To clip or not to clip?

[Talon]

I love this thread and listening to everyone's pros and cons to clip or not. Recently I posted in the training section of the forum about Diego's flying worrying me as he was constantly hitting the patio doors. I was very close to getting Diego's wings clipped until I read through this thread. After I looked at why he was doing what he was doing and I also found out about their natural behaviour in the wild. Diego is an Amazon parrot and flies very differently to a Grey, Amazons like to fly in straight lines. After finding this out, I realised that the cage was a long way from the patio doors but in a direct line them, so was a natural flight path for him to head for them. I moved his cage nearer to the doors but next to them so now his flight path is to the other side of the room. I also have a large basement and instead of curbing his flying I now take in for some daily flying to practice and release some energy (Although some days he just sits there!)

 

Since embracing his flying and working with his natural abilities, things have changed drastically. He very rarely flies now to the windows and seems much happier getting some exercise. I love Diego being flighted and I would feel like I was clipping his personality if I had his wings clipped.

 

I'm not going to say it's easy to have a flighted bird in the house as I am always running around after him. But I never got Diego to just look pretty in the corner.

 

I find it interesting that you say Amazons prefer to fly in a straight line so to speak. I had never heard that before. MAybe Jay and the others will chime in on this.....My amazon, Nilah does twists and turns, changes directions...but not as fluently as my greys do. I attribute this to the fact that she is still learning and flaps her little wings off trying to get where she is going. It's hard work for her still, but hopefully one day she will be as relaxed about it as my grey are. They flew alot like her when they were first learning to fly with those new wings too! Hmm sounds like the start of a new thread......ok...I'm on it!

[harmonicaman68]

Actually, flocks in the wild (and birds that fly as individuals such as birds of prey) all fly in large elliptical patterns. If they didn't, they would end up in someone else's territory and disputes would result. Birds who are young and just learning to fly learn about windows within 72 hours of first exposure to them. Birds that are clipped don't learn about windows and don't learn about elliptical flying pattern and instead fly straight and need us to have some forethought as we train them with their new flight feathers. They haven't learned to think on the wing yet and their maneuvering is a bit clumsy. Larger birds may never have the flight capabilities they would have had if they had been left flighted from birth. They need to be taught the circular flight patterns that wild birds learn from the flock. The result can be a lost bird if they get out of the home without a harness. Birds that are unclipped and allowed to learn about their home territory and circular/elliptical patterns of flight on a harness (and flight line) learn where home is and that elliptical flight patterns give time to evaluate and return to the flock's home. They learn where the end of their territory is. That doesn't mean that all unclipped birds are safe to free flight. A bird that learns their safe territory, recall training and who their flock is (you and your family) can eventually be trained to "think on the wing", evaluate their situation quickly if they become spooked, circle and return.

 

I was working with Ziva yesterday on recall training. Her initial flights on the Flight Line and Aviator Harness had been straight line, because she is new to the Flight Line. Within about 10 minutes she was coming at the recall command. Within 30 minutes she was negotiating some strong breezes and delaying her takeoffs until the intermittent breezes had subsided so she had better accuracy returning to me. At the end of 45 minutes, she was allowing the breeze to push her down wind a bit and flying back into the breeze for well controlled landings on my outstretched hand.

 

She knew where the "flock" was. I agree that there is something VERY satisfying about the sound of your fid's wings as they fly about freely and choose to come to you.

 

Just thoughts...

[danmcq]

Great comments and thoughts Jack!

[KimKim]

In the last couple of days, there has been big feathers at the bottom of the cage, no clipped ones yet though...

[danmcq]

They do molt out according to the normal functions and order of a molt. Dayo molted some un-clipped primaries as well before we started seeing a clipped one here and there over a year. The goods news, is as the clipped primaries start coming in, the flying abilities increase proportionally.

[KimKim]

Update! Babalu had his first short flight since I have had him! Something spooked him and he jump off his stand and instead of falling down, he actualy flew down to the floor like 10 ft! It was not high at all, just a slow desend to the ground. And then a few days later he was walking on the ground and he started to flap his wings and he lifted up of the ground a few inches and moved about 2 feet. So far that is it. But its been about a year since his wings had been clipped.

[Luvparrots]

This is exciting!!! Babalu is on his way to being a flighted bird!!!! Hooray!!! Please keep us posted on his progress!

[Zen's Mom]

hello everyone,

I'm new here and am drinking in everyone's comments like a sponge. I will be taking home my baby african grey tomorrow and I would like to know why so many people here have decided not to clip their birds wings. I have read that letting them learn to fly first before clipping helps promote confidence, and I was intending to do that, but I have also read so many articles on why NOT to have a free flight bird that it has left me right in the middle of the debate. I see pros and cons for both sides. I do have a Sun Conure who's wings are clipped (they grew out once and we didn't realize it and she flew off nearly a block away. We were very lucky to get her back) - but besides that - I am open to the debate on what is best and would really like to hear from you. - Zen's mom.

[Dave007]

hello everyone' date='

I'm new here and am drinking in everyone's comments like a sponge. I will be taking home my baby african grey tomorrow and I would like to know why so many people here have decided not to clip their birds wings. I have read that letting them learn to fly first before clipping helps promote confidence, and I was intending to do that, but I have also read so many articles on why NOT to have a free flight bird that it has left me right in the middle of the debate. I see pros and cons for both sides. I do have a Sun Conure who's wings are clipped (they grew out once and we didn't realize it and she flew off nearly a block away. We were very lucky to get her back) - but besides that - I am open to the debate on what is best and would really like to hear from you. - Zen's mom.[/quote']

 

Yes, it's been spoken about many times. Yes, people have different opinions and there are pros and cons.

Reading the links below should give you a complete answer to how people feel. All of the links are pro and con and a person decides what's best for them and what's best for their birds.

 

 

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?190512-WingClipping-Part-1-Objective-Neutral

 

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?190511-WingClipping-Part-2-objective-neutral

 

 

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?190510-WingClipping-Part-3-objective-neutral

 

 

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?190509-WingClipping-Part-4-Objective-Neutral

[kingsnake]

Before I really even got started I knew I would never clip. That may change one day but I don't see why I ever would right now. I guess if the bird I am getting is an idiot and always flys into walls or whatever and falls to the floor I may clip for his own safety.