I think I'm going to let Roscoe Wings grow..any ?

[MacawGuy]

well im getting a different house in its more open. n after i move im going to get a scale to check his weight n get him a harness. im going to let him free fly with the harness. does anyone has any opinions. what should i do n not to do. i want it where i can take him out with nothing to free fly. i know it takes a lot of time which i can do. i know a lot a bout birds. i train him. he does some tricks. but let me know everyone. i work with a lot of macaws on the weekends. here are some pics

 

[triordan]

how old is he? has he flown before? my bird is not flighted, so I'm not much help. I guess the door width would be a concern~ but good luck!

 

[MacawGuy]

he just turn one. n i got his wings clip not that long ago.. but he was flight feathers but they wasnt grown all the ay out n he flew a bout 15 feet.

 

[Alisana]

how old is he? has he flown before? my bird is not flighted, so I'm not much help. I guess the door width would be a concern~ but good luck!

You'd be surprised at how well a flighted bird can maneuver through the house! It'll take them time, and there will be accidents initially, but a friend of ours has a full grown Greenwing and he flies around the house and in and out the back door.

Make sure you introduce him to windows and mirrors though. Walk him up to it, and hold him to it so he can 'feel' it with his beak. If you are really worried about him hitting them though, get those window decals and place them on the windows/mirrors so he can see something on them.

One of the pet stores here has their bird room hidden behind a giant glass window and none of the birds hit the glass - so they know it's there. It's just exposing them to it early so they know.

Obvious points are keep fans off, bathroom/toilet closed, cleaning products put away, cords hidden and out of reach, make sure anything breakable is removed from table/benchtops. (There is this classic video on YouTube of a macaw who landed on the top of a fireplace mantle which was filled with picture frames, - he delighted in picking up each frame and throwing it to the floor)

If you're worried about him flying out the backdoor, set up the following in your yard:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmyahJUeVdE]Elmo training - YouTube[/ame]

It's basic catmesh to keep the backyard contained so the birds can fly in and out of the house without fear of being attacked outside, or them flying away. From what I gather, it took about three days to set up, and can cost anywhere between $200 to $700 to set up, depending on how small/big the area is.

Also check out the resources at Liberty Wings - they have some great articles and videos; and I believe they run a workshop as well which is worth attending.

Good luck and may you have a wonderful experience!!

 

[MacawGuy]

thank you just trying to see everyone opinion

 

[Alisana]

thank you just trying to see everyone opinion

There was a discussion about this in the Conure forum not long ago about the pros and cons of clipping if you wanted to see both perspectives. A poll was attached as well. Here is the thread: http://www.parrotforums.com/conures/19251-clip-not-clip.html

Some mentions from users:

So I hear clipping a birds wings are good for the bird so it don't get away from you. Yet I'm hearing other's say, "You wouldn't tie a cats legs together, would you?"
Is it me, or is tying a cats legs different than clipping a birds wings. It's not like declawing a cat. Its not permanent!

Now I'm confused, do I clip or not?

What's your thoughts?

There are good and bad arguments on both sides. Here are what I think are the pros and cons of clipping or not clipping:

Clipping pros: The bird will stay with you more, they're safe from dangers like flying into windows, mirrors, ceiling fans, other pets, flying out open doors/windows, and tons of other dangers.

Clipping cons: When a bird loses their "flight" they may choose "fight" when they are scared, which means they may be more aggressive. They don't get as much exercise as flighted birds and may become overweight. Even a clipped bird may still try to fly if he's spooked, just because it's their instinct, and that may result in him falling and possibly breaking bones or blood feathers.

Flighted pros: Excellent exercise for the bird, great mental stimulation, and can allow them to escape from a situation the bird feels uncomfortable with.

Flighted cons: Everything is dangerous. The bird can get into anything and you need to super bird-proof your house.

