Wing Clipping

Hello,

A clipped bird is a better bird all the way around. They are more humble when clipped, they are more likely to be more dependent on you, they are not going to fly away if a door is open or on your shoulder, they are much more better behavied all around. I clip all my birds I have a huge investment in each bird and I like to keep it with me. As a bird owner it gives you a little more comfort knowing that your bird will be safe and sound. All of us involved in a forum of any kind have heard sad stories of a bird owner loosing a bird because they were not clipped. I will say that if a breeder only clips one wing they are a poor breeder at best. A bird needs to be clipped on both wings, if not you are putting the bird at risk of hurting it self by flying uneven. As far as how many feathers to clip you should start at 5 and see how strong of a flyer you have before you clip to many. I start at 5 and then make the adjustment from there. If a bird is still climbing then I will go 1 more at a time till the only glide to the floor. Ziggy has a strong breast so he is clipped to the 8th feather. Some of the smaller birds are only clipped to the 5th feather. It is up to you to make sure that the bird is clipped to the right feather so they do not get hurt.


Mario

when i got my baby the breeder if i remember right did the first 5 on both, but yeah i believe it is better to clip than not too but that is just me.

Yes Susie, that is not the proper way of doing that and the breeder should have known this. There are some though that believe that if a bird figures it can't fly right it will just stop flying. But until it figures this out it can do much damage to the wings and tail feathers, and even the breast bone being that AG's are big birds anyway. I would def suggest that you get them evened out. Good for you for doing your homework!

omg!
im now worried about my babies.
we had our 2 greys wings clipped but they only clipped one wing!!!

they now dive bomb when they fly.
onslow our congo has often damaged his tail and wings by diving.
we had them clipped at the local bird retailer who is also a breeder.
i will now get hubby to take him to the vet and get it done properly

susie

The reason he stopped at 4 on the second wing is because he did a test fly after 4 on each side. And then after the 5th on the left wing. And he was happy with how he flew and landed so he stopped there. Also he said it gives him a 5th feather on the right wing should he need to go again the week after next. I knew it should have been even, but I have to say I was very impressed with the time he took to let him fly and he watched him carefully on each test flight. He clipped under each covert feather so you cant see the ends of the feathers. It looks really pretty too!

Oisin is a changed bird already. He is a little scared when he tries to fly, but he allows me to pick him up, he steps up without biting every time now, he has already learned that I am his means of transport! The only big negative is how clingy he has become. He wants to be sitting on me ALL the time. And I dont really trust him yet, so I cant let him on my shoulder which means lots of time just sitting talking to him. He also lets me stroke him sometimes... more than he used to anyway!

Ahhh, yes. Ronda is right about both sides being even. I clipped 7 feathers off each wing on Elmo, but did not go down to the colvert feathers...it's a "long clip".

When a bird it clipped they should be able to glid to the floor at a 45 degree angle, but not gain altitude.

Yes I agree with Berna, I clip as well and for many reasons. It all comes down to what is safe and right for YOUR household and situation.

I would watch though, I don't agree with how your vet clipped him. They should always be clipped evenly on both sides. Just watch he doesn't hurt himself when trying to attempt to fly the first few times.

Keep us updated!

I know a lot of people do not agree with clipping but I for one am pro-clip. Many parrots will get aggresive, dominant, and misbehave because they know they can do what they want. After they are clipped they have to have help getting around and become better tempered. I don't see this as "breaking" them and concidering how many happy clipped birds are out there I don't see that being flighted would really make them that much more happy. Plus, there is a much less chance of injury and accidental escape when clipped.

You made the right choice, after a good bite like your hubby got your grey was deffinatly trying to become the Alpha of the house. He'll get over being mad about the clip, keep us posted!

Hi Guys

After much deliberation, talking, reading etc. I decided to have Oisin, my younger Grey clipped. He was causing me all sorts of trouble, eating doors, other birds, hiding on top of cages and biting rather than stepping up etc! I have been thinking about it for ages, but this morning he ripped a hole in my husbands hand so he kind of made the decision for us.

The poor fellow is traumatised. He didnt like the car, and hated the toweling. When we got home, I put him in his cage for a while. Then I sat beside the cage and chatted to him. Eventually I took him out. He flew off me. I am actually delighted with the clip. He flew fairly straight most of the way across the room. And he managed to lift himself about 4 inches off the floor. So he isnt in danger of falling and hurting himself. The vet said to bring him back in 2 weeks if he has managed to fly again as he clipped 5 feathers on one wing and only 4 on the other. He said for a grey this is usually enough. But he may get stronger and fly better in a couple of weeks.....

I will keep you posted....