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Flights
Jan 1, 2016 13:35:43 GMT -5
Post by obironkenobi on Jan 1, 2016 13:35:43 GMT -5
Feather clipping has always been a touchy topic, with people on both sides of the debate having valid points. Some say a birds reason fot being is to fly and to take that away is tantamount to torture. The other side contends that the only way to keep a bird safe in our environment is to keep them grounded.
I can see both sides. For me, I have always sided with safety over freedom. Too many things for a flighted bird to get into in a house, even when supervised I think. Hot stoves, sinks full of water, power cords, open doors, etc...
We have experimented with flight over the years though. After some molts I would let Maya's flights come back and see where they would take her and it usually led to trouble. Whether it was a crow flying past the window and startling her into an uncontroled flight, or just her deciding she wanted to follow me, or fly to her cage from her playstand on her own was enough to get the clippers out. She never seems to mind losing her flights btw.
We seem to have now reached an agreement though. She has been flighted for about 6 months now and the only flying she does is when I launch her from my hand to a designated landing area. She will fly from me to either her playstand or her cage. She has not made any self directed flights at all. It's like she now realizes that if she wants to keep the flights, she has to tone it down.
So, so far we have the best of both worlds. She keeps her flights and I don't have to worry about leaving her out while I step out of the room for a minute. It'a not perfect, but so far it's working. |
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Post by easttex on Jan 1, 2016 14:09:10 GMT -5
Yep, an interesting debate. I've always been in favor of flight, but certainly see that sometimes it just isn't practical, especially when the safety of the bird can't be reasonably guaranteed. I do believe it is important to allow a bird to fledge properly in the first place, but that is usually in the hands of a breeder. There's no need to go overboard romanticizing flight. It's an evolved survival strategy. Birds in environments without predators lose the flight ability over time. The kiwi is a good example.
I don't have to face the question with my two birds. My CAG, Allie, will fly only when startled, though she can fly a good distance. Peppy flew some earlier, but since he's been ill, he doesn't even flutter to the ground; he drops. I never clip either of them.
So I don't really favor dogmas. People who would say it is always one or the other probably are not being realistic.
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Flights
Jan 1, 2016 20:31:59 GMT -5
Post by cnyguy on Jan 1, 2016 20:31:59 GMT -5
As I've mentioned before, Ralph is flighted mostly because his molts go on for such a long time. He loses flight feathers two at a time (symmetrically) over a period of several months. It doesn't seem worthwhile to clip feathers that will soon be lost and replaced with new, unclipped ones. He rarely flies anyway. Like easttex's Allie, Ralph only flies if something upsets or scares him, and then it's a direct flight back to the top of his cage. Our apartment has been made as safe as possible for a flighted parrot, and he never leaves home except in his transport cage.
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Flights
Jan 1, 2016 22:29:24 GMT -5
Post by biteybird on Jan 1, 2016 22:29:24 GMT -5
I think it's a very individual decision based upon the bird's environment and their responses to different stimuli (and how those responses impact upon their safety).
Bonnie has never been clipped and loves flying - and we love watching her flying. However, she shows no interest in our ceiling fan or several other potential household dangers...if she did, we'd reconsider our approach. Recently I considered clipping her simply because she keeps biting my hubby (if she couldn't fly she would not be able to access him so readily to bite).
For now we will keep her unclipped, but will also keep an open mind if a change is warranted.
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Flights
Jan 4, 2016 18:58:52 GMT -5
Post by aaron on Jan 4, 2016 18:58:52 GMT -5
Cupcake is a flier, and I'm generally a fan of leaving parrots flighted when possible, but I definitely recognize that it does not work in all circumstances. I don't hold it against anyone that clips wings by any means. You do what is safest for your scenario to keep your little friend healthy. Cupcake definitely enjoys the autonomy that flight affords her. She is remarkably obedient about staying where she is supposed to go-- She will break the rules occasionally, but is generally very good. Her ability to fly is integral to how we interact with her. When one or more of us leaves the room she follows, thus allowing us to travel through the house as a flock  She is generally pretty good about coming when called, although only if she feels like it. She's not trained, which is something we should probably work on. She's a very talented flier and can pull off some truly remarkable flight maneuvers at times  Obviously having her flighted poses more dangers... we try to bird-proof to the best of our ability. I would never take her flight capabilities away from her at this point, barring very severe circumstances... but of course the ability to fly means different things to different parrots in the human world. Just because it means so much to Cupcake's existence doesn't mean every bird needs to be left flighted. I wholeheartedly agree with Easttex-- people that insist that birds should always be clipped, or always be flighted, are not being realistic. |
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Flights
Jan 7, 2016 16:44:06 GMT -5
Post by beccilouise on Jan 7, 2016 16:44:06 GMT -5
I think it depends on the particular bird and situation. Generally speaking (although all birds are different) most birds rarely fly unless they have to, in order to find food, avoid predators, seek shelter or travel. Flying takes up an immense amount of energy, which is why birds tend to eat such high energy foods. The ides of a bird's 'whole reason for being' as flight seems to me to be a little reductive, particularly in the case of these guys, with whom we know we enjoy so much more. Byron is clipped at the moment, but that was done by the seller and not by me as they had a large number of birds to care for and were worried about the birds being startled by ill experienced customers and hurting themselves. I am not sure what my and Byron's arrangement will be when he regains his flight, but it will depend both on his happiness and his safety. I'm really glad that so many people seem to have their parrots flighted without too many problems and I do hope that Byron is able to keep his flight without too much trouble, but accidents, fear and an unsafe flight environment can also easily cause misery to birds and people with mixed-species flocks (as I will now be calling them!) and I agree with Aaron that the 'all or nothing' approach to flight or clipping is just a totally unrealistic outlook to have with parrots. They are all so different, each will need a different strategy.
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Flights
Jan 7, 2016 18:15:35 GMT -5
Post by Jan and Shah on Jan 7, 2016 18:15:35 GMT -5
Shah is clipped as I take him outside on occasion. The cockatiels are flighted. My problems will begin in July this year when I move into my own house. The birds will have their own room. I am not sure whether to leave Shah clipped or let the wings grow out. He dislikes the cockatiels and, as they can fly, they can get away from him otherwise I fear he will kill Pippin if he can get to him. I have allowed Shah's wings to grow out in the past and boy can that little guy fly.
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Flights
Jan 7, 2016 18:26:36 GMT -5
Post by easttex on Jan 7, 2016 18:26:36 GMT -5
Will they all be uncaged in the bird room, Jan?
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Flights
Jan 7, 2016 18:29:11 GMT -5
Post by Jan and Shah on Jan 7, 2016 18:29:11 GMT -5
Yes, they will be during the day and then in their cages at bedtime. I also have a playstand that Shah can use in the rest of the house during the day (if I am at home).
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Post by biteybird on Jan 7, 2016 18:58:15 GMT -5
Hmm, I can understand your hesitation at letting Shah's flight feathers grow if that means he could get to Pippin, Jan. Maybe they could have out-of-cage time on 'rotation' when you're home? I guess that might be a high maintenance arrangement, though. It's good Shah can be in the rest of the house on his playstand. I could imagine Shah would be an excellent flier - he seems to do everything else very well! |
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She is generally pretty good about coming when called, although only if she feels like it. She's not trained, which is something we should probably work on. She's a very talented flier and can pull off some truly remarkable flight maneuvers at times 
