What Feathers Do You Clip On A Duck?
A few days ago, one of our chickens flew outside the fence and never came back. You may face the same problem with your ducks, but it can be prevented by clipping their feathers.
Now the question is: what feathers do you clip on a duck? You’re supposed to clip the primary flight feathers on your duck’s wings. This will help the ducks keep their balance but will not let them fly upward and too far. As a result, your ducks will stay at their sweet home and away from danger.
There are some safety issues that you need to keep in mind while clipping their feathers, especially if it’s your first time. Trimming them incorrectly can cause harm or even lead to their death.
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Do You Clip Both Feathers on a Duck?
When you’re planning to clip feathers on a duck, the first question you might have in mind is whether or not you should cut feathers off both wings and if they can bring different results.
Let’s educate you on what happens when you clip feathers in every possible different manner.
Clipping One Side
If you trim only one side of the feathers, your duck will find it difficult to fly in a balanced manner. Ducks’ untrimmed wings may be able to give them a lift, but it won’t be possible for them to fly continuously and cross a long distance.
The problem with this technique is that ducks can get hit with a hard surface when they are in an unbalanced position while trying to fly. It may cause injury to your bird.
Clipping Both Sides
Cutting off the feathers of both wings will mean that they will still be able to fly with a proper balance from both sides. But they will not get any lift and won’t be able to fly high. It’ll also save them from accidentally falling down and hurting themselves.
If you can perform this technique correctly, this option should be a safer choice for your ducks. As in this way, they will be able to own their freedom while not getting hurt.
Why Do People Clip Feathers on Ducks?
The ability to fly made birds a symbol of freedom and cutting their wings sounds like taking their freedom away with cruelty. But unlike many other birds, ducks often struggle to find their way back home and get lost forever.
Especially if your ducks are domesticated, they definitely got used to the royal treatment and a sheltered life. It’ll be very difficult for them to find food for themselves on their own in the wild.
And quite possibly, they will be attacked by predators like hawks, coyotes etc. Plus, due to no prior experience, they won’t be able to defend themselves either.
That’s why clipping feathers on ducks is for their own safety so that they don’t accidentally put themselves in a dangerous situation. And this procedure is done in a way that allows them to still fly for fun but prevents them from flying away.
Clipping Feathers Don’t Hurt Ducks
Even if it is for their own good, won’t clipping their feathers be immensely painful for them?
Luckily, ducks don’t feel any pain if you clip the correct feathers in the correct way. It’s because duck feathers are made of keratin and don’t have any nerve cells.
Just like we don’t feel any pain while cutting our nails or hair, ducks also don’t feel anything when you trim their feathers. And in the same way, they also grow back their feathers like we grow nails and hair.
You can read more about duck feathers:
- What is Wet Feather in Ducks
- Ducks Have Under their Feather
- Ducks Look Like Without Feathers
- What We Learn from Duck Feathers
- Duck Feathers Looks Like
What Feathers Are Commonly Clipped on Ducks?
Ducks have three different types of feathers and each of them has a different purpose. So, which feather is commonly clipped on ducks?
To keep your ducks from flying away, you need to clip their primary flight feathers. You can recognize them by extending your duck’s wings.
The feathers that are the longest on their wings and located farthest away from their bodies are the primary flight feathers. They drive the birds to fly forward and also give lifts and rotate directions.
You’re supposed to clip a third or half off the primary flight feathers so that the feathers can’t give them any lift anymore and your birds only fly downwards.
How Does Clipping Specific Feathers Affect a Duck’s Flight?
On duck wings, the longest feathers are called primary flight feathers and the shorter ones located next to them are called secondary flight feathers.
It is recommended that you cut only the primary flight feathers because this way, they are still able to keep balance but not lift themselves enough to fly forward.
If you accidentally cut all the secondary flight feathers, your ducks will lose all their balance and flight ability. And when they try to fly, they might fall straight on the ground instead of slowly coming downwards, which can lead to injury.
Do Not Cut the Blood Feathers
You’ll notice that ducks have two kinds of feathers on their wings in terms of blood flow.
The fully grown ones don’t have any blood running in them and are fully made of keratin. But the new feathers that are still growing have blood flowing in them.
These feathers are called blood feathers or pin feathers. If you accidentally cut their blood feathers, the ducks will be in immense pain and it can also lead to death if the bleeding does not stop.
That’s why it’s very important to be cautious before running a knife at them. It’s better if an expert helps you learn how to spot a blood feather first before starting trimming.
How Often Should Feathers Be Clipped on a Duck?
You should clip your duck’s feathers once a year after a molt cycle. Every year, your ducks will go through the process of molting when they shed their old feathers and grow new ones.
Though most ducks molt only once a year, some do it twice. And it usually takes place in summer or fall. During these seasons, keep an eye on the ground to see if they are shedding their old feathers.
Give them some time so that their new feathers can grow enough till they don’t have any blood flowing in them. Otherwise, you might accidentally cut a blood feather and injure them.
The first feather clipping should be done only after the ducks are 15 weeks old and the geese are 17 weeks old. Once you notice that they have learned to fly and their feathers are grown, you can consider clipping the primary flight feathers.
Conclusion
Many people lose their ducks forever once they fly away to the wild. Though this procedure might sound cruel to some people, it’s understandable when a duck owner tries to keep their birds safe by clipping their feathers.
If you can clip your duck’s feathers the correct way, they won’t feel any pain and won’t lose their ability to fly forever either. It will just keep your home birds away from all sorts of danger that awaits in the wild.
Do you know anyone who lost their ducks after they learned how to fly to the sky? Share this article with them so that they can prevent the same thing from happening again. Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