Both choices are good for your bird for different reasons, it's up to you. I choose to keep my bird flighted and I work on daily flight training (recalling, teaching him how to ascend/descend, etc) and he LOVES flying. It's great exercise and he's MUCH happier when he gets to fly a lot. I think that it's not a bad idea to clip a few feathers so that the bird can still glide, but can't really fly. They'll be able to fly a short distance so that they won't sink like a rock if they fall.

^ The sinking note can be bad as if they fall too hard, they can damage their breast bone.

I don't like clipping personally, however will if it's a requirement.

When I had my budgies initially, I left them flighted, but they had one too many accidents with mirrors, windows, and falling behind furniture. In my case, it was too risky, and I did not want to risk a broken neck, so I made the decision to lightly clip. They can flutter from perch to perch, but can't fly straight up. I feel guilty for it, but I do it for their safety.

My [future] macaws on the other hand will NOT be clipped. I am making a very firm decision in this regard. They are larger birds and can be educated about the safety of flying into objects, whilst being big enough to not be hurt as easily as smaller birds. (One macaw I know "bounced" off the fan when flying, and he was fine - granted it was on a low setting - PS. Do not recommend trying this; it was an unexpected accident with no negative results)

The decision to have the wings clipped or not clipped, is something not to be taken lightly.

If clipping, decide on the clip - the bird should have the ability to descend SAFELY - if they hit the ground too hard due to a bad clip, they can shatter their breast bone. And make sure to give them plenty of opportunity to exercise. Perches to jump from, room to stretch their wings. Toys to play and hang off. Keep them mentally stimulated - taking away their ability to fly means that YOU have to give them a mentally rich life. Otherwise, it can lead to mental issues such as feather plucking, screaming and other habits.

If you plan to not clip, then make every precaution you can to ensure the safety of your bird.
> Bathrooms/toilets should remain closed.
> Birds should not be out when cooking in the kitchen (fumes are one thing, but a boiling pot is also dangerous). On that note - if you do keep them out whilst cooking, make sure they understand that the stove area is dangerous. One strategy a member here recommended was 'showing' them how hot it was by bringing them near the oven (restrained), and repeating "hot, burn, dangerous" to them. The other thing they did was make a lot of loud banging near the stove area whilst the bird was on the other side of the room. From what I gather it was a successful strategy, but cannot comment on it from a training perspective. (Given it goes against the positive reinforcement) (If anyone has experience, please comment)
> Recall training. Make sure they know how to come when called. Start off with short distances and play hide-and-seek.
> If you have the space, enclose a portion of your backyard with cat mesh. This can give them a chance to experience the outdoors with a harness. In our case, our back door will walk straight out into the netted area, so an open door will be less of a stress case.
> Begin harness training early. If your bird is not trained to look out for predators in the sky, or has been trained to fly in different wind conditions, then taking a flighted bird out into the wind can be dangerous and they can be blown away. A harness can prevent this.
> If you plan to be completely free-flight; try Liberty Wings. Training is a long process and takes many steps.
-- Indoor recall training.
--- Short distance
--- Medium distance
--- Long distance
--- Out of site (e.g. hide and seek; in another room)
-- Outdoor recall training.
--- Short distance
--- Medium distance
--- Long distance
--- Out of site (e.g. hide and seek; behind a tree - but make sure the bird SEES you going to hide so they know where to find you)
-- Tag is another game that you can try outside.
-- Once confident with outdoor recall, try different flight areas.
-- Walk the area with them on your arm before releasing, so they can map the area.
-- Start in no-little wind
-- Slowly expose them to higher wind conditions.
>>>> REMEMBER THIS SHOULD ALL BE DONE WITH A TRAINED PROFESSIONAL!

Free-flight is an amazing experience for both the owner and the bird, so if you decide to try it, make sure you do it right. Check out Liberty Wings - they're a great resource for free flight. But remember there is always a risk, so it's something to take on with caution.

I tend to disagree with you there Jonny! Once you clip them, it can take them days to weeks to master their flight once they grow them back!

One of the cons with clipping is feather destruction! One pf the major reason why I don't clip them!!!! I've seen too many birds destruct their feathers after clipping. My birds don't fly all over, they prefer to just ride on us.

