For those whose birds are flighted.

[Char]

Whisper's flight feathers are starting to molt back in. she has 3 of them now. I can alrealy tell a difference as when she is startled off her playstand ect she will soar all the way across the room now.

 

She was clipped when I got her but I am thinking of not clipping her anymore. I live alone and it would not be too difficult to control her environment for safety reasons.

 

My question is this: Those of you who have flighted birds, do they poop all over the place? I know that birds will usually poop before taking off. As it is now I can take Whisper to her playstand and say go poop and she will. If she is flighted will she just fly around pooping all over the place?

 

How do you guys handle the mess? Also how do you keep them off of things like the curtains ect.?

 

Do you spend the entire time they are out chasing them around trying to keep them out of things?

 

Do they spend less time out of the cage because you can't watch them every second?

 

Tell me what it is like to have a flighted bird. Help me to make up my mind.

 

Thanks

 

Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/02/23 22:36

 

Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/02/23 22:37<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/02/23 22:39

[shah]

You should let her free fly in your garage after you bird proof it. Birds were born to fly not just sit in a cage. If you don't have a garage maybe you should harness train her. Good luck.

[Tycos_mom]

I have all flighted bird and they are really noo different than when they are not flighted. They still play on their playstand or cage top most of the time. The only difference is now that they can fly when I sitting watching tv or working at the computer they will fly over to me instead of me having to go pick them up. I don't find that they poop everywhere they still do their bussiness where they have always done it. Birds where meant to fly and the benifits far out weigh the problems. your bird gets the excersize they need to keep them healthy and its not hard to teach them what they are allowed to do and not allowed to do. Ilove to watch my birds in flight the joy and areobatics are something to behold.<br><br>Post edited by: Tycos_mom, at: 2009/02/23 23:05

[Christina]

Char, I have two fully flighted birds, Finnigan, a TAG and Loki a B&G. Loki was two when he first grew in his flight feathers and as we "taught" him how to fly, we also learned what we should and shouldn't do. We did not have enough places for him to land. We now have boings and perches from the ceiling in several places throughout our house. This keeps the birds off the curtains and thay have "landing zones" so to speak. These places are where they will usually go potty, so they don't go all over the house, but we do paper under the perches they like to hang out on for easy and quick clean up in the event we have unexpected guests or something. We learned about the windows and doors. We always have them covered with something when the birds are out. The curtains we have are sheer and I tie them in a knot so they don't cover the entire door, but they make a visual barrier for the birds. It doesn't mean they won't make mistakes...they do, just today, I opened the curtain at lunch to open the sliding glass door so Loki could go outside and as soon as the curtain was pulled back, he went to go outside, I didn't have time to open the door yet...so he hit the door, thankfully, he wasn't going very fast. I have no idea why he did this as, we have done this routine a thousand times...guess he was impatient. Anyway, flighted birds are a pain in the butt....they go where they want when they want. I put Finn on her stand, she goes to the counter, I put Loki on his cage, he leaves the room. I dont' want them on me, and here are they are landing on my head. You have to make sure that if your stove is hot, that a lidded pan is on the hot portion,so they can not land on it. Make sure the water in the pan is not hot. Vigilence for their safety becomes an every minute thing. That being said, they are a joy to watch, they zip around the house and sqwauk and play and have a grand time. They fly and land on their perches huffing and puffing and just as happy as little clams. They don't have that energy overload some unflighted birds have as they get it out. They are both very confident well adjusted birds. The vet has commented on the breast muscles in both birds and how well developed they are rather than atrophied as most unflighted birds are (ones that been unflighted for many years). If you have the dedication to do it, I say go for it. It's a pain but, they make me laugh more now than ever. Hope this helps, sorry so long.

[she]

Flighted birds are not easy to manage but the benefits you will see way out do the cons.My grey is at the moment sitting on his cage top play stand chatting away to him self like butter would not melt.He is not always so good.I do not have curtains now,just blinds because he would get on the curtain pole and chew the curtains and the coving round the cealing,so I took the pole down and it solved the problem.Mind you he is now obsessed with trying to chew up the setee if I am not quick enough.Yes he also poops,but it is not too bad as he usually does it in one or two places and as I have wood floor it is easy to clean. He is a far happier more active bird than he was when clipped and I am sure healthier in mind and body.

[sugarbeth]

We have two flighted budgies and I think the key like others have said is to have a lot of designated spots for them to hang out on. Our boys have the run of the house 24/7 for the most part, but they really only go from their cage to the boing to the tree perch and that's it. They are only semi-tame, though. They might be more curious about the rest of the house if they were more comfortable. But it's really not bad at all keeping them flighted - the poop pretty much stays in those particular spots.

