Benefits (or not) of having wings clipped?

[MikeyTN]

Also again I'm saying this, wing clipping is a individual choice to make. This topic been discussed countless times as your able to search through the forum regarding wing clipping. Please do remain civil!!!

 

[tab_xo]

I dont really have much to add to this topic, like Wendy, will stay far away hahaha

But i have a friend who clipped his macaws wings, and she just changed personalities, she was super upset and angry because she could no longer fly..

Also heard of cases where someone has clipped their birds wings and the bird has started plucking..


So just have a think of how it may affect your bird, if he doesn't fly much, then it might be fine... But if he loves to fly, then he may be a bit upset..

Fargo is flighted, always has been, always will! He flies outside on his harness, one day we will free flight haha

I know if i clipped him he would be SO upset, because he flies around the room alot.. He would be heart broken if he couldn't fly!

 

[Ravennessa]

About your doggie, it's a Pug? how old? I was skimming through the posts..
Give me a little more info and I can likely give you a handful of training tips.

I train dogs for a living..

 

[strudel]

What breed of dog is it?

She's a west highland white. When I say she's untrained, she does listen to me, she's not completely out of control, but it's in one ear and out the other and she's got a long way to go. She's only just 12 months old and I don't think she had any formal training with her previous owner. She's pretty good after we've had their walk/run around, she just sits quietly, but she's just got that "chasiness". Part is just being little more than a puppy, she wants everyone to play with her. The tail is going, it's not "I'm going to eat you". Of course, that makes no difference if she managed to grab somebody little.

 

[thekarens]

My sister has a Westie. Sound pretty typical of the breed. They wouldn't mean to kill, but they like to chase and play with it, which could be disastrous with birds.

 

[Blueridge]

It's kinda dangerous to have your dog around your bird anyway, flighted or not. But I understand the reasons to clip a bird. Sometimes it can be hard to get your bird back in their cage if they can fly. Although, if a clipped bird falls off a perch he is more likely to be injured because he can't fly gracefully to the ground. Meh, there are good points on all sides of the argument, but hey, do whats best for you, okay?

 

[MomtoPercy]

Whoa guys, I am too new here to start an argument
I've read both sides of the argument and there are good and valid reasons for clipping or not. I agree with Birdman, to each his own. Whatever works best for each person's own bird, right? Personally, I don't want to clip him unless it is for safety.
Strudel - I don't mind at all, the more info on different situations the better, right?
Mayden - your rant (wink!)Contains very valid points and I do not take it personally.
GaryBV - I will post a pic of my boisterous baby for you. He is too funny. Each time Jak, my budgie, makes any sound he runs to Jack and "shouts" at him (a yappy little bark) and then struts away like he's thinking "that will show him"! Regarding Percy, I've trained him the "not for you!" Command and he doesn't make a peep at Percy. Percy flew off his cage yesterday, landed on the couch and sat there while the puppy froze and just stared at him. My son quickly retrieved Percy so no-one got in any trouble.

Thanks everyone for your insights and opinions. I will give the matter more thought.

 

[strudel]

Strudel - I don't mind at all, the more info on different situations the better, right?

Thanks for that, yes, for me I find it better when the info is together, rather than everybody having to repeat some of the same things to different people asking similar questions.

 

[christine]

I tried to let my lovebirds grow out their wings out & fly around, unfortunately its really tricky to keep them from ingesting things that are bad for them. They kind of picked at the carpet like chickens when they landed. I tried to train them "landing zones" so they were only allowed to land in safe places but it was really hard to train them fast enough. They were only actually flying for a few weeks/maybe a month when one of them got a spec (seriously a spec, to a human it might look like a spec of dirt) of metal and died from zinc toxicity.

So just be careful of where you let your bird fly & make sure he/she doesn't get his/her beak on anything.

 

[chippy]

He's obviously clipped too short then, or too many feathers. They are supposed to be able to glide down to the floor. Not crash and burn... That is a very bad clip job!

