Ducks living in farms have no need to fly - food and water are close by, there are no predators. But nature takes its toll, and the birds aspire to the sky. They most likely will not be able to fly far, but their nerves will spoil the owner, and even in the garden they can get drunk. Let's learn how not to let domestic ducks fly away.
Is it necessary to prune
Most addicted to flying musk ducks (indoutki), but other species also sometimes want freedom.
It is possible to moderate the birds' heat by covering the pen with a net, but when this is not possible, the method of trimming the wings comes to the rescue. Thanks to him, the bird will not give in to the instinct to fly to warm lands with wild congeners.
Learn how to breed ducks, how to feed, whether it is possible to keep chickens and ducks in the same room, how to make a pond for geese and ducks with your own hands.From the minuses of this procedure, it is possible to single out the unattractive (for representatives of the opposite sex) appearance of the bird.
It is also impossible to trim the feathers of the duck, which will incubate the offspring, because it covers the wings with its wings and turns them over.
At what age is pruned
The best time for wing manipulations is early autumn. Shorten them after molting, otherwise the cropped feathers will fall out and be replaced by new ones.
Fly feathers are pruned by livestock that have reached 3 months of age (at least 15 weeks old).
Did you know? Duck paws do not have nerve endings, which allows them to walk in the snow in the cold.
Trimming wings
Trimming the wings is not difficult, but the bird does not like this activity, so you need to prepare in advance:
- sharp, comfortable medium-sized scissors;
- a stable stool or drawer on which to sit during the process;
- gloves (workers, not rubber), although some are more comfortable without them;
- clothes with long sleeves - the bird can squirm and try to pinch.
Find out how duck eggs, duck meat, duck fat are useful.
Sitting on a stool, the duck selected for the procedure should be placed sideways and clamped with the knees. Do it moderately, so that the bird does not break out, try not to harm it. Scissors are taken in one hand, and the second is spreading the wing.
If the duck is calm, then you can simply put it on your knees and press it with your elbow, but best of all, when there is an assistant, then one keeps the bird, and the second cuts its wings. It is worth noting that if everything is done correctly, then for the duck, the procedure is completely painless. For trimming, you can choose one of the following methods.
Important! You only need to trim one wing. So the bird loses balance and will not be able to fly..
First way
This trimming method is to thin the feathers., something like a thinning in the arsenal of hairdresser tools. To do this, scissors are applied to the feather and trimming is performed parallel to the rod. It is necessary to cut off that side of the vane, which is wider.
Thus, the wings will thin, the air will pass through the holes and the bird will be very difficult to fly. But this method does not provide a 100 percent guarantee, since the strength of a duck can be enough to fly through a low fence.
Did you know? Duck and geese feathers are not wetted with water due to fat. No wonder there is a saying "like water off a duck's back."
Video: Duck Wing procedure
Second way
The second option involves cutting in staggered order. With this method, the length and width of the wings is shortened:
- So, the first feather is trimmed along the rod (the wide part is cut off), thus, the width is reduced.
- The second feather is cut by scissors by half, i.e. the length is shortened.
- Then you should alternate the ways. Thus, one half of the feathers will be shortened, and the second will be thinner.
Important! Pruning wings no more than once a year.
Third way
When trimming in the third way, the feathers are shortened by about half. Scissors are arranged perpendicular to the feather, trimming occurs along the wing.
When using this method, it is important to trim the feather before the thickening of the rod begins to avoid injury to the duck. This trimming is effective, but visually makes the bird unattractive.
It is impossible to cut the bird along lines 1 and 2, because it hurts it, lines 3 will not bring results. Possible trim lines - 4, 5, 6.
Familiarize yourself with the characteristics of musk, Peking, Bashkir ducks, blue favorite, old-53, mulard.The result of any trimming is temporary - until the next molt, so if the first time you didn’t get as perfect as you would like, don’t worry: in a year there will be a new opportunity to improve the feathered shortening skills of the feathered wings.
Reviews
It is only desirable to wait for the molt to pass. And scissors take sharp and big.
You cannot explain in centimeters.))) You need to look at the pen. If the rod is empty (it is visible), cut it boldly. And if with vessels, it is no longer necessary.)
