Conference 7.286::pet_birds

    How many and which feathers were clipped?.....BOTH WINGS?
    Glad that everthing turned out allright.
    

    Karl,
      I don't thik you acted foolishly! I think youu acted and thought
    of your yellow nape the same way we think of ours, not of birds
    but of a family member. People that ask me how I could do something
    like that for a whatever pet, I ask them would you do it for a family
    member? Because that is how we see our pets as family members.
      I appulade you and your wife for quick thinking. I am glad everything
    worked out for the best, and your bird is okay. 
      I'd like to hear what yor yelow nape does for attention, talk,
    stunts etc. BTW how old is your yellow nape?
    
    Lise

    
    	Well,
    	I clipped most of the feathers on both wings except three
        primaries. 
    
    	Yesterday, he acted like nothing ever happened.  He was as
    	cheerful as ever.  He says many words and picked up plunty of
    	different sounds.
    
    	For example,
    
    	he says, Larry Bird, wanna cracker, here kitty kitty kitty,
        climb up, up, hello, etc....
    
    	he sings a few melodies, rings like the telephone, purrs like
    	a cat, etc......
    
    	Karl.....

    
    Coupla' points....one which I am sure you have figured out...
    
    1.  Birds can always fly to some extent, usually more than you want
        them to!
    
    2.  Clipping one wing is MUCH better than clipping two!
    
    3.  When you take your birds out for a walk (which is a great idea,
        mine seems to love it...) USE a leash!  A Ferret Leash was
        suggested to me, and seems to work great on my Macaw...  He is not
        crazy about putting it on, but knows that it means going outside...
    
    	-dick

    After trying all the other methods of clipping this IS the best.
    Clip the large outer feathers (3 or 4) only about two thirds of the way
    up.
    
    ADVANTAGES:
    1. Having no primaries there is no way the bird can create a difference
    in air pressure between the top and bottom of the wings thereby
    negating any possibility of abtaining lift.
    2. Since his longest feathers are now short there is less chance of
    them getting damaged during insane flapping moments.
    3. You should not be able to tell that they have been clipped untill
    he spreads his wings.
    
    
    I have done this to both my Moluccan and Timor and all they can do is
    just flutter to the ground about five feet away at the most. I also
    take them both outside and they love it!
    
    -Stan
    

    update of 219.5
    The four outer (primaries) should be cut.
    
    Has anybody out there tried this?
    

    
    My vet clipped one wing of my Macaw that way, and he has NO lift... And
    you can not tell it, unless the wings are spread...
    
    The Vet called it the California Clip....You leave the long feathers at
    the tip of the wing for show...
    
    -dick

    I cut just the outer 4 on all my new birds until they get used to
    the windows.  once they moult then they have full flight but never
    go out side.

    
    
    
    I would just be glad that my name wasn't posted in the paper like
    the title. Man Drowns Saving Parrot.    
    
    What are you planning to do with your new life? 
    Your now on borrowed time.
    

    Karl,                                                       
                                                                
    Don't let the non-animal lovers get to you, I would probably do
    the same as you for a wild bird!                            
                                                                
    I took my Budgie, Buddie outside with me several times before I
    had an accident. I always keep his wings trimmed, but this time
    it had been a week since I had trimmed them and a couple of flight
    feathers had grown out. I had no idea his feather were growing that
    fast.                                                       
                                                                
    I had him on my shoulder and when the wind blew it startled him
    and off he went. I ran as fast as I could after him but he outdistanced
    me. I spent 3-4 hours looking up in the trees for him until a neighbor
    found him in his shed. He recovered quickly and 5 minutes after
    being in his cage you would have never known a thing happened.
                                                                
    I no longer take him outside except when he is in his cage, but someday
    may try it again. I think that when/and if I try it again I would leave
    him outside in his cage for an hour or two at a time  a few days and
    then let him come out of the cage himself so he will be able to return
    if he is startled.                                          
                                                                
                                                                
    Clipping 1 wing sounds like it might solve the problem also.
                                                                
    Doug
                                        
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    RE:  219.5,6,7  "Clip-Job"
    I am a little confused by these comments and would appreciate your
    thoughts.  If you cut 3-4 primaries, won't that be seen when their
    long feathers no longer criss-cross in the back when they are at
    rest?  I also didn't think that they got most of their lift from
    their longest feathers.  Also, to clip one wing or both.  I've gotten
    so many varying thoughts on this from breeders and vets.  Still
    not sure which is better for my cockatiel.  Some say doing one wing
    weakens the muscles in the other wing.  Some say doing both is cruel
    to the bird and unnecessary.   
    
    Also, when you clip, how much to take off.  Cut 2/3 and leave 1/3
    or vice-versa?  
    
    Thank You,
    

    Yes, you are right.  On my African Grey, when the first 4-5 primaries
    are cut (the way I'm having it done now), you no longer see them
    crossing in back.  So I disagree with those who say that you can't
    tell when the wing is folded.  But once I got used to it, I certainly
    think it looks acceptable.
    
    Actually they do get most of the lift from the longest feathers.
    It's amazing to see the difference in flight power Max has when
    he has grown back just a couple of those clipped primaries.
    
    My personal belief on clipping one or two wings is that clipping
    just one throws their balance off and makes them more prone to
    accidents because they don't end up where they think they are going
    to due to a "spiral" effect they get by having more power on one
    side than the other.
    
    The place I go clips Max's first 4 or 5 primaries off about even with
    the tips of the secondaries.  I certainly would never take off any
    more than that.
    
    Hope that helps,
    Laura

    There's another note somewhere on wing-clipping. However, I'll add my
    tuppence-worth to say that: 95% of the time, there is no justification
    for altering a bird's appearance, in my opinion.
    
    Jim Burke
    

    RE: 219.12
    Yes, That helped quite a bit.  Thank you.  I think I got it now....
    Have any good advice about feather-picking???  My cockatiel is in
    a bad habit of just plucking the feathers under both wings.  I didn't
    even notice at first.  Very embarassing to go into the Vet for a
    wing-clip and have the Vet tell you "He doesn't have feathers under
    here to clip"!  
    
    Anyway, thank you for your comments.
    
    Laurie
    
    Re:  219.13
    
    I agree with your statement.  But, I also hate to see him hurt himself
    and "alter his appearance" himself when he crashes into a wall.
     He is able to gain much to speed for my small apartment and tends
    to have too many crash landings.  My Vet was severely clipping just
    one wing which also made him spiral (as mentioned in .12) and land
    where he didn't intend.  I have been trying to find a happy middle
    ground that won't make him look like a plucked chicken after a clipping
    but still effectively control his flights sto that he doesn't hurt
    himself.  OOPPSS...I'm rambling, sorry.
    
    I'm done,
    
    

    in re .14 there is already at least one note on feather picking.
    Trying dir /title="feather" or "pick" got me 213 Cockateil feather
    picking. If you tried a dir 0.0-last.last /title="pick" you would
    probably find more notes, tho such a search would take a bit of
    time.
    
    In addition there are two older notes on wing clipping notes
    94 and 154 that I found by doing a dir /title="wing' and /title="clip"
    and one that was started just after this note - 220.
    
    Bonnie 
    birds comoderator

    re:  219.15
    
    Thank you very much -  just what I needed.
    

    
    
     Dont forget to give your bird some blow up arm bands and a rubber
     ring next time you go for a stroll around the lake. (or teach him
     or her to swim ).(