How to properly clip wings?

[Michael]

So by that do you mean clip only the first 6 primaries and leave the rest? Or clip some of the primaries and leave the first two >.< I don't quite understand what you mean by not all of them.

No, what I mean is don't clip it in the first place.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

This is a very flight- biased group, so be aware that there are many vocal advocates of not clipping. I would advise you discuss it with your vet at the well bird visit. The selection of what feathers to trim and how severe a clip is needed varies by species age and individual. An " ideal" clip allows a controlled landing but limited range.

[HyperD]

Whilst I belive a bird should be left flighted wherever possible (otherwise why buy a bird?), I do not think it is anyone's position to say to someone else whether their bird should be left flighted or not... By all means have a debate with pros and cons but it is always a hotly discussed topic that there is never really any resolution as each person's situation is different.

[DUHK]

No, what I mean is don't clip it in the first place.

Oops! Sorry. I read your comment wrong. By all means, I would love for my bird to be flighted. It's just more natural that way, but I want to be able to first tame it before trying to allow it to fly. It's just easier knowing that you won't have to worry about it flying all over the place as you're trying to get it used to you, teach it to step up, and all that. I know once my bird becomes tame, I will definitely let it be flighted since I'll be more comfortable about it.

So far, there have been people who also reply on this thread that say you should leave the first two primary unclipped and others saying you should clip the first 6 primaries. Still stuck! haha

[Michael]

Please don't think that you have to clip it to tame it. Duke was clipped but would still try to fly away when he didn't want to train. And when he did want to train, he stayed right there or would even fly closer to do more training (within limited clipped flying ability).

I have not worked with a fully flighted bird from the start and yes both my birds were clipped initially. If you wait a few more months, I will be getting a never clipped Cape Parrot baby that I will train without ever clipping. I think I can do it and I will demonstrate to everyone through extensive videos and blogging that it can be done and the challenges it brings. I have heard of people taming/training budgies unclipped and I have not had any trouble with my flighted Senegal or the limited flying capabilities of the budgie. I'd say the clipping is more of a crutch for the unknowing owner than for the bird's trainability. I hope that my Cape experience will put enough free information on the net that even inexperienced new parrot owners will have the information needed to keep a parrot unclipped.

[bmsweb]

For what its worth I will clip the wings of any bird that I intend on taming, (unless its a baby). I find it keeps them out of danger until they are use to you and your house. Both of our Budgies were clipped and within a few months they could fly perfectly. Jazz our Cockatiel has also been clipped and he can still fly (Strong Wing Muscles) but has trouble gaining height. He does fly from one end of the house to the other.

The first Budgie we got, the breeder clipped only one wing. They are supposed to go off balance and this discourages flying. What I found was the bird couldn't land properly and it would still try to fly, so we clipped both wings so it could land safely. I don't like the idea of clipping one wing.

If a bird is already tame and relatively relaxed around you I wouldn't clip its wings.

My Conures are well over a year old and never been handled at all. There is no way I would try to train them without having their wings clipped (for their safety). Mind you they can both fly but they have to work hard at it, so the age of the bird is another thing that needs to be factored.

I would read up on the subject and get as much information as you can. I know when I purchased my breeding pair of adult conures the breeder thought I was nuts thinking I could tame them. This is from a guy who has been breeding parrots for over 50 years. One is already tame. So understand an expert is only an expert based on their limited life experiences. Good luck with it

Well that's my 2 cents worth

PS: I would leave the first to primary feathers because the look better with the wings folded and they seem to be able to balance and manage landings much better.

Cheers
Paul

[DUHK]

I know I will definitely not clip the bird's wings after it has been tamed.

For me, I am most likely going to get my first bird from a pet store where it's not a baby and I won't be hand raising it. I know people who have never clipped their birds wings, but have raised their birds from babies.

I wonder if anyone has tamed a bird without clipping its' wings, yet didn't have to hand raise it from a baby.

[localpigeon]

I have tamed my budgie without ever having to clip his wings. Plus he was raised by his parents and had never had any human contact before me. So it's totally possible to tame without clipping. But you must have a set up where you can have a bird loose in the house if so it happens that it doesn't want to go in his cage in the first days of training. You just won't be able to force your unclipped bird to do anything it doesn't want to do or it will lose trust on you.

I can say this with certain that if you leave any of the primary feathers unclipped on a budgie it will still be able to fly because they are such strong flyers. And they may get hurt for not been able to stall or turn to avoid things.

I know some people like to leave primary feathers on and for some birds it's ok but it's mainly for aesthetic reasons.

[TheNzJessie]

my budgie was clipped at the store i brought him at before i could protest for them not to be clipped. i highly suggest not clipping the wings to me its a poor excuse to try and control your bird. trust should be earned not enforced by taking away the flight of a bird. plus a scared bird that is not clipped will fly away and a scared bird that is clipped will find other means of trying to get away from you this may include attempting to fly and hurting them self.....the the most common would be biting.... but if you are egar to have your bird clipped the shop should ask you if you want them clipped or not. if u have not done it before i suggest taking it to a avian vet or bird breeder and getting them to teach you how to do it. because if you have not done it before and u cut a blood feather and u dont know how to treat it you can put your bird through pain and stress which is not good

i have also heard that clipping your birds wings is bad because it causes underdevelopment of the muscles around the heart that are strengthened with flying....but im not totally sure on that

[PRD]

Whilst I belive a bird should be left flighted wherever possible (otherwise why buy a bird?), I do not think it is anyone's position to say to someone else whether their bird should be left flighted or not... By all means have a debate with pros and cons but it is always a hotly discussed topic that there is never really any resolution as each person's situation is different.

I respect people their opinion, like your quote. Everybody has their own opinion. For what it's worth i would like to tell my opinion.
I think everybody has the right to own a pet, given he/she provides him a good home and treatment/space/environment the animal needs. For example, if u dont have a large area for a horse to properly strech its legs on a regular basis u cant provide the right environment for the horse (let's say u live on the 10th floor of a high building) so in my opinion a horse is not a suitable pet. But i dont think anyone has the right to physically adapt an animal to our environment. Especially where there is no reason to do it other for our convenience. A blind parrot for instance i can imagine clipped for his own safety. We dont do it to animals other then birds to my knowledge.
All physical adaptations people do to other animals are considered animal cruelty to most petowners.

I wonder if anyone has tamed a bird without clipping its' wings, yet didn't have to hand raise it from a baby.

Not only didnt he raised them by hand, but they were wild.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OMiVruHMPA