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I agree, clipping when done correctly is not painful for the bird(they pull there own feathers out) and when started as a baby they become quite content with other means of transportation(being carried for example) I started Clipping My Miltary Macaw when I got him over 13 years ago at the advice of my Avian Vet and I now have all my birds clipped. I do not recommend anyone clip there owns birds wings without being shown exactly where to cut by your avian vet.
My Macaws spend their summers outdoors and are extremely happy. I do not have to worry about them being startled and flying away. If they do get startled they usually just jump off their stands walk around on the ground and climb back up.
But don't assume there is no danger just because they are clipped. They can still jump pretty far. Two summers ago, My Military was startled by something and jumped landing right in my daughter kiddie pool which was over 10 feet away from his stand. It was a soft sided pool and he could not climb out and the water was about two feet deep. Had I not been right there to scoop him up, things could have went horribly wrong.
I live in New York state where 8 months out of the year it is too cold for my Birds to enjoy the outdoors, so when they can finally get outside I want them as safe as possible. I would never take a chance of them getting two excited and flying away. My birds sit on playstands and they regularly climb down and follow me around(we have a 27x30 Interlocking Brick Patio) the walking on the patio naturely wears they nails down, which means less times trimming and less stress.
I know people feel the best thing for their birds is to be able to fly because its natural behavior, but as one person stating in their post, we chose to put them in cages which is nothing like nature and this is exceptable but somehow ensuring their safety is cruel.
Parrots are like small children, you would never let your two year old son or daughter wander the streets alone, why would you take this risk with your feathered child.
Everyone has their own opinion but I can tell you 100% that my Birds are not any less happy because they cannot fly.
As KimM stated, there is a proper way to clip there wings to ensure they cannot fly away but they can still balance themselves and have some control if they get startled and fall. Do not attempt to clip yourself if you are not experienced and have not been shown which feathers and how short to cut. Good Luck and Keep your babies safe.
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