I agree with MikeyTN. I've seen birds that have shredded their feathers because they're clipped then continue even after they aren't. As for Con, she loves to fly and makes any excuse she can to do it but I enjoy letting her do it. Usually, I'm what she's going for so she flies to ride around on me or spy on me in the shower like she did this morning

Also check out the following post: Trimming bird's wings - veterinary advice | The Center for Avian and Exotic Medicine, New York

 

[MacawGuy]

Thank you i will have to look n to all that and see what i think a bout it all.

 

[keepsmiling]

In that discussion above one of the "clipping pros" is flying out open doors/windows
That cannot be more of a false statement if there ever was one. It is a false sense of security that a bird cannot fly away if clipped. I keep all of my birds flighted. The only one who is not flighted is one who should have never been clipped, and that is Jewels. Sadly,she came to me this way. When she grows in she will stay flighted like the rest of my birds.

 

[Alisana]

In that discussion above one of the "clipping pros" is flying out open doors/windows
That cannot be more of a false statement if there ever was one. It is a false sense of security that a bird cannot fly away if clipped. I keep all of my birds flighted. The only one who is not flighted is one who should have never been clipped, and that is Jewels. Sadly,she came to me this way. When she grows in she will stay flighted like the rest of my birds.

Yeah, I agree. I heard of a couple who lost their clipped African Grey who got carried away by the wind. An advantage I find with flight training is that if they are flighted, they have a better chance of coming back to you with recall training, but it isn't a guarantee.

Same thing for what I've heard about the dangers of harnesses - where if you fail to hold onto the harness and the bird flies away, there is the danger of them getting tangled in a tree or even worse in powerlines.

It is something to be approached with caution regardless of which choice you make, but something that the owner needs to make in the interests of their bird. As macawguy has said, from the sounds of it, it'll be indoor free flight and harness flight outdoors. If approached correctly, I believe it can work, so long as precautions are taken.

 

[MacawGuy]

yes agree.. thanks everyone

 

[KBEquine]

Therearea lot of good Youtube training videos on recalling a parrot to you & sending it way from you.

Someofmy favorite posters for that are goodbirdinc & chrisbiro1 but there a lot of good ones.

 

[MacawGuy]

i will have to look that up today..but his wings still have a lot ot grow before we start trying it out. im just trying to get a lot of info in be ready so when the time comes

 

[keepsmiling]

Oh and that is my buddy Stevo in that video, and my favorite GW of all time, Elmo. He came to the U.S., and to my home for a visit. He took some great pics of my birds, including my avatar pic.

 

[Alisana]

Oh and that is my buddy Stevo in that video, and my favorite GW of all time, Elmo. He came to the U.S., and to my home for a visit. He took some great pics of my birds, including my avatar pic.

Oh wow, small world! Haha - I was just over at their place today playing with Elmo and Danny.

 

[MacawGuy]

does anyone know of any website where i can buy a traing vidoe for harness flight.. free flight recall or anything

 

[keepsmiling]

I do not think I would try freeflight outdoors unless that was my sole purpose every day. The Womach brothers have a whole bunch of videos, but I am not a fan. Why don't you go to the freeflight group on yahoo.

 

[MacawGuy]

no im not going to let him free flight outdoors..only with a harness on outdoors..but indoor free flight

 

[Alisana]

does anyone know of any website where i can buy a traing vidoe for harness flight.. free flight recall or anything

These are video demonstrations rather than instructionals.

You also have Video | LibertyWings.com

And the Free Flight Training Classes: Avian Training and Flight Instruction | Flight Classes | LibertyWings.com

 

[Alisana]

I do not think I would try freeflight outdoors unless that was my sole purpose every day. The Womach brothers have a whole bunch of videos, but I am not a fan. Why don't you go to the freeflight group on yahoo.

Yeah.. I found a few articles online about why to avoid them.

This is one of them: birdtricksters.com | LibertyWings.com