Wings Clipped

[Stephen777]

I bought Sierra and her wings are clipped. She caught wind yesterday in the back yard and had a good distance...course she landed and didnt see me and was yelling.
At what age do you all recommend stop clipping the wings or do you all always have them clipped?

 

[Kiwibird]

I recommend you not take her outside again until she is either harness trained or in a cage/bird backpack. It is not safe, even for 'clipped birds'.

My amazon is about 20 and has been clipped all his life. We adopted him at 10 and he has proven incapable of learning to fly, so we keep him clipped as he's used to it. If your bird is still young, I suggest letting her wings grow out and flighting her. The older they get, the less likely it is they will ever be able to learn to fly. It also becomes harder to harness train the older they get as well. I'd suggest starting both now!

 

[GaleriaGila]

Hello, and welcome.
You're asking one of the biggest questions in aviculture. Good for you.
It's a very complicated thing. I hope you get lots of food for thought. The SEARCH tab is a good resource, too, for background reading.
The Rickeybird has been flighted for the last 30 years or so... but do remember... the cost of flight is eternal vigilance!

 

[Sunnyclover]

Are you asking if you should let your bird grow it's wings in and then take it outside? Absolutely NOT. The bird might fly too high and not know how to get back down to you and be lost forever. Also the same thing can happen with a clipped bird. Please don't take your bird outside without a harness or a carrier. It's wayyyy too dangerous. If you want to let your birds wings grow out that's fine but you have to bird proof your house and then make sure all windows and doors are closed when the bird is out. Birds don't want to fly away...but the often accidentally go too far and can get back because they aren't used to being outdoors.

 

[Anansi]

There really is no age requirement on clipping. Well, let me amend that. A bird should never be clipped until it has fully fledged, which is to say that he/she has fully mastered flight, as doing otherwise will likely hinder psychological and emotional development. After fledging, however, people either clip or don't... depending on their preference.

Personally, I never clip. But this carries with it the responsibility of recall training my birds, training them well in flight, making sure all toilet lids are down, having the stove top off when they're out, making sure they are well acquainted with every wall, door, window and mirror in the house, and training everyone in the household to be sure the birds are in their cages before opening a door.

It seems like a lot, but once you get used to it it's like a part of everyday life. It's 2nd nature now for me to look over at the cages before reaching for the door. Anything else would feel weird at this point.

And safety-wise, as April and Desi both mentioned, you should never risk taking even a clipped bird outside without a harness. Some on this forum practice free flight with their birds, but such is always a risk. And a bird should be very thoroughly recall AND startle trained before attempting that. (Too many raptors around here for me to ever consider it with my ekkies!)

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Skittles is free-flighted and has the rule of the roost. He's basically only caged at night (in his sleep cage) OR in his day cage when I step out to run errands for a few hours.

I've never been a fan of clipping to be honest. I know its a touchy subject on this forum and I know people have different views and I respect that. But for me, I've always looked at it like this - "If a bird wasn't meant to fly, God wouldn't have given them wings". So unless its in the BIRDs best interest, I advise against it.

Skittles was clipped when I got him and I just let them grow out and haven't clipped them since. Knowing how much he loves flying around the house, I don't think I ever could.

I think you've gotten some real good advice from others on this thread so far.

I could never take Skittles outside without him being properly restrained. He isn't harness trained, so I bring him out in a carrier that has the doors bolted (so they don't come open accidentally).

 

[DiscoDuck]

There are 2 schools of thought. I dont know Conures. I did learn a lot about Macaws. I often take a middle of the road approach to just about everything before making firm decisions. For example.

I clipped 3 feathers 1/3rd of the length on each wing to limit his overall flying ability at 3 months of age. During his first year and half clipped amongst other times he still managed to get away from me. He is now in full training and very well bonded. That doesn't mean he wont sit in a tree till the sun goes down. Recall training is tough.. IMO of course. If you dont clip, be prepared for the inevitable escape..

 

[DiscoDuck]

There really is no age requirement on clipping. Well, let me amend that. A bird should never be clipped until it has fully fledged, which is to say that he/she has fully mastered flight,

Hmmmmm fledgling is a tough word..

All birds are considered to have fledged when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight. A young bird that has recently fledged but is still dependent upon parental care and feeding is called a fledgling.

I clipped mine as a fledgling. He was dependent on me to switch him from formula to solid food.

 

[Anansi]

I actually used the term "fully fledged", which is typically understood to include the skills of flight as well as the physical capacity attained by the full growth of feathers and development of muscles sufficiently capable of flight.

But to clarify, I really do not think that a bird should ever be clipped before becoming adept at flight. During the fledging period, a bird's brain is more attuned toward learning the skills of flight than ever he/she will be at any other point in life. Now, this isn't to say that a bird who was clipped before fully fledging can't learn to fly or even fly well. But it's highly unlikely said bird would ever be as skilled or natural a flier as might otherwise have been possible.

Further, studies have shown that there are often psychological effects as well. Since the bird never had the chance to develop flight as part of his/her arsenal of options, Fight or Flight gets cut down to the option of just Fight. Basically, a greater tendency to bite born in the bird's developmental stage. Or some birds who show an increased likelihood to pluck. There seems to be some stressor strongly associated with never having been given the chance to fully work out the mechanics and coordination of flight before having been clipped.

Now, of course there are birds out there who will still be as gentle as lambs who have been clipped all of their lives. Birds who don't show any signs of being mentally or emotionally compromised, but rather come across as extremely well adjusted and loving parrots despite never having been given the opportunity to fully fledge before having been clipped. But there are exceptions, and then there are tendencies. A bird who hasn't been allowed to fully fledge certainly isn't doomed to an emotionally compromised life... but why take the chance of making it so much harder for said bird to become a well-adapted and happy member of one's household instead of simply allowing the fledgling to learn all it needs to about flight before making the decision to clip?

 

[MonicaMc]

IMO, most birds are clipped way too young... that is, I don't believe birds should be clipped prior to 6-12 months in age... longer for larger parrots.


That said, I do not clip, and do not believe that parrots should be clipped in 90% or so of cases. I do not agree with clipping for taming purposes or even aggression issues. Certainly not for any "perceived" safety reasons. There are pros and cons to both sides and clipping is no guarantee that a bird can't, or wont, get lost outside.


http://www.onafricanwings.com/clipping.htm

 

[Quincy69]

My good friend had his birds wings clipped......and the Vet ( I don't believe he was avain) clipped the birds wings too short and the poor bird couldn't even glide ...poor bird nearly broke it's neck.
Our baby is 2 months the breeder already his wings....we will probably return to him the next time he needs it.

Sent from my SM-T550 using Tapatalk

 

[LordTriggs]

I agree with anansi and Monica, they shouldn't be clipped until they have had their chest muscles and air sacks develop along with mental development of understanding flight. I also believe very simply that clipping shouldn't be done for convenience or to "fix" a behavior or to prevent escape. Clipping should be for safety, nothing more. So if your bird decides to slap themselves into walls or windows then yeah clipping would be safer for them. If you want your windows open in the summer then get a screen or even attach some bars to your window to prevent escape or just get a fan to cool your place. If your bird divebombs family members then train it out of them, though if training is attempted I will concede a clipped bird is safer in that situation for all parties (avoiding someone losing their temper)

I know clipping is a point of contention for all but personally I find it simple, some times clipping is best but other options should be explored before that is done. Unfortunately you got yourself a pet, time to deal with the responsibility of owning a pet and change parts of your life for the sake of your pet (aimed at all pet owners)