[Jane08]

Our 2 are also flighted. There is no pooping all over the house they have perches in every room that they go to and poop. They do like the curtains and you can train them not to go up there with a lot of time and patience. We also have those spiral perches that you hang from the roof and they love to sit on those. I just place paper underneath them to catch the poop.

 

I like it that they are not dependent on me to get anywhere and basically have free run of the house. I certainly don't watch them every minute, sometimes they will be in the kitchen while I am in the living room. They have areas where they know they can be. I always know when they are up to mischief no matter where they are.

 

They have amazing body control because they are flighted and avoid a lot of accidents, so I am less worried about them hurting themselves.

 

Last and most important is the enjoyment they get out of flying....nothing can beat that

[Brittany]

My bird is flighted (I think?), we haven't gotten his wings clipped in a long time.

 

I love that he flies!:laugh: I think he likes it a lot better too. he's a bit messy but nothing to do with his flight.

 

i don't really wanna clip his wings again

[Christina]

I think Jane08 brings up a great point about not worrying as much. If they are scared of something they leave the area, you don't worry about them falling, if I leave the room, they can follow, or if they are tired or want to be alone, they go to their room. I think it especially helps with a nervous bird, giving them confidence.

[danmcq]

The others have all given great descriptions of flighted birds and advise.

 

You also asked:

 

"Do they spend less time out of the cage because you can't watch them every second?"

 

- - NO! They are out of the cage the entire time one of us are home. The only exception to that, is if we have company for dinner or we must leave for a while.

 

"Tell me what it is like to have a flighted bird. Help me to make up my mind."

 

It is what they were meant to do. It is great to watch them as they grow in their abilities, coordination, speed and aerobatics.

 

You do not have to watch your feet all the time so you will not step on them or Punt them across the room as you begin to walk.

 

Since your Grey is already trained to go Poop on the playstand fairly well. Just continue that. It will get to where for the most part she will fly over, take a dump and them go back to where she was. This will take consistency and time, but it can be done.

 

If you have children, you know how they are a pain because you must always watch out for them, go look to see where they just went and put up with them following you all over the house. Having a flighted bird is no different. IN fact, a clipped bird can also follow you all over, but can also become injured in trying to do so.

 

You will just need to adjust as your bird becomes better flighted and more bold in ho far it will go to follow you.

[Lyric]

My TAGs are flighted too. It takes some patience to deal with sometimes, for example they may decide they like to hang out on your lamp and chew it- you have to take them off every time they land there and put them back where you want them to be. You must always be very watchful of where they are and what they are doing. But, the inconveniences of having them flighted are far outweighed by the joy flying gives them. It makes them happier healthier birds, more confident and I believe less likely to feather pluck. Birds were made to fly.

[Char]

Thanks for all of your input. You have given me some things to think about.

[DavidH]

Char, I am basically in the same situation as you are. In fact, I posted similar questions a couple of weeks ago. I am definitely leaning toward flight now, after considering the pros and cons.

 

It helped me to divide the cons into things WE wouldn't like (the humans) and dangers/inconveniences for Shanti.

 

The dangers for Shanti are getting lost by flying away and getting hurt banging into things like windows.

 

All the other stuff is human inconvenience (poop, damage to furniture, pain in the butt of getting him back in his cage when he's on the top of the bookcase, etc.)

 

From what I've read here, almost everyone says not to exaggerate or worry too much about the inconveniences to humans. The joy of having a flighted bird will outweigh those issues, and you can cope with them just fine.

 

From the bird's point of view, MOST birds never get lost; MOST birds never get injured flying into windows, so the risk is probably pretty low and you can take concrete steps to reduce it further.

[shanlung]

One of the most detailed and fully documented site on how to live with a flighted parrot at home is in

 

http://www.geocities.com/shanlung9/

 

Read Part 2 especially as that will guide you on how to prepare your house/apartment and your mind with a flighted parrot.

 

 

First and foremost, you must have a sense of humour to live with a flight parrot at home

 

I assume you want to live together with your flighted parrot, and not stuff him/her into a 'bird proofed' garage or aviary.

 

 

Shanlung

[KHAN]

My CAG is flighted and lives in the flat with me, He would be bored if he wasn't flighted I think. He sits ontop of my PC monitor most of the time and sometimes flies to the window to look out, or into his cage for a bit for food or a kip.

 

I move him every 15mins to his stand to go poo, i can always tell if he wants one even if he's in my peripheral vision... and sometimes he does remember to goto the playstand first.

 

You should keep him off the top of doors, and i put a small cuddly-toy of a bumble-bee ontop of the curtain rail as he's scared of it and wont go near it

 

I put him back in his cage if i'm popping out or if i'm doing something he might get into trouble with.

 

Shoo him off anything you dont want him on straight away and keep doing it so he knows where he can go and where he cant. The 'Come here' command is a very handy skill.

[TinyTimneh]

How much trouble your bird gets into depends on both the bird and how much bird-proofing has been done around your home.

