To clip or not to clip?

[CaptMicha]

I personally clip for all the reasons we know, escaping outside, flying into windows, fans, etc. It would kill me if Daisy or Clover got outside and flew away.

Does anyone here not clip and why?

I'm not issuing an argument, I just really want to know why everyone doesn't clip, what's their point of view and reasons. (I just found out about birdhotline.com).

[Janie]

I do.....and I don't! :lol I stopped clipping Oliver over a year ago. He is a very, very laid back bird who will come to me when I pat my shoulder. He's older and not very curious, unlike most lovebirds. Because I have a bird room, he is allowed out all day long, cage door always open, and only locked in his smaller cage at night. All that being said, I do clip my younger two. Very modified at this point (they are both due for a trim) and as long as they behave, I let them have a good amount of flight. Since I have boings and leather strips hanging from the ceiling in their room, they can easily get around the room with even a little flight. Those two rarely leave the bird room except to come to the kitchen which is right off their room. Sometimes they follow Oliver if he flies into the family room but that is rare.

Everyone in my home is an adult and they fully understand how easily a bird could accidently escape from an open window or door.....we are all careful anytime the birds are out. We don't use ceiling fans at all when the younger boys are out. That is a big house rule.

I think a wing clip is a necessity if you're trying to tame a bird or if a bird gets too big for his britches sometimes but if I can allow mine flight, at least some flight, that's what I do and it's worked very well for me and them. While it will work for some, it will not work for others.

[mjm8321]

Most of my birds have full flight. With that said, the younger, more full of attitude birds, get clipped, but a modified clip so they can still fly, just can't go up. I do not clip my breeder lovies wings, unless they are tame breeders and that only happens perhaps once a year. The cockatiels get their wings clipped because they have a tendency to fly into windows plus one of them only has sight out of one eye. Jackie (formerly known as Jack) has splayed legs and gets to keep flight so she can balance.

I honestly think it all depends upon the situation and the bird.

[romeoandjulietlovies06]

Just like Janie, I clip and I don't clip. I clip my two lovebirds wings because if I don't they are like air jets while flying and I'm afraid of crasing into my window and mirror when they are full-flighted. I don't clip our Quaker Parrot's wings because he is an older bird who doesn't really like to fly. Her cage door is always open, except at night, and all she does is to climb out on the door and watch t.v or look out the window. Once in a blue moon the Quaker will fly off of the cage but that is only when my dad is in his room(across the hall from her cage) and she shes that he has popcorn.

[dani]

I absolutely am a 'clipper' and I try to be pretty vigilant about it. Our home structures here in the Caribbean are a lot more 'open air' than i assume your homes are. For instance, we use lots of burglarproofing or wrought iron instead of totally walls. The temperature here is consistent all year, with very predictable weather, so we have no need for insulation. I could easily have a bird escape and fly away, and I can't take the chance. I think everybody's cirumstances affect their decision whether to clip or not.

[kimsbirds]

My breeders are not clipped...they have huge aviary type cages that allow them lots of room for flight, but my babies and pets are clipped...modified only to limit flight, not take it away. The babies get clipped around 10 weeks once their muscles are developed...they get 4-5 flight feathers off each wingie. Pets are depending how strong a flyer they are...Abbey is a STRONG bird, so her flight is limited with 7 flights clipped...Beeker is our "slightly damaged" birdie pet, so he has just 3 flights clipped on each side...Scooter has 5 flights clipped.

I don't want to take their flight away, just making sure they don't get up high, somewhere they can't be reached easily should the need arise.

Kimmie

[butterfly1061]

Same as Janie - I do & I don't. Molly is fully flighted. Piper gets a modified clip as he's my jet flyer and I clip him for safety. Daise has a modified clip as do the two babies (I know, I know, but I still call them babies :blush: ). Olivia is not a good flyer but she's got a modified clip. She's usually on me anyway and gets toted around on my shoulder.

[Janie]

I'm getting ready to go out of town for a few days so I clipped Shy last night and Big Boi this afternoon. SAD, SAD, SAD! Don't get me wrong, they can still get plenty of lift-off but I know it hurts their feelings and makes them wonder why their momma would do that to them. It took ME 10 minutes to get Big Boi in his cage before I left this morning so I knew I had to do it since my son will be caring for them while I'm gone and if it took me 10 minutes, it would take him more than an hour.

[Eliza]

I am still having Beetle clipped... in the future, I may no keep up with it. Living by myself does make it easier to moniter where he is, what doors are open, etc. but my apt. as a whole is in a shambles right now as I am trying to sort/store/rearrange things :lol I'd hate for Beetle to become displaced, even temporarily.