How do you clip a ducks wings? I have three muscovey ducks and they are trying to fly. They're starting to run and flap their wings. I have neighbors and I want to be a good neighbor and keep my ducks at home. Thanks

-- Joe Cole (jcole@apha.com), August 03, 2000

Answers

Joe:

My experience is Muscovies tend to be real home bodies to start with if fed on a regular schedule. Clipping isn't difficult, but is a two person job. Just extend one wing outright and use a heavy duty sizzors or poultry shears to cut off about one-half or so of the long flight feathers. Will have to be done at least once a year. I like Muscovies. Each one has its own personality.

-- Ken S. (scharabo@aol.com), August 03, 2000.

Has anyone on this board ever had a problem with ducks actually flying away? Ive raised ducks (and geese) for a while and never had any actually fly away. They do get running for take off and flap real hard and every once in a while I get one that can jump straight up about 4 feet and then crash mightily. No flying, just running around pretending to fly, like some sort of duck game. Ive never had any wander more than a few dozen yards for that matter. If you are convinced that they are going to get away, try giving them an extra serving of corn before any wing chopping. Ive raised a number of kinds of ducks and never met one that wanted to get away (actually, I once had a few that "ran away" to the front yard and set up a duck village in the lilacs for about a week).

-- William in WI (thetoebes@webtv.net), August 03, 2000.

I have had many Muscovy Ducks and have never had a problem with them flying off but they do fly. Muscovys will even roost in a tree especialy the Hens. Once the Drakes get large it is difficult for them to fly. So if your neighbors are close amd have an appealing tree or roof it would be a good idea to follow Ken's instructions and clip them although I think you might need to do it 3 or more times a year.

-- Mark (deadgoatman@webtv.net), August 03, 2000.

Joe, my grandsons were here last week end & they were in the yard with me--where ever we went of coarse my ducks & geese I have raised since babies would follow us/ makeing the most noise they could--my youngest grandson had to keep yelling at me/ so I could hear what he said over the ducks & geese talking, also. Finally he came up to me with his hands on his hips & said, are you my Grandma or a MaMa Duck!!!???? I have the same problems as the others --could not make them fly away if I tried. When these were babies--Gerbil, Little bit, Kathleen & others said, they would become my kids--well I'm here to tell ya they were RIGHT! Sonda in Ks.

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), August 03, 2000.

From my experience with muscovies, they will fly the first year, but not far....I fed them well. After the first year, they were either too lazy or too fat...never flew again. In fact I had to chase them into the water so they would stay clean. Not your average duck!

-- Kate Henderson (sheeplady@catskill.net), August 03, 2000.

Thanks to all of you. My ducks follow me around too and every evening they go into their house where they're fed but I do know about them roosting in trees. My main concern is that I just don't want them flying into my neighbors' yard and being a pest or getting eaten by a neighbor's dog. I live in a town of 400 people and everybody gets along, but I just want to be a good neighbor and protect my ducks at the same time. They're like kids you know.

-- Joe Cole (jcole@apha.com), August 04, 2000.

Yes, help my ducks are flying over to the neighbors roof and swimming in his large pool. I am a new duck owner and very inexperienced. They are well fed and fly back during the day, but I do not think my nieghbor will appreciate sun-bathing ducks in his pool or on his roof. any help you can offer will be welcome. If I have to clipp their wings would like any help you can offer. I have heard they can bleed to death if you clipp the wrong wing feathers?

-- (MarleneWil@aol.com), November 14, 2001.

Marlene, whoever told you that was mistaken. There's almost no blood supply in a feather. If someone totally misunderstood the idea of "wing-clipping", and actually clipped the WINGS instead of the feathers, then it could happen. ALSO please note only clip one wing - the idea is to unbalance them. If you clipped both winggs then they could still fly - it would just be harder.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), November 14, 2001.

Don is right, you just pull the wing out and snip the last 4 or 5 feathers near the base, if you are worried about getting too close you can just cut the 1st 6 or so feathers in half, at first and retrim until the feathers are short enough) it looks odd but it works. You should not cut new currently growing feathers (that look like they are in a tube) those will bleed.

-- Thumper (slrldr@yahoo.com), November 14, 2001.