Flying Questions/Wing Clipping

[Sultran]

If your congo african grey has his wings clipped how many feet can he fly?

 

Also How often should we cut his wings? We clipped them 3 weeks ago.

[dblhelix]

Hi Sultran,

 

Wing clipping is really important to be done properly, particularly with Greys since they are heavy bodied birds. The general rule is the clip should allow them to fly/glide about 15 feet in a downward motion to allow them safe landings. Most greys need custom clips to ensure this based on their weight/physical ability. In general, current recommended clipping standards suggest starting with the first 3 primary flight feathers and then clipping more if your bird is a young determined flier, up to the 7th primary. In addition there are different clips, like 1/2 the length of the flight leaving some barbules or clipping each feather just below the barbules (but not into the live blood part!). From what I have read, ensuring all the barbules are removed results in the best clip as the cut shaft end is sandwiched between the overlaying secondary feather leaving the bird a more satifying process when preening and protected ends that will not poke their bodies. Both of these things if not considered have been linked to feather picking and other behavioral problems. For sure never clip the secondaries and always ensure each wing is clipped in a balanced manner.

 

Once clipped the wings should not need any re-clipping until the molt when new flights come in (~ every 6-12 months). However some birds get ragged ends of the clipped feathers and these may require clean up. There is a lot of information around about this topic and discussion on this site as well. Do some searches for wing clipping and other key words.

 

Once clipped you cannot undo it. If you think the current clip is not optimal it should be OK until the flights grow back as long as the bird does not fall like a rock to the floor. Watch how he does and take care if needed to reduce situations where the bird may injure itself as needed. I would encourage you to keep asking questions, read and educate yourself on the topic so can make an informed decision about what will be best for you and your feathered friend in the future.

 

All the best.

[Talon]

dblhelix, This is very good information. Thanks for enlightening us all!

[judygram]

Somebody knows a thing or two about proper wing clipping.

[CeasarsDad]

Where did we find that dude?

 

Good job Mark.. Thank you brother.. There is also a great thread here somewhere about clipping wings.. Check it out..

[tiombe]

the new CAG i bought must not have been clipped properly, as it is one of hte most devastating things to watch when sometimes Tiombe gets nervous and tries to fly to me, or from me back to the cage or in other directions at whim. he sees to crash-land into things and it certainly isn't a gracel downward descent. It isn't straight down like a rock, but neither does he land on his feet and catch himself. it looks pretty painful, and it pains me to watch. as a result, i try not to handle him if he seems nervous, and when i do i try to be in a clear spot where he won't run into things. I suppose until he grows and his feathers regrow, there isn't much else i can do...?

[dblhelix]

If the clip is severe the only thing you can do is be very careful when handling him and reduce the chance of him hurting himself if/when he falls or flutters to the floor. You can also handle the bird in areas that have soft flooring etc so if he does fall it will at least be soft. Can you tell how many flight feathers are clipped? You dont want the bird to injure itself and make a bad/fearful association with flight. Have you had experience with birds before? Sometimes it looks worse than it is, but you do need to be careful...another tip, if/when he does flutter to the floor dont "chase" after him. Your first intinct may be to do this but to them they could see that as you coming after them and they already cannot escape as they could in nature due to the clipped feathers. Its tough, but try to let them come back to you, tell them its ok etc and that way they will not associate you with a bad flight experience.

 

Good luck, it should be OK, give it some time <br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/05/18 10:11

[tiombe]

thanks again. based on your detailed post about clipping, i will have another look and see if i can make sense of the clip job done. yes, this is my first bird (with the exception of a dove ive had for a few months also now--very different can of worms though). I will heed the advice about not rushing to him when he flutters to the ground. i will keep you posted over time.