Not necessarily...some birds are just clumsy/ ungraceful. My Pippin, with full wings, SHOULD be able to "glide" but he flies straight up, then goes straight down. Maybe it's his age and that I got him too young (found out after the fact that he was younger than I had originally been told) and therefore hadn't spent enough time with Mamabird, but he isn't graceful. He also falls off his perch every now and then, flaps like a maniac if he is feels like he is losing his balance and tries to hang on for dear life, but won't fly further than about 6 inches.
It's very odd... but when i think about it, Tiki wasn't graceful for a long time either...she is just now, at 2 /12, becoming graceful...

 

[Jumpingtadpoles]

About exposure training. It works. We have twelve chickens. Most new dogs have instincts to chase, catch, and..... Whatever they feel come next, when they meet our girls for the first time. It's so scary when someone brings their dogs to play with our dogs. We have 3 large breed dogs, and love friends to bring their dogs, but 9/10 they chase our chickens.
Exposure training has worked for almost every dog that has come. We keep the new dogs chained, and allowed our girls to make the interactions. Only one dog I didn't trust whatsoever. But she ended up put down because she has serious aggression issues.
Tie your dog up to so etching sturdy. Stay in the room, and keep her away, just let her watch the bird, see the bird move. A lot of times it's just instinct that crops up, and can be somewhat over ridden, or taught that THIS IS NOT A PLAYMATE.

Good luck!

As for flighted or clipped. I'm going to clip. I've lost to birds to flight. They were not recall trained. But we have crows, ravens, eagles, owls, hawks, cougars, bears, and many other predators here and I'm not risking it. It makes me sad my birds can't fly. But it's safer this way, imo

 

[Mayden]

As for flighted or clipped. I'm going to clip. I've lost to birds to flight. They were not recall trained. But we have crows, ravens, eagles, owls, hawks, cougars, bears, and many other predators here and I'm not risking it. It makes me sad my birds can't fly. But it's safer this way, imo

How did you lose them? + how do you expect a clipped bird to not be lost in the same way?

Not an attack, genuine questions, you might have a response that makes complete sense that I'm missing.

As I said in my examples above, if a window is open, clipped or not, a bird can get out. If taken outside, clipped or not, a bird can get away etc. Please don't think that because your bird is clipped, there is no risk of them getting out. Clipped or not, your little guys wont stand a chance against the big predators.

Work on recall, and use vigilance to make sure there is no way your bird can get outside and you shouldn't have to clip. :21:

I understand it makes a lot of owners feel better and 'safer' about having a clipped bird, but one of my biggest anxieties with this is feigned confidence that your bird will not get away/fly into trouble.

 

[thekarens]

I can give you a perfect example. A friend if mine accidentally let her flighted tiel out the door. The girl immediately flew to the top of the tree and within 30 minutes a hawk came down and had dinner. My sennie can go forward and glide down. There's no way she could ever get up in a tree except by climbing. If that had been her I could run out and get her before she became hawk food.

I'm not anti flighted birds, but it's not for me.

 

[Mayden]

I can give you a perfect example. A friend if mine accidentally let her flighted tiel out the door. The girl immediately flew to the top of the tree and within 30 minutes a hawk came down and had dinner. My sennie can go forward and glide down. There's no way she could ever get up in a tree except by climbing. If that had been her I could run out and get her before she became hawk food.

I'm not anti flighted birds, but it's not for me.

Not true, any wind under a clipped birds wings enabled them to get lift. Which is why I always tell people that clipping (if you're going to take your bird out) is redundant. Too many people take their clipped birds out that are clipped and they get away, because they felt confident that because they cannot 'fly' indoors, they can't outdoors. Not true at all.

 

[Birdman666]

I can give you a perfect example. A friend if mine accidentally let her flighted tiel out the door. The girl immediately flew to the top of the tree and within 30 minutes a hawk came down and had dinner. My sennie can go forward and glide down. There's no way she could ever get up in a tree except by climbing. If that had been her I could run out and get her before she became hawk food.

