Stay tuned for a tutorial on how to trim your chicken’s flight feathers! 😑 Honestly, I don’t love to clip flight feathers. It can reduce your chicken’s ability to escape predators. But, there is a time and need to do so. If your chickens are jumping the fence and putting themselves in danger, it might be time to clip their wings. In Daisy’s case, she could have been taken by a predator before I got home. I’ve caught a large opossum on camera going under the coop in the same space I found her. W

Feathers are a bird’s lifeline: they insulate, waterproof and, of course, provide the power of flight.⁠ ⁠ Feathers get replaced once or twice a year. In the interim, they need to be kept in good condition. The sun, feather-munching mites, bacteria and gradual wear take a toll on feathers. ⁠ ⁠ This work tells us that, beyond preserving feathers over the long term, bathing even makes a bird a more agile flier and more adept at escaping predators in the short term.⁠ ⁠ #birds #bath #water #safari #t