CLIPPING WINGS WITHOUT DISFIGURATION 



469 



and high-flying. Nothing is more distressing to the poultry 

 keeper than these four habits once they have become confirmed 

 practices, for then they amount to vices. They usually start 

 through accidents, or from the example set by a chief offender — 

 a ringleader, which should be removed as soon as the trouble is 

 discovered. Then, if the offender cannot be reformed, rather 

 than return it to the flock, it should be made to pay the death 

 penalty. Usually, these habits can be broken up if taken in 

 time and dealt with accordingly. 



Flying over the fences is likely to become one of the troubles 

 among the Mediterranean 

 breeds, which is not serious 

 in itself, except that where 

 two or more varieties are 

 kept it is almost certain to 

 result in cross-breeding. And 

 even if one breed of chickens 

 is kept, in all probability the 

 poultryman has mated his 

 pens with a definite purpose, 

 hence he cannot tolerate pro- 

 miscuous changes. For one 

 thing, it may lead to inbreed- 

 ing; and then again it may 

 lead to unpleasant difficulties 

 with one's neighbors — their gardens or flower-beds. 



Clipping Wings. — It is natural that we should hesitate to clip 

 a fowl's wings, as is customarily done to prevent high-flying, 

 for the usual method is sure to disfigure the bird. Clipping off 

 the flight feathers completely is not necessary, however, and if 

 a little care is taken in cutting, the wings can be deprived of 

 their power in such a manner that the mutilated feathers will 

 not be detected unless the fowl is caught and closely examined. 



Flight Feathers. — ^The primaries or flight feathers are the long 

 quill feathers that grow on the first joint of the fowl's wing, and 

 are hidden, or nearly so, when the wing is folded against the 



(Courtesy U. S. Ue-p'l Agriculture) 



Fig. 296. — Commercial feeding sta- 

 tion, 300 feet long, accommodating 

 30,000 birds. 



