Wing Clipping

[theband9000]

OK lots of dispute over this one. I am not sure what I should do when I get my B&G so I am asking you. is Wing clipping good or bad (I have heard peoples opinions on being mean to the bird and stuff). I want your opinion.

[theband9000]

PS right now I am kinda under the impression that it is bad.

[theband9000]

Also can you state your reasoning? All I have heard is why its bad. Can someone say why its good?

[Maxine]

For one thing, flying around the house loose, get outside and lost, sometimes bump into things and get hurt.

[Grammiecracker]

Well, here we go.... So many people become offended if they don't agree with someone's reasoning. I too would not make a decision based on just a good/bad pole. Birds were not created in cages, thus 'free flight'. We have elected to bring them into our homes and make them family members. Along with that decision comes the responsibility to keep them safe!
We have had SO MANY birds turned into our rescue that were found either in trees, on someone's lawn or actually landed on a shoulder. We tend not to realize how far a bird can fly. So that's an obvious reason not to clip. What about the dangers in a house? Folks say "my bird is never outside". My first thought is "poor bird".. In any event, birds cannot see the glass in a window. They CAN see a tree outside and try to fly to it or, a mirror, thinking it's another room!!! Too many babies die of broken necks. I was in the vets one day when a person ran in with her bird that had landed in a pot of boiling water in the kitchen while she was cooking. (it was awful) There are SO MANY dangers in a house that birds are not exposed to in the wild. I guess by now you have figured out that we at Lazicki's Bird House & Rescue, advocate 'clipping'... We have only been able to find the owners of a couple of the birds turned into us. Even though a lot of them were able to tell us their names and were banded!! We post on the lost bird board in CT, RI, MA, NY and NJ... And so, clipping is a decision you have to make for yourself. Again, birds were not created in a house or cage. Every bird that comes through our doors is clipped soon after arriving. It's one of the ways that we keep them safe.

[huntress]

I'm 100% right on with Grammiecrackers. If I lived in a place where they could fend for themselves if they got away then I might think different. NOW, that said, I have a new baby just out of the nest that I will be raising up to know the harness and do recall training with. This bird hopefully will remain flighted. IF I do my part right.

[brdmom22]

while it may not work in everyones home due to kids running in and out other pets such as dogs,cats etc if at all possible leaving your bird flighted is the natural thing to do,you just have to take care that they are safe when you are cooking,and such,having them flighted does not mean they should always be out of thier cage,and they can be taught about windows and mirrors,my birds are flighted(in house only) and were taken to each window and mirror and allowed to touch it with their beaks,and since most people do not keep the windows super clean all the time they can see rain spots and dirt,in 9 yrs never have my birds flown into the window!If you read the lost and found sites for birds the majority of the ones that get loose are clipped! and have been carried by the wind,and being clipped they would have no way to escape a dog or cat had they landed on the ground and no people were around where a flighted bird could have at least gotten away from the danger,in my opinion clipping a bird to ''keep it safe'' is tantamount to tying your kids up to keep them from running jumping playing and possibly running out into the street and getting hit by a car.If you take the time to teach your bird,make and keep your home bird safe,have it in its cage while you are cooking or away from home or just busy then you should be fine oh and never ever take the bird outdoors without being in a cage or some other fashion of your control like a harness,if you have a small bird I would always opt for a cage outdoors

[KimM]

Agree 100% with Grammiecracker as well. I'm in the process of training one of my macaws for the harness. If it works, he'll be free flighted. Unfortunately my other little man has a wing birth defect and will be unable to fly, however for safety? He will be harness trained as well.

[Winger1200]

To keep her safe, I clip my B&G Macaws wings! I clip her flight feathers so they are even with her secondary feathers (those near the base of the wing) and taper to the tip, so if she should fall or be startled to fly away from her precieved "danger", she can fly a short distance, usually downward, to land without injury. I have seen parrots flight feathers clipped super short tapered to practically nothing at the tip of the wing. Those parrots, unfortunatly will fall like a stone. I do advocate wing clipping but not so short they dont break a fall - keep that in mind. When in doubt have a pro clip them with minimal stress the way YOU want them done.
Cheers,
Susan \o/ & Gracie (:>
Check out my Feather Painting Album in my Gallery
PictureTrail

[KimM]

If you are going to clip, I actually just learned from my Avian vet there are two types of wing clipping. One is where you clip the first few feathers of the wing (how many feathers depends on the breed ) so check with your vet on what is safe.

The other type is called a "show clip" . He recommended this for my Scarlet since he has a birth defect with one of his wings and if he does take a tumble, he won't fall like a stone. This cut you leave the first 2 feathers long and clip the 4 feathers "behind" the first two. Again, check with your avian vet on what is the recommended feathers to trim for your species of bird.

I do know that you have to be careful with African Grays since their bodies are so heavy and if too many are cut or cut too short, they can fall pretty hard and hurt themselves.

Also, I have trained Newton to hold his wings out for me so I can clip him myself. We've made it sort of a game so it's fun. Wing clipping and toenail trimming should not be stressful. He HATES being bundled in a towel so I worked with him and we don't have to do this anymore. He's much less stressed now for his grooming.