If your bird had never fledged, it may not be an automatic thing for him to fly and you'll have to teach the grey to fly well, he also might prefer to walk than fly. I have a 10 year old TAG that was clipped for at least the first six years before he came to me and has been clipped on and off since he came to me (I have finally decided to let him have his wings intact) and he needs alot of encouragement to voluntarily fly somewhere, preferring to wait for me or walk/climb to get there. It's a lot of trouble (especially if you have other pets or kids or lots of guests over frequently) but there will be a positive change in personality. It also requires you to take a whole new look at the way you relate to your bird and how you train the parrot. With full wings it is no longer a question of the bird having to depend on you or having to interact. IF the bird does not want to, he won't hang around. In short, it's tricky, with a lot of training (potty-training, recall etc) and bird-proofing on your part, but if you can manage it the rewards are worth it. Good luck

[blackman]

My 2.75 year old Timneh is flighted and it is a joy. It takes some time for you and your bird to get used to living together and managing the routine but it is well worth it. He poops in few key locations where i have put poop papers and have little trouble with poop on carpets or such. He flies up to my room every morning and waits for me to get up (and if i dont he will tug on my ear). He hangs out with me as I do the monring routine and then eventually starts to say

"want to go into the kitchen. want to go into the kitchen for some food.

want juice. want carrot juice....want grape" .

 

I also leave him out of the cage when I go away. Something i have done

only after a gradual transition. I never

lock him in the cage anymore. I do not recommend this for everyone necessarily but it can work very well as it does in my case.

When I go out of town, I close off the (large) room but not the cage and the pet sitters come in twice a day to visit him and they also do not have to put him back in the cage which makes life easy.

 

He is not destructive of my stuff at all. I think this is in part because

he gets a lot of exercise and toys. From flying one can see that he is physically fit with strong muscles and such compared to non-flighted birds.

Most mornings, from when he comes into my

room and then we go to kitchen to play and eat breakfast and it is about 2 hours or so. After which he knows it is time for me to leave and he flies to his perch in the kitchen and makes a double whistle peaceful sound of contentment. It is easy to tell when your bird is content and accepting of your leaving if they are flighted because they simply don't chase you to the door.

Over time, it has evolved such that we both know when it is time for me to leave for the day.

 

It seems so much safer to have a flighted Timneh too. Not once has there ever been a problem crashing into windows or doors or such. But many times

he has been playing with a toy that might slip off the counter or table and

one doesnt have to worry. Also you dont have to carry your bird everywhere.

He just flies to you. It is also much easier to tell what the bird wants because he is not forced to stay in a position that he cant remove himself from.

 

I also think think that flighted birds have far less incidence of feather picking.

Has anyone every heard of a flighted bird with this problem? I think that part of the feather picking for non-flighted birds is that they no longer know what their feathers are good for so it may almost be a natural extension of preening--trying to remove "useless debris" from their body.

 

I have come to view wing clipping as something like preventing a human from

walking early on even if they would otherwise be able to walk. Of course walking is not a requirement for a happy meaningful life but why enforce that state.

[shanlung]

I found some earlier letters and exchanges with other people that I archived in

 

http://shanlung.livejournal.com/21917.html

some recent letters on free flying our parrots (food management to get stronger recalls)

 

 

Those letters were 'recent' when archived in Sept 2005.

Even so, folks still thinking of free flights and telemetry

for their birdies might find the exchanges interesting.

[poodlenparrot]

Caesar is flighted but I don't think he realizes it lol. His first owners got him when he was six months old and kept his wings severely clipped. He was owned by my cousin afterward and she allowed his wings to grow out. He did fly while she had him, however she clipped his wings before giving him to me because I have a dog and another parrot. I decided to let his wings grow back out but in the year that he has lived with me he has not tried to fly once. I'm hoping he figures out that he has the ability soon and puts it to good use.

 

My first CAG, Piper, was five years old when I got her and had been flighted the majority of her life. She was a very confident bird and always seemed happy. She was very bonded to me and since she could fly and go wherever she wanted it was virtually impossible to not have her on my shoulder lol, but I wouldn't trade my time with her for anything.

[JillyBeanz]

Harvey is flighted (and young) and goes all over the place. We've pretty much "toilet trained" him now and of course, we don't leave him unsupervised so can see the signs when he's out about the house if he is going to do the odd "non-bathroom" drop!

 

The blinds and curtains and lampshades are the bane of my life tho - he's too quick - if he wants his beak thru them it does take more than an athletic sprint to stop him once he's made up his mind! You will lose some of your favorite accessories!

 

Harvey goes in his cage when we are not around - there's far too much electrical equipment that he could damage himself on, or indeed kill himself, so it's much safer for him (and my belongings).