I'm not anti flighted birds, but it's not for me.

I had a friend with a free flighted GREENWING that was lost to a Red Tailed Hawk. Hawk came in from above and behind, and snatched the GW by the neck... all the owner could do was watch, and cry...

I've known other free fliers who went out and just never returned... and the area where I lived in NorCal was Hawk Central...

MIA... Presumed Dead.

Indoor birds may be flighted, but what's the point of that if they never get to go outside and climb trees, and be birds?

There are trade offs, and again, strong opinions to be had on either side.

TO EACH HIS OR HER OWN.. THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWER HERE.

Parrots are prey species. They also have a habit/talent, clipped or not, for inadvertently getting their little feathered butts in trouble... sometimes that trouble is injurious or fatal.

Again, I've done both. I consider clipped safer.

 

[SandyBee]

I don't clip, I love that Bosley is flighted. He is so happy flying around the house, flying after me etc....He makes these happy proud noises every time he flies, more confidence, better health benefits.

I would never take him outside without a cage or harness, too many sad stories even with highly trained birds skilled in recall.

It is an individual decision that must be based on lifestyle and in some ways having them flighted is more work. I have to make sure I have all my kitchen appliances unplugged when not in use, I must cage him or take him to another room when using the stovetop. BUT he isn't anxious, he doesn't scream, he is the picture of health and activity and purrs like a kitten all the time, plus gives me that famous amazon scent often.
For an amazon at 36 who loves food, he's not a perch potato and this does come from being flighted.

 

[khaiqha]

Indoor birds still recieve many benefits from being flighted, one of which is having the independence to be able to go where it wants to go. If something frightens it, it can move away. If it doesn't want to be picked up, it can fly away. I know a lot of people view this as a bad thing, but I've seen the effects of continually forcing a bird into situations it does not want.

Also, any amount of flight is exercise and a way to burn off energy. Especially for small birds, large rooms can still give plenty of room to fly around in.

I'd also add in that a flighted bird is much easier to house train. My Alex is very reliable about flying back to his cage/stand to poop, making it a lot easier to clean after.

 

[Birdman666]

Wow. I'd learn my lesson after one lost bird, or even just one close call.

Well, recall and free-flighting is a bit of an adventure, and it's not for the faint of heart. You have to be prepared to go get them every once in awhile.

Plus mine go outside all the time... almost every day, often for several hours at a time, and are not harnessed.

 

[SandyBee]

Wow. I'd learn my lesson after one lost bird, or even just one close call.

Well, recall and free-flighting is a bit of an adventure, and it's not for the faint of heart. You have to be prepared to go get them every once in awhile.

Plus mine go outside all the time... almost every day, often for several hours at a time, and are not harnessed.

They must love it, I live in Canada and the weather isn't warm enough mostly.
We only get 4 warm months, the rest is either cool or cold so I choose to use harnesses and cages.

 

[Birdman666]

Wow. I'd learn my lesson after one lost bird, or even just one close call.

Well, recall and free-flighting is a bit of an adventure, and it's not for the faint of heart. You have to be prepared to go get them every once in awhile.

Plus mine go outside all the time... almost every day, often for several hours at a time, and are not harnessed.

They must love it, I live in Canada and the weather isn't warm enough mostly.
We only get 4 warm months, the rest is either cool or cold so I choose to use harnesses and cages.

I was in California when I free flighted. And here in Texas I have a huge Oak Tree in my front yard that doubles as a giant parrot play stand/chew toy/shredder toy. Now if I only had a nut tree, they could have a foraging toy as well!

My red lored will quite literally spend 6-8 hours in that tree on most nice weekend days. And after work I let them out there for an hour or two, sit outside under the tree with a glass of wine and watch them play...

Funny thing is, the Macaws never stay in the tree too long. THOSE are lap birds! Tree time for everyone else is Dad time for my Big Macs...