Written by: Dr. Jacquie Jacob, University of Kentucky
Wing clipping is often used to prevent birds in a poultry flock from escaping the area in which they are confined. It involves clipping the primary feathers on one wing, about midway down the feathers. This makes it very difficult for the birds to fly. The procedure needs to be repeated after each molt because the clipped wing feathers will be lost and replaced with new unclipped feathers.
Figure 1. Flight feathers on the wing of a Single Comb White Leghorn chicken. Source: Jacquie Jacob, University of Kentucky.