Wing clipping-YES OR NO?

[Raindroponthrose]

I decided to take Cookie for a wing clipping.She is not tame at all and if let her out,I won't be able to catch her,so since I don't want to go through this hours of catching every day I decided to clip her feathers...hope this would help to put her back to the cage in her UNTAMED contidion.Should I do it????
Also-Blue started flying away when it's time for cage,even though he was ok with it days ago..Now,he steps up but as soon as I lower my arm to put him in,he's all over the place.So I was thinking,have him clipped too. Now-let me know if this has some bad downsides for them,beside not be able to fly much or it should be fine too? And yes-what should I ask for-since I want them to fly tiny bit,not high just so they are not like rocks falling everywhere :)
Give me advice,because I have no clue! THANK YOU:grouphug:

[Chickobee]

If you check in the resource library there are good instructions for wing clipping. You could print those and take them to the vet with you.

When I clip wings on our birds I do a few flight feathers and then I let the bird fly. If they are still getting too much lift I will trim the next feather and test again.

Some stronger fliers need more feathers clipped, and the weaker birds will need to have more left on.

You are correct. You don't want your bird to fall like a rock. If they can coast gracefully down to the floor losing altitude instead of gaining altitude it is a good clip.

We choose to clip our birds for their own safety. Even a clipped bird should never be taken outside. A light breeze is sometimes all it takes foreven a clipped bird to be able to sail away up into a tall tree.

In my opinion you are making the correct choice to clip your birds so they are easier for you to tame and handle. Then later if you choose to let their feathers grow back when they molt you can decide if they get too sassy with feathers or not.

[Pips mom]

It seems that it is SO hard to have someone else clip my birds these days. I told the vet when we went to only clip about three flights on Pip, well she likes to clip and leave the outside flight feather, one or two and I told her to clip those too since he just breaks them because one flight sticking out and a rough and tough, playful bird= broken feather, so might as well clip, so add those to the ones she already clipped and I am going to clip Pip myself from now on! It's really easy to do yourself, you just have to learn how to hold them in a towel, then just clip three or four flights....the flights are easy to see on lovies, they are black, and then let her go for a test flight and if she still flies about the same as before, then try clipping one more. If you learn how to do this yourself, it's not only cheaper, but your bird will never be clipped too much! I love to see Pip fly and enjoy himself.....now he can't fly out into the living room anymore :( I know it's scarey to thinking about trying to do this yourself.....I was always scared to do it too for a long time! but it's a very worthwhile thing to learn to do to make sure your bird is always clipped the way you want and not too much flight is taken away.

[linda040899]

Flight feather clipping is a very personal decision but it can be a good one if it's done correctly. Whoever is doing the clipping (if it's not you) needs to understand how you want it done and if they won't do it your way, find someone else!

Normally, clipping 3-5 primary flight feathers is enough to limit flight. The bird can fly enough to go horizontally for a short bit and then glide to the landing surface. They can't gain height, at least inside. I usually start with 4 feathers on each wing, and then do a test flight. If flight is more than what you want, go for another flight feather.

Leaving the outside 1 or 2 primaries long is called a show cut and I don't like that kind of cut, either. The feathers are not well supported by other feathers and they tend to beak.

You can do this yourself if you choose to do so. The link provided will show you how it's done. I can clip wings by myself but it's usually easier if one person holds while another one clips.

[bookworm0550]

oh yes, joey does the whole "i'll step up, but as soon as i feel you are putting me back into my cage, i'm off" moves on me all the time. i found a trick that works for me and that is i lure him w/ treats to go back into his cage. or sometimes we cuddle and i have my hands all over him and then i walk quickly to the cage and put him in there. that's kinda mean, but sometimes it works better than treats :) he has his "i don't care about millet/sunflower seeds/seeds" moments especially if he's been eating that all day.

[Raindroponthrose]

only evening is kinda easy to put blue in,because he starts kinda sleeping in a curtain and i just take him and put him in,but during the day i am kinda running around,hahahaha So i do try with treats and he'll take a treat but still fly away.Smart little guy.Another thing is,he's up high on curtains mostly and screeming out loud like crazy :) and above me is someone's bedroom.Of course this whole thing is going on during the day till 7 pm but I'd like to have him little lower so he doesn't bother people up there(seems they have a bird on underneath their floor since he so high in my room,by ceiling)..and for Cookie-he's wild so even when sleepy there's no way to catch him unless I really stress both of us up...so if not able to fly-i can at least catch him somehow.

[Christian]

I think that at this stage wing clipping is an excellent idea. It helps you tame your lovies more easily and since they are not quite tame yet keeps them safer and keeps your sanity :) Its also a very good attitude adjustment when they're young! You may decide later on (after they are older and tamer) that you no longer need to clip. It really depends on your lovies behavior as well as how closely you monitor their outside cage time. I agree with others that a modified clip is best so that they don't drop like a brick while landing and break feathers (which could be dangerous if it was a blood feather). Best of luck! and do not feel guilty because you are doing what is best for your babies at this time!