sbishop@desire.wright.edu (07/28/90)
I was told that clipping just one wing is better than clipping both. With both wings clipped they can still glide but one wing throws them badly off balance and they have more trouble flying.
plemmons@nsf1.mth.msu.edu (Steve Plemmons) (07/30/90)
In article <936.26b173bd@desire.wright.edu> sbishop@desire.wright.edu writes: > >I was told that clipping just one wing is better than clipping both. With both >wings clipped they can still glide but one wing throws them badly off balance >and they have more trouble flying. Clipping only one wing is a real good way for your bird to get itself hurt too. I would always stick to symetric clipping. I think you would rather try to be a little more careful about open doors and windows that having your friend crash and break a bone. Good Luck, Steve -- ======================================================================== Steve Plemmons plemmons@mth.msu.edu Math Department plemmons@frith.egr.msu.edu Michigan State University 21144smp@msu.bitnet
mm@lectroid.sw.stratus.com (Mike Mahler) (07/31/90)
In article <936.26b173bd@desire.wright.edu>, sbishop@desire.wright.edu writes: > >I was told that clipping just one wing is better than clipping both. With both >wings clipped they can still glide but one wing throws them badly off balance >and they have more trouble flying. This is not good advice. Clipping just ONE of the wings WILL indeed cause the bird to have trouble flying and that's now the point of wing clipping. The goal is to LIMIT flying ability (the ability to generate lift) so the bird can still control direction and buffet any drops from high ground. Clipping one wing causes the bird to fly in circles and can break it's breast when landing hard. It will also cause an imbalance in the muscle development of one wing as compared to the other.
mary@dinorah.wustl.edu (Mary E. Leibach) (07/31/90)
In article <936.26b173bd@desire.wright.edu>, sbishop@desire.wright.edu writes: > > I was told that clipping just one wing is better than clipping both. With both > wings clipped they can still glide but one wing throws them badly off balance > and they have more trouble flying. It throws them so badly off balance that they can't control their flight. Avian vets, particularly in Bird Talk, recommend clipping both wings evenly. And don't clip them too short, or they will not be able to glide, and the feathers will not provide adequate support for new feathers, possibly resulting in broken blood feathers. I've posted my reasons for detesting wing clips here before, so I will not bore the net repeating myself. However, this weekend I had another occasion to be thankful Cally (the Precocious Cockatiel (tm)) wasn't clipped. She was climbing on her new play gym, misjudged a beak hold, and fell. Her wings saved her from a nasty fall and potential injury. If you HAVE to clip 'em, clip 'em right. Otherwise, don't. That's my advice. (And get an avian vet to do it. Anything less, and you might have as much cockatiel blood as I had to clean up. I hope you never do!) -Mary, and Cally the Precocious Cockatiel(tm), and Vila the Cudly Conure(tm), and Blake the Beautiful Budgie(tm), and Dayna and Del, the Fertile Finchies(tm), and introducing Blake's Babies(tm)! Better known as Blake's Birds(tm)! Dedicated to the memory of the British SF show Blake's 7, and the liberty and rights of pet birds!
sbishop@desire.wright.edu (08/01/90)
In article <1990Jul30.140835.25056@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>, plemmons@nsf1.mth.msu.edu (Steve Plemmons) writes: > In article <936.26b173bd@desire.wright.edu> sbishop@desire.wright.edu writes: >> >>I was told that clipping just one wing is better than clipping both. With both >>wings clipped they can still glide but one wing throws them badly off balance >>and they have more trouble flying. > > Clipping only one wing is a real good way for your bird to get itself > hurt too. I would always stick to symetric clipping. I think you would > rather try to be a little more careful about open doors and windows that > having your friend crash and break a bone. > > Good Luck, > > Steve > I usually clip both wings myself but the advice on clipping one wing came from the largest pet shop (and bird supplier) in the area. As for being careful of open doors, I am, but when you are finger training a parakeet you have to have wings clipped or you will NEVER catch them...
