing. and also make sure you are clipping them high enough, in the last pic you could probably cut them a 1/2 inch or inch higher than what i did.

the thing with fancy chickens-caring for sick chicken

"fancy" chickens are bred for ornamental purposes. not for meat, eggs, personality, or being healthy. its like having a persian cat (or a pug or pom for dog lovers). they are especially cute and more unique looking, but boy do they come with lots more problems! i declare Belle, my ameraucana (which isnt really that fancy of a breed) my designated problem chicken! there's no end with her! first it takes her almost TWO years to lay consistently, then she gets a cold or some other sickness i dont know every other month, a few weeks ago i thought she was going to die because she had something hanging out of her vent (butt hole) and was acting very weak and sickly for a week. so i called my chicken expert (hey, even shrinks have shrinks :) and said that if it was tissue coming out there was nothing to do to help her. or it could be an egg shell, which would come out eventually. i tried to check it out, thankfully with belle's cooperation, by cuts probably a pound of chunky poops that were stuck to her fuzzies. then i saw the tube like thing hanging out. i gave a little tug to see if she just needed help to get it out. i had to get another opinion, and dad was the only one brave enough to look. he thought it was tissue. so that got me very concerned. so here's what i did:

i got:

-a box/cage,

-light/lamp,

-newspaper or hay,

-and water and food bowls.

then i set those things all up in my room (or a place that is warm inside) and turned the light on. i got belle, and put her in there. the reason you should do this is so the sick chicken can get rest to heal, be less stressed by being in a quiet place without the hassle of the other chickens, and get warm to get her body temp up.

i had to keep belle in there for 3 days. then at 6:00 in the morning i heard a squealy high pitched "eeee" or like someone was really trying to get something out. (its the sound they make when the egg is coming out.) but of course i thought she was dying. so i jumped out of my bed, rushed over to help her. and then i get this AWFUL whiff of all the rotten fishy dead smelling things in the world combined. i gagged. and then, while holding my breath, i looked to see what it was. and sure enough it was a very rotten crushed egg shell mixed with poop. yeah! i was right! it wasnt tissue! i was an egg shell, but it got stuck because it was shaped like a lolli-pop (but not that extremely shaped). belle almost immediately perked up and at the end of the day i put her back with the others. but of course she cant be all the way better, that would to much for her little princess self to give me. no, she is still weak and slow and sleepy. but she is definitely better than with that thing stuck in her. oh well. i has been worth it so far. when she was "dying" i promised her i wouldnt make her lay any more eggs (like i even could) if she would just get better. thats the thing with pure breeds, or fancy breeds, is that they have a great personality. belle is my little baby who will always jump on my lap, burrow her head in my side, and fall asleep. i love her.

now, because of this story, i am not saying dont get fancy breeds. most of the time they are perfectly healthy like any other chickens breed. especially ameraucanas, many other people i know who have ameraucanas have not had any problems with them. belles just...special.

the best breeds

many people who want to get chickens ask me what breeds are best. well, i say, there are many breeds that are best for different tasks for the chicken. when i say different tasks i mean either egg producers, table/meat/broiler chickens, pet chickens-which are based off of personality, show chickens-who's more fancy, brooder/breeding chickens-if you want your hens to have chicks, weather hardy chickens-hot or cold, and many more..i got my chickens based on personality who will get along with who, and egg production. i currently have six different breeds in my flock of seven: Light Brahma (there are also Buff and Dark colors), Rhode Island Red (abbreviated as RIR, there are also white rhode islands), Red/brown Ameraucana (be sure to always spell it this way, not with an "i"; there are also blue, buff, partridge, black and more), Buff Orpington (very common, most Orpingtons are buff, but some are black or brown), Black Jersey Giant (a rooster can get up to 15-20 pounds--thats turkey size! the hens are very big too; there are also white jerseys), and Barred Rock (this is really just a color, most breeds are Plymouth and Dominique barred rocks).

all of these breeds, at least in hens, get along well together. Brahmas are usually the alpha breed because of their confident and calm personality, and are bigger. but they also make the best pet chickens for children because of their confidence. RIRs are usually more skittish, but submissive. Ameraucanas can be flighty (also called "playful"), but make great pets too and lay blue/green eggs. and barred rocks & buff orpingtons are commonly know

n as garden

buddies and are usually very friendly. jersey giants are usually bred for meat because of their size but not in commercial farms because they are "slow growers" compared to others commercial breeds, they are friendly and good natured.

breeds i recommend as friendly backyard chickens:

-wyandotte*

-sussex

-faverolle*

-australorp*

-delaware

-dominique

-easter egger (not recognized as pure bred)

-java

-maran

-new hampshire red

-plymouth rock*

-brahma*

-jersey giant

-ameraucana*

-rhode island red*

-star ("sex-link")

-polish

-cochins*

-silkie*

-sultan