 

You do have to "duck" in doorways and things when he feels like having one of his mad moments, when he flies madly through the house squawking! :ohmy:

[Tango]

I can only echo the other folks here:

 

They have specific times/places they poop and once you get that down, you'll drop paper in those areas and it won't be a problem.

 

The rewards for letting your boy fly FAR outweigh the bad bits.

 

I encourage you to "click" train him to come to you. It's relatively easy and it's a very good bonding experience.

 

Read up on everyone's posts on bird proofing. Picture a two year old infant with wings lol. Lots of ways he can hurt himself if you don't make it a safe place.

[whg]

This is my first post to any kind of board ever, so I apologize for any transgressions I may inadvertently commit at the start of this.

 

As my profile says, I am flockmeister for five birds - one is literally mine; the others belong to wife or stepdaughter, both of whom are not as involved in the lives of the birds as they once were.

 

The reason I posted here is because of the discussion on free-flight. All five birds have the ability to fly freely. The CAG is the most comfortable as she hasn't had her wings clipped since her original clip by the breeder. When I got her I made the decision to let the flight feathers grow and while it has provided some VERY memorable moments (picture a large man wedged in the crook of a tree approximately forty feet off the ground trying to coax a very contented African Grey (she had everything she wanted <g>) across the six feet of separation by crinkling a plastic bag (Plastic bags contain shredded cheese)), I would not go revisit this decision for anything.

 

I could write a forever post on the gracefulness exhibited by a bird flying and landing, the awe that I sometimes feel when one of them flies directly at me and lands on my chest (I had to learn to keep my eyes open to witness this - reflex is to shut them), and the sense of fairness I have in letting them fly. Yes, there are risks. But I'm not one to curtail an activity because there might be risks associated with it. I ride a motorcycle (primary vehicle), so what right do I have to tell my birds they can't fly?

 

At some point in life I will attempt outdoors free flight. I have time, as Martha is only three years old. And should something bad happen, I'll accept it as a consequence of both of our decisions, mine to let Ms. Martha fly outdoors, and hers to take me up on it. But I'll never regret it as I will know in my heart that she lived as completely as she could. And isn't that what we're supposed to be striving for with our birds?

 

'nuff said.

[danmcq]

Welcome whg!!

 

It's GreYt having you here.

 

I agree with you post completely and my birds have been flighted s well since bringing them home.

 

I had entertained the thought of free flying my Grey as well and putting in the many months of training in large indoor enclosures etc. to do so safely.

 

But, we live in an area with an enormous number of Hawks, so I decided to not try it. I do however take my Grey out on a harness, however, I must watch like a "Hawk" to ensure one has not come in the area, if so, we're gone!

 

Looking forward to hearing more from you. Why don't you go introduce yourself in our welcome room so others will know we have a new member? :-)

[Talon]

whg.

 

I echo your feelings on free flight wholeheartedly. I too, am very much for allowing my 5 birds to fly freely through out my house anytime they choose, however, please reconsider your desire to try outdoors free flight. I have read numerous stories from members here who have tried outdoor flights, only to have their birds fly away never to be found again.....

 

As bird owners, it is our responsibility to give our birds the best possible life we can and especially to do everything in our power to keep them as safe as possible. They do not know what "outdoors" is, they don't know how to survive, they don't know how to search and find their own food and water, that it doesn't just appear in a bowl in front of them, the dangers of predators in their area, the cold, rain to mention a few. The bird will not understand that you are his owner and will return to you because of love and devotion, especially as a they are put into an outdoor world that is all new and scary to them. They panic, and their instinct is to fly as far away as possible.

Pet birds rely on YOU to keep them safe from the dangers they may face as they can't possibly comprehend those unforseen dangerous. If you decide to outdoor flight your bird, you will loose your bird and in MY opinion will have done a disservice to your bird.

 

Please, no disrespect to you and your decision, I just feel very strongly about outdoor flight without a harness. This is only MY opinion, you are entitled to yours as well. No hard feelings.

 

I would like to welcome you to our family, and I look forward to hearing more about your flock. I am sure you have much to share with us. Please go to the Welcome Room and tell us more about you and your flock. Pictures are always welcome...we LOVE them!

B)

[Dave007]

Maybe you can be more specific when you talk about attempting *free flight*. That term can have different meanings to many people. There are different free flight methods.

I ask because you sound like you may be expecting trouble. What's meant to be is meant to be? The bird is the most important living creature on this forum and there are standards for dealing with different situations and environments.

 

PS--There's a man who I've talked with in the past named Shanlung and he's very experienced in the art of *free flight*. He's had numerous successes but even he would never recommend that a person who's focus is on free flight do this procedure without the aid of some type of harness. He even makes his own. The birds he deals with are extremely well trained and he would be the first person that would say that flying with no harness can end in tragedy.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2010/01/29 20:41