Quail are notorious for suddenly taking flight when frightened or stressed. This can be dangerous and worrying if your quail hits the roof of the aviary or wall of the cage. They are also more likely to escape, and harder to catch. To prevent this you can easily clip the primary feather on each wing, which despite some belief, is completely safe. This article will take you through a step-by-step tutorial on how to properly and efficiently clip your quail's wings.
Steps
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Outweigh the pros and cons of clipping your quail's wings. It's often necessary to clip the primary feathers to prevent your quail from escaping, given the design of your cage. It also prevents them from taking sudden flight and injuring themselves by accidentally hitting the roof or wall of the cage. However, if you have a large quantity of quail birds, you might find it more difficult and stressful to clip all of their wings. Unless you're fine with acquiring someone to help trim their wings, then you might want to resort to alternative options to keep your quail safe, such as adding padding to the roof.
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Obtain the necessary equipment. You will need a pair of sharp scissors, garden gloves, a towel, a butterfly net and a helper. Additionally you will need to clear some space in a small room to ensure there are no hazards that could potentially be a danger to your quail.Advertisement
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Catch the quail you want to clip. In this circumstance, it's best if you trim all your birds feathers in one go. That way you won't forget whose wings have and haven't been clipped, especially if you have a large number of quail. To easily catch the quail, use a butterfly net and trap it in a corner.
- Once the quail is caught you should gently cup your hands over its wings in order to restrain it from moving excessively. Keep in mind that quail are adept at escaping from a predator's grasp, so ensure you hold them firmly but not as to hurt them.
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Carry the quail to a safe room. Ensure the room is relatively small and hazard free; there shouldn't be any disturbances, pets, dangerous objects or places where the quail could get stuck under or hide. A most suitable place would be in an empty guest room, laundry room, or shed.
- Close the door quickly and carefully upon entering so that the quail cannot escape if he suddenly gets loose from your grasp.
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Take hold of your quail for clipping. Hold the quail's body and one wing in one hand, allowing the other wing free. Be aware that the quail can scratch and peck. You will want to wear garden gloves if you have sensitive hands.
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Hold one of the quails wings out. Use your free hand to help carefully extend the quail's wing and expose all of its feathers. If you have trouble, a helper is useful. Ask them to spread the wing out or hold the quail.
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Clip the tips of the flight feathers. The longest tip of the feathers should be cut back to 1 centimeter (0.39 in) depending on the size/breed of quail you have.
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Repeat the process on the second wing. You must clip both wings or the quail will be unbalanced during flight. Sometimes, if only one wing is clipped, the quail will still be able to fly. Worse, it may try flapping its wings too hard and hurt itself.
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Return the quail back to its home. Check over your quail before you return him to ensure he isn't in any shock or panic. Clipping the wings doesn't harm the quail in any way but does affect the way they fly.
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Clean up the mess. Once you clip the wings the feathers will fall down to the ground. You can sweep this up with a broom or dust pan and brush with little effort.Advertisement
Community Q&A
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QuestionWhat if I accidentally cut too much? Can I get a vet or someone else to do it for me?Community AnswerIf you cut too much of a bird's wing off and it starts to bleed, take it to a vet. If you are not confident doing it yourself, you can take it to an avian vet and they will do it for you.
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Tips
- Quail will grow their wing feathers back eventually which means you will need to clip them again.Thanks
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Warnings
- Don’t cut too much of the wing feathers off, roughly 1 centimeter (0.4 in) is enough. If you feel like you’re cutting off too much, cut off the amount ‘’’you’’’ would prefer.Thanks
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