ron@hpfcso.HP.COM (Ron Miller) (08/01/90)
Wing clips I've read that cockatiels are appropriately clipped assymetrically because a symmetric cut *still* leaves them enough flying capability to be trouble - they have a large amount of wing area. As for muscles, clip the other wing next time. It won't be long.( Note- I don't have cockatiels.) I have three amazons who live very nicely with clipped wings. One is a dunce who falls off her perches and cages but always has a fairly soft place to impact. When they have wings they have an attitude problem. When they can't fly they have less of an attitude problem :-) Learn to clip wings and toenails. It will prepare you for capturing the bird to pluck a broken blood feather, or to apply styptic to a cracked beak, or to inject antibiotics, or to rinse nostrils with a syringe or to pluck a blood feather for feather sexing or ...... (well, you get the idea). Slave to three masters, ron
kdb@intercon.com (Kurt Baumann) (08/01/90)
In article <1990Jul30.140835.25056@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>, plemmons@nsf1.mth.msu.edu (Steve Plemmons) writes: > I think you would > rather try to be a little more careful about open doors and windows that > having your friend crash and break a bone. > > Good Luck, > > Steve This is just not good advice. I know of too many people who have lost birds because they did not clip, or poorly clipped their birds. The trick is to leave enough feathers, but not too many. Look for a video on this soon. Birds have also been known to break their bones crashing into windows as well. So leaving their wings unclipped or poorly clipped is no solution. Kurt -- Kurt Baumann
kdb@intercon.com (Kurt Baumann) (08/01/90)
In article <1990Jul30.174540.13335@dinorah.wustl.edu>, mary@dinorah.wustl.edu (Mary E. Leibach) writes: > In article <936.26b173bd@desire.wright.edu>, sbishop@desire.wright.edu writes: > > > > I was told that clipping just one wing is better than clipping both. With both > > wings clipped they can still glide but one wing throws them badly off balance > > and they have more trouble flying. > > It throws them so badly off balance that they can't control their > flight. Avian vets, particularly in Bird Talk, recommend clipping > both wings evenly. And don't clip them too short, or they will not be > able to glide, and the feathers will not provide adequate support for > new feathers, possibly resulting in broken blood feathers. > Yes, please clip them evenly and evenly on both wings. The problem is to clip them at just the right length, so that they don't get a bit too much lift in that glide and have it turn into a flight. One of my Cockatiels (the first one we hatched) got out the other day and made it out the open door into a tree (we were in the process of moving). Had his feathers been a bit shorter he would not have made it out the door. > I've posted my reasons for detesting wing clips here before, so I will > not bore the net repeating myself. However, this weekend I had > another occasion to be thankful Cally (the Precocious Cockatiel (tm)) > wasn't clipped. She was climbing on her new play gym, misjudged a > beak hold, and fell. Her wings saved her from a nasty fall and > potential injury. > I just hope that we never see a posting from you that says "Gee, Cally just flew out the window..." It would be nice not to clip their wings, but on the other hand how many times do you really think about that door being open, or someone walking in at an inopportune moment? Just be forwarned people that bird relies on you for its food and housing. Allowing it to "escape" outside is most likly fatal to the bird. > If you HAVE to clip 'em, clip 'em right. Otherwise, don't. That's my > advice. (And get an avian vet to do it. Anything less, and you might > have as much cockatiel blood as I had to clean up. I hope you never > do!) > Yes! It also gives the vet a moment to take a look at the bird. Sort of a inpromptu vet check... :-) But keep in mind you can learn how to clip wings, it isn't any big secret. -- Kurt Baumann
plemmons@nsf1.mth.msu.edu (Steve Plemmons) (08/01/90)
In article <26B5F8E3.49E6@intercon.com> kdb@intercon.com (Kurt Baumann) writes: >In article <1990Jul30.140835.25056@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>, >plemmons@nsf1.mth.msu.edu (Steve Plemmons) writes: >> I think you would >> rather try to be a little more careful about open doors and windows that >> having your friend crash and break a bone. >> >> Good Luck, >> >> Steve > >This is just not good advice. I know of too many people who have lost birds >because they did not clip, or poorly clipped their birds. The trick is to >leave enough feathers, but not too many. Look for a video on this soon. > >Birds have also been known to break their bones crashing into windows as >well. So leaving their wings unclipped or poorly clipped is no solution. > >Kurt >-- >Kurt Baumann Please realize that I did not suggest not clipping at all. I suggested clipping symetrically or same on both sides. The bird in question walked through the door. I was simply informing of the dangers of clipping only one wing. I think that the clip all depends on the bird anyway and that is why one should talk to a vet and have them show you the best clip for that bird and the best way to do it so not to hurt the bird. And then sometimes that doesn't work. My vet at Michigan State University clipped all flight primaries but three on both sides. This was not enough for my blue crowned conure, she is a extremely strong flyer and could still get lift in this situation. I then had to clip two more from either side. This left her flightless, but with enough control to keep her out of trouble. Steve -- ======================================================================== Steve Plemmons plemmons@mth.msu.edu Math Department plemmons@frith.egr.msu.edu Michigan State University 21144smp@msu.bitnet
susans@cfi.COM (susans) (08/03/90)
In article <9720008@hpfcso.HP.COM> ron@hpfcso.HP.COM (Ron Miller) writes: >Wing clips > >I've read that cockatiels are appropriately clipped assymetrically because >a symmetric cut *still* leaves them enough flying capability to be >trouble - they have a large amount of wing area. As for muscles, >clip the other wing next time. It won't be long.( Note- I don't have >cockatiels.) Cockatiels reputedly are among the strongest of flyers. I can attest to this: my two can fly short distances with only one remaining flight feather. I don't go along with the asymetrical clip--one of my boys is an attack bird and WILL fly to attack anyone that gets too close to me. I keep them clipped VERY short because of this. > >I have three amazons who live very nicely with clipped wings. One is >a dunce who falls off her perches and cages but always has a fairly >soft place to impact. When they have wings they have an attitude >problem. When they can't fly they have less of an attitude problem :-) My two birds also fall down--but they don't drop like stones like people are implying. The spread out their wings and float down like paper planes--the remaining wing surface area is certainly large enough to protect them, unless they're incredibly dumb and just keep their wings clamped to their sides. My oldest has finally grasped the idea that he can't fly, but it has taken him 3 years to stop trying--and he's never been hurt. My baby is learning--but as soon as one flight feather comes in, he's back at it. I second the idea that they get attitude problems when fully-flighted. I can tell when Flipper needs a clip because he starts to bite my cheek if I don't scratch him long enough whenever I contemplate letting his wings grow back. Arg. A comment to Ms. Blake--I think there's far more danger allowing cockatiels free-flight (unless you choose to live in a home with your windows and mirrors covered all the time--than there is of them "falling." And could you PLEASE cut down your .signature file??? >Slave to three masters, Slave to FIVE, -- Susan S. (susans@cfi.com) Another Friend of Bill's